This has been an extremely hectic week. Friday is the end of the 9 weeks grading period and I didn't have any of my science assignments graded. So today was a mad rush to get that done and get missing assignments from students who hadn't turned them in etc...

Yesterday I had a "man-to-man" with one of my students. He's impossible to get through to. He doesn't seem to care about anything, his single father doesn't seem to care about much more than nitpicking everything we do, he smirks or laughs every time he gets in trouble. So I told him he was on his way to repeat fourth grade if things don't change. I asked him if he wanted things to change and if he wanted to make things better. He said "Yes." I asked him if that was honestly how he felt or if he was just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. He said he really felt like that.

So at the end of the day he was supposed to go to tutoring to help him pass the standardized tests they have to do. He didn't show up and one of my other kids said that he told him "I'm leaving, I don't give a crap."

Today I asked him why he didn't come to tutoring. He said "I don't know," and shrugged. I said "I heard it was because you don't give a crap. Yesterday you told me that you DO care. Which is it?" He looked me right in the eye (he never looks me in the eye) and said "I don't care."

That stinks. There seems to be nothing we can do to make him care or to get him on track. He has zero motivation. We're at a total loss. My partner teacher who has taught for twenty some odd years is at a loss, the counselor is at a loss as is the principal. All I can really do I guess is pray for this kid. It's pretty frustrating.

1 day until spring break.