When Students Fail…

It breaks my heart when students fail in my class.

If only I could just close my eyes and just give passing grades to everyone. Life could be much, much simpler. But I know I would do more harm to their young lives if I let them pass the subject when I know they shouldn’t have.

There are a number of reasons why students fail in my class:

• sheer negligence (inexcusable!)
• no interest in the subject – unmotivated (maybe I can work on this)
• have “other priorities” – usually when students have responsibilities at home or are self-supporting (I am torn between giving them favors and being fair to everyone else)

I feel for these students’ parents/Ates/Kuyas who are working very hard, sacrificing their own happiness, doing extra work/part-time jobs, and saving every peso that they can just to send them to school.

And I hope that someday, I will be able to improve at teaching so that I can reach and teach even the most uninterested ones. Maybe you can help? Any suggestions?