Apathy seems to be the word in school this year

 This is the perfect photo to describe many of the students I try and connect with each day in school. I won't say teach because if you have no connection, they will not learn from you, no matter what you try. 

I am not sure if the pandemic has caused this apathetic attitude; perhaps what is going on at home; maybe they really don't care. I am not sure. It is something I struggle with on a daily basis. 

Somewhere along the line, there is no accountability. They truly believe they can do or not do whatever they want and there will be no consequences. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

First, let me assure you this column does not include all my students. I have some wonderful students who do care about their education and try very hard to get all their work done, with passable grades, some while dealing with stuff that teenagers should not have to deal with. This is not about them. 

This is an example: On Thursday I gave an in class DBQ assignment which included three very short passages using primary documents. One was from Thomas Hobbs, one from John Locke, and then a short passage from our Declaration of Independence. The students were to read the passages and then answer six questions. They had the whole class period and were instructed to read the passages and don't worry about getting all the questions done, but answering what they did get done correctly. 

I had students not turn anything in. They never asked a question. They never expressed anything about the assignment. I guess they just decided not to do anything. They received a 0 quiz grade. This will alter their grade. 

I had one come up to me yesterday and tell me she "forgot" to turn it in. But she really did it during class. I had several who told them. "Oh well. I will take the 0." They don't even blink when they say that to me. They show no emotion whatsoever. 

It is all I can do not to drop my jaw in disbelief. I have to follow so many rules and regulations to accommodate these kids. IEPs and 504s, ELLs and Gifted. You cannot imagine trying to teach to so many different learning styles and issues and then to have them not care if they get a zero? I am not sure what is happening and my question is, "Where do we go from here?"