"Bad Teacher" barks up the wrong tree!!!

[declansdad]

The reason I brought this up was because other posters made assumptions that I must be one of those parents who can't handle any problems with teachers and immediately move my kid around. This was an example and defense response that If I was one of those parents he would have been removed from the Kindergarten room because that teacher was awful!

Perhaps he just didn't want to deal with you anymore and felt that this was the easiest solution.

 

[lukenick1]

"How dare the teacher put my son's grade out for everyone to see. Grades are private!"

"I made sure to look at all the grades while I was briefly in the classroom"

refer to post #20 before you make an assumption please. Thanks

 

[lukenick1]

So would YOU like to explain why you were rifling through the papers on desks other than your son's?

Refer to post #20

 

[lukenick1]

Perhaps he just didn't want to deal with you anymore and felt that this was the easiest solution.

Perhaps this is a new Principle who has never even met me before........

 

[declansdad]

Perhaps this is a new Principle who has never even met me before........

Is it a new principal?

 

[lukenick1]

Does this teacher have a rep for being tough? If half the class failed, I question why on earth the teacher would want the grades displayed. It's like advertising that he/she is not a very good teacher. Open house is supposed to "show off" the good stuff I thought.

Some years we have good teachers, other years we don't. I try to use it as a learning experience. I look at it the way: In life, there will be good neighbors and bad, good bosses and bad, good co-workers and bad etc. Sometimes you have to find a way to make it work.

Glad your son was switched and the principal listened to your request. Hopefully this new teacher will be a better fit with your son.

Yes as a matter of fact previous year parents had warned me about her. He is much happier, as am I, in his new class with a teacher that has respect for the students.

 

[lauradis]

OP, I hope your son has a better experience in his new class. Every parent just has to do what they think it right for their child.

I also have a fifth grader with low self esteem that comes from previous years of classroom bullying. He teacher this year is not so great. There are bad teachers out there. Sometimes they are just bad, sometimes the teacher and child just don't mesh well. I figure you are going to get at least one teacher you just don't like. This is his year. We are trying to make the best of it and get through the rest of the year. I try and use this experience as a life lesson and teach him that we are going to have to work with/for people we don't get along with.

In the 20 years of having children in school.

We have had our share of not so great teachers.

First I blame the child , then me the parent, then teacher for bad grades.

When we get a teacher that hasn't been great fit for one of our children, be it poor grades or bad additude, I become that teachers best parent you need case of whatever here is two. You want me to cut out or make that sure. Just email or call away. We do this for all teachers just more sugar for ones that are having a bad year.

All the while whatever subject my child isn't excelling in we as in me hubby, work with our child to learn the subject material.

Op we have no idea what really is going on.

Hope your son is excelling with his new teacher.

 

[lukenick1]

Is it a new principal?

Yes it is......if you had read a past reply you would have seen that last years Principal was in the classroom because her son was also in the same class. I had a GREAT relationship with the past Principal who was there for both my kids. She was also very upset that this teacher displayed the grades.

 

[declansdad]

Yes it is......if you had read a past reply you would have seen that last years Principal was in the classroom because her son was also in the same class. I had a GREAT relationship with the past Principal who was there for both my kids. She was also very upset that this teacher displayed the grades.

Then I stand by my earlier comment that this principal has no backbone. There is no way in the world they should have moved a student out of a class after only 2 months of the school year. If the teacher is that bad, there must be more than you complaining. If not, the principal is either afraid of confrontation or reputation.

 

[lukenick1]

People.......

I am not disregarding the fact that my son did poorly on his project, nor am i coddling him. I am only advocating for him that open house is not a place to display grades (good or bad) for everyone to see especially when you are feeling ashamed of yourself and embarrassed that you did so poorly. It's not a time for humiliation, it's supposed to be a happy affair. If there was such a desire for me to see how horrible he did, then she should have called me to discuss it. Like i said, had he not expressed his feelings to me about his grade and the fact that he approached her with his feelings about it, i probably would have been upset with him and we would have discussed it at home. At the same time i also would have been shocked to see it displayed. It's the fact that she didn't care about his feelings. Isn't it a teachers job to encourage kids to succeed??? That is what is disgusting about this!

 

[lauradis]

Yes as a matter of fact previous year parents had warned me about her. He is much happier, as am I, in his new class with a teacher that has respect for the students.

One teacher we had mrs p left my oldest daughter locked outside middle school gym in the winter time more then once after cheerleading practice earlier then she told parents to pick them up. Pre cell phone days. To
go home and let her dog out.

All parents of the cheerleaders complained because it wasn't the first time she left them to
go home to her dogs, 2 of the parents even told her we would help her take out dogs or cover the last half of basketball games so that girls weren't left alone. She declined and didn't see problem.

Mrs p is Elementry teacher, with my youngest I went to principal before school started to request that my youngest dd never be in her class due to the fact that I personal don't trust her.

If you where warned why didn't you request your child not to be in her class.

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

As a teacher who has received two students two different years because of issues, its not easy for the "new" teacher to receive these transfers either. Its awkward for all involved. Except maybe for the parent who feels vindicated...I wish parents would talk about their concerns instead of automatically requesting a transfer. ...and fyi I am also a teacher with a reputation for being tough, but I've had my toughest kids come back and thank me for pushing them. I've had parents of "problem" kids thank me for pushing their child. I didn't get into this to hurt kids...

 

[declansdad]

People.......

I am not disregarding the fact that my son did poorly on his project, nor am i coddling him. I am only advocating for him that open house is not a place to display grades (good or bad) for everyone to see especially when you are feeling ashamed of yourself and embarrassed that you did so poorly. It's not a time for humiliation, it's supposed to be a happy affair. If there was such a desire for me to see how horrible he did, then she should have called me to discuss it. Like i said, had he not expressed his feelings to me about his grade and the fact that he approached her with his feelings about it, i probably would have been upset with him and we would have discussed it at home. At the same time i also would have been shocked to see it displayed. It's the fact that she didn't care about his feelings. Isn't it a teachers job to encourage kids to succeed??? That is what is disgusting about this!

Would we be having this discussion if the paper had been left out and it had a good grade?

 

[Art 1]

Would we be having this discussion if the paper had been left out and it had a good grade?

No, we would not. Good point.

 

[Bluestars]

People.......

I am not disregarding the fact that my son did poorly on his project, nor am i coddling him. I am only advocating for him that open house is not a place to display grades (good or bad) for everyone to see especially when you are feeling ashamed of yourself and embarrassed that you did so poorly. It's not a time for humiliation, it's supposed to be a happy affair. If there was such a desire for me to see how horrible he did, then she should have called me to discuss it. Like i said, had he not expressed his feelings to me about his grade and the fact that he approached her with his feelings about it, i probably would have been upset with him and we would have discussed it at home. At the same time i also would have been shocked to see it displayed. It's the fact that she didn't care about his feelings. Isn't it a teachers job to encourage kids to succeed??? That is what is disgusting about this!

I would have been upset too. I have three kids and this has never happened in all of the years they went to school. Open House was always a time to display things the children were proud for their parents to see. The teachers seemed to pick out their best work. It was never a time to humiliate the kids for poor grades.
It sounds like this was the last straw in your interactions with this teacher. I don't blame you for being upset. She sounds like a mean teacher to me. My kids have had years with difficult teachers, but none of them were ever mean.

 

[North of Mouse]

As a parent of a 5th grader, I wouldn't have paid any attention to anyone else's desk. I also would have told my kid that if she didn't want to feel embarrassed then she should have gotten a better grade. Fortunately, she is a straight A student so I haven't had to cross that bridge...yet. I hope you got what you wanted, but be prepared...this is only the beginning. Teachers do things like this all of the time. There are a lot of school years left. You are not going to be able to protect them from embarrassment their whole life. They need to be responsible for their own actions, and 5th grade is well past that stage in our house.

I haven't read all this thread, but having 3 children, I agree wholeheartedly with this poster. I hope the principal stood up with the teacher. We can't 'baby' our children all their lives.

 

[Liberty Belle]

So, what do you do when he gets a bad grade? Or doesn't do something up to snuff, let it slide?

No, first he's always way more upset about a grade than I am. He's very hard on himself. We talk about what he can do to get a better grade next time. Often I'll need to remind him and he almost always does what I say (study more, do some more practice problems, etc). If he doesn't then he'll get punished (which for him is usually us taking a privilege away).

 

[lukenick1]

Would we be having this discussion if the paper had been left out and it had a good grade?

No we wouldn't. If you read my post again, it clearly states that I am upset that she disregarded my sons feelings about having his bad grade displayed. If he had a good grade and was happy with it this would never have been an issue. I would have still wondered why grades were displayed though. I have never seen that before at an open house.

People.......

I am not disregarding the fact that my son did poorly on his project, nor am i coddling him. I am only advocating for him that open house is not a place to display grades (good or bad) for everyone to see especially when you are feeling ashamed of yourself and embarrassed that you did so poorly. It's not a time for humiliation, it's supposed to be a happy affair. If there was such a desire for me to see how horrible he did, then she should have called me to discuss it. Like i said, had he not expressed his feelings to me about his grade and the fact that he approached her with his feelings about it, i probably would have been upset with him and we would have discussed it at home. At the same time i also would have been shocked to see it displayed. It's the fact that she didn't care about his feelings. Isn't it a teachers job to encourage kids to succeed??? That is what is disgusting about this!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I think a 44 is a very low score. There must have been some things he could've done differently to be successful in that project.

I think calling the PRINCIPAL is overkill. Well, actually demanding to have him moved out of her class was.....

 

[North of Mouse]

I agree, there's a lot more going on here than just this incident, or the principal would not have moved the student.

I think so too!

I can also tell you that I've worked for many principals, and have children who have been in school quite a number of different principals, and not one of them would have moved your child to another class until you had discussed your concerns with the classroom teacher first.

I agree!

Perhaps he just didn't want to deal with you anymore and felt that this was the easiest solution.

'This' is probably the main reason - he had had enough, and probably knew that his teacher had also.

Then I stand by my earlier comment that this principal has no backbone. There is no way in the world they should have moved a student out of a class after only 2 months of the school year. If the teacher is that bad, there must be more than you complaining. If not, the principal is either afraid of confrontation or reputation.

Yes!

People.......

I am not disregarding the fact that my son did poorly on his project, nor am i coddling him. I am only advocating for him that open house is not a place to display grades (good or bad) for everyone to see especially when you are feeling ashamed of yourself and embarrassed that you did so poorly. It's not a time for humiliation, it's supposed to be a happy affair. If there was such a desire for me to see how horrible he did, then she should have called me to discuss it. Like i said, had he not expressed his feelings to me about his grade and the fact that he approached her with his feelings about it, i probably would have been upset with him and we would have discussed it at home. At the same time i also would have been shocked to see it displayed. It's the fact that she didn't care about his feelings. Isn't it a teachers job to encourage kids to succeed??? That is what is disgusting about this!

You are saying here that this is the reason that you were mad and went to talk to the principal? I have been reading lots of your posts saying that there had been numerous things going on that you have been unhappy with. There are lots of parents that are like that. If it's not one thing happening to 'johnny' there's two - or more!

Teachers 'and' principals get fed up with this behavior with parents. It really does not do your child any good, and ends up making them look bad in the eyes of their peers. They also tend to go through life thinking that you'll always be there to take 'their' part, and get them out of any/every difficult position they many find themselves in.

When parents get this type reputation of being a troublemaker, it is hard for any teacher or principal to take them serious.