Me personally, as a teacher…

My first priority is to teach the child not the content.

In this case it means you can’t possibly teach someone that, for whatever reason, doesn’t have their head in the game. And if there is something I can do to help the child (and yes, a 12th grader is a child) to do that, then I will.

Asking for an easy way out is asking to be excused from doing the work and still getting a pass on the class. Asking to be let off the hook for your behavior.

What you want is help so that you CAN do the work up to the level that you were able to do before. There is no crime or shame in asking for help when you are in a situation over your head.

I am an English teacher and I would prefer if you would talk to me. Your teacher sounds old because if I saw that you were doing bad we would certainly have a talk. If you know that you have a drug problem you need to fix it before you go to college and waste your money being wasted. The hardest part is recognizing the problem and the second is asking for help. If not her someone else, but talk to her, tell her your goign through a lot and you would like if she could hear you out and help you to do good this semester. it’s not called special treatment its about helping a student that actually gives a damn. there are a lot of them thattake their 60’s and 70’s and don’t care. I would be more than happy to help a student that wanted it.

good luck and kick the habit. you’re old enough to know it’s wrong. :0)

Definitely send the student to either a counselor or school psychologist. It sounds like more is going on than something a teacher should handle.

If one of my students dropped that low, I would take a look at the curriculum, see if the drop was due to harder material. Or maybe due to my teaching style (the teaching/learning style may not match.)

Good luck!

If she asks for makeup work or extra credit work, or you offer her such, then she’s not after your sympathy or pity. If she’s willing to try and bring her grades up – talk to her and see if there is some way to help her, even if its only to refer her to someone or someplace. Good Luck!

Don’t listen to wisegirl84; there’s no way she’s an English teacher with such atrocious grammar and spelling.