Is this high school insane?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Is this high school insane?
6
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 11:36am

First full day of school I get a call from the school. DS3 was not in 6th or 7th hour-did he have an appointment?

I'm speechless.

DS2? We joked they had us on speed dial but this is my angel-no way is he cutting.

With school still on phone, I ask DS3 who explains the classes he went to did not have him on roster. I have his schedule in hand and the lady on the phone and I determine the schedule in the computer is not the one DS was given. She says he needs to see counselor

He signs into counselor but is never called. Two days pass and I get another call

"Is your son planning to attend XXXXXX this year?" He apparently missed 4 of his 7 classes(not sure why she had to be so smart alecky-I guess I could have quipped 'part time')

I again explain and she tells me he isnt the only one and this happened to several kids with last names between A and L. Switches me to counseling which of course doesnt answer

DS comes home and says "I have new schedule". He went to check to see where his name was on the list and the counselor just walked up to him and handed him the new schedule

So, he went to all these new classes and we still got the call????? Did the pseudo teachers mark him absent? I dunno

But it sucks. This means new material lists because,although his classes are the same, the teachers are different. Luckily he has the same art teacher who required the 17 dollar colored pencils I bought

I didnt think to ask if he had two teachers in English. He is a special ed student and is to be in team taught English as part of his IEP. Im afraid to ask.......but I need to

Mostly venting but am I the only one wondering how anything could be so disorganized???

Avatar for suzyk2118
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-30-1997
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 12:14pm

Sounds like our HS last year - ending MS kids did schedules in 8th grade in January, but some then chose to go to summer school at the HS in June-July if they wanted (that could not be scheduled in Jan). They'd submitted requested changes in about May, with the summer school choice and then what to switch them to the next year as they were taking something already that they'd scheduled for later. If any of them had asked for the classes in 8th grade January that they then actually took over the summer after 8th, they were STILL programmed for those in August freshman year (i.e., ds took PE and health in the summer but was scheduled for them again/still in the fall and spring anyway -their choices from May long discarded/too late/filled) - so the poor counselors had to do this mad scramble to get them into other things. It was a zoo.

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2007
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 6:49pm

<<"Is your son planning to attend XXXXXX this year?" >>

FWIW, I think their sarcasm is inexcusable. I'm sure a lot of this is due to beginning-of-the-year confusion and computer glitches. But I don't think there's any reason for them to take this tone with you. Just my opinion.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 6:56pm

<>

I dunno ... I totally feel your pain and am asking myself that same question! I saw DD's counselor at Back to School Night on Wednesday and doorbells starting going off in my head ... ding-dong ... ding-dong ...

Prior to our move from California to Colorado, I called C's new school several times, asking about summer reading, homework, etc. and making an appointment with the person who would be HER counselor well in advance of our arrival in Colorado.

On the appointed day, at the appointed time, we sit across from Ding-Dong and attempt to discuss schedules. We have C's report cards, AP test scores, NHS membership anything school related in our posession ... and the counselor is not interested in any of it! She tells C there are some CO state required courses she must take and that she 'will put a schedule together and if your don't like it/the classes are too easy/it doesn't work come see me and I'll change it'. I'm sitting there thinking 'NO, we are sitting here right now, lets get this nailed down today and save my DD all this nonsense and aggravation. Ding-dong takes some notes and lets us know in pretty much no uncertain terms that 7 minutes into our allotted 30 minute session, we are done.

C has already had to change her schedule FOUR times -- wrong math class, in a sophomore mentoring class ('oh, you're a junior?'), two 'free' periods, wrong elective ... Ugh! I was so disgusted! C went to see her about the 'required classes' and the counselor said, 'Oh! I forgot' ???? And C went back again to see if she could add one of those (or any class) to her still available free period and was told 'there is nothing available'. NOTHING???? Not ceramics, not art, not weight training ... NOTHING?

Ding-dong, Ding-dong ...

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 7:22pm

You know, you'd think at the VERY LEAST when a schedule comes out printed for a student where, in the computer, they don't even have the prerequisite as in progress or complete, that some warning bells would sound and the schedule couldn't be completed.

For example, my daughter is going into 11th grade. They made a mistake inputting her courses and she ended up in 12th grade English. Now....if 12th grade English REQUIRES completion of 11th grade English and she hasn't even taken it yet, why would a schedule even print with 12th grade on it. Should have flashed warning bells.

Luckily at her school they give them their next semester's schedule two weeks before their current semester ends so they have time to schedule appointments to fix the issue. Some schools in our area do a registration week prior to school starting so kids can review their schedules and make sure everything is right.

You know this would all be so much simpler if they'd just create a secure internet site, give them a password and allow them to enter their own course selections and then the computer would just assign them their class and give them their electives based on availability. At least then a student can check their own work and make sure they have everything they need...

Geez, we do our BANKING entirely by internet, why not this stuff?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 9:41pm

Well, Im guess Im glad to hear this isnt unique to this school

I did find out Blake is in team taught English so his IEP is being honored. His lunch hour moved and he knows more people in this one so it seems it has all worked out for the best.

But I agree that it seems we should be past this with the computer age. It simply shouldnt be that hard with the resources we have at our fingertips!

DS2 attends the community college here and found out he could actually access who was in his classes. I thought that was odd but then, hey, its 2007-why not?

Hydrangea, that sounds awful;her counselor definitely sounds like a ding dong!

Avatar for mjaye2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 08-31-2007 - 10:00pm

> > I again explain and she tells me he isnt the only one and this happened to several kids with last names between A and L. Switches me to counseling which of course doesnt answer < <

You know, if your ds isn't the only one with this problem, then *why* the snarky question of "is he going to attend XXX this year?" omg, I would have wanted to yank her thru the phone by her hair. I don't even want to think about what I might have actually *said*!

I'm with everyone else, you would think in this day and age with computers, these kinds of screw-ups would be, at the very least, few and far between, if not down-right eliminated. It's crazy.

My guess is counselor didn't call because s/he was tired of having to say "I'm sorry." (any one here remember Love Story??? LOL)