What would you do in this situation??

[Pat in MI]

A little background info: My ds is in 10th grade at the local public high school. He calls his geometry teacher the "devil teacher" (nickname came from his friend that had her last year). My son says the teacher doesn't explain things very well and so he doesn't get all the homework problems done because he doesn't know how. So she will give him a zero on the homework because everything is not done. (yes, we have explained that he needs to ask us for help, but for some reason he won't do that) We at first thought he just didn't like this teacher because of what his friend had said and also he isn't very fond of math, but it came to my attention yesterday that other students are having the same issues with this teacher.

 

Now for my question: In talking to another parent whom has a daughter in this same class, I was informed that this teacher had yelled at my son in class for not having his homework. This was the day after he had been sick. Now granted he was sick on Friday and this was Monday, but don't they normally give at least a day to find out what they are supposed to do? Am I right to be a little upset about this?? It wasn't just a small incident the girl in the class made the comment that she felt very bad for my son. So it made not only my son uncomfortable, but others in the class as well. We know we need to talk to the teacher, but would you discuss this with the principal or assistant principal?

 

Thanks for reading my long winded rant.

Blessings,

Pat

[creekland]

If he's regularly not doing his homework (for whatever reason) then he's set an image up in this teacher's mind that is tough to combat. She likely didn't make the connection that he was sick on Friday.

 

Also, with our math units (chapters) kids are given a syllabus of when things are due the very first day of that unit. Being sick can provide a one day reprieve, but many will do the homework anyway knowing that they have to sooner or later. They might get stuck on one or two problems, but the rest they can do.

 

If she's not a good teacher overall, have him check out the Khan Academy videos (free) to augment her teaching. It'll be good preparation for college for him to learn to seek out info on his own as not all college profs are great teachers either.

 

Talking to anyone is not going to improve his image with this teacher. Starting to do his homework on a regular basis will.

[Jean in Newcastle]

What is the policy for homework at the school? Here, you are supposed to contact the teacher and pick up homework the same day that the student is sick.

 

I would get him a math tutor. In our area there are tutors provided at the library as well as tutors you can hire through a list provided by the school.

[gardenmom5]

it came to my attention yesterday that other students are having the same issues with this teacher.

 

We know we need to talk to the teacher, but would you discuss this with the principal or assistant principal?

 

 

 

1dd had a teacher just like this in 10th grade. fortunately, math was easy for her so she wrote down the assignment and ignored everything he said. (even when he specifially asked her what she thought he could do to be a better teacher - she especially avoided answering - she'd seen the unjust retailiation against students who protested his lack of professionalism). the school had so many complaints about him by october their standard answer became "we know, we cannot get rid of him before the end of the school year." (one more reason to hate the teachers union - they protect jerks like him. he announced to the class teaching was his "calling". :nopity: seventh "career" and he wasn't yet 35. get a clue.)

 

for patterns of inappropriate/unprofessional behavior, I'd be on the phone in a heartbeat. higher than the principle if necessary.

[gardenmom5]

Student needs to understand that part of class is asking for clarification and help. .

 

that's all very nice and good, but some teachers think "clarification" means telling the student to go back and read the text book beccause they "obviously didn't".

[WishboneDawn]

I think there are two separate issues.

 

One, the teacher yelling at your son. This is not professional and needs to be addressed.

 

Two, you son is not doing his homework. There's no excuse. If he's not understanding the teacher then he needs to address that. He can come to you, research in the library or on the internet, ask friends, ask you to get him a tutor, etc. It seems he's doing none of those right now? I think he's due for a big talk on the matter.

[Lily_Grace]

I think there are two separate issues.

 

One, the teacher yelling at your son. This is not professional and needs to be addressed.

 

Two, you son is not doing his homework. There's no excuse. If he's not understanding the teacher then he needs to address that. He can come to you, research in the library or on the internet, ask friends, ask you to get him a tutor, etc. It seems he's doing none of those right now? I think he's due for a big talk on the matter.

 

 

I have to agree. You need to have your son take care of his business with direct guidance from you (i.e. "You're failing math. You need to come up with some options that will get your grade up. I'll come back up in an hour and we'll go over them then.") and take the problems he cannot take charge of but still needs to be present at the solution - like sitting all down together to discuss the teacher's behavior. Don't fail your son by taking all the responsibility from him.

[Pat in MI]

I think there are two separate issues.

 

One, the teacher yelling at your son. This is not professional and needs to be addresse.

 

This is what we thought too. That a teacher should at least take them outside the classroom or talk to him after class, but not yell at them with the other kids around.

 

 

I would like to add that he does what he understands of his homework, he just isn't completing all of the problems. The kids have said she sometimes doesn't explain anything at all just assigns problems for them to do. (They have had a substitute teacher two times and they said those were the best days in this class because she (the substitute) actually explained things)

We did have a discussion with ds last night concerning the homework and explained that he needed to get it done somehow either by asking the teacher or coming to us for help. If he doesn't like either of those ideas than we are getting him a tutor. We are not sure what is going through his mind, but he doesn't want to ask for help. :confused:

 

Thank you

Blessings,

Pat

Edited September 30, 2011 by Pat in MI

[Night Elf]

Talking to anyone is not going to improve his image with this teacher. Starting to do his homework on a regular basis will.

 

:iagree: I'm not sure why he isn't asking for help from you. Does he have access to the internet for homework? He can find help from math websites. There are also you tube videos of teachers explaining problems. The one we've used is yourteacher.com (you tube, not their website). If he doesn't want to ask for help, there are ways he can seek help by himself. This is actually a really good skill to have, even for later when he is in college and the workforce.

 

that's all very nice and good, but some teachers think "clarification" means telling the student to go back and read the text book beccause they "obviously didn't".

 

Heh, I have had college instructors/professors do the same thing. Thank goodness for my DH who has tutored me in a number of subjects!

[justasque]

I teach math. He needs to get the homework done. There are no excuses. If he's not getting it done, he's missing out on a huge chunk of the learning. Even if his teacher is useless, he will need the material for next year.

 

--He needs to find out what the teacher suggests students do when they are stuck on homework problems. What is the policy? If he didn't get a problem, can he re-try it and turn it in the next day?

 

--He needs to network. Somewhere (likely on Facebook) there is a community of kids all working together to get the homework done. He needs to hook in so that when he's stuck, he can ask other students for help. I'm NOT talking about cheating here, I'm talking about informal study groups. Discuss with the teacher what is and is not appropriate to do in such a group, if you have concerns. This is also how he gets the homework info he needs if he is sick, so that he is prepared as much as possible when he returns.

 

--If there are problems he didn't understand, he needs to ask about them the next day in class.

 

--If he still doesn't get something, he needs to go after school or before school or whenever the teacher has office hours and ask.

 

--He needs to get this on this stuff NOW as he will quickly get more and more behind, and get more and more homework zeros, the longer it goes on.

 

Since others are having the same problem, I would be gently discussing the issues with the administration. Make sure you understand both the teacher's and the administration's policies and acknowledge your ds's part in the issues.

Edited September 30, 2011 by askPauline

[justamouse]

MANY times they don't ask for help from mom and dad in the higher grades because mom and dad can't help them solve the problem exactly the way the teacher wants, and then they get it wrong, anyway. That is what repeatedly happened to us. Ds went back in 10th, after using Video text for Alg. Well, teacher refused to accept his work-even with him showing his work, because it was done differently (Ds's Italian Gf also had the same problem in that school system, they solve division differently in Italy? they wanted it formatted the American way, gosh darn it!).

 

When I got on the phone with the teacher, I said I had looked at his work, that it was complete and correct! She said she would not accept it, and I said there is more than one way to do algebra-she said no, there's not. there was HER way.

 

And so he stopped doing ANY of the work and flunked-and he was a math whiz. :glare:

 

The same thing happened with Dd back when I pulled her out in 4th grade. She couldn't ask for my help, because I taught her the way I knew, not the way they were teaching, and the teacher TOLD them not to ask us.

 

I would get a tutor for him. Or, is it possible that he switch classes?

[Harriet Vane]

I agree that your ds needs to ask for help and figure out a way to get his homework done. This is by far the biggest issue. Any complaints you make about the teacher will dim in comparison to this one, and I doubt you'll get much sympathy from either the teacher or the administration because he has a documented pattern of not completing his work.

 

As such, I absolutely would not fuss about being yelled at in class. I would not be happy about it, and the teacher sounds pretty awful, but I would first fix the problem of not getting his homework done.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I would also want to know what "yell at" means. Often kids (and adults) use it to mean "scolded". I don't necessarily think that it is wrong for a teacher to scold a child for not having their homework done.

[Pat in MI]

I would also want to know what "yell at" means. Often kids (and adults) use it to mean "scolded". I don't necessarily think that it is wrong for a teacher to scold a child for not having their homework done.

 

It didn't sound to me as if it was just "scolding" from the description that my friend's daughter gave. My son has said nothing about the incident, but I plan to discuss it with him.

Blessings,

Pat

[Impish]

I think there are two separate issues.

 

One, the teacher yelling at your son. This is not professional and needs to be addressed.

 

Two, you son is not doing his homework. There's no excuse. If he's not understanding the teacher then he needs to address that. He can come to you, research in the library or on the internet, ask friends, ask you to get him a tutor, etc. It seems he's doing none of those right now? I think he's due for a big talk on the matter.

:iagree:

[TranquilMind]

that's all very nice and good, but some teachers think "clarification" means telling the student to go back and read the text book beccause they "obviously didn't".

I feel for you. This is happening to my kid right now. The teacher is NOT teaching the subject but merely having them do experiments every day without teaching them how to do so. My kid is a straight A, top student, so it isn't as if the work isn't being done; the concepts are not being taught. Looks like we'll be looking into Khan Academy to keep the GPA intact. My kid is passing with a B so far, being smart enough to muddle through but almost all kids in the class are failing.

 

Several students have already gone to the top and complained and they are sending in the Principal and others to watch the class to decide what to do. They also selected my kid to be their representative and each kid wrote a letter to the Principal to explain the problem and wanted my kid to deliver them! Bad position to be in; but then the Principal refused to speak with my kid and said they are handling it. Hope so. I also am concerned the teacher will retaliate because, as we all know, there is always a way, even in Science or Math where it is more objective, to decide that someone's answer isn't full enough or good enough and mark down points.

 

SOMEBODY TEACH THE ^&%^% CLASS, I want to tell them. This isn't rocket science. These kids need to know this material.

[Pat in MI]

I wanted to add on more thing, Some of you have the impression that he is failing Geometry, but he currently has a C- (for him and math this isn't that bad) in the class. So he is doing enough of the work just not all of it and I know he needs to work on completing it all. I appreciate all of the advice. I am going to mention to him some of the websites and other helps you have suggested. thank you!

Blessings,

Pat

Edited September 30, 2011 by Pat in MI

[Jean in Newcastle]

I wanted to add on more thing, Some of you have the impression that he is failing Geometry, but he currently has a C- in the class. So he is doing enough of the work just not all of it and I know he needs to work on completing it all. I appreciate all of the advice. I am going to mention to him some of the websites and other helps you have suggested. thank you!

Blessings,

Pat

 

Perhaps it's just different strokes for different folks, but I would not consider a C- a grade that demonstrates mastery of the material. If he has problems handing in homework in other classes, you might also consider a book called "That crumpled paper was due last week : helping disorganized and distracted boys master the skills they need for success in school and life". It has helped us.

[Joanne]

As a teacher, former homeschool mom, and a mother in general, I don't equate "yelling" with automatically inappropriate. I also don't think that a teacher should be expected to remove each conversation from the general vincinity of the class. I am also not inclined to believe the perspective of children/students about a teacher they already call names (devil).

 

So, to answer that question, "no, I don't believe you have a right to be upset about this." Not automatically, anyway. Being yelled at about homework could look very different in reality.

[Little Nyssa]

I agree that teacher should not yell at or belittle students, and also that Ds should do the work-- clearly there is a problem with the teacher. Does the school have a policy about this? At our school you are supposed to address things with the teacher first. I would meet with her first, althiugh that might be unpleasant. I would want to talk to her without DS so I could say something like: I know he has not been giving it his all and I want your help in working on that, but it is inapprpriate for you to yell at him. Then if nothing changes you go to the principal.

:grouphug:

[regentrude]

I wanted to add on more thing, Some of you have the impression that he is failing Geometry, but he currently has a C- (for him and math this isn't that bad) in the class. So he is doing enough of the work just not all of it and I know he needs to work on completing it all. I appreciate all of the advice.

 

I would not consider a student who is scraping by with a C- to be "doing enough".

[Ali in OR]

Also a former teacher here. You absolutely need to begin by talking to the teacher, and I would do that in person. You are making assumptions based on third party information and you don't necessarily know the whole story. At the excellent school where I taught, any parent calling to complain to an administrator about a teacher would be asked, "Have you talked to the teacher first?" Teachers are professionals. Treat them that way, at least to start the conversation. You will learn a lot about how this teacher operates, what is important to her, and what are the keys to success in her class. And I agree with the other posters that your ds needs to complete the homework to her requirements. Make sure he uses whatever resources are available to do that. Ask his teacher what helps are available. At my school all teachers were available before and after school and lunchtime and there was also a peer tutoring center (free). There were also professional tutors who could be hired. If the teacher is unprofessional or incompetent and cannot address your concerns, then you can go up the chain of command.

[justasque]

I wanted to add on more thing, Some of you have the impression that he is failing Geometry, but he currently has a C- (for him and math this isn't that bad) in the class. So he is doing enough of the work just not all of it and I know he needs to work on completing it all. I appreciate all of the advice. thank you!

Blessings,

Pat

 

Perhaps it's just different strokes for different folks, but I would not consider a C- a grade that demonstrates mastery of the material.

 

In my experience, in high school, for a college-bound kid (and I don't know if that's the case with your ds), C- is a bad grade. It means the student may not be allowed to continue on the same track (for a school which tracks kids) because the student hasn't mastered the material and is not yet ready to build on it. It's also a wake-up call that the student needs to step up their game, big-time. It's early in the semester, so he may be able to pull the grade up, but not without work. I would guess that the teacher is experiencing some frustration with your ds. Perhaps a teacher conference is in order; I'd email to set one up so you can hear the teacher's perspective. Go in with an open mind. Sometimes a "mean" teacher is one who has high expectations for the students. Sometimes they are a bad teacher. Without hearing the teacher's side, I wouldn't pre-judge which is the case here.

[creekland]

In my experience, in high school, for a college-bound kid (and I don't know if that's the case with your ds), C- is a bad grade. It means the student may not be allowed to continue on the same track (for a school which tracks kids) because the student hasn't mastered the material and is not yet ready to build on it. It's also a wake-up call that the student needs to step up their game, big-time. It's early in the semester, so he may be able to pull the grade up, but not without work. I would guess that the teacher is experiencing some frustration with your ds. Perhaps a teacher conference is in order; I'd email to set one up so you can hear the teacher's perspective. Go in with an open mind. Sometimes a "mean" teacher is one who has high expectations for the students. Sometimes they are a bad teacher. Without hearing the teacher's side, I wouldn't pre-judge which is the case here.

 

:iagree:

[Unicorn.]

This is what we thought too. That a teacher should at least take them outside the classroom or talk to him after class, but not yell at them with the other kids around.

 

 

I would like to add that he does what he understands of his homework, he just . We are not sure what is going through his mind, but he doesn't want to ask for help. :confused:

 

Thank you

Blessings,

Pat

 

I wouldn't ask for help from someone who yelled at me in class either! I think you need to talk to the principal. I also think you should get your ds a tutor.

[DusksAngel]

It sounds like he may have gone into this class with a preconcieved notion of what this teacher was like. He may have created a self fulfilling prophecy. He expects her to be "mean" so everything she does is. He expects her to not explain, so he doesn't even try to ask for help. By this age, he should be able to tell her "I understand up to here, but I don't understand after that." or something along those lines.

 

And there is no excuse for not completing homework. I wouldn't take any student seriously if I couldn't see a real effort at trying.

 

(And yes, I'm a former ps teacher)

[Ellie]

This is what we thought too. That a teacher should at least take them outside the classroom or talk to him after class, but not yell at them with the other kids around.

Teachers rarely have time to talk to students after class. And I cannot imagine a high school teacher taking a student outside the classroom to discuss something with him. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

 

This is school. And it's one of the reasons that so many people teach their children at home.

 

Your ds has to do whatever it takes to complete his homework or suffer the consequences.

[Pat in MI]

Teachers rarely have time to talk to students after class. And I cannot imagine a high school teacher taking a student outside the classroom to discuss something with him. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

 

This is school. And it's one of the reasons that so many people teach their children at home.

 

Your ds has to do whatever it takes to complete his homework or suffer the consequences.

 

Well, I think if she cares that the homework is done or not than she should care enough to discuss the matter later (whether in class or after school) or contact us the parents, not embarrass the child in class. If it were just a matter of a simple scolding like "You need to turn in all of your homework on the day it is due" that would be one thing, but it didn't honestly sound like that was the case. The girl that told her mother about it said she felt really bad for my son. It seemed as though it was a much worse tongue lashing than a simple scolding.

 

I would love to bring him home again, but I really don't think that would be for the best.

 

I agree he needs to do his work and we have now talked to him about it and gave him consequences if the work is not getting completed. I was just wondering if we should approach the teacher or principal about her conduct in class. I guess the majority here feel the fault is my son's and I'm not sure I agree that it is completely his fault.

 

Yes, I think a C- is fine given what we are going through. He has a passing grade and yes he most likely isn't mastering all of the material, but he has never done well with math. Not all students are scholars. Not all kids are on their way to college. He most likely will not go to college right out of high school at least not a four year college. (I do hope that he changes his mind between now and graduation) He has said more than once he didn't want to go the year after he graduates. We do encourage him to do better, but it has to come from within himself and yelling at him is not going to make him want to try harder. All it does with this child is turn him off even more. We are going to set up an appointment with the teacher and see what we all can do to change the situation. To get him to get his work done and Hopefully to get a better working relationship with this teacher.

 

As to the other questions about tutors, math labs and such. I'm not sure if this school has this or not. We will find out more when we meet with the teacher.

 

Thank you everyone for your advice!

 

Blessings,

Pat

[kalanamak]

 

One, the teacher yelling at your son. This is not professional and needs to be addressed.

 

 

Ever hear a teen say

"My mom will KILL me"?

 

"Yelling" could just be plain, old fashioned dressing down. Stern talk. Serious talk.

 

Having another parent whose child said there was yelling tell me there was yelling would not convince me anything unprofessional had happened.

[Ria]

We know we need to talk to the teacher, but would you discuss this with the principal or assistant principal?

 

Thanks for reading my long winded rant.

Blessings,

Pat

 

 

You could speak to the upper echelon, but it might not help much. However, there's a lot you can do yourself. There are books you can order to help your child if he's unwilling to talk to the teacher for help. Obviously, you know there's a problem. If he's not going to ask for help, for whatever reason, then you should take the next step. Get a tutor, order a geometry for dummies book, or a book of worked geometry problems, whatever. There are lots of options out there. Take some action to help your child, and then decide if you want to talk to the principals. The main goal should be helping your kids. You can do it.

[WishboneDawn]

Ever hear a teen say

"My mom will KILL me"?

 

"Yelling" could just be plain, old fashioned dressing down. Stern talk. Serious talk.

 

Having another parent whose child said there was yelling tell me there was yelling would not convince me anything unprofessional had happened.

 

Great point.

[Ria]

Teachers rarely have time to talk to students after class. And I cannot imagine a high school teacher taking a student outside the classroom to discuss something with him. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

 

 

Wow. Really? This is the opposite of what goes on in our public high school. The teachers here have times to meet with kids, not unlike college professors. You sign up and show up, even with just a few hours notice. Or, if the teacher knows you need help but can't stay after school, they say, "Here's when I'm available during the day...come see me, and if you need a note, let me know."

Edited September 30, 2011 by Ria

[ktgrok]

I had an awful Algebra II teacher. Awful. I barely learned anything. He just didn't know how to teach it. I believe your son when he says it isn't being taught. He needs a different teacher if possible.

[swellmomma]

I had a math teacher like that in high school. She was a terrible teacher, she would not help you if you asked, if you raised your hand to ask for further explaination of what she was teaching she kicked you out of the room for interrupting. If you did all of your homework but missed 1 question she refused to mark any of it and gave you a zero. She called me stupid, idiot and other such names in class in front of the whole class because I asked her to explain how she came to the answer in a question (She would write a question on the board and tell us to solve it then just give the answer but no explaination how that was the answer so if you got it wrong you never knew what you did wrong.) In the end I failed the class, though I tried very hard to get help the only ways I could. My parents were not ones to ask, and they were not the type to hire tutors (considered it a waste of money), the teacher outright refused to help. I tried to schedule time with her outside of class time to get help and was told, that she would only discuss it during classtime, her out of classtime was her personal time. Fine, tried to get to class early, she wouldn't help because she was prepping. As I mentioned you were not permitted to ask in class, and she would not help after class because it was her time. There was no winning. You either naturally got it, or you failed. Of the class of 32 kids that year, 15 of us failed, another 10 just barely passed. The remaining 7 were the ones that were always gifted in math. I got a 37% and had to go to summer school in order to graduate. She was horrid. We did have 1 meeting with the principal but as this teacher had tenure there was not a darn thing they could do about it. They were stuck with her and her evil ways.

[creekland]

 

I guess the majority here feel the fault is my son's and I'm not sure I agree that it is completely his fault.

 

Actually, I think most of us aren't willing to come to a conclusion based on one report from a fellow student. From your (parent) admission he's not getting his homework done - we believe that - therefore, we know at least part of the fault is your son's. Whether there is a teacher issue too, or not, needs to be further investigated. There may be. There may not be.

 

It is, however, tougher to address a teacher issue when there is definite fault on the student's part. Therefore, we were suggesting you address that part first. ;)

 

Yes, I think a C- is fine given what we are going through. He has a passing grade and yes he most likely isn't mastering all of the material, but he has never done well with math. Not all students are scholars. Not all kids are on their way to college. He most likely will not go to college right out of high school at least not a four year college.

 

This won't work for math. If he had similar grades in Alg 1 and Pre-Alg, this may very well be the problem. Math builds upon itself. If you don't understand how to count, you won't understand how to add. If you don't understand how to add, you won't understand multiplication. If you don't understand pretty much ALL of the basics, you won't understand Algebra. If you don't understand Algebra, Geometry gets harder and Alg 2 will be a killer. A C- is NOT mastering enough of the material to go on.

 

If he doesn't have the foundation for understanding the material, he's frustrated and that leads to not getting the homework done (he doesn't understand it). That may also be leading to apathy in class (he doesn't understand it) and leading to blaming the teacher (not as likely to be her fault at this point). The fault would lie in not knowing enough of the previous material.

 

In many classes one can get a grade and it won't really affect the next course. (A C- in Physical Science won't mean a lack of understanding in Biology.) Math is just not one of those. With Math you need to know each course below to go on to one higher.

 

At this point, IF his low grade isn't just due to not completing homework (would have a B+ or A if he had) I would look at dropping this math course and going back to whichever one he first had trouble with. (Algebra? - Pre-Alg?) Is there a "catch up" course he could take instead? Our school offers those for kids who aren't as talented in math. An additional advantage with this would be a different teacher. ;)

 

Just my two cents as a math educator...

[leeannpal]

Also a former teacher here. You absolutely need to begin by talking to the teacher, and I would do that in person. You are making assumptions based on third party information and you don't necessarily know the whole story. At the excellent school where I taught, any parent calling to complain to an administrator about a teacher would be asked, "Have you talked to the teacher first?" Teachers are professionals. Treat them that way, at least to start the conversation. You will learn a lot about how this teacher operates, what is important to her, and what are the keys to success in her class. And I agree with the other posters that your ds needs to complete the homework to her requirements. Make sure he uses whatever resources are available to do that. Ask his teacher what helps are available. At my school all teachers were available before and after school and lunchtime and there was also a peer tutoring center (free). There were also professional tutors who could be hired. If the teacher is unprofessional or incompetent and cannot address your concerns, then you can go up the chain of command.

 

I couldn't agree more! At my private school we are currently having an issue with parents ganging up on teachers. Instead of addressing issues with us personally, a number of the middle school parents have been calling each other and complaining. Then, they went to the head master without speaking in person to any teacher. He is confused because he isn't in the classroom and doesn't know the stuations. Now, these particular parents have created havoc before, but it is becoming a gossip fest. After having a meeting with the headmaster and hearing the concerns, we know that much of the infrmation they are spreading is just not true. Some kids exaggerate greatly, some are afraid of telling their parents the truth, and, frankly, some students just want to create trouble. If the parents would just come to us to find out our side of the story, many problems could be fixed and other issues avoided entirely.

Edited October 1, 2011 by leeannpal

[unsinkable]

Wow. Really? This is the opposite of what goes on in our public high school. The teachers here have times to meet with kids, not unlike college professors. You sign up and show up, even with just a few hours notice. Or, if the teacher knows you need help but can't stay after school, they say, "Here's when I'm available during the day...come see me, and if you need a note, let me know."

 

DS goes to a private school and for every class we/he gets a syllabus with all the pertinent info for the class.

 

This includes when the teacher is available for help. They are generally available before school and after school so they mostly put down days they AREN'T available, KWIM? They also put down their study halls or lunches if they are available then.

 

DS's school also instituted math detention this year. If any boy does not complete his math homework, he gets math detention after school. The Math Department came up with this b/c so many boys do poorly when they don't do their math homework. I guess the math teachers take turns doing it.

 

So far, we've felt DS has been blessed with wonderful, caring teachers who truly WANT him to succeed and will help him do that.

[Joanne]

Wow. Really? This is the opposite of what goes on in our public high school. The teachers here have times to meet with kids, not unlike college professors. You sign up and show up, even with just a few hours notice. Or, if the teacher knows you need help but can't stay after school, they say, "Here's when I'm available during the day...come see me, and if you need a note, let me know."

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ellie

Teachers rarely have time to talk to students after class. And I cannot imagine a high school teacher taking a student outside the classroom to discuss something with him. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

 

Stop. ;) You are both right. During the course of the day, I don't have impromptu time to stop and speak with individual students about individual issues. Given some warning that a student would like some time, however, I can find it.

[mommaduck]

I had a math teacher like that in high school. She was a terrible teacher, she would not help you if you asked, if you raised your hand to ask for further explaination of what she was teaching she kicked you out of the room for interrupting. If you did all of your homework but missed 1 question she refused to mark any of it and gave you a zero. She called me stupid, idiot and other such names in class in front of the whole class because I asked her to explain how she came to the answer in a question (She would write a question on the board and tell us to solve it then just give the answer but no explaination how that was the answer so if you got it wrong you never knew what you did wrong.) In the end I failed the class, though I tried very hard to get help the only ways I could. My parents were not ones to ask, and they were not the type to hire tutors (considered it a waste of money), the teacher outright refused to help. I tried to schedule time with her outside of class time to get help and was told, that she would only discuss it during classtime, her out of classtime was her personal time. Fine, tried to get to class early, she wouldn't help because she was prepping. As I mentioned you were not permitted to ask in class, and she would not help after class because it was her time. There was no winning. You either naturally got it, or you failed. Of the class of 32 kids that year, 15 of us failed, another 10 just barely passed. The remaining 7 were the ones that were always gifted in math. I got a 37% and had to go to summer school in order to graduate. She was horrid. We did have 1 meeting with the principal but as this teacher had tenure there was not a darn thing they could do about it. They were stuck with her and her evil ways.

Yep, we had an Algebra teacher that was similar. He was basically hired for his coaching abilities, not his math skills. He bribed my dh with a "I'll pass you if you promise not to take another math class"...my dh graduated with ONE math class to his name. I flunked and never took another math course till college. He never explained anything. Much of class discussion was useless jabber after 5min of "explaination". He didn't care "how" you got the answer, just as long as you got the answer. Well, how could I get the answer if I didn't know how to work the problem?!

 

My folks were sink or swim people with me. They wouldn't spend time or cough up a dime. (total opposite for my brothers aka stepdad's kids) The school was messed up. The type of people that could have tutored me would not have wanted to and I would not have wanted them to, class warfare and all. I was literally up a creek without a paddle. If you weren't "somebody" with parents and money to back you up, that school had no intention of helping you move up.

[Tammyla]

Pat,

 

Let us know how it works out. I'd definitely set up an appointment and based on that, decided if I needed to take the next step.

[Pat in MI]

Thank you Tammy! I will let you know how it all works out. For now we have discussed things with ds and will be talking to the teacher. Maybe or maybe not about the incident in class, but mostly to see what can be done about the homework.

Blessings,

Pat

Edited October 1, 2011 by Pat in MI

[Ellie]

Actually, I think most of us aren't willing to come to a conclusion based on one report from a fellow student. From your (parent) admission he's not getting his homework done - we believe that - therefore, we know at least part of the fault is your son's. Whether there is a teacher issue too, or not, needs to be further investigated. There may be. There may not be.

 

It is, however, tougher to address a teacher issue when there is definite fault on the student's part. Therefore, we were suggesting you address that part first. ;)

:iagree:

[justasque]

For now we have discussed things with ds and will be talking to the teacher. Maybe or maybe not about the incident in class, but mostly to see what can be done about the homework.

Blessings,

Pat

 

Excellent plan! Good luck OP!

[unsinkable]

I was just thinking...

 

When I taught in school & also for my homeschool I required the kids to attempt every problem. That meant they at least copied the problem out of the book and wrote something else down.

 

Sometimes the act of writing the problem/copying it out of the book helped jumpstart something in the brain.

[Laurie4b]

I would not do a thing about a teacher yelling at my 10th grade son in class. It was wrong, but whatever. He's in 10th grade. I think it's a mistake to make a big issue out of it. My ds's would croak if I thought I should intervene in something like that.

 

On the other hand, you and your son need to come up with a plan to master geometry.

 

We all encounter bad teachers, bad bosses, etc. Letting him deal with it --both their relationship and his struggles with math is a big part of life. I'm not saying don't do what you can to make sure he gets the help he needs with geometry--help him identify resources--but I would be very careful about what looks like it could be "rescuing" him. Frankly, if my son told me that he hadn't been able to do his homework because he didn't understand it and he hadn't come to us for help and this had gone on an on... well, I'd be thinking, "Ok. You decided to learn a life lesson the hard way I see. Glad it's in high school while you're still home and I can have some input." IOW, if it were my son, I would treat all that about not understanding the teacher as a reason for incomplete homework as an excuse for not taking responsibility.

Edited October 1, 2011 by Laurie4b