Done

I had to delete what I just wrote because it was unkind. I know what you are thinking. For me to delete something because it was unkind, it had to be quite severe, and you would be correct. I had a few choice words about some of my students, and I still have them because I found myself unable to share them with you. Essentially, I am having difficulty believing a select few are worth my efforts as a teacher. A common enough malady if one teaches high school, but I seem to have about 10-12 of these students in a single class, which makes it rough for the other half of my class in that they not only have to deal with the students who are behaving terribly, but also with my apathy.

My perception is that this situation is one of the greatest drawbacks for secondary teachers. We are not allowed to disregard any of our students. We are charged with their education, whether they want it or not. Handling students one on one for disciplinary problems is acceptable, but in my case, I have half a class which refuses to do anything. If I discipline them all at once, it is seen as a failure on my part, rather than as a difficult position.

Have any college professors out there run into half a class or more who seems completely dis-interested in the entire process of class and learning? If so, is it easy to ignore, or do you feel an obligation to motivate them to learn? I understand motivating students about particular assignments, but this is more. This is trying to get them to even accept the possibility that reading (these students are remedial level readers at best) is even somewhat important or useful.