They PASSED!!!!

As some of you know, I have had a rough school year this year with my two sophomore English classes. I agreed to take on a new course, English 10 Literacy, thinking I would have a class full of nice, hard-working students who just needed help with their reading skills.

WRONG...

Instead I got 24 students who are severe discipline problems, in trouble with the law, have a range of emotional problems, and who do not do any work whatsoever. I now only have 18 students as six have moved, been expelled, or have dropped out of school.

And to make my year more stressful, it is during the 10th grade year that all students must take five different graduation tests. These tests are given in Reading, Math, Writing, Science, and Social Studies. The tests are not scantron; students are required to justify almost all of their answer, meaning they do not just pick from a, b, c, d, or e. It is a test that they must pass in order to get a diploma from any Ohio high school, otherwise they get a certificate of attendance.

I almost lost sleep over the test, thinking "oh great, Mr. W is going to come to me and say 'Kristen, why didn't all of your Literacy students pass the test?'" I was very fearful of this. But,

THEY PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The results came to the high school today. Now, when I say they passed, I mean they passed the reading and writing test. Some of them passed all five parts, and a few have just one or two test to try next year. Of my 18 students, one young man did not pass the reading portion and another young man did not pass the writing, but the other 16 passed both.

I am so proud of my kids!!!