................... Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) My daughter is on her third year of ASL. The teacher is very difficult to communicate with because she is so hard of hearing. Spoken English was actually her first language via lip reading but nonetheless we are always having problems understanding her emails. She is extremely disorganized. My daughter hates the class because it is so silent but I work at the school so as I pass by I peek in and when I do I see my daughter respectfully participating. However at the beginning of the year the teacher took her aside and asked her not to draw anymore. My daughter came home and we discussed that she has to respect her teacher and of course since then she has not drawn or doodled at all- this was August. I see her notebook And textbook and there is no drawing. The teacher released the grades, and gave my Daughter an A and then actually went back, readjusted the class pariticipation grade so that she would have a B and re-sent her grade. This was hurtful and disappointing to my daughter but she accepted it and chalked it up to disorganization. The teacher then sent a Third email to us saying that my dd “spaces off, doodles and seems uninterested.” She said if she does not improve her grade will drop to a C in the next semester. I did the math and even if she gives her a 0 for class participation she could not get a C assuming she still does the same quality of work on her homework and exams. She is currently the most hard working and attentive student in the class, and consistent with her homework though she is struggling with remembering the many hundreds of signs at this point. It’s actually not easy! I really don’t know what to do. My daughter has stayed after class and spoken with the teacher. Last year I explained that my dd is an auditory learner and too much eye contact is overwhelming for her But I agreed that she needed to buck up and do better regardless. I really think my dd is doing well, getting As on the exams and also attending all the deaF Events and turning in all her homework on time. It almost seems like The teacher just does not LIKE her, and wants to give her a C and is finding a reason and a way to do it. I mean, she released her grade, mulled over it and went back and changed it so it would be a B and she is saying she will probably get a c next semester. I understand that having a student in ASL who doesn’t make good eye contact is not good and i don’t think my dd needs a 100 on class participation. But giving her a 0 and planning to bump her down to a C seems a little strange. I feel that if I have dd drop the class it would Look terrible on the transcript but a C would be even worse. all I say to my dd is “you need to respect your teacher, look physically interested and cheerful, and do your best to communicate with Mrs. So and so” but I myself can’t even seem to communicate with her. She almost seems bipolar because one minute it’s all Praise and the next it’s very negative. I thought there was a language barrier but I just really don’t know. Edited to say : this class runs by semester so technically it’s not dropping but just not paying and taking again. Of course a third full year of language would be better but the behavior of this teacher is starting to be over the top 😞 Edited December 27, 2019 by Calming Tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 The teacher behaves in an unprofessional manner. Readjusting the participation grade after grades have been released? That seems capricious. I would drop the class and run. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) I’d drop it too. Will it really matter on the transcript? It seems like this is a semester break time, so it could look like she just decided to stop taking it. Edited January 2, 2020 by MerryAtHope 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I think her request that your dd not draw in class makes sense in this particular case. You must actually watch the class in order to understand the language, unlike in a regular class, when doodling could be a focusing tool and not a distraction. And of course the class is "silent." That just makes sense for a relatively advanced ASL class. There's plenty of talking going on, actually. So those complaints do give me pause. But taking back the grade? Um, no. Very unprofessional. It does sound like she just dislikes your dd. I'd drop it. We love our ASL tutor online. If you wanted to finish out the second semester with a different method I'm sure you could find a tutor. Or maybe she could do a special project. Or maybe 2.5 years is okay for her for language. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Drop it and move on. Teacher sounds very manipulative and petty. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted December 27, 2019 Author Share Posted December 27, 2019 2 hours ago, Farrar said: I think her request that your dd not draw in class makes sense in this particular case. You must actually watch the class in order to understand the language, unlike in a regular class, when doodling could be a focusing tool and not a distraction. And of course the class is "silent." That just makes sense for a relatively advanced ASL class. There's plenty of talking going on, actually. So those complaints do give me pause. But taking back the grade? Um, no. Very unprofessional. It does sound like she just dislikes your dd. I'd drop it. We love our ASL tutor online. If you wanted to finish out the second semester with a different method I'm sure you could find a tutor. Or maybe she could do a special project. Or maybe 2.5 years is okay for her for language. absolutely understand about the drawing as well as the being silent - my dd doesn’t complain at all. She just doesn’t love it. But produces good work, shows up on time, has a helpful attitude and does all her homework consistently. I have seen this teacher dramatically play favorites and while I understand it’s a bummer to have a student that you can tell doesn’t love the subject or the class, it’s not really possible for every student to be your favorite or for every student to be someone you enjoy. But if the student is prompt, respectful, does the work, takes criticism and learns the subject you just have to be professional and fair. And this was definitely not fair. I love the idea of a tutor, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AEC Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 +1 for dropping. you & DD made the effort, attempted to accommodate and also to talk w/ the teacher to resolve the issue and it's not working. If she wants to continue further with ASL there are other alternatives. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 (edited) On 12/26/2019 at 5:36 PM, Calming Tea said: My daughter is on her third year of ASL. The teacher is very difficult to communicate with because she is so hard of hearing. Spoken English was actually her first language via lip reading but nonetheless we are always having problems understanding her emails. She is extremely disorganized. My daughter hates the class because it is so silent but I work at the school so as I pass by I peek in and when I do I see my daughter respectfully participating. However at the beginning of the year the teacher took her aside and asked her not to draw anymore. My daughter came home and we discussed that she has to respect her teacher and of course since then she has not drawn or doodled at all- this was August. I see her notebook And textbook and there is no drawing. The teacher released the grades, and gave my Daughter an A and then actually went back, readjusted the class pariticipation grade so that she would have a B and re-sent her grade. This was hurtful and disappointing to my daughter but she accepted it and chalked it up to disorganization. The teacher then sent a Third email to us saying that my dd “spaces off, doodles and seems uninterested.” She said if she does not improve her grade will drop to a C in the next semester. I did the math and even if she gives her a 0 for class participation she could not get a C assuming she still does the same quality of work on her homework and exams. She is currently the most hard working and attentive student in the class, and consistent with her homework though she is struggling with remembering the many hundreds of signs at this point. It’s actually not easy! I really don’t know what to do. My daughter has stayed after class and spoken with the teacher. Last year I explained that my dd is an auditory learner and too much eye contact is overwhelming for her But I agreed that she needed to buck up and do better regardless. I really think my dd is doing well, getting As on the exams and also attending all the deaF Events and turning in all her homework on time. It almost seems like The teacher just does not LIKE her, and wants to give her a C and is finding a reason and a way to do it. I mean, she released her grade, mulled over it and went back and changed it so it would be a B and she is saying she will probably get a c next semester. I understand that having a student in ASL who doesn’t make good eye contact is not good and i don’t think my dd needs a 100 on class participation. But giving her a 0 and planning to bump her down to a C seems a little strange. I feel that if I have dd drop the class it would Look terrible on the transcript but a C would be even worse. all I say to my dd is “you need to respect your teacher, look physically interested and cheerful, and do your best to communicate with Mrs. So and so” but I myself can’t even seem to communicate with her. She almost seems bipolar because one minute it’s all Praise and the next it’s very negative. I thought there was a language barrier but I just really don’t know. Edited to say : this class runs by semester so technically it’s not dropping but just not paying and taking again. Of course a third full year of language would be better but the behavior of this teacher is starting to be over the top 😞 She does need to respect the teacher and she needs to follow class policies, but no, she doesn't need to "like" the class, or even pretend to like it. I would look to the syllabus. If the class participation grade is 10% and her grade is still at least a B with zero class participation points, then a complaint to a higher entity is in order for the teacher not following her printed syllabus protocol. Edited January 1, 2020 by Reefgazer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Is this a CC or PS class, or a homeschool co-op class? If this is not a course that will show up on an official transcript that gets sent to colleges, I would go ahead and give your DD the A she actually earned for this semester, and I would finish out the year with a tutor and give her a full credit. If it's a CC class, you can give a full year of HS credit for each semester of college work, so she would presumably have 5 language credits already. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Totally agree with Corraleno and other PPs to drop the course asap, and assign her a grade yourself if it makes sense to do so. One long shot possibility. Any chance the teacher is mistaking your dd for someone else? I know it seems unlikely, but it was the first thing that came to mind, and I also happen to be a bit face-blind. And congratulations to your dd for learning so many signs. I can only imagine how hard that must be, and it's terrific that she has such a useful skill for our society. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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