Adventures By Design

A week or so ago I spoke to my friend Trent about a problem he was having with some of his students. He teaches at a school in northern BC, Canada, and many of his students come from families who don’t have a high regard for formal education. (Trent posted the following as a comment on another earlier post on intrinsic motivation, but I moved it here so we can see it.)

Hey
So I will post my ethical dilemma question here.
It basically boils down to where do I set the bar as far as what standards are achieved in the grade 9 class when I know students will quit school altogether if they fail my class.
Who do I owe a duty of care to? All students to make sure they stay in school as long as possible or the ones that actually want to graduate.
Keeping in mind that in the community I teach in students basically have their own choice as to when they quit school. I have lost 3 grade 10 students so far this year.
I think I have my answer after a great deal of thought and reflection but would definitely appreciate any and all feed back.

Hi Trent. I’ve been thinking about this since you first emailed me. It’s a tough issue that doesn’t have an easy solution; I’m not sure how to counsel you. I have had these two seemingly irreconcilable themes running around my head.

• No matter how much you try, you are not likely to change the fundamental values of the students’ community. If the community doesn’t value education, then no matter if those kids get A+’s in your class, they are still at-risk of dropping out. It seems that as long as they are not failing (but also not trying very hard) then they are willing to stay in school. If that is true, then what is the value of the diploma they will receive? And are we not wasting their time in school when they could be helping out around their families’ homes and learning ‘real world’ skills?
• Contrast that line of reasoning with this: every day they stay in school, is a day of potential learning. Who knows what they are retaining and thinking about, regardless of their grades in your class. Further, you never know when they are going to have an “a-ha!” moment, and academically flourish. So, you should err on the side of caution, and if you have to warp your standards to keep those kids in school, then so be it.

I’m curious how your colleagues feel about this. Your admin? How about other resource people (counselor, nurse, constable, social worker, etc)? They have had to confront their version of this issue, and I’m curious what their perspective is.

Here are some of the options I see and their advantages and disadvantages. However, I’m reminded of one of my favorite (Jewish) proverbs: If you have only two alternatives, then choose the third. I’m sure there are hundreds of other options that aren’t included in this list.

option 1:
maintain high standards for the class

advantages:
you maintain your high expectations
you maintain your integrity

disadvantages:
some of your students will fail and drop out

option 2:
maintain high standards for everyone, make the at-risk students stretch themselves, and if they still fail, change the standard for them so they’ll pass

advantages:
you maintain your high expectations
your at-risk students may try harder

disadvantages:
your integrity is under question
your admin may get on your case
unless all of their teachers do the same until they graduate, the at-risk students are still at risk of failing other classes and dropping out

option 3:
maintain high standards for everyone, meet with the at-risk students and their folks, tell them that they are in danger of failing, and suggest an academic contract (they do X and they pass)

advantages:
you maintain your high expectations
you maintain your integrity
your at-risk students may try harder
empowers students’ sense of responsibility and invites them to take part in their own education

disadvantages:
necessitates enough of a “buy-in” from the students that they will actually try
unless all of their teachers do the same until they graduate, the at-risk students are still at risk of failing other classes and dropping out

option 4:
lower the standards in your class

advantages:
those at-risk students will pass your class
everyone’s scores will go up

disadvantages:
your integrity is under question
your class becomes downgraded, less challenging, less meaningful
your admin may get on your case
unless all of their teachers do the same until they graduate, the at-risk students are still at risk of failing other classes and dropping out

option 5:
lower the standards for only those at-risk students

advantages:
those at-risk students will pass your class
the rest of the class is still challenged

disadvantages:
your integrity is under question
your admin may get on your case
unless all of their teachers do the same until they graduate, the at-risk students are still at risk of failing other classes and dropping out

Looking at this list, I’d publicly maintain my high standards for the whole class, but privately offer them a contract that challenges them while recognizing their underdeveloped academic abilities (option 3). If at the end of the semester those at-risk students are (mildly) failing, I’d talk to them and see if I should fudge their scores so they pass (option 5).

From your recent post, you mentioned that “I have my answer after a great deal of thought and reflection”. Great! So… ?

I know there are several teachers who occasionally browse my blog. Please weigh in on this question and tell us what you think. Like Trent said, any and all feedback is welcomed.

Richard