There are days when I wonder why I try.

All right, I don’t really wonder why I try. I try because it’s my job. I try because I am not a quitter. But, most of all, I try because I care about the kids and want them to succeed, even if they don’t yet know they want to succeed.

But there are days.

There are days such as the ones when my algebra 1 class demonstrates in review activities that they know their linear equations backward and forward.

And the next day, they fail their test on the exact same material.

First, I am elated and optimistic about the students, and they are confident about their knowledge.

And then, I’m staring at the evidence that students forgot their brains at home, or didn’t read the directions, or gave up without thinking about the problem. (And I’m wondering if their problem is a math problem or a reading problem.)

What more could I do?

Eating ice cream will just make me fat, even if it is chocolate.

So I’ll skip the ice cream and, instead, make plans to reteach briefly the concepts we just worked on, with an activity for the students to be able to have an alternate demonstration of competency.

And next week, we’ll move on to the next chapter.