I implemented the most fantastic homework management policy today! I mentioned to the assistant principal that I hated calling kid's parents whenever they are missing homework; we are supposed to call home if students are missing 3 or more assignments. Since math has homework nearly every day and I have so many low-level students, I end up calling something like 15-20 parents and it takes forever! Imagine two hours of your life every week just contacting parents. And it's not like it's news to the parents. I've already called them two or three times before..

So the assistant principal said "Just have the kids call their parents themselves." And in my head an inspiration flower blossomed. It's beautiful. The kids call the parents. Of course! I don't spend time looking up numbers, practicing what I'm going to say in Spanish, etc. The students call. And not only that, but oh my gosh it was hilarious watching some of the students call. I heard one kid call and say in Spanish, "Hi dad, I'm missing 6 assignments in my math class. What? No, my teacher told me to call you. It's an F. But I'm gonna do it this weekend. No, I just have to call you. I know! I'm going to do it this weekend. I have to finish by Tuesday or I get a mandatorial. I know! I love you."

My favorite part was hearing the dad ask what the kid's grade was. This kid is one of the noisiest kids in my class, too. But he was very timid on the phone, haha.

Another kid was on the phone for like 10 seconds and I asked him if he had talked to his parents. He said, "Yeah, I'm grounded." Haha, "What did they say?" He replied, "My mom said I was grounded."

Oh man. I suppose this sounds a little mean laughing at kids getting in trouble from their parents, but I promise, it's not. You have to know these kids and the crap I get from them every day. And their parents are supposed to know about their grades anyways because I send home a progress report each week to get signed. I imagine a lot of them forge the signatures. I laugh because the solution is easy:

Do your homework each night. No problem. 10 minutes, maybe 15.

ps. If you think a kid could just fake a call to themselves or not dial anything, believe me, I am a sharp, young, no BS kind of teacher. I caught a girl doing it already.