Second semester I had a student named Adam. Adam was a senior, a quiet leader... a John Wayne archetype. He rarely said anything, but when he did everyone listened. I had watched Adam at wrestling meets, and each time he saw me he'd nod his head in my direction. He went on to be Bi-State tournament champion, regional champion, and was 31-0 heading into sectionals when midterm grades were due. At that point, Adam was failing Algebra II, and the grades posted on my classroom door and on this website showed it. Had I marked an F on his report card, though, he would have been ineligible for the state meet.
State was the opportunity of a lifetime, and I'd be damned if I'd deprive him of his chance. I marked a D- on his midterm grade report. The next day in class I asked him (in front of everyone) if I told him to be somewhere would be show up? He said yes, and I told the class that the night before the following test there would be a study session at the local pizza joint. The "Algebra Party" was born. Adam went, along with ten other kids. We ate pizza, drank pop, listened to the jukebox, talked and laughed about school, and did all the problems from the test I'd given the semester before. We held Algebra Parties before every test for the rest of the year... Adam attended every one. (By the way, he was sectional champ and finished 5th at state with a 35-2 record. He also passed Algebra II with a well-earned C.) Before the end of the school year, over two-thirds of my students were showing up, each with $3 in hand to help cover the costs. I crammed forty kids into a small banquet room every other week, and my status among the students and their parents continued to blossom.