Is it Friday yet?

It's just been a long week. I guess when you don't get a weekend break, the week seems really long. I don't know whether I should keep fighting the battle to get my kids to do their work and not fail speech or if I should give up and let them learn the hard way. It's kind of a damned if you do and damned if you don't. If I keep fighting then I'm spending a lot of extra time for kids that will probably fail anyways. If I let them fail, then I risk getting a "talking to" because kids aren't passing my classes. As I was sorting through my piles and piles of files that still need to be sorted, I came across something I created the last year I taught junior. It was a contract that I had the students sign so they could decide if they wanted to pass or fail my class. It gave them the option to refuse to do assignments with the understanding that copies would be sent to their parents.
It would be one thing if my class was just an elective, but they have to have it before they graduate. The thing is that some have no intention to graduate and they're just waiting until they're of age to get out of school. I think it's really sad. But what can I do? I would like to make a difference, but sometimes I'm not sure I know how. But I guess I'll keep reaching. Maybe someone will grasp at some point. It's still early in the year and I know I tend to be impatient. But I'm already thinking about which battles I should choose and if they're worth it.