I'm spoiled, I know. Summer vacation is a perk of teaching and I do not take it for granted. Between Spring Break and summer vacation we have an eight week stretch with no breaks. We are now through the third of those weeks (or will be in 2 hours and 10 minutes, but whose counting...). Most people in a more traditional work environment would tell me to stop compaining and be grateful for the fact that we have the summer. Well, I am grateful, but what those people don't understand is that our students are children, not adults. Eight weeks without a break is a long time for them, which makes it a long time for us. The longer we go without a break more fights break out, there are more discipline problems, etc.
Especially now, in the middle, the end is not close enough to really look forward to, and we are through reminiscing about Spring Break (I went on a cruise).
I'm adding a new element to the radically restructured Algebra 1 classes. Now they have assigned groups - coined "math families" by one of the students - in which they will work whenever classwork is assigned. I've usually allowed them to work with a partner, but they tend to team up with a friend and get off task easily, go figure :). The only potential problem is the chronic absentee problem, but I've tried to arrange the groups so that it is likely that at least two members will be there. In an earlier class I had 10 students missing from a class of 24 (but it's my fault when they can't pass a difficult graduation test :( ). This is sadly, pretty normal. About 5 of them are the same children all the time and there are usually about 3-5 others that vary. Overall out of 100 or so students I have about 20 that have what I would call acceptable attendace rates.
I teach in a small city, but a city nonetheless, with real city problems. What some of these kids live through everyday would break your heart, and often does mine. I just have to keep that in mind when I start getting annoyed that getting their math homework done isn't their first priority everyday. At the same time, I can't allow myself to lower my expectations, or to excuse constant apathy. And the internal battle wages on...