Two weeks ago I was scrambling and rushed for time, so I did not complete the official "progress report" sending via the school (every student who is failing or within 3% of failing receives a progress report). So. Within the next couple of days, I printed up IGPro grades, 4 to a page, chopped them up, attached them to a 1/2 sheet stating that parents should discuss this with their child and write me a note and sign it that they've done so. I made it a SMALL quiz grade to guarantee I'd get them back, docking off 10% per day late.
I have one awesome kid that is always in for tutoring, asks questions in class, does all his homework, scores very well on tests, takes "retests" (bane of my existence) every time if he does not get a perfect score, has a 99.63% average at the time of the reports. His mom writes back: I know he can do better. I will make sure he comes in for tutoring so he can improve.
Compare this with another student who has a 93% with the parent comment of: my son is so great!
Compare this with another student who has a 3% and who scratched out his mom's comment to call her.
Well obviously you aren't teaching in Lake Woebegone where all of the children are above average.
ReplyDeleteOn report card night at my last school, private, several parents told me that an A isn't good enough, their child should be earning an A+. This reaction is more typical in the honors level courses.
Unfortunately, as the courses get more difficult in high school, some students start to struggle, especially if they haven't developed good problem-solving and/or studying skills. I call this the "hitting-the-wall" phenomenon. Of course, the students and the parents blame the teacher, "My child has always had an A in math, you must not be a very good teacher".
Oh, I hate that comment, "... they ALWAYS succeeded before your sucky teaching brought them down ...".
ReplyDeleteI like your "hitting the wall" phrase, because yes, maybe they could just breathe and blink and show up to class before, and the material wasn't beyond them, and now they actually may have to think and have good study habits to succeed.
Some (lots) of them rise to the challenge, but there are those that still struggle (for various reasons).
Ms. Cookie
Do you think that mom might have been joking? That sounds borderline abusive to me if not!
ReplyDeleteWelllll, I've never heard those words literally, but my mind does that "Mad Magazine" thing, and I translate what they're saying to what I really think they mean :) .... or :(.
ReplyDeleteMs. Cookie