Teacher Vent!

[Beauty]

J.C. has a teacher fresh out of college with no children. We (as in the parents) are having so many problems with her. She went to school to teach high school math and science but instead is teaching 4, 5, and 6th graders and she is so far over their heads! Children who has had straight A's their entire school life so far are getting Cs and Ds in her class (no J.C. is not one that has always had all As) and they are really upset.


The 6th grade little boy that rides home with J.C. was really upset today because she refuses to explain math to them more than twice. If you don't have it the second time they you need to teach yourself. Well this really bothered me so I called a friend that I have that works at the school and she said they were bringing in the Elementary Principle to observe her teach because there have been so many complaints!

So am I wrong in thinking Okay she obviously has a problem teaching these younger kids and it has obviously been going on quite a while and has caused students to make really bad grades so do something about it besides have her observed. I don't know....J.C. has been able to pull a low B in her class so far but the two little girls that have all As are seriously stressing over her class.

Okay just venting but uugghh!

 

[binny]

that would really bother me too!!!

Im glad you had the guts to complain about it. Obviously if so many are complaining there is something going on.

 

[SeaSpray]

When "A" students fall so far behind that they become "C" students, then that should be a major red flag. I think they should be doing far more than just observing at this point. DS11 excels in math and never has had below an "A". If this was happening to him, I'd have been there complaining after the first month of school and it would NOT have gone on this long.

You are right to be so concerned about this!! Let us know what happens.

 

[disykat]

I would hope the observation is to help her make changes. If changes do not happen (soon!) then I would have a huge problem with it.

I would definately be in contact with the principal though to add my voice to the complaints and ask that something be done immediately to relieve some of the pressure on the children while the teacher is working on her new lesson plans.

 

[mhopset]

I think I would be making a trip to the school. THere is no sense in a teacher acting like this. Isn't that what they are there for is to teach. Teaching sometimes requires explaining more than 2 times Let me know what happens

 

[Beauty]

I so agree! I really didn't notice (John-Cole has always been an A, B, student and he has had a low B the whole year so I didn't notice) until basketball and the parents were talking about her...especially the two little girls who have always been A students. One of the mothers said that her daughter (Ali) literally cried herself to sleep the night before a math test because she was so afraid. Then when Hunter started coming home with us in the afternoons and he started mentioning the things that she does thats when it started to ring a bell in my mind...which is why I called. I gues what happens will depend on the outcome of the observation by the Principle (who herself has been a teacher for years).

I did notice though that when J.C. was sick last week with Scarlett Fever (He missed the whole week) that her note said "HE MUST TAKE HIS TEST ON THE DAY HE GETS BACK!" It was just like that in all caps...well he wasn't even there to learn the material of that week. Luckily it was rounding which I helped him with but still.......Hunter also missed the week with the flu (there were tons of students out) and his mom said in his notes from her for Science it said Read Chapters 12 and 13 and make your own notes for test on the day you get back. That seems a little over the top too.

 

[doxdogy]

Sounds like this teacher needs to understand the concept of the learning curve and that not all students learn at the same pace. Hopefully, the principal will be able to make her understand this concept.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Wow, I wonder what kind of certification your state has! Ohio has certification for early primary, middle school, or secondary (7-12). Here, if she was certified 7-12 there would be no way in the world she would be teaching grades 4,5 or 6. My sister has middle school certificate and just recently switched from grade 5 to grade 7.
Get more parents involved--if they do one observation and she is fine (and in my experience even the kids act like angels when the principal is in the room) nothing will change. More complaints are needed or she will have a job for life.
Robin M.

 

[Beauty]

She must have certification to teach both...she also teaches Chemistry and Pysics to the 11th grade...which brings up a whole other bottle of worms....Can you teach grade school and high school and not expect more from the little ones??

 

[jamsmom]

As a former teacher, if I had students making those type of grades, I would go home crying every night knowing what a horrible teacher I was and research what I could do better!!!

Sure hope that her evaluations offer her some insight that either helps her become a more child-focused teacher or gets re-assigned to a higher grade. But, can her imagine her teaching Algebra, Geometry or higher math and only explaining it twice?

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I would like to suggest you go and talk to the teacher. We had a situation at our school... very much like you described. The subject was middle school science. A teacher came in that actually HAD some expectations for behavior, class work, and tests. Previously the expectations for science had been that you were a mammal. NO JOKE! People got A's that had no business getting A's. In this teacher's class - where 1/3 of your grade was based on behavior and class attendance - many of the kids are struggling horribly. Parents threw a royal hissy fit - the administration forced her to back off.

NOW - my sons both had her for a teacher and both LOVED her. Instead of the usual 120% A+++++ that they typically got in science, they simply got an A. They had to do work, behave in class, and take notes. It was wonderful!

It sounds like your son is getting along great - maybe he is a better student than some of the "All A's group". Please take into account the previous curriculum. I know the kids in our school district would benefit from higher expectations for academics as well as behavior!

Good luck, and congrats to your son for being one that is able to perform with the higher expectations intact.

 

[SandiH]

As a new teacher, I'm surprised that she hasn't had evaluation observations already! I've had two or three before Christmas.

I hope that the principal see's what's going on and has some constructive feedback for the teacher. How you deal with elementary students is totally different than how you deal with high school students.

Keep us posted.

Sandi

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I had this same problem last year when my daughter was in 6th grade. Her math teacher had only taught in HS and was hired at the last minute to teach middle school. After listening to my daughter and her friends and talking to some other parents, I called the principal and said that maybe the teacher needed some "coaching" on how to teach to middle school kids. The principal told me they had just thought of that too and the teacher would be observing other classrooms within a few days.

He never was the best teacher but my daughter ended up actually learning a lot and liking the teacher. This year tho, he is teaching at the high school where he is an assistant football coach and life is much better for all.

I, too, am surprised that it has taken this long for the principal to observe a teacher new to the school.

Elise

 

[lisajl]

jamsmom...
Can you be my son's teacher? I have just about had it with ours!

Seems sometimes teachers forget not all kids learn on the same level. Not too mention, if you are teaching out of the kids learning range they will get frustrated and give up.

What happened to good teachers?
Please don't get me wrong, my son had a great teacher last year.
It just seems this year, will not end soon enough.

Good luck to everyone on their school problems....

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by CJMickeyMouse
I would like to suggest you go and talk to the teacher. We had a situation at our school... very much like you described. The subject was middle school science. A teacher came in that actually HAD some expectations for behavior, class work, and tests. Previously the expectations for science had been that you were a mammal. NO JOKE! People got A's that had no business getting A's. In this teacher's class - where 1/3 of your grade was based on behavior and class attendance - many of the kids are struggling horribly. Parents threw a royal hissy fit - the administration forced her to back off.

NOW - my sons both had her for a teacher and both LOVED her. Instead of the usual 120% A+++++ that they typically got in science, they simply got an A. They had to do work, behave in class, and take notes. It was wonderful!

It sounds like your son is getting along great - maybe he is a better student than some of the "All A's group". Please take into account the previous curriculum. I know the kids in our school district would benefit from higher expectations for academics as well as behavior!

Good luck, and congrats to your son for being one that is able to perform with the higher expectations intact.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

How many kids are in the class? How many have seen their grades drop? What does your son say about the way she teaches? Did any of the parents speak to the teacher before going to the office?

Maybe the kids who grades have dropped have reached a point where they have to study a little harder than in the past.

 

[Serena]

That teacher sounds like she needs some kind of help.

 

[Beauty]

Shes young and this is her first year and she actually is a nice lady she just doesn't quite know how to adjust to the difference in high school and elementary. She also doesn't have any children of her own....not that it makes her a bad teacher because of it, I just have noticed in the past that the teachers that have children seem to be much better adjusted to their attitudes and what they need to help them learn.

 

[DNSDisney]

In our school YOU the parent can request to observe the teacher while working . check out to see if you can do this and if so encourage other parents to do it as well. If there is a problem the school will act quicker to get it resolved and if there isn't a problem with the teacher you will see for yourself and know how to handle it with the children.
hope every thing works out for the best...
we have had some teachers that didn't have a clue also with our daughter. follow your gut and don't back down if she is not doing her job! Making up for time they should of been learning and are stressed out to the point where they get nothing out of the class, is a hard thing to do.
In first grade my daughter had a teacher that kept saying "one day the light will come on and she will get it", concerning reading. Well a yr later i find out my daughter is dyslexic. The light wasn't coming on! And this teacher also said she didn't need to be tested for learning disablities! It took her two yrs to catch up to grade level reading.Some people just shouldn't be teachers!