First off, I have a very strange school. Classes take place from 7am-7pm, and a class meets in every single room every single period (needless to say, we're lacking space!). The kids can take classes anywhere in that time period, and every kid has a different schedule. This makes it EXTREMELY difficult to meet with students outside of class for tutoring or have them do retakes, etc. Not only do we not have time to meet, without a typical after school, before school, or lunch period, but we also don't have a place to meet. The past few months, I have been going crazy trying to find times to meet with students, or schedule a place/time for them to make up/retake tests. I don't want to let them take them during class for two reasons: 1) my classrooms are TINY and I can't separate them from the other students and I'm afraid of cheating, 2) I don't want them to miss the day's lesson. But I really need to get some type of structure/organization on this! This is what I'm thinking of doing. Please let me know if it sounds crazy before I check with administration: What if I scheduled 1 or 2 Saturday mornings/month where I agreed to come into school for a couple hours and students could meet me? We'd have time to tutor, or do catch up on late work, or retake a test they scored poorly on (my school wants me to allow this, providing the students do extra work to earn it). I know I'd be working extra hours - but I'd be working during that time anyways and it'd much easier for me for this way! Instead of trying to work around all my students schedules, I'd just tell them to come to the next Sat. session? Do you think that would that work? Or would no one show up? What if I didn't allow retakes at all unless they attended a Sat. session?
I don't think this sounds crazy at all. I know some teachers who tutor students on Sat mornings. This will also give you a sense of who really wants to do well in the class as they'll be taking time to come up and retake/get tutored.
My classroom situation is almost as crazy as yours, so Saturdays are a fantastic idea! If the kids balk, tell them that you're willing to give up YOUR free time so they can meet you halfway. If they still balk, they can use it as incentive to show up on test days. May I also suggest the alternative of reserving a room at your local library? That way it isn't just you and the student alone at a quiet school. I do a TON of after-hours tutoring with my kids and have found that is the best scenario for me.
Another thing you could do is if you can afford to do this with class time, is once a month, have a day that is a make-up day. Kids can be in your class and work on any make up work, retake a test, or if they have nothing for your class, work on something for another class or have time to read or do something else. I have had a block of time once a week in 4th grade, where they can make up work and finish things. Those done got choice time.... but it probably wouldn't work as well in 7th grade. You could have games available for those who have all their work done as an incentive.
Even with my 5th graders, they know they have to come to me to make something up~ I won't track them down. If they fail to, they don't get a second chance, it's their fault. Schedule a time with them when ever you can and if they don't show up, sorry no re-take. A re-take is you doing something for them. You're holding up your side of the bargain by helping them out~ they fail to take that help, you shouldn't have to keep finding ways to help them.
