I've never had more than one Teacher's Assistant, I've never needed more than one. This year, however, because a counselor had nowhere to put a student but I already had a TA, I agreed to take a second one to help the counselor out.
The TA I have later in the morning told me today that he's good friends with the TA I have earlier in the day, and that kid told him that he's glad that I don't let him use his phone in class at all--because it forces him to do his homework after he's run out of whatever I give him. Thus, he has his afternoons entirely free because he can get his homework done during my TA period.
Isn't it weird how they'd choose to play on their phones--which they often tell me is boring because they're just searching for something to entertain themselves--rather than do their work, even though they know they'd actually be happier if they got their work done? That they need to be compelled to do what they know would actually make them happier? Addiction is a strange thing.
1 comment:
Is the student peer pressured not to use his time for homework...i.e. cooler to be seen on a phone? The going phrase here is 'you are stupid for doing more than you have to do. Do just enough for a pass. ' Homework completion is not necessary for a pass, so the student will be the recipients of put-downs if seen doing homework with no public direction from an adult staff member. Admin has responded by putting such students in double period classes; period 2 is supervised homework help plus remediation supervised by same teacher who is in charge of period 1, students do not change rooms. --lgm
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