Ms. Lu's Class... Gifted and Talented (GATES)????

The other day I decided to over to a local school and observe in an eight grade algebra I class. I chose this class because I had heard a couple of students comment that there was no learning going on in that class. This was the top math class for eight graders. I had seen Ms. Lu at a back to school night and I listened to her talked about her goal and expectations. Ms. Lu is very challenged with the English language. She is a very nice lady and really impressed me as a person that was dedicated to teaching the students. As I would learn later, Ms. Lu had a MS in mathematics and a BS in engineering. She was clearly has the credentials to teach eight grade algebra I.

When I got to her classroom the door was closed and the students were sort of crowded around the door. They were quite noisy. They were eating potato chips and candy bars. The class is scheduled to start at 9:10 AM. About 9:08 Ms. Lu opened the door and attempted, to no avail, to get the students to form a line before entering the class. The students just sort pushed by her and entered the classroom, laughing and talking and milling around. Ms. Lu, in her very broken English, told the students to take their seats. They basically ignored her. I had spoke briefly to her when I entered the classroom explaining that I was there as a visitor to observe. I was wearing my visitor's badge. Ms. Lu told the students that there was a visitor in the class and they knew how they were suppose to act with visitors present??? I had a steno pad in my home and I quietly asked one of the noisier boys for his name. He looked up at me and paused and gave me his name. I feigned writing it down in my steno pad and as other students observed and not knowing exactly who I was, they quieted down.

Ms. Lu started her lecture. She was using an overhead projector, projecting onto the white board. Three of the young ladies just put their heads on their desk as if taking a nap. There was a noise level but it was sort of bearable. Three or four of the students were actually participating. She was reviewing a test that the students had taken the day before.

About 9:30 a mother escorted her son to the class and stood in the door until her son reached his seat. This young man immediately started talking to classmates, two or three rows away. The noise level increased significantly upon this students' arrival. He then stood up and sat on the top of the back of the chair with his feet in the seat portion of the chair. The young lady, who sat directly in front of the newcomer, decided to sit on her desk in a way similar to that of the newcomer.

These were supposed to be the top eight graders. I am sure that there were students in the class that really wanted to learn what Ms. Lu was teaching. Ms. Lu was very organized and enthusiatic about what she was doing. She explaining to the class that the "copy machine" was broken so she couldn't make copies. One young man blurted out. "why do need a coffee machine to make copies" ha! ha! ha! ha! Others joined in the laughter. The tenor of the class was total disrespect and rudeness.

I left about five minutes before the class was dismissed. I felt so sorry of Ms. Lu and I felt sorry for the students; especially the ones that wanted to learn. Ms. Lu definitely wanted to teach them. It was a very depressing experience. What are these students going to do next year as they enter a math teacher's class that has set up his or her syllabus assuming that they know basic pre-algebra. They will be lost and arrogant, undisciplined, rude as ever. That's what they are learning right now. Ms. Lu never even addressed the students with their heads on desk. I guess she has decided that as long as they are napping they won't be noisy. SAD!