Report cards out again, and, yes, I'm complaining again (vanity)

Me

[MacMattico]

So my student gets the report card today and quite frankly expects her high 90 gpa to continue. All of the grades I've seen have been high. She wanted to keep her average, each quarter, above a 90 to receive a special award at the end of the year for never having a quarterly average below 90 in the past 4 years. It's a big deal to the kids, I know it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but it's important to them.

Two years ago, I found grading errors (averaging and such) and had to complain all the way up the chain to have that fixed. Last year, they didn't want her in honor society, probably I've learned because Mom knows their flaws and isn't quiet about it. There were also grading errors.

First quarter this year, she receives an average of 89.9. No rounding up. So out of honor society, no award at the end of the year, overall average down.

Now I feel it's personal against me and not her. The teachers I know and know her well--all high averages. Math and Science, where they placed her in a different sequence from last year-- low 80's, and she was telling me all quarter how easy the math was (and I saw at least two 95 exam grades). They had to keep a journal in math all quarter and on the last day of the quarter were asked to hand them in. He would not accept hers because it wasn't in one of those marble notebooks! All the papers, dated each day, stapled in order, but 0 credit! Science was said to be somewhat "subjective in his lab grading". Subjective science?? These two teachers have been there a while and I swear they rigged this to punish us for speaking up!

[dfwgator]

The “r” key was stuck, honest!

[dmz]

The “r” key was stuck, honest!

<><><><><><><>

surrrrrrrrrrrrrre it was.

[BykrBayb]

If the original was black and white, and if you had no way of knowing they were different colors, that still doesn't explain why you would think you were supposed to add all the balloons together. The unit was about subtraction. The question was "How many more are there?" Do you see that word "more" in there? It means something. More than what? It certainly doesn't mean "add all the balloons together." The only way the problem makes any sense is if the balloons are different. If the teacher failed to explain to the children that the balloons were different colors, any adult reading the problem should have guessed as much. The teacher may have erred in handing out black and white copies of a test that was originally in color without explaining it to the children, but any grownup who understands that words mean things should have instantly understood. It looks from the markings on the paper that the teacher went on to explain it to the child, and it took less effort than trying to explain it to you.

[William Tell]

BykrBayb said: "Never 11."

Sounds like a good way to find out whether a child is colorblind or not.

[BykrBayb]

In your version, you still don’t have 11 more balloons. If you have 6 balloons, then you have 5 balloons, you have 1 less balloon, not 11 more.

[BykrBayb]

Or maybe it’s a way of exploring the child’s feelings about balloons.

[metmom]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

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[metmom]

I know a girl who graduated from high school recently who graduated 5th in her class with an average of over 95 and COULD NOT get into the NHS, even though she applied for each of the four years of high school.

The reason?

Not enough volunteer hours......

Even though she had more volunteer hours and a higher average than other students who were let in.

Politics much?

[metmom]

And my daughter is one conservative girl... But at least she’ll be an adult and I hope she can stand up for herself, like I had to do in college. Although I’ll admit to writing some liberal garbage in a pinch to keep my grades up.

My kids all learned to do that. Many profs are good, but there are some who don't want to think or have the students think for themselves.

So you just learn to feed them what they want to hear.

[metmom]

Maybe your kid is just not working hard enough and you are too much of a helicopter Mom?

Maybe you're a moron.

[metmom]

She told me she thought the answer was 11 and I told her based on the way the question was asked, she was correct. She was upset for getting it 'wrong' and had to 'correct' it (shown). Take a look at the question for yourself. It's hard to explain to a 1st grader than her teacher is a moron. I felt she should have gotten a gold star for answering the question correctly.

Are you serious????

There's no way that question could be interpreted any other way. Only if the question was read as *How many balloons are there?* could the answer even be construed as being 11. Only a careless reading of the question, reading what one wanted to read instead of what was there, could have left out the *more*.

Her clues should have been that the test was on SUBTRACTION and the verbal one of *how many MORE*.

And you're telling her she was correct? *bangs head on desk*

How about teaching her to ask for clarification from the teacher next time a question confuses her instead of telling her her teacher is a moron?

[aruanan]

She told me she thought the answer was 11 and I told her based on the way the question was asked, she was correct.

Please, don't screw your daughter up like this. Based on the way the question was asked, "How many MORE of this colored balloon than the other color?" the only possible answer is 1. If there are 6 of A and 5 of B and I ask how many more of A, the answer is the difference between the two , 6-5, which is 1. There is no other answer. It didn't ask, "There are 6 of A and 5 of B, how many all together?"

[BykrBayb]

Even though she had more volunteer hours and a higher average than other students who were let in.

Politics much?

No, they just don't know what "more" means.

[ToxicMich]

lol.... you made my day...

[ToxicMich]

Duh! lol

[JenB]

Yes, but the child was a first grader, right? I can easily see how she’d get confused. The question was really poorly written and relied on colors that aren’t there to give the poor kid a clue.

I wouldn’t say the kid got it right, but I do think the question should have been stricken off the sheet as confusingly stupid.

It’s easy for a six year old to see that “how many more” and think she’s supposed to add all the balloons.

[metmom]

I could too, but you just can’t tell the kid they got it right and the teacher was wrong.

When we’d come across poorly worded questions, and IIRC there were even the rare ones in Saxon Math, I’d tell my kids that I wouldn’t count it.

Just like I wouldn’t count the the *Who was DL Moody’s song leader?* question in ABeka history.

WHO CARES??????

[wintertime]

These two teachers have been there a while and I swear they rigged this to punish us for speaking up!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yep!

Maybe you could find an attorney would would sue them and the school ( taxpayer) for malpractice?

By the way....Why not just take her out an enroll her in the community college? Two of my kids earned B.S. degrees in mathematics by the age of 18. Your daughter could probably do the same.

4 extra years in a career adds up to a **ton** of money!

[metmom]

A LOT of homeschool parents do the community college route for high school.

Matter of fact, by getting enough credits at the community college level in NYS, one can still get a NYS high school diploma if it’s important to someone.

Basically, what I’ve learned is that once you complete a certain level of education, anything beneath that doesn’t amount to much. My BA in meteorolgy makes my high school diploma (appropriately) meaningless. (It was anyway cause what I graduated from high school knowing in no way prepared me for real life. I learned all I needed to know either in college or homeschooling my own children. I got a better education DOING the homeschooling than ATTENDING the school, and that was back in the 60’s and early 70’s when schools were better)

[WorldviewDad]

“I'm afraid I'd be lazy and get her behind!”

This sounds strange to me. You are spending all this time interacting with the school over your child's grades...even over .1% and you are afraid of being lazy. The choice is yours. You can keep sending you child into an environment that you are convinced is stacked against her...so far you are talking about grades...if you don't trust the teachers to grade her correctly why do you trust them to teach her correctly? The other option could be homeschooling but you are doubting your own ability (”get her behind”). You are your child's PARENT and will be one of the most influential educators your child will ever have if you homeschool or not...trust your ability and your desire to do right by your child.

I have seven children and all have been homeschooled from day one...two have graduated so far and I will tell you from experience that one of the biggest obstacles to overcome for the parent in homeschooling is self doubt. But after watching my children and other homeschooling children in the area grow in maturity compared to other children I am very confident that parents do make the best teachers.