Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

The second of the now four change-of-grades I have, Anthony, did not take the finals in Trigonometry Thursday two weeks ago, even though he took the finals in Graphics One the day before.

He passed in Graphics One, with a grade of three-point-zero. And looking at his pre-final grade, he only needed to get 55 out of a hundred in his finals to pass.

Fortunately the student gave his home phone number in his course card, so the day after course card distribution, I called his home.

He was the one who answered. Good. I didn’t want to have to talk to his parents if it turned out that he just didn’t go to school that day.

But I wouldn’t have been able to talk to his parents anyway. He said the reason he wasn’t in school was because he stayed home tending to his family’s business, because his parents, as well as the rest of his siblings, have migrated to the United States.

I told him about his situation, that the cases of defense for change-of-grade made it easy for students like him to be approved. All he had to do was pass a letter signed by a guardian (in his case anyone in the house or the family still in the area older than him), schedule a make up exam, and – of course – show up.

We finalized his taking the finals for Thursday last week, one week from when he was supposed (and the rest of his classmates) took it.

I gave him the same questions that I did for his classmates, with the fifteenth item already corrected naturally.

I already prepared a test booklet for him (one of the four that some of his classmates submitted but did not use during the previous exams*) but he brought his own booklet at well as his calculator.

He even finished well before the hour-and-a-half time limit.

But the thing is: he hasn’t passed his letter, which is required for when I process the change of grade form. He said he will pass it one of these days, but I’ve already seen him at least twice in school the past few days after that exam, looking for other teachers, and he still has not given the document. He only has until September 17, the deadline of change of grades, to do so.

*There were in fact four students who did not take the finals. But two out of that four only showed up for one test, the third one, at that. They also stopped showing up for Graphics One within the first three weeks, as well as not even taking care of scheduling their required initial interview with the guidance counselor. So even if they aced the finals, they had no chance of passing due to lack of other requirements they could not possibly give excuses for not submitting.

One went for his academic advising (adjustment) yesterday, and says that he will come back today because he’s not even sure if he will enroll yet, having failed most if not all of his subjects. He has not shown up yet, and the day is already half over.

And that’s it for today. The class is free to go.