Was the teacher wrong?

[SamFaniam]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tea...appointed-upset-feel-right-now-142621856.html

I did not find that what the teacher wrote in this message was demeaning to students. It made me wonder if the parents that complained enable their students in such a way that their students don’t do any work and still want good grades.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I don’t have an issue with it.
I would be a little taken aback by it, but only because that teacher has to be really fed up to want to write that.

 

[SteveH]

I think the teach was a bit brutally honest, but not wrong. In school I worked my *** off to get things in on time, I wasn't an "A" student so on time could mean the difference in a C or B, sometimes an A. We have to many lawnmower parents and not enough parents that teach the tough lessons in life that you need to learn while you're young. Not everyone makes the team, not everyone gets picked first, not everyone gets and A or passes a class. There are smarter kids out there, some kids are more motivated to get their work done. I told my kids the truth, unless you want to wash dishes or flip burgers for the rest of your life you need to work hard and stay focused about school.

 

[Ben E N]

I make sure to give out an extra credit assignment early in the grading term, when very few kids are worried about their grades. I tell them that it is worth the effort and will come in handy later, when the real work begins. Only a few take me up on it.
Sure enough, about a month later, students ask me if I offer any extra credit. I love responding with "Yes! Just last month! Didn't you take advantage of it when I told you to?" Hopefully that's not too demeaning.

 

[Wendy31]

It's a little snarky, but I think the teacher is within her rights to not offer extra credit.

She also gives good advice - take how you're feeling now & use it to improve so you don't feel like this when reports come out. And that makes me feel like she's actually a pretty caring teacher - she wants them to succeed & to develop proper motivation.

The only part that *might* be considered a little demeaning & that she might have been better to have left out is the part where she says something like, "Even if I offered you extra credit, you probably wouldn't do it."

But, that said, I can sense her frustration as a teacher. And, again, she's within her rights to not assign any extra credit work.

So, no, I don't really have any issues w/ it.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I make sure to give out an extra credit assignment early in the grading term, when very few kids are worried about their grades. I tell them that it is worth the effort and will come in handy later, when the real work begins. Only a few take me up on it.
Sure enough, about a month later, students ask me if I offer any extra credit. I love responding with "Yes! Just last month! Didn't you take advantage of it when I told you to?" Hopefully that's not too demeaning.

I like this philosophy. You shouldn’t get extra credit work if you won’t do the assigned work.

 

[disykat]

I can see how the tone of the letter came off poorly, but I have absolutely no problem with the message. If my kids were doing their work, that message could not in any way be seen as demeaning to them. If my kids were not doing all their work, but accepting the consequences then I still don't see it as demeaning to them. (If my kids were in that group, they'd be in trouble with me!) The only kids that message was targeting were those who didn't do their work and then expected a way to make it up. They really shouldn't be complaining about it in that case.

I think if those that are upset could/would re-read the letter from the framework of "this is from someone who cares about students and wants them to succeed and is trying to help them learn how" they could see it differently. I am certainly not going to jump to the conclusion that the teacher never gave them any clue they were expected to actually do their work and that anything in this message is a total surprise to them.

I put this in the category of "should have been worded differently."

 

[Wendy31]

I also find it funny that the parent who wrote the complaint misspelled "manner."

 

[low-key]

Hard one, we all need different ways to motivate us , You get my best effort with "your a looser" like this teacher is saying

 

[ronandannette]

After working closely with numerous excellent, caring educators to beg/threaten/cajole my DS over the finish line to graduation, I would have sent her a bouquet of flowers and a heart-felt apology if my kid had gotten that note. Truer words were never spoken than "...you probably wouldn't do it anyway..." and an extra-credit assignment would only lead to further stress on our part and hers.

Parents of students like that absolutely know their kids are failing by their own poor decisions and very often neither extra time and attention at school or harsh discipline at home make a difference. Kids with genuine learning difficulties rarely fail completely to respond to adequate support. This is not that and given the gross disrespect slackers are actually showing towards their teachers, the note has been 100% earned IMO.

 

[Summer2018]

I would never write something like this to my students. There are better ways to communicate about the consequences of their actions and choices. I believe that she crossed a line and went too far.

 

[hereyago]

I applaud the teacher. This is middle school, getting them ready for high school and college. It's get real time.

The parents who are butt hurt are probably the ones where their Jane or Johnny is not turning in regular work and think they can get extra credit.

Then this teacher is getting real with them and they are upset.

 

[mom2rtk]

I certainly support the teacher's right to this policy, although the delivery is too snarky. It comes off as her lashing out as opposed to really trying to bring about change.

Part of the problem in our district is a pervasive laxness when it comes to grading in general. Teacher after teacher takes late work, allows test corrections, etc. So kids grow up expecting flexibility. It drives me crazy as a parent trying to teach good study habits and the importance of deadlines, only to have teachers take revisions and late work.

At least once they get to the honors/AP classes in high school, that sort of stuff tends to be a lot less common.

 

[ronandannette]

I love the way the outraged parent demanded "compassion" for the student(s) as if this came totally out of the blue. Trust me, no good, fair or even marginal students got that note. It was given to a kid whose habitual refusal to turn in assignments had resulted in a failing grade and I'd bet money many, many other, more "compassionate" efforts had been put forth first and ignored.

 

[mom2rtk]

I love the way the outraged parent demanded "compassion" for the student(s) as if this came totally out of the blue. Trust me, no good, fair or even marginal students got that note. It was given to a kid whose habitual refusal to turn in assignments had resulted in a failing grade and I'd bet money many, many other, more "compassionate" efforts had been put forth first and ignored.

Hard to say. The really poor students probably wouldn't care enough to ask for extra credit.

 

[ronandannette]

Hard to say. The really poor students probably wouldn't care enough to ask for extra credit.

Again, having been there, it wouldn't surprise me in any way if the kid's parents had insisted (s)he ask for the extra-credit assignment. Not proud of this but that's certainly how it would have gone down in our situation.

 

[DisneyOma]

Hard one, we all need different ways to motivate us , You get my best effort with "your a looser" like this teacher is saying

Please tell me that was deliberate?

I would never write something like this to my students. There are better ways to communicate about the consequences of their actions and choices. I believe that she crossed a line and went too far.

Oh dear, are you one of those teachers? I'm betting your ways had already been said, and the kid didn't give a flying fig until the deadline of a progress report loomed ahead. I work in a high school. I overheard a student ask his teacher what he could do to pull up his grade (well below a 40) the day before grades closed. She looked at him and said "do your work." His response, "what do you mean?" She shook her head, and told him all the missing assignments he had. He had that night to get them in, for partial credit. He fussed about getting partial credit! But he was like the student in the letter - he did nothing.

 

[Summer2018]

Please tell me that was deliberate?



Oh dear, are you one of those teachers? I'm betting your ways had already been said, and the kid didn't give a flying fig until the deadline of a progress report loomed ahead. I work in a high school. I overheard a student ask his teacher what he could do to pull up his grade (well below a 40) the day before grades closed. She looked at him and said "do your work." His response, "what do you mean?" She shook her head, and told him all the missing assignments he had. He had that night to get them in, for partial credit. He fussed about getting partial credit! But he was like the student in the letter - he did nothing.

I teach preschool.

Early Childhood Educators approach communication with children in non-threatening, warm demanding ways. We build relationships based on trust, caring, and mutual respect. Students tend to work harder for teachers who genuinely care about them and treat them with dignity and respect.

I guess I wouldn’t be cut out to teach adolescents if treating my students otherwise were required to be effective.

By the way, I cannot imagine any administrator would approve that letter.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

If a teacher started the school year with a letter like this, I would say it was snarky. However, she probably spent the year trying to persuade her students to do their work and many didn't follow through. It also seems that students have been asking the same questions over and over, "Will I get a good grade? How can I get more points? Can I do extra credit?" I'm sure she's been repeating the same answers over and over. "No you're not getting a good grade. The only way to get points is to do the work during the semester. No you can't do extra credit. It's too late at this point." So she sent out a letter to stop having that conversation. It also lets the parents know why some of their kids will be getting poor grades.

 

[CarolAnn856]

I am always shocked, although I guess by now I shouldn't be, at how many parents of middle schoolers expect teachers to not have consequences for late assignments. They constantly demand that their kid get full credit for stuff that was due at the beginning of the quarter and turned in just before the end. Entitlement at its finest.