Teacher Vent

[magiroux]

Good Grief....

I feel sorry for this kid - 504's, boredom, teacher stinks......

It probably took more of your time to type this "Teacher Rant" post than the time it would have took you or your DH to help your child complete her assignment and look at website. I mean, the teacher asked you to check out a website for pete's sake.

You say you didn't know about the assignment, but are quick to do the "rah, rah, rah" about your DH sending an email slamming the teacher.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Again...I had no idea DD has this form. DD handed it to her dad. I asked her if she had hw this weekend, and asked that she do it, and she did. This "form" was not on the website of assignments that was due.

Wait, so you are monitoring DD's HW (the web site) or is DH? Again, why didn't you just offer to help DD while he had so much extra work. Then he could have told her to give you the paper or given it to you himself. Sounds like DH needs to be addressed, not the teacher.

 

[PlutoPony]

I've been a parent for over 25 years, and never have I ever seen a child penalized for a form not being signed.

REALLY???? I can count half a dozen times just this school year that DS has had to have forms signed by a specific dates or there were consequences to grades. And the same was true in 6th and 7th grades as well.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Getting a zero isn't the end of the world, and it's a far better consequence than blowing up at the teacher. I would much rather my kid take a zero (and believe me, it's happened!) than teach him to be a whiny grade grubber.

Her grades are so high that this zero won't even effect her grade. He didn't blow up at the teacher. He was just pointing out the things she miscommunicated that are supposed to be communicated according to DD's 504. The teacher was very specific in her email about certain things, and DH just responded in kind.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Her grades are so high that this zero won't even effect her grade. He didn't blow up at the teacher. He was just pointing out the things she miscommunicated that are supposed to be communicated according to DD's 504. The teacher was very specific in her email about certain things, and DH just responded in kind.

You wanted to be invisible for that?

 

[MM27]

While I don't know where the teacher was going with this assignment, it COULD have been that they were doing something in class as an assignment that required the use of an approved website. If your daughter didn't have the approval, she would have had to sit in class, bored, because the next part of the assignment couldn't be completed.

 

[dipin]

Her grades are so high that this zero won't even effect her grade. He didn't blow up at the teacher. He was just pointing out the things she miscommunicated that are supposed to be communicated according to DD's 504. The teacher was very specific in her email about certain things, and DH just responded in kind.

So you would LOVE to be in the room as she read what you are now claiming to be an even handed and carefully worded email where he just pointed out some miscommunication on her part? Either you have a weird fetish of seeing people read what amounts to regular email, or the story is changing on us.

 

[bhaluvindisney]

Her grades are so high that this zero won't even effect her grade. He didn't blow up at the teacher. He was just pointing out the things she miscommunicated that are supposed to be communicated according to DD's 504. The teacher was very specific in her email about certain things, and DH just responded in kind.

Seems to me they WERE communicated with her 504 in mind since you stated that things needed to be WRITTEN and NOT oral......the teacher did send home a written NOTE with the instructions but it was ignored. I don't know what more a teacher could have done. And I'll ask again..............

If the assignment paper had in big letters
THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE GRADED

would your DH have had any more time to devote to it???


I am so glad I stopped teaching. My life is much less stressful without dealing with parents who want to blame everyone but their snowflake or themselves.

 

[Magic Mom]

I would take it to mean - if it was to be signed by the 9th, that it was to be turned in, signed and completed by the 9th.

That's what I would think too.

Also, young doesn't mean clueless. I know an excellent 25 YO teacher that teaches an advanced class of 4th graders. She is organized, sharp, and keeps those kids on task and interested all day.

 

[Linzybrooke]

If I give out an assignment I expect it turned in by the due date. I wouldn't hand it out if I was passive about getting back, regardless of how trivial a parent may think the assignment is. Even if the teacher forgot to put it on her gradebook, which can happen as teachers are only human, I would still get it back in on time.

I also don't understand what your daughters 504 has to do with this, and what the teacher did wrong according to her 504.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Wait, so you are monitoring DD's HW (the web site) or is DH? Again, why didn't you just offer to help DD while he had so much extra work. Then he could have told her to give you the paper or given it to you himself. Sounds like DH needs to be addressed, not the teacher.

I monitor the schools website...not sure if DH does or not. DH probably didn't have me look at it, because his business is websites..and he probably feels he is better at math then I am..but either way...I didn't know about it. If I had, I would have looked at it.

DH is self employed and spends most of his time in his office. DD has a desk in there an does her work down there, so he can make sure she does it. Again, had I know about the assignment..I would have done it.

DD comes home from school and goes to DH's office to work on her hw. DS comes home from school and stays with me and works on his hw.

 

[Stacerita]

So you would LOVE to be in the room as she read what you are now claiming to be an even handed and carefully worded email where he just pointed out some miscommunication on her part? Either you have a weird fetish of seeing people read what amounts to regular email, or the story is changing on us.

Glad I am not the only one who is noticing that.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I must be one of those helicopter moms, because the first thing I do when DS10 and DS9 get home is to go through the book bags and look for forms that need to be signed. I pull them out sign 'em and stick 'em back in the book bag. I don't rely on my memory to do it later, or even kiddo to remember it's there...I just do it. I'll probably do it until high school. I'm forgetful, so I don't expect my kids to remember everything either. I figure between the 3 of us, someone will remember.

I never "weigh" whether I think something is going to be graded, or if in my opinion it is important or not. I figure if the teacher needs something signed and returned by a certain date, she knows why she needs it. I don't have time to sit down and second guess the teacher. So I just do it, what's the big deal? Does everything have to be a point of contention?

 

[JoiseyMom]

If the assignment paper had in big letters
THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE GRADED

would your DH had any more time to devote to it???

Yes he would have.

 

[debbi801]

I've been a parent for over 25 years, and never have I ever seen a child penalized for a form not being signed. Alot has gone down with her 504, and all her teachers not following it, and the frustration we have felt with DD not getting what she needs. We have busted our butt on our end to get her to do her part, and at times we haven't succeeded and DD has taken the consequences. We also happen to be very frustrated that we have discussed with them at least 2 times that DD is bored and can something be done about it. We haven't heard a thing back.

Looking at a website and signing a form again, no where did it say this was an assigment that had to be back by a certain time or the child would get a zero. If it had been DH would have moved it up his prioirty list.

If I had known about it..I would have looked over the sight with her...but again, I didn't know it.

But again, what does this have to do with your DH ignoring a homework assignment? For my kids, even the one with the IEP, every homework assignment is graded, whether it be a form I need to sign or a worksheet.

 

[MegaDisney]

Did you know that according to the most recent data, 50% of teachers quit their jobs and stop working as teachers in 2 years or less? Did you know that a recent survey on career satisfaction put the level of stress involved in teaching close to the level of stress involved in being an EMT? Did you know that in a recent and widely publicized report teaching is one of the worst careers to have?


And a huge part of this is caused by parents who refuse to participate in their child's education, are aggressive and dismissive towards teachers, and sometimes even go so far as deriving satisfaction from trying to humiliate them.

Bad teachers need to be weeded out of our schools, but unfortunatelly many people end up driving the good ones away.

Best post in this thread. I am in disbelief that parents actually treat teachers this way.

 

[djm99]

OP, if your mortgage is due by the 15th (or you'll occur fees) do you send it on 16th then expect not to occur fees? The same applied to this assignment. You had time to view this website. You and DH dropped the ball. Now it doesn't make you a bad parent, but on this assignment - you dropped that ball. You or DH can be mean to that teacher all day long - but it’s YOU and DH that should have simply contacted the teacher and put on your humble hat. Had you been humble (and totally blamed yourself) and been apologetic to the teacher, she might have made an exception. I know I would have. Without question! A parent not wanting her child to get an F because of something the parent didn't do - YES - I would have made an exception. But the bad attitude will GET you NO WHERE - kid or not - she is the teacher.

 

[SDFgirl]

Apparently only things that are graded matter in school.

I know, what kind of lesson is that teaching the daughter? "It's only important to fulfill your obligations or to do the right thing if you're being watched/graded/assessed?"

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I monitor the schools website...not sure if DH does or not. DH probably didn't have me look at it, because his business is websites..and he probably feels he is better at math then I am..but either way...I didn't know about it. If I had, I would have looked at it.

DH is self employed and spends most of his time in his office. DD has a desk in there an does her work down there, so he can make sure she does it. Again, had I know about the assignment..I would have done it.

DD comes home from school and goes to DH's office to work on her hw. DS comes home from school and stays with me and works on his hw.

Saying the same thing different ways doesn't answer my question. If you knew DH would have extra work, why not offer to help DD this week/last week? Or ask if there was anything you could do to help clear his plate?

 

[Magic Mom]

I've been a parent for over 25 years, and never have I ever seen a child penalized for a form not being signed. Looking at a website and signing a form again, no where did it say this was an assigment that had to be back by a certain time or the child would get a zero. If it had been DH would have moved it up his prioirty list.

If I had known about it..I would have looked over the sight with her...but again, I didn't know it.

She wasn't penalized because a form wasn't signed, she was penalized because as far as the teacher knew, your DD didn't do the assignment.

I don't understand why making it a graded assignment makes it a higher priority. Considering the issues you've had with communication regarding her 504, I would think that any correspondence with her teacher would be a high priority. If you sent a note to her, would you want her to put it at the bottom of her list because she wasn't certain how important an answer was to you?