Guess what my son's college prof. said!

[Nestof3]

My son attends a local community college. He chose to go local for many reasons -- none of them being because he couldn't get into a four-year university.

 

His college professor, who teaches American Politics, said that he didn't think homeschooled kids should be allowed to go to college because their grades are untrustworthy. He said no mom would fail her child.

 

He doesn't know that Aaron was homeschooled through high school. Aaron waited a while after class to talk to him, but others had questions, so he left figuring he'd talk to him another day.

 

Needless to say, I am annoyed.

 

****************************

 

I am reminded of the Critical Thinking books we used in American History. They stressed the importance of asking various questions when reading primary source documents (or in this case, a man's words). Some of the questions that popped in my head while Aaron was talking are:

 

1. Has the person presented sufficient evidence for his case?

2. Has the person made a generalization?

Edited April 1, 2010 by nestof3

[Lolly]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

[Starr]

Maybe he should wait until he gets that "A" in his class!!!

[TXMary2]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

 

:iagree::iagree:

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I would just advise him to keep him mouth shut until the professor hands him his final grades.

 

Then I would say, "I'm glad my mom prepared me for your class. I'm going to share this grade with her."

 

I recall JFS' son came up against an anti-homeschooling professor and he just waited until the end of the semester to "reveal" his status.

 

K:tongue_smilie:

[elegantlion]

At least he doesn't teach logic. :glare:

[Heather in the Kootenays]

:iagree:

 

And I'm WAY more likely to fail ds than anyone else because I care more.

[Nestof3]

At least he doesn't teach logic. :glare:

 

:lol:

[abbeyej]

Ugh. Well, on the other hand, dh is a professor at Ga Tech and I know personally four other professors there whose children are currently being home schooled. (And that can't possibly be all of them, 'cause I only know a handful of the professors, lol!) In our local group, there are several other kids whose parents are professors at 4-year colleges and universities in northern Ga.

 

I'm just saying, don't assume this one teacher's attitude is representative of professors as a whole. We've met many, many who are extremely supportive -- and while a few have grilled us with questions, it has generally be a result of real curiosity rather than disapproval.

[babysparkler]

Maybe he should wait until he gets that "A" in his class!!!

:iagree:

[Nestof3]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

 

True. He's on the President's List (think Dean's list) b/c of his grades, and I don't want him to jeopardize that.

[PiCO]

His college professor, who teaches American Politics, said that he didn't think homeschooled kids should be allowed to go to college because their grades are untrustworthy. He said no mom would fail her child.

 

I know I wouldn't fail my child. My child wouldn't be done until she had an "A". It's called mastery.

 

I agree with people who say don't talk to the prof until the class is over. And he should make sure the prof appreciates his class participation and hard work in the class. Then after the class is over, tell the prof how much he enjoyed the class... and by the way, I was home schooled through high school.

[Tangerine]

I don't understand why it matters. If someone can do the work in the class, what difference does it make what grade he got in another class?

[Sandy in Indy]

That prof might want to check the way students are admitted to the school. I know both of my older kids attended a cc for dual credit. Their admittance was based solely on test scores--I didn't even provide a transcript. (So "Mom's" grades didn't even count.)

 

I'd have your ds wait until the end of the semester and then gently approach his prof. Your ds might be the one to change the prof's mind.

[FaithManor]

Wow! What an ignorant college professor. Apparently, he is unaware of many of the grading practices of the public schools.

 

In our district, high school math students get full credit, i.e 100% on daily assignments just for turning them in...no matter how many errors. Its supposed to encourage them to do the work. Daily work is 50% of the final grade! They are also given points in many classes for not falling asleep or ditching class. They've got kids get A's and B's in college prep classes and only pulling 16's and 17's on their A.C.T.'s.....Hmmm whose padding the grades here?

 

I also recommend that your son not reveal his educational status. If he is never going to have this professor again, he may want to show him his semester grades after the class concludes. However, if there is any chance he'll have a class with this ego again, I wouldn't have him say anything, ever.....the guy might not like having his theory debunked and will be out to get him in future classes.

 

Faith

[Nestof3]

If he is never going to have this professor again, he may want to show him his semester grades after the class concludes. However, if there is any chance he'll have a class with this ego again, I wouldn't have him say anything, ever.....the guy might not like having his theory debunked and will be out to get him in future classes.

 

Faith

 

This is his last semester there. He will start the university in the fall as a junior. He started college a semester later than the norm, but he CLEPed out of two classes and has taken summer courses, so now he's back on track.

[Miss Marple]

We, too, have encountered great attitudes by some of my dss professors. In fact, their philosophy/logic and Spanish professors have both said that the homeschooled students out-performed the other students in their classes. The philosophy professor learned that I teach a Great Books/World view class in our co-op (many of my students went on to take his course) and he gave my son a lot of material for me to use. He was very positive which was very encouraging to me.

[titianmom]

But I would go in armed with evidence.

 

So what if a mother would never fail a child? How about some concrete statistics from Testing - where no mother grades them - to prove a point???

 

Correct ignorance where ever it is found, I say. Some people blurt out silly stuff because they are ill-informed (or taught in colleges by liberal, social engineering-driven professors) and have no idea what they're talking about. And some teachers have legitimate concerns, see below.

 

Here's the ammo (Recent Report on Achievement by independent study grp):

 

http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/2009_Ray_StudyFINAL.pdf

 

THere are tons of articles/reports out on HSLDA to support homeschooling. The prof might say that it is biased but most of it has been done by 3rd party groups not assoc/with homeschooling at all, so he can't use that as a true argument.

 

FWIW, Schools/school teachers across the country only see the failures coming back into the system. That's why many have this attitude. It's an unfortunate truth that there are families out there that do a pretty poor job of homeschooling and are forced to put their kids back in school. Sometimes it isn't the families' fault and the child is just being very difficult with the idea of homeschooling and has to go back into the system. It happens, and we have to acknowledge this reality.

 

One of the biggest complaints that teachers have of ex-homeschoolers is that the students coming back in can't get along with other kids and are afraid to mix with the class. (The old socialization issue that they see every year.)

 

We as parents of homeschooled children need to take it seriously and not isolate our children from social groups, esp when they're young. But this is an easy fix, you just involve them in group activities that promote relationships and they'll be fine, like a good scouting group, church group, community projects, etc. Not that hard to do.

 

But the majority of the families out there are pretty dedicated homeschooling families, and so keep the balance with these teachers and treat them with respect. How would you feel about homeschooling if all you ever saw were the mess cases coming into the system??

 

Take care,

Kim

[Gretchen in NJ]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

:iagree: Your son should watch out for his grade first. If he your son does well in the class, then you and your son will have the last laugh.:D

[EarleneW]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

 

:iagree:

[dangermom]

I'd also wait until the end of the semester and the A, and be sure to participate a lot and generally do great. But I think (if it was me) that while doing a zinger would be very tempting, it might be better to approach it more gently.

[OnTheBrink]

We, too, have encountered great attitudes by some of my dss professors. In fact, their philosophy/logic and Spanish professors have both said that the homeschooled students out-performed the other students in their classes. The philosophy professor learned that I teach a Great Books/World view class in our co-op (many of my students went on to take his course) and he gave my son a lot of material for me to use. He was very positive which was very encouraging to me.

 

When my son took geometry at the CC, his prof asked him where he went to high school. My son told her he was homeschooled. She said she thought so; it's rare to see a kid come from the local public schools well-versed in logic! So HA! LOL

 

And, I agree with holding off until the end of the semester (after grades are submitted) before approaching the prof with this info. Besides, he can look at your son's records and see for himself where he went to high school, if he really wants to know. I do think the prof needs to know he has homeschooled students in his class, but timing is crucial; especially if the prof is a jerk.

[BearWallowSchool]

I agree. My mil is a professor and she is one of my biggest supporters.

 

Must be nice...My MIL thinks I'm going to ruin my children! :glare:

 

 

I agree about waiting until the semester is over. Don't take a chance on making the person made who controls your grade!

[G5052]

I'd also wait until the end of the semester and the A, and be sure to participate a lot and generally do great. But I think (if it was me) that while doing a zinger would be very tempting, it might be better to approach it more gently.

 

Being a community college professor myself, I know that there are some professors who have serious doubts about homeschooled kids because they express them to me personally. Frankly some of those doubts are well-founded, although the majority of the homeschooled students at my campus do fine. We've had some cases where the parents put them into CC classes as a "sink-or-swim" situation because the parents couldn't do anything with them, and that is almost universally a disaster. And some are admitted with borderline scores and quickly sink under college-level work. Homeschooled students stick out because we are still "odd" to some people, so we become the topic of discussion in faculty meetings and behind closed doors in the offices. I hear the same sort of thing though about some graduates of a local Christian school who tend to be woefully behind too, so it's not just us.

 

I think here it's important to realize that there are all kinds of homeschoolers just as there are all kinds of public school teachers. And there are good and bad ones in both camps. Unfortunately people remember the bad ones.

[Supertechmom]

Wait until after the grades are in!!!!!! Then present whatever info. I went against a high school teacher and she purposefully flunked me on every single paper I turned in from that point. They can do that, some will, and there is little you can do about it if it happens to you. (by doing so she proved my point which was that she could not fail me at all no. matter. what. as I still turned out a b for the semester and a for the year.) Wait till after grades.

[Mom-ninja.]

I agree that he shouldn't say anything until class is over. Then surprise him.

[WishboneDawn]

His college professor, who teaches American Politics, said that he didn't think homeschooled kids should be allowed to go to college because their grades are untrustworthy. He said no mom would fail her child.

 

That's funny, especially since one of the biggest issues people have with public education these days is grade inflation and the refusal to fail kids.

[3and3]

I will say I did fail my oldest. He refused to do the work that I assigned him. Then when he did do it he just threw something on the page. So, he was sent to PS, but he started as a junior instead of a senior. He is doing very well honor roll and very involved:001_smile: It was a very hard decision for me to make but I could not give him credit for work that was not completed. It was a lesson he will never forget.

 

I agree not to tell prof until after grades are given, but I would definately say something!

[Corraleno]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

 

:iagree: Another vote for waiting until the class is over...

 

Jackie

[Oakblossoms]

I don't think I would tell him I was homeschooled until the class was over. He might try to prove his point by being unfair in his grading practices.:glare:

 

I was a College and University student just a few years ago. I would second this decision. I do think he should bring it up. But, honestly there is no telling how this teacher will respond. He is already showing a bias and publicly. Teachers can have opinions. But, it isn't their job to teach their opinions.

[jenL]

I also agree to wait until the class is over, and then graciously tell the prof how he was educated prior. :)

[AuntieM]

Funny that he believes the students should suffer for the admissions department policies. Most students I know can't be admitted to CC or other college without presenting test scores, or taking the COMPASS test. If colleges want well-prepared students, regardless of the source, they need to set higher across-the-board admissions standards, not just blanketly disqualify certain groups such as home schoolers. Any student that can meet admissions standards should be admitted.

 

Anyway, I am on the wait-til-later bandwagon. Once your student achieves his good grade, he will be able to share that news much more pleasantly with his ol' prof.

[Mergath]

Pfffft. I went to a public high school, and let's just say that any of the guys on the varsity football or hockey teams never got anything less than was required to keep them on the teams. Of course, it helped that the teachers let them do their tests as a group, while the rest of us were required to work individually. There were also rumors floating around that these guys were given test answers in advance.

 

I'd be much more inclined to trust a mother's grades for her children. Even if she did inflate the grades a bit, at least you know she wants her child to learn the material. Many of the ps teachers I had didn't care one bit whether we actually learned anything or not.

[Lilymax]

I know I wouldn't fail my child. My child wouldn't be done until she had an "A". It's called mastery.

 

I agree with people who say don't talk to the prof until the class is over. And he should make sure the prof appreciates his class participation and hard work in the class. Then after the class is over, tell the prof how much he enjoyed the class... and by the way, I was home schooled through high school.

 

:iagree: That's exactly what I was going to say. I don't know many HS moms who would just pass their child without making sure they knew the material. That's one of the reasons we homeschool!

[FO4UR]

I vote for waiting until grades are finalized before spilling the beans.

 

Then, as eloquently and graciously as possible, thank the teacher for giving him a fair shake inspite of his bias towards homeschoolers. Keep in mind the goal of paving the way for future HSers, even though it would be satisfying to force the man to eat some crow.

 

Definitely wait until the teacher can inflict no harm first!

[Rhonda in TX]

He said no mom would fail her child.

 

He obviously hasn't seen my grade book this year. :lol:

[Prairie]

I know this is an old thread but I had to post. When my dd was in hs 4th we were at an agriculture show here in northern ND. University of North Dakota (where you can get a med degree) had a booth set up. On this perticular day the Dean of Admissions was manning the desk. I had a face to face with him about homeschoolers. He said that UND actually encourages homeschoolers to come there. He said they usually have more of a balanced life and lots of good farm (in this case) experiences that help in medical related areas and others as well.

 

I'm sure there are probably professors at this school as well that may be biased but it sure is good to know that the admissions dept won't blackball a homeschooler!

[Just Robyn]

I would probably advise my child to wait until the end of the semester to reveal his secret identity. If I were in the class, however, I would engage him in discussion right away during class time because I wouldn't want all those students leaving class thinking the teacher might be right about that.