Who's really failing?

I've seen Steve and Dallas' posts about students under-performing and I can totally relate. My co-op and I have talked at length about the huge number of failing students in each of her/my classes. I wasn't expecting to see so many students completely writing off assignments and blowing off exams, with no regard for their grades or their education. I guess perhaps I was being presumptuous in expecting a school like Manheim Township to have less of this than perhaps an urban school or a less affluent school, but I'll be honest - I did.

I went to an affluent high school much like Manheim (Although many of the students were extremely wealthy, I (and most of my friends) sat comfortably in middle class). I don't know if I was oblivious or it wasn't going on, but I don't recall any of the students being as blatant in their disregard for their grades. I struggle to understand how these kids can (seemingly thoughtlessly) fail the majority of their classes or repeat entire grades. The most frustrating aspect of this is that a good deal of the kids I see failing are extremely intelligent and could easily ace every class if they bothered to put in even a minuscule amount of effort. Which brings me to....

Are they actually bored? I feel like any time an intelligent kid fails, educators slap a "not challenged enough" or "bored" label on them. I don't know if I agree with this idea. I think it's something else, or at least a combination of boredom and something else. (Sorry this is so inarticulate - I'm having trouble saying what I want to say.) Basically, what I'm trying to suggest is that boredom is not the sole reason these bright kids are failing consistently.

These kids come and sit in our classrooms and we see one small dimension of who they are. I think we need to realize and plan for the fact that who we see them as for 40 minutes of their day, doesn't do them justice. I've talked about this with friends I've had classes with for years, who I only began talking to/getting to know this school year -until you take the time to get to know someone, you forget they exist in a world beyond the one you see them in. It's like that surreal moment when you realize your parents aren't JUST your parents. They're someone's kid, someone's spouse, someone's EX, someone's best friend etc. These kids aren't JUST our English students: some of them are athletes, some have problems at home, some are helping pay the rent, some didn't eat dinner last night, some just broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend, some are sick, some are frustrated, some are depressed, some are addicted to drugs/alcohol, some are homecoming queens, some are last-picked in gym, some are in bands, some are desperate for attention, some are trying to avoid it, etc. etc. etc.

Sorry this is long and rambling - it's a bit stream-of-consciousness. What I'm trying to say, at the end of all this, is that until we take the time (though it might be a long and difficult process) to know who these kids REALLY are, outside of the classroom, we will never be able to help them IN the classroom.

Whew!