Teacher Vent

[BelleMcNally]

Well my dh's priorties was the work his clients needed to get done. As he is self employed, that means keeping a roof over his head. He gets no paid sick days or vacation days. If he takes an hour off for a doctors appt, that's an hour he doesnt' get paid. A signed form for looking at a website?? Nope...i don't blame him.

Then that's your decision. Unfortunately, your daughter is the one who will suffer the consequences.

 

[bhaluvindisney]

Well my dh's priorties was the work his clients needed to get done. As he is self employed, that means keeping a roof over his head. He gets no paid sick days or vacation days. If he takes an hour off for a doctors appt, that's an hour he doesnt' get paid. A signed form for looking at a website?? Nope...i don't blame him.

He was SO busy that he couldn't look at a website for 5 min and sign a paper? Even if he just looked at the basics?? Really?? He didnt' have a few minutes EVER in the last week to take a look OR *gasp* to ask you to take a look while he went to the bathroom, got a drink, went to bed????

If he's that busy maybe he needs to hand over the education portion to either you or your MIL to take over so he can keep said roof over your head AND your dd can succeed in school simultaneously. Just a suggestion but honestly I cannot believe he didn't have ANY time to look at it even if he is swamped with clients. The internet doesn't close to my knowledge.............

 

[Stacerita]

Yes, but...

Yes, but...

Yes, but...

Sorry, OP, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that no one's taking your "side," no matter how many ways you try to justify your or DH's actions. He should have looked at the site or passed it on to you.

And I will also state that no one is on board with "giving it" to the teacher either.

 

[JoiseyMom]

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.

As I said previously. The website is to replace extra help that a student may need. They had a period that was available to them to go to any class for extra help. Since this period is now World Language, they can't go for extra help. This website will not be used in class. It is a tool for home use for kids that need tutoring.

 

[Stacerita]

As I said previously. The website is to replace extra help that a student may need. They had a period that was available to them to go to any class for extra help. Since this period is now World Language, they can't go for extra help. This website will not be used in class. It is a tool for home use for kids that need tutoring.

Then it appears that the teacher was making sure all students knew of this resource so they couldn't come later and say they didn't know about it.

 

[Magic Mom]

As I said previously. The website is to replace extra help that a student may need. They had a period that was available to them to go to any class for extra help. Since this period is now World Language, they can't go for extra help. This website will not be used in class. It is a tool for home use for kids that need tutoring.

Considering how much you know about it, the teacher must have given you excellent written instructions about it.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Let me get this straight. You are angry that your husband works too much, you are angry that he is the only one capable of looking at a website (interesting, considering the amt of time you are spending on a website yourself), you are angry that the teacher is young, you are angry that the school hasn't taken your daughter's 504 seriously (has absolutely nothing to do with the current issues but perhaps thrown in to build up the case you don't have?), you are angry that your snowflake isn't challenged enough in school because she's so much smarter than the other students, and you're angry that the teacher doesn't print on all assignments that a grade is given. IMO, it's a no brainer for most intelligent people to know that assignment=grade.

And because of all this, the teacher is now subjected to an angry hateful email telling her how she is not doing her job?

Perhaps you should logoff and go check to see if your daughter needs help with her homework so she is not penalized again for you and your husband dropping the ball.

ETA: Forgot one! Also angry about not being able to pay for private school which would solve all the world's problems, evidently. Oh, and MIL is frustrated, too, which somehow supports the arguments.

 

[dipin]

And yes, I have an issue with new teachers. DD first grade teacher was the worst teacher in the entire world!! OMG..she taught them NOTHING, no homework..it may as well have been glorified kindergarten!! My dd had an entire year wasted... And yes, every parent complained about it. We complained so much that the next year we heard she did an about face and gave too much homework. Thankfully her teacher in 2nd grade was awesome!! She retired after that year and had lots of experience and helped us work with DD. We have had great handpicked teachers for DD since 2nd grade. Teachers that were able to handle DD medical issues which are the basis for her 504.

But yes, there aer experienced teachers that are not that great. DD7 has one this year. She is nice..but DS should not have been placed in her class. She doesnt have the necessary skills to help him. His teacher last year, adn her asst, were so amazing. OMG this women was the best first grade teacher ...teacher in general I have ever come across. She got him writing and doing eveything....it was wonderful. This year all we get is well DS isn't doing this, he wont do that. We have suggested several times to speak to his teacher from last year, since he did all these things for her. It is driving us nuts..it is.

And just for the record..we are very pro teacher...we don't blame unless there is blame. MIL is very active with our kids and their education. She is a retired special ed teacher from NYC..and has dealt with it all in NY, and dealt with it here in NJ with her kids..so she is helping us. She has been very disappointed over the years with how the shcool system is dealing with the 504 and IEP's of our kids. It is very frustrating. DD best friends parents had to get a lawyer to get her DD the education she was entitled too. It's sad when all the teachers and couneslors agree that her dd's needs would not/could not be met..but they still denied her. Why should it take an attorney for a child to get the best education for them??

If we had the funds, DD and DS would be in a private school. Private schools here run as much as colleges!!

I fail to see how the teacher's experience, your past experience with other teachers, your claim to be very pro teacher, your MIL's former career, or your inability to pay for private school change the fact that any failure or neglect in this instance came from you and your husband. And I also fail to see how any of that makes it ok to take pleasure in trying to slam the poor teacher.

In fact, the way you still fail to recognize that any neglect of your daughter's education in this instance came from you and your husband makes me wonder if any of the apparent slights and mistreatment described are not similar instances of you and your husband failing to get involved.

It is no wonder teacher quality is declining. When parents take pleasure in abusing teachers for doing their jobs, the ones that care about teaching and kids are the ones that hurt the most and leave, and soon you'll be stuck with those who dont care about parent opinions and involvement.

 

[magiroux]

If we had the funds, DD and DS would be in a private school. Private schools here run as much as colleges!!

Sorry, but reading your siggie and......

 

[JoiseyMom]

He was SO busy that he couldn't look at a website for 5 min and sign a paper? Even if he just looked at the basics?? Really?? He didnt' have a few minutes EVER in the last week to take a look OR *gasp* to ask you to take a look while he went to the bathroom, got a drink, went to bed????

If he's that busy maybe he needs to hand over the education portion to either you or your MIL to take over so he can keep said roof over your head AND your dd can succeed in school simultaneously. Just a suggestion but honestly I cannot believe he didn't have ANY time to look at it even if he is swamped with clients. The internet doesn't close to my knowledge.............

Again, as I said previously..and I honestly don't care if you agree with me or not. Since it was just a form to be signed....not to him an assignment, it didn't go to the top of his list. Why...I don't know..I can't answer that, since I didn't make the call.

And DH doesn't take just five minutes to do anything that has to do with the internet. When it comes to a website his child has access too, he will be there a long while..which is why he probably put it aside. He also felt she will never go there, since she doesn't need math help.

And no..the internet doesn't close...sometimes it crashes or is unavailable for certain reasons..but no it doesn't close.

He is upset because she is getting a zero for something he didn't do, and soething he didn't realized would be graded...

and his email was not mean...it was going point for point back at what she had written. ANd yes, some might say harsh...

And my DD has three very active adults who are busting their butts to make sure their DD has an advocate for her education, adn makes sure that they are doing what they can for her..and that she is doing her best. it is a joint effort with all her teachers, us, and her.

We have had issues with this teacher and communication on several occassions. Each time we went back to have her 504 changed so that the issue wouldn't happen again. It is as frustrating for them as it is for us. We have a very bright child that is very difficult and we are all trying to have her succeed.

 

[Teacher03]

Let me get this straight. You are angry that your husband works too much, you are angry that he is the only one capable of looking at a website (interesting, considering the amt of time you are spending on a website yourself), you are angry that the teacher is young, you are angry that the school hasn't taken your daughter's 504 seriously (has absolutely nothing to do with the current issues but perhaps thrown in to build up the case you don't have?), you are angry that your snowflake isn't challenged enough in school because she's so much smarter than the other students, and you're angry that the teacher doesn't print on all assignments that a grade is given. IMO, it's a no brainer for most intelligent people to know that assignment=grade.

And because of all this, the teacher is now subjected to an angry hateful email telling her how she is not doing her job?

Perhaps you should logoff and go check to see if your daughter needs help with her homework so she is not penalized again for you and your husband dropping the ball.

ETA: Forgot one! Also angry about not being able to pay for private school which would solve all the world's problems, evidently. Oh, and MIL is frustrated, too, which somehow supports the arguments.

Best response of the night!

 

[PrincessBelle94]

Again, as I said previously..and I honestly don't care if you agree with me or not. Since it was just a form to be signed....not to him an assignment, it didn't go to the top of his list. Why...I don't know..I can't answer that, since I didn't make the call.

And DH doesn't take just five minutes to do anything that has to do with the internet. When it comes to a website his child has access too, he will be there a long while..which is why he probably put it aside. He also felt she will never go there, since she doesn't need math help.

And no..the internet doesn't close...sometimes it crashes or is unavailable for certain reasons..but no it doesn't close.

He is upset because she is getting a zero for something he didn't do, and soething he didn't realized would be graded...

and his email was not mean...it was going point for point back at what she had written. ANd yes, some might say harsh...

And my DD has three very active adults who are busting their butts to make sure their DD has an advocate for her education, adn makes sure that they are doing what they can for her..and that she is doing her best. it is a joint effort with all her teachers, us, and her.

We have had issues with this teacher and communication on several occassions. Each time we went back to have her 504 changed so that the issue wouldn't happen again. It is as frustrating for them as it is for us. We have a very bright child that is very difficult and we are all trying to have her succeed.

Yes, sure, that is true, but irrelevant as your DH put it aside anyway. Unless you're changing your story again...?

 

[hentob]

Well my dh's priorties was the work his clients needed to get done. As he is self employed, that means keeping a roof over his head. He gets no paid sick days or vacation days. If he takes an hour off for a doctors appt, that's an hour he doesnt' get paid. A signed form for looking at a website?? Nope...i don't blame him.

Your DH is not the only working parent out there It is called being a responsible parent It's life, my dear. It is embarrassing to make excuses like you just made. I am sure other parents work just as hard as your DH and managed to sign a paper.

From some past posts, I can tell you are not a fan of teachers

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2031893

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1446902

(This one you call the principal a not so nice word)


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1403562

And it goes on and on and on

Ok--I am going to get a bit Dr. Phil on you right now

I am actually baffled by many of your posts. I think you are overwhelmed and want to blame others (mainly teachers) for what goes on in your home.

Please don’t do that. Your children will just follow the pattern of not taking responsibility for their actions.

Good luck to your family.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Sorry, you dropped the ball. I'd just apologize and move on. No need for drama, especially if it's not going to hurt her grade. 7th grade is hard enough (traumatic!) without mom and dad making waves and drawing attention to a 13 year old kid. They hate that because everything's all about them.

No...DD12 is very happy that she knows we will go to bat for her. She also knows that when she doesn't do what she is supposed to do, we let her take her lumps.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

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.

I've only been a parent for 10 years, but I have seen kids (mine and others) get dinged for not returning papers/forms. School involves both kids and parents, and just because an "assignment" isn't declared as graded doesn't mean it doesn't count. This has been an especially tough year for my 4th grader as this year, I am expecting her to come to me with paperwork rather than me asking her for it. She has taken quite a few penalties in learning to be responsible.

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.

Hmmmm. Not sure what your gripe is about at all now. You start with a popcorn smilie which alludes to a scathing e-mail (which by the way I will guarantee you the teacher has a few choice words to say about the sender that she would never put in a carefully worded response!). Sounds like to me that you are trying to asuage your own guilt. And based on other responses, I am not alone in my confusion.

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.

Young is not bad! One of my DDs had one of the youngest (25; not quite young enough to be my kid, but close!) and best teachers in the school for Kindergarten. She was so full of energy and ideas. The kids and parents both responded to her well. In a direct comparison to where my girls were at the end of K, the one with the younger, energetic teacher was ahead of the one with the older, set in her ways teacher.

I come from a family (both immediate and extended) of teachers. I am the anomoly/black sheep. As much as I love kids, I recognize that the classroom is not where I belong. However, I hear stories from the rest of my family on a regular basis. From what I have seen here, you and your DH are the type of parents that caused my special ed qualified sister to leave the classroom. She loved her kids, but it was the parents that drove her to find another area of SPED to work. My mother has over 30 years in the classroom, and she is ready to retire because of the parents. The kids are the only reason she hasn't retired yet.

There is a difference between being an involved parent, and one of "those" parents. IMHO, you are on the one of "those" parents side of the line.

 

[PrincessBelle94]

Your DH is not the only working parent out there It is called being a responsible parent It's life, my dear. It is embarrassing to make excuses like you just made. I am sure other parents work just as hard as your DH and managed to sign a paper.

From some past posts, I can tell you are not a fan of teachers .

No, remember! She's pro teacher!

 

[JoiseyMom]

This is relevant how?

It's relevant to the attacks on my comments on new teachers and teachers in general.

 

[Magic Mom]

And my DD has three very active adults who are busting their butts to make sure their DD has an advocate for her education, adn makes sure that they are doing what they can for her..and that she is doing her best. it is a joint effort with all her teachers, us, and her.

Everything except do homework assignments that YOU think are unimportant.

We have had issues with this teacher and communication on several occassions. Each time we went back to have her 504 changed so that the issue wouldn't happen again. It is as frustrating for them as it is for us. We have a very bright child that is very difficult and we are all trying to have her succeed.

So you expect/demand clear, concise and prompt communication from her, but when she expects communication from you it's OK for you to make it a low priority?

 

[JoiseyMom]

Considering how much you know about it, the teacher must have given you excellent written instructions about it.

Nope...just what I was told by DD12 and DH.

 

[Magic Mom]

Nope...just what I was told by DD12 and DH.

She gave good instructions to someone, or you wouldn't know so much about it.