Should I step in or continue letting my child handle this?

[AppleGreen]

I am very aggravated with one of my child's online providers. I am trying to determine if I should step in or just let my kiddo continue trying to handle the situation.

 

My child emailed the teacher in early February regarding some missing grades in the grade book as soon as we realized 5-6 assignments were missing. My child did complete the assignments on time and was in class to turn in the assignments for all but one or two classes. We had an out-of-town funeral, teacher approved attending another class, child went to the class and turned in at least one of two assignments during the missed, approved class. My child has never missed a class without making it up on a different day, which the teacher has said is totally fine. 

 

Again, I really have no idea how because my child was at the classes, but I have found this teacher to be very disorganized. Child emailed the teacher and never heard anything. Child called the teacher. Teacher said send the grades to another email address, which my child did promptly. Then heard nothing. My child emailed again yesterday, exactly two months after the initial email and the teacher promptly replied that the trimester was closed and no missing work would be added. Now my child is understandably discouraged because that specific trimester has a very low grade, in part due to these missing assignments. 

 

Ug, I am so frustrated with this provider and handling of this issue. My child is not impressed with the teacher and finds him very disorganized, this is just icing on the cake.

 

So, is it time for me to step in and see if I can get anyway? Do we just chalk it up to lesson learned? 

 

Thanks for thoughts and feedback!

 

[RootAnn]

I can completely see this happening with one online provider we use. Is there a supervisory/over-arching school for this provider? (If it is who I think it is, the answer is no.)

 

If there is someone above this teacher you can go to, you might get some results. If it is just this particular provider/teacher with no one above him/her, I'd chalk it up to a lesson learned about staying on top of the teacher about the missing (in the gradebook) assignments. You also need to think about if you will have anyone take further classes from this provider.

 

I'll be honest that I'd also probably recalculate the grade for that trimester myself & use that grade on transcripts if there will be no official transcript sent from that provider.

[yvonne]

I'd step in, especially if this is a high school class with grades that will go on his transcript and especially if your son had been trying to get the problem resolved. I would get the email trail, paste them into one email to the teacher so the whole sequence is laid out, and ask him to call you to resolve this. You need to stand up for your son! ETA: You'll be modeling for your son how to handle a sticky situation with an instructor that may come up when he's on his own in college.

I would take it up with the teacher directly, not with the administration. If the teacher understands that the situation is his fault, and he probably will even if he doesn't come out and say so, he is more likely fight to get the grade changed, assuming your son hands in the missing assignments.

 

I hope you can work it out for your son. I just do not get teachers who, when they've made a mistake, can't simply say, "I messed up. I'm so sorry. Here's what we can do to get this back on track." 
 

Edited April 9, 2016 by yvonne

[AppleGreen]

I am pretty sure it is who you think it is. 

 

This provider is the end stop, no larger umbrella organization. We will absolutely not be taking any more classes from this provider. My child feels like a lot of class time is wasted, which is funny because I would have thought my student would enjoy the more personable/relaxed atmosphere of the class, but my child finds it very aggravating that so much time is being wasted, while the teacher is constantly harping on how far behind they are. Just a lot of little issues, make it very unprofessional.

 

I was already thinking I may go in and add those grades for the final transcript. If my kid wasn't doing the work or not showing up to class, it would be a whole different ball of wax, but several of the assignments I personally helped grade (as a spot check) and know my child had them completed in the given time. I feel frustrated that my kid did try on multiple occasions to resolve the issue, which is difficult for my child, only to end up with a, "No, they are not going to be added back." 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I would step in without a doubt. Your kid tried to handle it and is getting nowhere.  I assume these classes are not free and I assume you are paying for it so yeah I'd want to sort this out.

 

 

[AppleGreen]

I'd step in, especially if this is a high school class with grades that will go on his transcript and especially if your son had been trying to get the problem resolved. I would get the email trail, paste them into one email to the teacher so the whole sequence is laid out, and ask him to call you to resolve this. You need to stand up for your son!

 

I would take it up with the teacher directly, not with the administration. If the teacher understands that the situation is his fault, and he probably will even if he doesn't come out and say so, he is more likely fight to get the grade changed, assuming your son hands in the missing assignments.

 

I hope you can work it out for your son. I just do not get teachers who, when they've made a mistake, can't simply say, "I messed up. I'm so sorry. Here's what we can do to get this back on track." 

 

Right! It is so unprofessional. My kid has made an honest attempt at resolving this multiple times. And yes, it will go on the transcript. My child is doing ok in the class, but this the trimester in question is a D due to the missing assignments. 

[yvonne]

Right! It is so unprofessional. My kid has made an honest attempt at resolving this multiple times. And yes, it will go on the transcript. My child is doing ok in the class, but this the trimester in question is a D due to the missing assignments. 

 

You have to step in!  Send the email today. Ask the instructor to call you within 24 hours.

Really.  That is just not right.

[foxbridgeacademy]

You child has done his due diligence IMO, now it's time for the person paying the bill to get involved. 

 

ETA- I wouldn't mind a review to help others be aware of the issues.

Edited April 9, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[RootAnn]

... Normally, I would agree with the others, but I'm not sure it'll get you anywhere with this particular provider. If there is something with the grading software that they use that "closes" when the trimester ends, I don't see the provider jumping through hoops to fix the grade no matter how much you get involved. (I don't know if there is a problem with adding grades to the software, but if there is, this provider doesn't seem very tech-savvy & doesn't even fix known problems from year-to-year with the online quizzes using that grading software.) 

 

Usually, there is an email to "check [online grades]" and if you don't email/call/follow-up in class (wasting some of that in-class time for everyone else) after that email & before the end date for the grading period, you're sunk.

 

So, you could try. But, I wouldn't waste my time & breath. Modify the grade for your transcript at the end of the year & call it done. (This should be easy for you to do since you can just print the grade reports & insert the grades your kid has records on.)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

If I'm understanding correctly, the student did submit the assignments, but they were not recorded correctly.  Then the student followed up on at least some of the errors in the gradebook, but those errors were not corrected.

 

I would step in.  Include the text and dates of the emails that pointed out the errors.  Ask for a grade correction to particular assignments and a recalculation of the trimester grade.

 

If the instructor cannot work this within the grading software being used, then I would ask for a letter from him correcting the grade after the submitted, but not graded assignments are included.

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

I would step in and talk directly to the instructor even though there is a chance nothing will be done. They need to know you will not ignore their mistakes. You paid money for the class. The instructor dropped the ball. Your child did the work and turned it in. Your child tried to resolve the situation. The instructor is basically ignoring your child and behaving very unprofessionally. The instructor needs to know you are unhappy and this sort of disorganization and lack of communication are unacceptable. Good luck.

[OneStepAtATime]

If I'm understanding correctly, the student did submit the assignments, but they were not recorded correctly. Then the student followed up on at least some of the errors in the gradebook, but those errors were not corrected.

 

I would step in. Include the text and dates of the emails that pointed out the errors. Ask for a grade correction to particular assignments and a recalculation of the trimester grade.

 

If the instructor cannot work this within the grading software being used, then I would ask for a letter from him correcting the grade after the submitted, but not graded assignments are included.

Yep

[OnMyOwn]

I knew who it was as soon as I read the op. The easiest thing would be to do as RootAnn mentioned and just adjust the grade yourself at the end of the year. But, I can also see where it might be discouraging to your son not to have it officially corrected. Last year, I did wind up talking to him once and he was very nice about it. This year, I mostly just pester my son to pester the teacher until it gets fixed. That can be awkward for him, though.

[AppleGreen]

I knew who it was as soon as I read the op. The easiest thing would be to do as RootAnn mentioned and just adjust the grade yourself at the end of the year. But, I can also see where it might be discouraging to your son not to have it officially corrected. Last year, I did wind up talking to him once and he was very nice about it. This year, I mostly just pester my son to pester the teacher until it gets fixed. That can be awkward for him, though.

Were corrections made after you spoke to him? 

[AppleGreen]

... Normally, I would agree with the others, but I'm not sure it'll get you anywhere with this particular provider. If there is something with the grading software that they use that "closes" when the trimester ends, I don't see the provider jumping through hoops to fix the grade no matter how much you get involved. (I don't know if there is a problem with adding grades to the software, but if there is, this provider doesn't seem very tech-savvy & doesn't even fix known problems from year-to-year with the online quizzes using that grading software.) 

 

Usually, there is an email to "check [online grades]" and if you don't email/call/follow-up in class (wasting some of that in-class time for everyone else) after that email & before the end date for the grading period, you're sunk.

 

So, you could try. But, I wouldn't waste my time & breath. Modify the grade for your transcript at the end of the year & call it done. (This should be easy for you to do since you can just print the grade reports & insert the grades your kid has records on.)

See, we haven't had any of those. We only get emails asking for assistance in making sure the online components are completed. 

[Michelle in IL]

We had similar experiences with a provider. I am assuming it is the same one. My daughter emailed 4 times. I emailed at least twice. The situation was finally resolved. His disorganization was more than we could bear. My very diligent dd was unprepared more than once in class because she "missed" that an assignment was due. Unfortunately, there was no place that listed every assignment and so there was no way to double check if you missed something. I figured we were weirdos because I never saw a negative review but this was such a stressful dealbreaker for us. We also had some other grade discrepancies in which the way he was having the kids score their work was inaccurate. So frustrating. Needless to say, we didn't return.

 

Im not sure why people are reluctant to name names but I will leave that to the OP. I do think he responds more readily to phone calls.

[cjzimmer1]

I think my DS has the same provider and is having the same issue.  To make matters worse, grades are not regularly recorded in the grade book so by the time you realize a grade is missing it can be a month or two past when the assignment is due.  By that time my son no longer remembers what the assignment is nor what grade he turned in on it. 

 

Also the email system the provider uses automatically deletes e-mails after a certain point (I don't know the details just that both of my kids who have used this provider have been told this), so it's really best to call because e-mails frequently go without a response.

 

The funny part is oldest used this provider and never once had a problem with missing grades.  While next child is somewhat more scattered than the first, it's not to this level.  I plan to adjust the grades as well since I spent over two months trying to correct a missing grade and was never able to get a resolution.  But despite all this DS wants to continue with this provider next year.  I offered repeatedly to have him switch but he has happy with the class otherwise.

Edited April 9, 2016 by cjzimmer1

[EndOfOrdinary]

As someone looking into online classes in the next year, who is this? If multiple people appear to be having this issue, I do not eant to enroll Ds!

[MerryAtHope]

I'd be fuming and would have to step in, LOL! Even if it's futile as RootAnn said! And if it wasn't rectified, I'd absolutely be posting negative reviews somewhere on the internet (wherever is an appropriate place to post a review). Sounds like a bunch of people should probably consider doing that, actually. This is really not excusable, and isn't fair to kids at all. 

 

OTOH, if it's really not rectifiable, it's a hard lesson learned to the son who sent the grades to the other email address as instructed but then didn't follow up for 2 months--there are times in life when we just have to keep following up until we know something is taken care of. Many times (like this one), it shouldn't be that way, but sometimes it is.

 

 

[hopskipjump]

Please! Anyone having a similar problem (whether it's the same provider or not!) PLEASE message me and let me know the name of the provider.

 

DD2 had a mostly wasted year - and we spent money we simply do not have - with one online provider. All I could find at the time of sign-up were rave reviews... but when it came time for us this year... wow. It's like she had an entirely different teacher from the reviews I'd read before signing up.

 

I've only signed up for one class thus far for dd or ds... and I'm terrified of wasting so much money again this year. :/

[OnMyOwn]

Were corrections made after you spoke to him?

When I called, it was about the confusing way he was telling the kids to grade their work. To be honest, I never could figure that out, even after we spoke, but I decided to just have my son grade it correctly mathematically. We have had luck in getting thing changed with multiple emails.

 

Honestly, the more I think about it, I would just change the grade and forget about getting any kind of transcript from the teacher. And for anyone who wants a documented grade, make sure you print it from Teacherease at the end of the year. I went to print our grade from last year when my ds was thinking about ps about a month ago and it is no longer there. I did request it from the provider but never received it. I wasn't persistent because my ds decided not to return to school, though. I do wonder if he even has the grades for last year if they are no longer available on teacherease.

[OnMyOwn]

As someone looking into online classes in the next year, who is this? If multiple people appear to be having this issue, I do not eant to enroll Ds!

Really, it should be said. I'm speaking about Sr. Gamache at La Clase. I think he's a good person who is trying his best and that the class is good in many ways, but people should understand about the disorganization if they are signing up. We've been in the class for two years and will sign up again next year despite this problem, so I do not feel like it has been money wasted.

Edited April 9, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[OnMyOwn]

I think my DS has the same provider and is having the same issue. To make matters worse, grades are not regularly recorded in the grade book so by the time you realize a grade is missing it can be a month or two past when the assignment is due. By that time my son no longer remembers what the assignment is nor what grade he turned in on it.

 

Also the email system the provider uses automatically deletes e-mails after a certain point (I don't know the details just that both of my kids who have used this provider have been told this), so it's really best to call because e-mails frequently go without a response.

 

The funny part is oldest used this provider and never once had a problem with missing grades. While next child is somewhat more scattered than the first, it's not to this level. I plan to adjust the grades as well since I spent over two months trying to correct a missing grade and was never able to get a resolution. But despite all this DS wants to continue with this provider next year. I offered repeatedly to have him switch but he has happy with the class otherwise.

Yes, my son wants to continue despite the disorganization as well, which is very surprising considering how it has stressed him out at times. He saw this thread last night when he came in to say good night and said the class is good. It is just the disorganization that is a problem. In some ways, it has been a beneficial learning experience for him because it has taught him to advocate for himself. This is the first time we've ever had to deal with anything like this, but I know my sister has dealt with it numerous times with my niece in the public school system. I'm not excusing it and I wish it was better, but that's my silver lining.

[AppleGreen]

Yup, I am speaking about Sr. Gamache at La Clase.

 

I was given a fair heads up on the disorganization, but this is beyond what I was expecting. I have a kiddo with ADHD, but it wasn't diagnosed until fall of this school year. Sr.'s disorganization is just too much. It has been a valuable learning experience for my child, and I feel like my kid has really stepped up, but it hasn't been so valuable an experience that we would continue using him.

 

If my kiddo is home next year we will not be using Sr. for Spanish II. I hate to switch provider's, but my child has requested we not use Sr. again. I am glad to hear other people kid's feel like the class is good. The fact that this grading issue is so rampant is kind of mind blowing; I really thought it was just my kid.

 

 

edited to remove some specific examples. I did not intend to bash Sr. in my OP, so am removing those. 

 

Edited April 9, 2016 by AppleGreen

[Michelle in IL]

In all fairness my daughter learned a ton. So definitely a good class in that respect. But a combo of the disorganization stress and the amount of work (it seemed like a LOT at times-but it was our first outsourced class so we didnt really know what to expect) that made her freshman year borderline miserable. I felt so bad for her but knew it was good for her to stick it out. She was so excited when that last class came only to find out there were more assignments due. Sigh.

 

I cajoled her into Spanish 2 with Homeschool Spanish Academy. It is definitely more relaxed but she has learned a bunch also. A much more pleasant year for my kiddo. :)

[Reefgazer]

Thanks for the heads up on this provider.

 

Please! Anyone having a similar problem (whether it's the same provider or not!) PLEASE message me and let me know the name of the provider.

 

DD2 had a mostly wasted year - and we spent money we simply do not have - with one online provider. All I could find at the time of sign-up were rave reviews... but when it came time for us this year... wow. It's like she had an entirely different teacher from the reviews I'd read before signing up.

 

I've only signed up for one class thus far for dd or ds... and I'm terrified of wasting so much money again this year. :/

Edited April 9, 2016 by reefgazer

[JoJosMom]

I would also like to thank the person who named the provider.  First, I think it is important that prospective customers know about the service offered - good and bad.  Second, and I think more importantly, it stops us from speculating about other providers who may fit the general description (individual male teacher, no umbrella school) and introducing uncertainty where there needn't be.

[Haiku]

Exactly. I was thinking it was Derek Owens just from reading the thread. I wouldn't want to have an undeserved negative opinion of someone.

[AppleGreen]

Just to be clear, I don't/didn't have a problem naming the provider, BUT I am glad it did not happen in the initial portion of the thread. Now, we have a fuller dialogue on this class. Several people have chimed in and said they are pleased with the class, their kids are happy with the class despite these other issues. I am not sure that depth of dialogue would have come out had La Clase been named right off the bat. I was not intending to bash the provider in my initial post, just to determine if I was being too much of a helicopter parent if I stepped in with the assist. I can look at an earlier post and see I was unnecessarily ambiguous when I should have taken that portion of the conversation to PM.  

 

Sr. is a very kind teacher and I think he genuinely cares for his students. I hope people have a clearer picture of the whole class and teacher after reading this thread, not just one negative. 

 

If anyone has specific questions, I am happy to answer them via PM. 

 

edited to fix a word

Edited April 9, 2016 by AppleGreen

[RootAnn]

She was so excited when that last class came only to find out there were more assignments due. Sigh.

 

This was a really weird thing the first year. The syllabus clearly says, "last class." What it really means is, "this is the last time we'll meet in a regularly scheduled class, but you'll still have a written and oral final plus anything you didn't still have to finish."

 

DD loves the class & is unhappy it only goes through Spanish 3. It is helpful for her to realize that not all teachers are on the ball, completely organized, and totally consistent. I had professors in college that wouldn't cover all the material in class, but it would all be on the test. Señor sometimes moves a deadline back on the material he hasn't covered yet, but everything else has to be done. It is quite a learning experience. This class has also taught her about long-term assignments -- things she has to work on a little each day (or a handful each week) in addition to the normal every day homework instead of cramming everything in at the last minute while she's also trying to study for the chapter test.

[cjzimmer1]

Both of my kids have really learned a lot with this class and we do feel Sr. is a good teacher.  So I hope no one comes away from this as it's not a good class. It's very throurough,  far far superior to my own spanish class in high school.  But Sr. is not tech savvy he even admits that.  He prefer phone communication to e-mail, at times I'm not sure he completely understand the software he uses.  When my eldest was in the class Sr. relied on him frequently to work out issues of loading documents/slides etc for the class.  At one point when younger DS was having tech issues, Sr. told him to ask his brother. 

 

I'm in a state where we have little oversight so while I try to fix the recorded grade, there is only so much effort I will put into it and then I say forget it.  It really has no baring on how well my son learns spanish and I can assign whatever grade I like.  In the scheme of learning, this is a very small side detail.  So while it annoys me a little bit, I can also say that it doesn't really matter long term.  DS likes the class, he's learning, he wants to stick with it and the grade thing doesn't even bother him as much as me so we will just deal with this idosyncracy.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

When I called, it was about the confusing way he was telling the kids to grade their work. To be honest, I never could figure that out, even after we spoke, but I decided to just have my son grade it correctly mathematically. We have had luck in getting thing changed with multiple emails.

 

Honestly, the more I think about it, I would just change the grade and forget about getting any kind of transcript from the teacher. And for anyone who wants a documented grade, make sure you print it from Teacherease at the end of the year. I went to print our grade from last year when my ds was thinking about ps about a month ago and it is no longer there. I did request it from the provider but never received it. I wasn't persistent because my ds decided not to return to school, though. I do wonder if he even has the grades for last year if they are no longer available on teacherease.

It is a good idea to capture any grade reports, either as a saved file or a printout. I've run into providers that reset their online grade book each year. Sometimes this is part of the software license agreement that they are paying for each active student. You can't assume they will be available later.

[AppleGreen]

This was a really weird thing the first year. The syllabus clearly says, "last class." What it really means is, "this is the last time we'll meet in a regularly scheduled class, but you'll still have a written and oral final plus anything you didn't still have to finish."

 

 

 

This is very good to know. I read that upthread, but I see now this is a regular expectation of the class, not a unique experience as I thought when I first read it. 

 

 

DD loves the class & is unhappy it only goes through Spanish 3. It is helpful for her to realize that not all teachers are on the ball, completely organized, and totally consistent. I had professors in college that wouldn't cover all the material in class, but it would all be on the test. Señor sometimes moves a deadline back on the material he hasn't covered yet, but everything else has to be done. It is quite a learning experience. This class has also taught her about long-term assignments -- things she has to work on a little each day (or a handful each week) in addition to the normal every day homework instead of cramming everything in at the last minute while she's also trying to study for the chapter test.

Yes, I think this is a very good aspect of the class. He gives them regular homework on top of the long term assignments for the chapter. It would be next to impossible to do well in the class by leaving everything to the last minute. The sheer volume of the online assignments (which are totally manageable in small, incremental steps) mean you have to develop time management skills. 

[samba]

I wanted to pop in here and say that my dd is in her third year with Sr. Gamache and she says that he has been her favorite teacher and she is disappointed that her classes with him will be ending soon.  (She is not sorry to see the online tests end!)

 

I was aware of some of the glitches in his system and the uneven workload before we signed up.  I decided the good reviews outweighed the bad and went with it because our foreign language options were limited.  I am so glad I made that choice.  Dd has learned a lot and will most likely be taking the CLEP Spanish test soon.  

 

We had a couple of occasions when there were grades missing.  Dd contacted him and the issue was resolved.  I'm sorry to hear that people are having ongoing problems.  We, too, have experienced frustrations with outsourced classes but our experience with La Clase Divertida has been overwhelmingly positive.  

 

Dd has learned so much about how to manage her time and deal with unexpected situations and a lot of Spanish as well.  It's been a great experience, all around.