DDA Chapter 15

[Tammi67]

and when, pray tell, do YOU get up, lady??

Do you mean when does my alarm go off or when do my feet hit the floor.

And I do it under protest. If I didn't HAVE to, I wouldn't.

Remember, the Dis clock is a half hour off.

 

[Tammi67]

Deb - Not being a teacher, just an outside observer as a parent, the only issue that I would have a problem with is it taking 3 weeks to be notified of the difficulty Hunter was having. But don't they send his work home after it is graded? My kids come home with backpacks full of papers so I can see what they are doing. Usually a day or 2 after the work/test was done. For the name on the paper, is it a little rough, yes, in my opinion. But could it be that the teachers are trying to hold the kids accountable, kinda gearing them up for middle school, which will be a whole new world. Does your middle school start in 6th or 7th grade? Ours is 6th. As far as the phone call into the classroom, I have to agree with the teacher on this. I can't imagine having something so important that I needed to speak with one of my kids in the middle of the day. Whatever it is it should wait until after school. Can you imagine how disruptive it would be if this were permitted and the poor teacher had to go through letting every parent get in touch with their child. It's hard enough to keep the kids focused without continual disruption.

There are always things that we wish teachers would do differently. I just keep telling myself that my child is not the only one that the teacher has. He/she has a whole classroom full of kids.

Those are my thoughts. Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions on how to deal with your issues. Good luck.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Just a quick Good Morning all. I will catch up tonight, I am doing Christmas baking this morning.
Have a nice day and for all.

 

[tinknme]

For those of you that ordered the photo book, it should arrive soon. UPS delivered mine last night & I love it! Mil is going to be thrilled, I now wish I would have ordered one myself.

 

[tinknme]

Anne Marie thanks for posting the link to the updated blog, looks like they are having a grand time!

Heidi enjoy your day of baking!

 

[tinknme]

Good morning

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I'm mulling over Hunter's grades. I'm wondering what you all think about this. Since some of you have been or currently are teachers It will be interesting to read the responses.

Hunter's teachers seem to be very strict and not at all parent friendly. For example: they sent a letter home at the beginning of school telling us that they will not answer the room phone during the day. That means if I need Hunter for any reason I have to make someone in the office walk down to get him to call me. I could leave a message on the teacher's voicemail, but she does not check it until the end of the day. They prefer email, but my experience has been that it takes days for them to respond.

I mentioned at the teacher conference that I wanted to be notified immediately if Hunter was having any homework or schoolwork issues as it is much easier to address them as the happen rather than weeks later when she gets around to notifiying us. The class is doing a weekly assignment that has some vocabulary words on the front and they have to write a comment, thought or connection on the back. Hunter did not fully understand what she wanted and totally did the back wrong for 3 weeks before she sent a note home. That was 4 D's or F's as grades and I had no idea. Once the note came home I spoke to him and he spoke to her and he has done the work with no problem since. The newest problem is that if the kids forget their name on their assignment/test/homework the entire thing is shredded and used for bunny bedding for the rabbit in the next classroom. When did a name become more important than the assignment. When I was a student, if you forgot your name the teacher held up the paper, you raised your hand, got the grade and everyone moved on. I could even understand taking points off, but a zero seems ridiculous. What about all the work that went into it. I know that I've sent out cards without signing them, or forgot names on presents. If I put myself in Hunter's shoes I would probaly resent my teacher. I know that Hunter is not enjoying school this year for the first time ever. I'm now wondering if the stress is causing the headaches. I'm not saying that he is perfect, but he is struggling and her policies are certainly not helping. I think I want to address it, but both 5th grade teachers do the same thing and they are not parent friendly. I'm wondering if I should go to the principal or the guidance counselor. Another little peeve is that he frequently has so many books to carry home for his homework that he has broken the plastic buckel off 2 backpacks since the start of school. I weighed his backpack one day and it was 18 lbs The poor kid only weighs 62 lbs. I want to make sure that I am not overreacting and that my concerns have a basis before I go in.

Please and Thank you for your advice.

I have heard of teachers deducting grades for not having a name on the paper, but I have never heard of Zeros. I know they are trying to get the kids ready for Middle and High school--Our middle schools tarts at 6th grade as well.
I do agree with the teacher on the phone ...Can you imagine how many parents would call for just little things? (Not saying you would, but some may call just because)--its a big distraction when the phone rings each time and to answer it for each and every parent takes away from teaching time. We dont have phones in our room at my school--the parents call the office and they put a note in our mailbox, or if its something important, they call me over the intercom or just come to my classroom

I would be concerned if the teacher isnt sending his work home--3 weeks is a long time to be doign something wrong ! The teacher should be correcting and sending back so he (and you) know how hes doing!

Good luck!

 

[mommykds]

Deb,

Of your 4 concerns...

I think the teacher is getting the kids ready for middle school when they hold them accountable for not putting their name on papers. However I do not think they way the teacher is handling it is absolutely necessary. Some sort of point value should be taken off but certainly not a zero & shredding the paper is just silly IMO. Sounds like she is jusy trying to shock them.

Yes, 3 weeks is too long to receive grades. We get them 1 or 2 days after. She (assuming the teacher is a she) should have let you know earlier so you could help you son.

I'll agree on the phone calls though. We call the office & if theres an emergency they go & get the child.

I thought there was a max amount a child could carry but I am not sure on that one. Daniel is 59 lbs & his backpack is so heavy that sometimes he falls backwards when he is getting on the bus. I hate that but he needs the books for hw

After dealing with all the crap we went through for Daniel & public school I do believe you should be your child's advocate if something doesn't sit right with you. I have found some wonderful teachers & some not so wonderful so I know how you feel.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Morning all...So glad theres only 2 more days this week..time is dragging before winter break! Theres so much to do and not enough time to do it all....cant wait til the 23rd and 1:15!!!

I found out last night that my best friend and my niece are moving to south carolina in 3 weeks..im crushed.. He and I have always been like brother and sister. Ill be seeing them next weekend for my nieces birthday party and that may be the last time i see them for awhile. SO i was pretty bummed last night and I could tell he was when he caled. Im hoping to be able to hang out with him before he leaves too--ugh, i just hate it!

Well im off to work--luckily, i do not have any meetings or anything today so i can come home right after work! have a great day!

 

[marcij]

We have some good news on the home front. There is a young couple who love our house. They came last weekend. Well their parents are buying them a home (lucky them! ) & want to see it too. If they like it then it looks like we may get our house sold soon.

That is terrific news!

me!

And I also get up at 5 or before...

Morning all...So glad theres only 2 more days this week..time is dragging before winter break! Theres so much to do and not enough time to do it all....cant wait til the 23rd and 1:15!!!

I found out last night that my best friend and my niece are moving to south carolina in 3 weeks..im crushed.. He and I have always been like brother and sister. Ill be seeing them next weekend for my nieces birthday party and that may be the last time i see them for awhile. SO i was pretty bummed last night and I could tell he was when he caled. Im hoping to be able to hang out with him before he leaves too--ugh, i just hate it!

Well im off to work--luckily, i do not have any meetings or anything today so i can come home right after work! have a great day!

I'm sorry that you BF is moving.

Deb -- I think you have valid concerns with the work. His teacher should have addressed it the first time he did it wrong. And the papers should be sent home weekly, and she should have done as you asked and let you know when he got the first bad grade. A simple e-mail would have at least raised a red flag.

The phone thing and the load of books seems pretty normal. Both my kids have backpacks I can't even pick up with my sore shoulder. I think the bigger problem here is that his teacher sounds like she has no social skills at all. And I think you may be correct about the headaches. There is a time to be serious about schoolwork, and a time to make it fun. School needs to have both components, in my opinion.

During your conference, was the teacher open to communication and friendly, or would talking to her about the problem make it worse? I wonder if you should try to talk to her, but spin it a little differently then it really is, so she doesn't feel you are criticizing her, even though it seems she deserves the criticism. Maybe you ask her for advice and help on the grade issues and see if she will respond. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Andrew got his braces, and by bedtime was in major pain. I gave him Motrin, and put some buy his fed so that if he woke up hurting (but after 12) that he should take it. I'm afraid it's going to be a distraction while they are reviewing today and tomorrow for midterms. That may have geen a tactical error on my part...

I got some presents boxed last night, and Randy put up the garland on my stairs. I must take some pictures tonight.

Here's my Dad's Christmas card this year:

Have a great day DDA!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We have some good news on the home front. There is a young couple who love our house. They came last weekend. Well their parents are buying them a home (lucky them! ) & want to see it too. If they like it then it looks like we may get our house sold soon.

Good luck!!

nope... I was singing. Not one child showed up at the library tonight. The whole staff was shocked. It is usually packed!

What a shame that you had a low turnout! I hope you had a good time anyway!

Deb - I know all about the backpacks. DS weighs 70 pounds NOW, so he weighed less last year and his backpack weighed probably 25 pounds. A LOT of parents complained so they did make some changes this year. Last year I couldn't lift his backpack.
DS says they get zeroes for no name, but he is in 7th grade. He said they did it in 6th grade, too. Even when he had his 504 I don't think it would have covered "no name", so there might not be anything you can do about it.

DH is off today, so I woke to DH and DS arguing about what DS was going to wear. DS has a TON of white shirts but all of a sudden he only wants to wear the black ones. I bought the black ones for band, not to wear each and every day! He only wants to wear khaki pants. He told DH the navy and black pants are ALL too small. Um, no, they are BRAND NEW and are BIGGER than the khaki pants he has on right now! So I got up and had a chat with DS. This crap about changing his mind AFTER I have purchased his uniforms is unacceptable. He WILL wear the white shirts and the navy pants. I will NOT buy more stuff simply because he doesn't like the color combos being offered. Last year he refused to wear khaki pants - ONLY navy. Last year he refused to wear shorts. This year he wore shorts every day until it got cold. But they were shorts he already had, not ones I had to go out and buy. He has to wear a polo and chinos every day. Period. I am sorry he doesn't like the white shirts, but that's life in the big city.

Princess has ballet this afternoon, and it is "observation day" so my bosses will be there. It is also Momboss's office party tonight, so they will be leaving again after ballet. That should go over like a lead balloon.

 

[mommykds]

Marci,

What a great card & picture! Hope Andrew pain is releived. Katie took about a week to get back to normal.

 

[Glynis]

We have some good news on the home front. There is a young couple who love our house. They came last weekend. Well their parents are buying them a home (lucky them! ) & want to see it too. If they like it then it looks like we may get our house sold soon.

Crossing my fingers for you, Anne Marie! Have you found a house in NC that you like?

 

[tink2020]

I'm so sorry for you. I don't think that our clocks have a 5 AM

 

[PrincessLeighsDaddy]

Good morning DDA!

Deb, I know that Leighanna has gotten points taken off for not writing her name on her work before, but she has never gotten a zero for it.
Her backpack seems so heavy too, especially for first grade! I hate to see how heavy it gets as the years go by.
I know that Leighanna brings her work home on a daily basis. Most of her completed work is put in her mailbox and the teacher tells the kids to get their mail and put it in their folders. I have been in her class at the end of the day, and believe me, there are lots of kids that don't get their work out of their box. So it might be a few days or a week before they even get their work brought home! I am sure this is not your problem though!
We can also view her progress on line and if I see any kind of problems, I email the teacher and she usually contacts me within a couple of days. She also puts comments on why her grade might not be as good as I think it should be. One comment was that she was talking and not paying attention, so she got points taken off. I think she is the only girl in her class with a problem like this.
I still need to notify the school that I will be taking Leighanna out for 8 days for our vacation. I don't see a problem with it and her teacher already knows about it. I am trying to keep Leighanna healthy so that she doesn't miss any other school this year. So far so good.

I need to get the kitchen cleaned and ready for our Christmas baking and candy making weekend! If it doesn't get done this weekend, it won't get done at all. I can't imagine a Christmas without any kind of homemade goodies!

Talk to you all later!

 

[tink2020]

Morning all...So glad theres only 2 more days this week..time is dragging before winter break! Theres so much to do and not enough time to do it all....cant wait til the 23rd and 1:15!!!

I found out last night that my best friend and my niece are moving to south carolina in 3 weeks..im crushed.. He and I have always been like brother and sister. Ill be seeing them next weekend for my nieces birthday party and that may be the last time i see them for awhile. SO i was pretty bummed last night and I could tell he was when he caled. Im hoping to be able to hang out with him before he leaves too--ugh, i just hate it!

Well im off to work--luckily, i do not have any meetings or anything today so i can come home right after work! have a great day!

I'm sorry to hear about your friend moving

 

[Glynis]

I'm mulling over Hunter's grades. I'm wondering what you all think about this. Since some of you have been or currently are teachers It will be interesting to read the responses.

Hunter's teachers seem to be very strict and not at all parent friendly. For example: they sent a letter home at the beginning of school telling us that they will not answer the room phone during the day. That means if I need Hunter for any reason I have to make someone in the office walk down to get him to call me. I could leave a message on the teacher's voicemail, but she does not check it until the end of the day. They prefer email, but my experience has been that it takes days for them to respond.

I mentioned at the teacher conference that I wanted to be notified immediately if Hunter was having any homework or schoolwork issues as it is much easier to address them as the happen rather than weeks later when she gets around to notifiying us. The class is doing a weekly assignment that has some vocabulary words on the front and they have to write a comment, thought or connection on the back. Hunter did not fully understand what she wanted and totally did the back wrong for 3 weeks before she sent a note home. That was 4 D's or F's as grades and I had no idea. Once the note came home I spoke to him and he spoke to her and he has done the work with no problem since. The newest problem is that if the kids forget their name on their assignment/test/homework the entire thing is shredded and used for bunny bedding for the rabbit in the next classroom. When did a name become more important than the assignment. When I was a student, if you forgot your name the teacher held up the paper, you raised your hand, got the grade and everyone moved on. I could even understand taking points off, but a zero seems ridiculous. What about all the work that went into it. I know that I've sent out cards without signing them, or forgot names on presents. If I put myself in Hunter's shoes I would probaly resent my teacher. I know that Hunter is not enjoying school this year for the first time ever. I'm now wondering if the stress is causing the headaches. I'm not saying that he is perfect, but he is struggling and her policies are certainly not helping. I think I want to address it, but both 5th grade teachers do the same thing and they are not parent friendly. I'm wondering if I should go to the principal or the guidance counselor. Another little peeve is that he frequently has so many books to carry home for his homework that he has broken the plastic buckel off 2 backpacks since the start of school. I weighed his backpack one day and it was 18 lbs The poor kid only weighs 62 lbs. I want to make sure that I am not overreacting and that my concerns have a basis before I go in.

Please and Thank you for your advice.

First of all, you are not overreacting! You are perfectly right to have these concerns.

I can't really help you with the room phone thing. When I taught, we didn't have phones in our rooms, and parents had to call the office if they needed to talk to the student. I would imagine that a room phone could get very disruptive if there were too many calls per day.

I would be concerned that the teacher let so much time go without checking with you or Hunter regarding the work he was doing wrong. 3 weeks of consistently wrong work suggests that the teacher was explaining poorly. Chances are that Hunter wasn't the only one confused.

I think that the chances are very good that the reason he's had the headaches is because of the stress that he's experiencing this year. I would talk to the counselor first, and see what he/she says about it. If you don't get a satisfactory response, I would suggest you talk to the principal. If the school system fails Hunter now, what will happen when he he goes to Jr. High and High School? You definitely want Hunter to enjoy school now, as a basis for a pleasant higher education experience.

That's just my 2 cents. Hope it helps!

 

[PNO4TE]

Good morning, DDA!

 

[tink2020]

Andrew got his braces, and by bedtime was in major pain. I gave him Motrin, and put some buy his fed so that if he woke up hurting (but after 12) that he should take it. I'm afraid it's going to be a distraction while they are reviewing today and tomorrow for midterms. That may have geen a tactical error on my part...

I got some presents boxed last night, and Randy put up the garland on my stairs. I must take some pictures tonight.

Here's my Dad's Christmas card this year:

Have a great day DDA!

The card looks great! I hope Andrew can adjust to his braces

 

[tink2020]

Deb, it sounds like the problems with Hunter's classroom/school are not uncommon ones, unfortunately. I remember my mom weighing my backpack in Junior High and it was 28-30 pounds consistently. I guess we didn't think much of it, but I'm sure it isn't good for growing backs and shoulders! I hope you can get the communication issue resolved, if nothing else!




And for the record, I got up at 4:30 when I worked at Maxim, 5:00 when I worked at Children's, and usually 5:45 now. I feel like I'm sleeping in if it's past 6:30!