Frustrated with DD's teacher

[EKW]

Sheesh! Two weeks and you're still going on about this topic? I have a feeling that you won't be the only one to have this school year over.

Seriously, this is a MINOR issue. It wasn't worth the emotion to start with.

 

[pinktink83]

Honestly, I wish people wouldn't use this board as a place to vent about teachers/school. It only causes fights. Is that what the OP intends?? To stir up drama and get everyone in a bad mood? Because thats what happens. EVERY TIME. Vent to your "real life friends" and please keep it off the boards, IMO. This is for Disney related stuff, lets keep the negativity off the board.

Seriously...SAHM vs WOHM, breastfeeding vs bottle feeding, home school vs public school, parents vs teachers, vacation during school weeks...just leave it alone, people. We will never all agree. Its just pointless. Don't feed into it.

 

[kt_mom]

Sheesh! Two weeks and you're still going on about this topic? I have a feeling that you won't be the only one to have this school year over.

Seriously, this is a MINOR issue. It wasn't worth the emotion to start with.

People have posted responses and/or questions and I've responded. If you don't like it then don't open the thread. If I wasn't responding then someone would be complaining about that.

And for the record, I never said it was the end of the world. I said I was frustrated. And I have done nothing more than ask the teacher nicely about it. So the comment about anyone being glad the year is over is out of line.

 

[goofy53073]

I can NOT stand the reading logs/contracts My kids love to read and we either read together or they read independently every night. I just find it annoying that we have to write down the Title, Author, minutes read and favorite part of what they read EVERY night. To me it takes some of the fun/enjoyment out of reading I understand what they are trying to do with the log but think it is unnecessary. I have no problem with any of the other homework...

 

[kt_mom]

Honestly, I wish people wouldn't use this board as a place to vent about teachers/school. It only causes fights. Is that what the OP intends?? To stir up drama and get everyone in a bad mood? Because thats what happens. EVERY TIME. Vent to your "real life friends" and please keep it off the boards, IMO. This is for Disney related stuff, lets keep the negativity off the board.

Seriously...SAHM vs WOHM, breastfeeding vs bottle feeding, home school vs public school, parents vs teachers, vacation during school weeks...just leave it alone, people. We will never all agree. Its just pointless. Don't feed into it.

If you don't like the thread topic then don't open it. No one is forcing you. This board is filled with all sorts of topics that are not Disney related. If you want to stick to only Disney topics then my suggestion is to only open those threads. I'm sorry that life is not all pixie dust all the time for all of us.

 

[andymattmom]

KT_mom, I feel I need to defend my choices to you. I do communicate with parents all the time. I exchanged 6 emails with one parent yesterday during the day, 3 with another, and sent out 2 others to parents that I haven't heard back from yet. I spoke with several parents over the phone in the past week. I usually work 50+ hours at the school during the school week, then have to grade and plan lessons once I get home at night. I teach in a public school, I have 70 students, teach 4 different subjects, and run our school drama program. At some point, I need to do laundry, feed my family, and sleep. I have to finish all my grades and write individual comments for each student in each class for report cards over my Thanksgiving long weekend.

When I was a new teacher, I got calls from parents at home and I refuse to be yelled at over my phone in my living room because a parent is angry that her child got detention for swearing at me, or failed a project because he/she didn't turn it in when it was due a month ago. I had to set boundaries or I was going to get burned out.

I just wanted to remind you that teachers are people, too, with lives and families, and while I agree that your teacher should have given you more notice about the assembly and made sure your child's grades were correct, sometimes things happen. If it were my school, it's likely that I wouldn't have even known about the child being chosen for an assembly until right before hand! It would have been the secretary's responsibility to contact you.

What a great post....
People don't understand how hard teachers work....
Especially OP since she quotes posts all around this one EXCEPT THIS ONE!

I am VERY THANKFUL that I realize how hard the teachers work.....and that I have learned not to be the whiny, picky parent who things their kid is the only one in class (even though they are small classes) and are not perfect!

Keep up the good work ENGLISTEACHA and know you are appreciated.....as are all teachers!

 

[disfan07]

What a great post....
People don't understand how hard teachers work....
Especially OP since she quotes posts all around this one EXCEPT THIS ONE!

I am VERY THANKFUL that I realize how hard the teachers work.....and that I have learned not to be the whiny, picky parent who things their kid is the only one in class (even though they are small classes) and are not perfect!

Keep up the good work ENGLISTEACHA and know you are appreciated.....as are all teachers!

The OP wont quote ENGLISHTEACHAs post because it is the post that makes the most sense in this post but of course it doesnt agree 100% with what the OP wants so she will ignore it.

My cousin is only 4 years into teaching and she is already getting burnt out...mainly because of the parents. Teachers are not supposed to be on call 24/7. Pretty much all of my teachers had the same rule.....if you call my classroom after 4PM, I will not respond until the next day. If you email after 6PM, I will not respond until the next day. This was elementary school thorugh high school.

One of my doctors husbands is an elementary school teacher. They thought it would be great for their family because they figured he would have the same days off as their kids, and would be home before dinner, etc. He is burning out faster than she is.

But also, apparently teachers are NEVER allowed to make a mistake. Making a mistale apparently makes them a horrible teacher. That must mean that every single teacher I have ever had, including all of my college professors, have been terrible teachers because they have all made mistakes.

OP, you probably NEVER make a mistake, correct?

 

[kt_mom]

What a great post....
People don't understand how hard teachers work....
Especially OP since she quotes posts all around this one EXCEPT THIS ONE!

I am VERY THANKFUL that I realize how hard the teachers work.....and that I have learned not to be the whiny, picky parent who things their kid is the only one in class (even though they are small classes) and are not perfect!

Keep up the good work ENGLISTEACHA and know you are appreciated.....as are all teachers!

I chose not to respond because I still disagree with her original post. It doesn't mean I don't think teachers work hard. It does mean that I think teaching is a professional career and dealing with work on personal time is often the downside of having a professional career. I would lose my job ifi was checking caller ID and ignoring calls. So would my husband and most of the other professionals I know.

If you think that one email question regarding this is being a whiny picky parent then I'm not sure how you would ever resolve anything with your children's teachers. I am VERY THANKFUL that I as a parent have the right to monitor my kids grade and question something if it looks incorrect. I do not feel as if my kid is the only one in the class and she is far from perfect. But she does have the right to get full credit when it is due. And I will make no apologies for questioning that. I am willing to bet that at some point you will have to eat your words and be that whiny parent questioning something a teacher has done. Or are you going to tell me that a parent should never question a teacher?

 

[maxiesmom]

I chose not to respond because I still disagree with her original post. It doesn't mean I don't think teachers work hard. It does mean that I think teaching is a professional career and dealing with work on personal time is often the downside of having a professional career. I would lose my job ifi was checking caller ID and ignoring calls. So would my husband and most of the other professionals I know.

You are missing the point, and not seeming to read all of that person's post. It agreed and understood that teachers work after hours, so to speak. However, teaching is not the only thing in their lives, and they shouldn't be expected to have to contact parents 24/7. And I'm sorry, but the only job that makes you be available 24/7 is the President of the United States. Even doctors get vacations. No professional has to be availalbe 24/7, so you are either being taken advantage of by your boss, or you are grossly exaggerating your responsibilities.

 

[andymattmom]

I chose not to respond because I still disagree with her original post. It doesn't mean I don't think teachers work hard. It does mean that I think teaching is a professional career and dealing with work on personal time is often the downside of having a professional career. I would lose my job ifi was checking caller ID and ignoring calls. So would my husband and most of the other professionals I know.

If you think that one email question regarding this is being a whiny picky parent then I'm not sure how you would ever resolve anything with your children's teachers. I am VERY THANKFUL that I as a parent have the right to monitor my kids grade and question something if it looks incorrect. I do not feel as if my kid is the only one in the class and she is far from perfect. But she does have the right to get full credit when it is due. And I will make no apologies for questioning that. I am willing to bet that at some point you will have to eat your words and be that whiny parent questioning something a teacher has done. Or are you going to tell me that a parent should never question a teacher?

You choose what to respond to selectively
No I have not been a whiny parent because I realize my kids are not the only ones in class and the teachers have outside lives...and like ALL working people want to spend time with their families.
You seriously expect us to believe you're on call 24 hrs a day, what happened on your trip...didn't you get fired for not answering phone. Btw my husband is a professional....he is important but no one would fire if he ignored caller ID.
You whine, complain about the teacher and then quote all the posts that in any way support you and when a teacher blasts your behavior you 'ignore' it.
As I mentioned early on when I responded....even if there are 19 kids in the class the teachers won't remember every tiny detail about every kid in the class. If you choose not to follow when things are supposed to be turned in---you are asking for trouble. Sure, the teacher could have made a mistake....she is human and we all make mistakes BUT have you ever opened your eyes and said I MADE A MISTAKE TURNING THING IN EARLY. I MADE A MISTAKE EXPECTING HER TO DROP EVERYTHING, REMEMBER EVERY DETAIL ABOUT MY FAMILY AND EMAIL ME ON THE SPOT!!.....guess we can all say nope.

Maybe I have more insight because I have subbed in my kids school for 8 years. I see good teachers and not-so-good but they all are hard working and very under-appreciated. As a sub when I do long-term assignments I take work home and grade so the teachers don't have to do after an illness, death, vacation, etc. I have seen parents write nasty things in assignment books or IGNORE notes teachers write in them. I have seen kids return papers week after week in folders that are supposed to be left at home. Yes, parents do need to keep an eye and see that things are taken out, notes answered but there is a line. Parents need to let kids do these things on their own...just watch over for the first few weeks of school. Mine learned starting in first grade that they needed to come home, get out papers I needed to see, do homework and then put stuff back. I was the mean mom and wouldn't take forgotten things to school----we sure learned fast to check to make sure we had our stuff (that was my kids doing the checking).

Just as students have classroom rules to follow, we as parents have 'rules' teachers would like us to follow. If that means turning in log on XXXX day...then turn it in that day.

We obviously totally disagree on this...and that is fine. My boys are straight A, independent teenagers. They have manners and normally don't get in trouble at school....but we have our times and I stay back and let teachers handle. I don't interfere and have learned when it comes to knowing if my son caused trouble in XXXX class I will believe the teacher more often than my son(s). We all make mistakes. In this case you and the teacher made some...but don't act like you are all high and mighty with your job and will get fired if you don't answer the phone.....how does boss know if you have caller ID, how do you know teacher has, maybe she doesn't answer calls because there was an emergency, she had an appointment OR SHE JUST HAD A HEADACHE FROM DEALING WITH WHINY PARENTS and wanted that glass of wine instead of the WHINE from parents!

 

[VirataMama4]

I have read over this whole thread over the past 2 days and finally decided to respond...

OP, I think you had a right to be irritated about the reading log, I would have emailed the teacher to discuss it also. I would have been irritated about the late notice about your DD's paper being chosen, but I would have realized it probably wasn't the teacher's fault. I have gotten 1 days notice that my oldest DD's science fair project was chosen to represent her school/grade at the county science fair and it was over a weekend... It wasn't the teacher's fault, she didn't find out until right before she emailed me. Yes, I was irritated, but not at the teacher. It was a great honor and we dropped everything for her to have the opportunity to do it.

While I agree homework is the responsibility of the child, I don't agree that the child has to do it all on their own. We are parents and we choose to have children and helping with homework, signing reading logs, and checking up on grades are our responsibility. I believe education is a shared job with teachers, the children and the parents. I don't expect the teacher to be on call 24/7, so if my child needs help with understanding something they were taught in school that day, I will do my best to help them grasp it at home. Of course this is just my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own.

 

[kt_mom]

You choose what to respond to selectively
No I have not been a whiny parent because I realize my kids are not the only ones in class and the teachers have outside lives...and like ALL working people want to spend time with their families.
You seriously expect us to believe you're on call 24 hrs a day, what happened on your trip...didn't you get fired for not answering phone. Btw my husband is a professional....he is important but no one would fire if he ignored caller ID.
You whine, complain about the teacher and then quote all the posts that in any way support you and when a teacher blasts your behavior you 'ignore' it.
As I mentioned early on when I responded....even if there are 19 kids in the class the teachers won't remember every tiny detail about every kid in the class. If you choose not to follow when things are supposed to be turned in---you are asking for trouble. Sure, the teacher could have made a mistake....she is human and we all make mistakes BUT have you ever opened your eyes and said I MADE A MISTAKE TURNING THING IN EARLY. I MADE A MISTAKE EXPECTING HER TO DROP EVERYTHING, REMEMBER EVERY DETAIL ABOUT MY FAMILY AND EMAIL ME ON THE SPOT!!.....guess we can all say nope.

Maybe I have more insight because I have subbed in my kids school for 8 years. I see good teachers and not-so-good but they all are hard working and very under-appreciated. As a sub when I do long-term assignments I take work home and grade so the teachers don't have to do after an illness, death, vacation, etc. I have seen parents write nasty things in assignment books or IGNORE notes teachers write in them. I have seen kids return papers week after week in folders that are supposed to be left at home. Yes, parents do need to keep an eye and see that things are taken out, notes answered but there is a line. Parents need to let kids do these things on their own...just watch over for the first few weeks of school. Mine learned starting in first grade that they needed to come home, get out papers I needed to see, do homework and then put stuff back. I was the mean mom and wouldn't take forgotten things to school----we sure learned fast to check to make sure we had our stuff (that was my kids doing the checking).

Just as students have classroom rules to follow, we as parents have 'rules' teachers would like us to follow. If that means turning in log on XXXX day...then turn it in that day.

We obviously totally disagree on this...and that is fine. My boys are straight A, independent teenagers. They have manners and normally don't get in trouble at school....but we have our times and I stay back and let teachers handle. I don't interfere and have learned when it comes to knowing if my son caused trouble in XXXX class I will believe the teacher more often than my son(s). We all make mistakes. In this case you and the teacher made some...but don't act like you are all high and mighty with your job and will get fired if you don't answer the phone.....how does boss know if you have caller ID, how do you know teacher has, maybe she doesn't answer calls because there was an emergency, she had an appointment OR SHE JUST HAD A HEADACHE FROM DEALING WITH WHINY PARENTS and wanted that glass of wine instead of the WHINE from parents!

I'm not going to argue with you anymore, we are obviously not reading the same thread. I have responded and/or quoted to more posts that disagreed with me than agreed. I chose not to respond to the teacher for various reasons one of which was that I still disagreed with her but Im not going to debate her job specifically because although I disagree with her, her choices do not affect me or my child.

I never said I was on call 24/7. There are people that are. My dads position requires him to be on call 24/7 except when he is on vacation and even then he often gets calls. In my case my boss knows I have caller id because I have a company phone.

As I have said before the logs were kept in the notebook where they are supposed to be. The teacher has chosen on occasion to mark them early or take the out and return them later. They are not being turned in early. I don't take forgotten things to school either. So I'm not sure why you keeping telling me over and over that you don't do that. I don't think you are reading my posts for what they say, but rather what you want to argue about.