Replies

I am a high school teacher and this is my planning period. My scholars American Lit. class gave presentations today. One student earned an 86% and was not happy about that. Apparently, she expected an A, even though she forgot part of her presentation and stood in front of the class with a blank look on her face. I was just sent a note from the office. Her parents will be in at 2:30 to talk about the "unfair grade" that I "gave" their daughter.

Parents rule the schools, and not in the sense that they are present to support teachers. Their child would never cheat on a test, or fight in the halls, and so on.

I would love to break with my union, but do you know what would happen to me if I did?

None of our jobs are without stress. Yours is to explain the basis of the grade - who cares if the parents like it or not, because you clearly had a good reason for giving it. All grades are subjective, and every parent knows it. All you have to do is establish the fact that you have the same criteria for every presentation and then just weather the storm.

I routinely have to explain unpleasant things to my clients. Why shouldn't they ask - you don't have to bow to them, you have administrators and tenure behind you. OTOH, I can get fired anytime by my clients if they don't like my message. I don't have tenure.

Parents should rule the schools - they pay for the damn things. A teacher should be as accountable to the parent as any worker in any other profession is to their clients/customers.

I homeschool because I couldn't hold any teacher accountable for their actions and their antics in the classroom. I can give you horror stories of things that were done to my kid simply because someone - teacher or classmate - didn't like her and allowed or actively encouraged humiliating and damaging actions against her, including the teacher standing by and allowing kids to stuff her into a locker and standing there laughing and making demeaning comments all the while, sending her to the principal's office for breaking too many pencil points, ridiculing my kid because she won the spelling bee with "too many big words and who did she think she was anyhow", making excuses for a kid burning my kids' hands on a hot radiator and requiring medical care because the offender came from a dysfunctional family, losing my kids' big semester project in the teacher's lounge, giving her a 0 for the project and then when it was found under the sofa in the teachers lounge, refusing to change the grade, and on and on and on. And, all this was defended and covered up by the administration.

Sorry, been there done that with too many teachers. Accountability is a good thing and school choice is the best.

I Have even a better one for you. Wife had a 5th grade child over a year ago that had an 87%. Child had missed over a month of school for family vacation, then many sick days upon return. THis child forever wants to call mummy during the school day; very spoiled child of a local preacher. She earned a b+ for the 87% as final grade. Parents wanted her to have straight A's; came in complaining. Wife showed all records and said she wasn't changing grade. They called district superintendent and all had meeting. Super agreed with teacher and parents stormed out mad. THat was at the end of school year, Last Year. District hired new superintendent over summer, a year later, parents complain to new super about grade old super wouldn't change; a year ago. New meeting, same result, no grade change; parents still mad. Probably be a lawsuit next with NEA lawyers involved, next year.

Crazy parents are much more commonplace and the norm than anyone on FR would care to believe. How fair would it have been to all the other children if my wife had changed that grade from a B to A? What's so wrong with a B+ anyway in 5th grade?

If people on FR heard half the stories teachers could tell them; you would never hear a peep about the NEA, no joke. What you are saying about parents ruling the schools is the complete truth and part of the problem. Parents should support their teachers if they want better schools.