The Second Trig Test

Today I gave the second test of the year to my Trig/Pre-Calc class. This is a senior level math class that I teach first and second period. When we entered the classroom, I asked all the students to go ahead and have a seat and clear off their desks. I saw a student who still had her calculator out and I asked her to put it away. "We can't use calculators?", she exclaimed, "no, we haven't used them during this entire unit, I'm sorry", I replied. She gave an exhaustive exhale, full of sass and attitude, and put her calculator away. Warning sign #1.

I also noticed two students who made it a point to move from their normal seats, to seats closest to several of the brightest students in the class. I asked them to return to their seats, and they looked at me with a puzzled glare, as to say, "how dare you ask me to return to the seat I sit in every other day of the year". Once they returned to their seat, I passed out the test. The first student whom I asked to move threw his test on the floor and said, "I fail". I walked over and said, "are you sure you don't want to try at least a few problems?" to which he replied, "I know how to do it, I just don't want to, you made me mad". "Ok, Deabrey", I said, and I took up his test. When I stood up, the second student who I asked to move also handed me her test and said, "I'm done". She handed me a test with nothing filled in but her name. "Are you sure you don't want to try any?", I asked. "No", she said, "I don't know how to do it, it's not like it's gonna come to me". "Ok, Ashley", I said, and took up the test. Warning sign #2.

Now I wouldn't pay as much attention to these warning signs, except that we took two class periods to review for this test. Nearly 100 minutes. In that time, I covered questions exactly like the ones they were tested on (side note - calculators were never used), and for some reason, I'm the bad guy. What's even more troubling, is that the second Trig class I teach has neither complained about the lack of calculators, nor given back their tests in defiance.

An overarching spirit of apathy runs rampant in this place. This has honestly been the root of my greatest challenges thus far. How do I make someone care about something. Truly, genuinely care. Caring has consequences. It takes work, it doesn't come easily at times, it requires commitment. This is commitment that some of these students have never experienced and my fear is that they never will. I know this is also where inspiration comes in, but inspiration is not found in calculators and easier tests. What it will take, I do not know, but all I know to do is keep trying, because someone has to care.