DD has a problematic teacher
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DD has a problematic teacher
| Thu, 11-29-2007 - 10:23am |
So my dd has this one teacher with whom she is having difficulties.
| Thu, 11-29-2007 - 10:23am |
So my dd has this one teacher with whom she is having difficulties.
I guess the closest we've had with anything like this is with C's religion teacher freshman year.
Hugs to you and your DD!! I can commiserate. My DD is a sophomore and she has already had two horrible teachers like this in high school. Last year, it was her French teacher. Everyone hated her and claimed they actually lost language skills in that class. She took a particular dislike to my DD--who every teacher she has ever had has said how quiet and sweet she is. She claimed my DD was talkative and disruptive. What a joke. She would pick on her constantly. The worst part is that my DD has her again this year! There was no choice, since she's the only teacher who teaches this level of French. A few kids got moved to honors French this year and said that the kids who came in from another teacher have such a higher level of knowledge that it is obvious to everyone. I tried emailing this teacher last year, and I took my DD in so all 3 of us could sit down and talk to see how we could improve things. It barely made any difference.
This year, my DD also has the English teacher from you-know-where. This teacher also has a really bad reputation around the school. Last year, my DD was getting A's and B's in English. This year, she got a D on her first major paper! And the highest grade in her entire class was a C!! I took her in, again, so the 3 of us could talk about how to improve things. The teacher was so cold and obnoxious, I doubt it did any good. My point is, it's fine if she expects a higher level of thinking and analysis in 10th grade, but did she take any time to actually teach the kids to do this?? (I didn't tell her that!) How do they expect kids to jump up to the next level like this without taking the time to model it for them, or otherwise explain what is expected?! I'm certified to teach, and I know this is not how it's done.
I don't know what the answer is. I think there are a handful of teachers like this out there,and yeah, they will unfortunately have a negative effect on the kids' GPA. I tell my DD to pay attention to what the teacher wants, and just give it to her, so that maybe she'll get better results. I've also urged her to submit her rough drafts to this teacher in advance, so she can head off any problems before the final paper is due. (My DD did this the next time,and all the teacher did was scrawl some unreadable comments on it.She didn't even take a minute to explain it to my DD!) I also looked at this most recent paper before she turned it in and edited it for grammar for her, and made a couple of suggestions. I normally don't get involved at all, but my DD didn't want to lose additional points for spelling and grammar--and since the teacher is so unreasonable, I decided it was OK. Unfortunately, some people just should not be teaching.
This is pretty much my dd's experience.
If this man is on the "team" you imply he probably does understand women very well - lol. I have a friend who is great to vent to - gets both the male and female sides of life :)
OK - let me simply say - start with her talking to him. Give her some language pieces - to be diplomatic not argumentative. If this does not go well then make an appointment to talk to him yourself with a third person present. The most important thing is - what is the core of the issue? It simply sounds like he is a jerk - my son had one of those last year. Told my son he did not belong in honors English -when he had a 94 the year before in honors English. My son asked to move and I said sure. What kind of resolution are you hoping for? He will not mess up her getting into the college of choice. She can simply ask next year's teacher for a recommendation and most likely if the grade is egregiously low the college will understand. I think the trouble is he sounds pretty passive aggressive - talking to him may make him be even more stringent regarding her papers. Yes, You would hate for any educator to be like that - but then there is reality.
The trouble with teenagers is they completely sniff out and call out adults who lack integrity. They are not tolerant of adults who mistrust them or judge them unfairly. I usually trust an adolescent's assessment of people... it is like a dog finding a bone :) This gentleman sounds like he is trying to challenge children while also being uber critical of their work - which then limits the risks students take. So, I think your advice is good - avoid him next year and keep her head low for this year.
Good Luck
Courtney
I pray my wish, will come true, for my child, and your child too...
Courtney
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day... there's a great big beautiful tom
DD has had a couple of teachers (Social Studies, English) who she never got a good connection to. In 8 and 9th grade, it was Social Studies - she struggled for every grade and thought she wasn't good at "Global Studies". I don't think anyone was openly "unfair" as you've described. We talked to her alot about how you can't love everyone you meet, you have to learn to get along with all your teachers, not just the ones you "like" and these very tough teachers are like a challenge - what does it take to make the teacher tick. Also, I always give her the "teachers are people, too" speech. If you're rude to your English teacher - argumentative, talking back, rolling your eyes - she/he is not going to go out of his/her way to be nice to you - it's a two-way street. Also, be careful about how literally you take your daughter's reporting - it's just her side of the story!
Finally, I've told my DD that every teacher thinks that the subject he or she is teaching is the most interesting and important one in the school - that's why they're doing it! So, there is no harm (and probably alot of gain) in talking to the teacher one-on-one and saying "I really want to do well in this class. What can I do to raise my grade?" or "I really want to major in English in college. Do you have suggestions about how I can improve my work in HS?" I know kids don't like doing this, but after hearing my suggest it for a year or more, my DD has finally started **talking to teachers** lol
Sue, mom to Leah and Seth
Sorry, no experience with this where grades are concerned, but have had instances of personality conflicts with teachers. I'd suggest she discuss it with her advisor, have he or she give some suggestions on how to finish the class with the least amount of conflict...and also have her concerns go *on record* (but still remain confidential), in case the teacher does end up doing something that will challenge your DD's future. But it sounds to me like you've already given your DD the best advice there is. Do your best, tow the line, etc.
Also, I'm not 100% sure if you're talking high school or college level here...
I know how worrisome these things can be for parents and kids alike. All I can say is that they usually do turn out okay...
Every school has at least one teacher like that...tenured, so there's not a whole lot to do about it. In our case, it was a music teacher. Required credit. He did something completely inappropriate. I called the dean. The teacher called to formally apologize. Only he called my husband, in his office, rather than call me. Chicken. But it worked out in the end, because DH told him, just pass my son and let's all move on...
It wasn't just us. Each incoming class that has to take his class complains. He's not a bad person, just from a completely different world.
Have you talked to the teacher yourself?