A Teacher Grows Disillusioned After a ‘Fail’ Becomes a ‘Pass’

[moraldeficiency]

My how times have changed since I went to high school. Teachers weren't afraid to fail someone who was incompetent or didn't work hard back then, and the school administrators would back them up. I busted my ass to get through high school honors programs and even the kids attending the regular courses got put through the wringer back then. To pull the stuff this girl did would have been instant failure. Period.

I fear for the public education system in our country. It's become all about getting kids to pass ridiculously easy "competency exams" and guaranteeing high graduation rates thanks to the Federal "No Child Allowed To Excel" program. It's driven some incredibly bad decisions on teaching goals and motives and has teachers and administrators worrying about getting these kids out the door and out of their hair with some passed competency exams and a diploma instead of actually teaching them something and preparing them with the knowledge they're going to need to move on and up in college or whatever they decide to do after they leave the public education system. But what did the geniuses that dreamed up the idea of forcing them to fixate on these kinds of statistics in order to protect their budgets every year think it was going to cause them to do? It boggles the mind. The law of averages says that there will be some students who excel, some who are average and others who simply don't do so well. I'm all for helping kids where they need it, but dumbing down our educational system to cater to the below average seems ridiculous to me. No wonder there are kids being home schooled in record numbers. It's also no small wonder that they seem to be the ones that excel when they get into college. Private education and/or home schooling seem to be the only hope our kids have these days because the public education system is a farce, is in shambles and is creating a generation of morons.

jag

Remember walking up hill in the snow both ways barefooted while fighting cougars? Those were the days...

 

[scifiwolf]

I don't know why, but I'm suddenly reminded of a test I took in calculus III two years ago. I did so badly on it, my teacher actually wrote "what the f**k" on the paper. Well, he wrote it in arabic, and when I asked him what it meant, he told me straight up. He was pretty cool. I think I pulled a C+ in the class.

 

[Darthphere]

I fear for the public education system in our country. It's become all about getting kids to pass ridiculously easy "competency exams" and guaranteeing high graduation rates thanks to the Federal "No Child Allowed To Excel" program.

Sad part is, they can't even pass those exams.

 

[jaguarr]

Remember walking up hill in the snow both ways barefooted while fighting cougars? Those were the days...

It was timberwolves, dammit.

jag

 

[moraldeficiency]

It was timberwolves, dammit.

jag

you got timberwolves? you lucky @astard!

 

[jaguarr]

you got timberwolves? you lucky @astard!

They hunt in packs. Getting to the bus stop was a challenge.

jag

 

[moraldeficiency]

They hunt in packs. Getting to the bus stop was a challenge.

jag

wait, you got a bus?

wuss...

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

They hunt in packs. Getting to the bus stop was a challenge.

jag

thats why god created fat people

 

[jaguarr]

wait, you got a bus?

wuss...

It was 20 miles from my house.

thats why god created fat people

Like I always said to the out of shape kids who were a part of the race to the bus stop, "I don't have to be the fastest runner here, I just have to be faster than you."

jag

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

Like I always said to the out of shape kids who were a part of the race to the bus stop, "I don't have to be the fastest runner here, I just have to be faster than you."

jag

a basic rule of life

 

[jaguarr]

a basic rule of life

The only downside is that you have to always do better and better because eventually all the people slower than you get eaten which, by default, makes YOU the slowest person in the pack at one point or another.

jag

 

[moraldeficiency]

The only downside is that you have to always do better and better because eventually all the people slower than you get eaten which, by default, makes YOU the slowest person in the pack at one point or another.

jag

unless you take a bat to the fastest kid's knees...

 

[Spider-Fan]

When I become I teacher, I don't care what people say, I am failing those that deserve to fail

 

[Erzengel]

I lived in fear of bringing home bad grades when I was in school. Honestly, I don't know what the problem of some of these parents and kids.

 

[Darthphere]

I lived in fear of bringing home bad grades when I was in school. Honestly, I don't know what the problem of some of these parents and kids.

Same here. And then you hear about these kids that never show their parents their report cards. WTF?

 

[jaguarr]

unless you take a bat to the fastest kid's knees...

The kid that doesn't think of stuff like that is still the slowest kid no matter how fast they run, really.

jag

 

[Kelly]

I'm not sure how it is in other schools, but at my school, the parent can go online and see their student's grade in "real time".....meaning if I put new grades into the computer today, it automatically updates that student's grades in my class......this has helped us alot because we have teachers that wouldn't put grades in until right before progress reports, or final grade reports........now if a parent will keep an eye on their student's grades, they will say something if the grade doesn't change for 3 weeks......it keeps the teacher on the ball, and the parent informed.....I send home progress reports at 3 weeks and 5 week periods.....and if a major grade has been given I'll send one home.....as well.....

Most schools require a teacher to call home.....if a student's grade falls 15 pts or more from the grading period before.....usually what screws teachers is they do not document and therefore cannot prove that progress reports were sent, or adequate attempts were made to get in touch with the parent.....

To everyone that is looking at becoming a teacher.....


DOCUMENTATION is your friend......COVER YO ASS......*smiles*
ORGANIZATION IS THE KEY.....

In 16 years of teaching I've never had a grade changed.....including "special services kiddos".....because I had clear documentation that adequate time was given to make up work.....parent was contacted when student had missed more than 3 days of my class, and homework was sent home.....at my school we also have "mandatory tutorials" which are tutorials assigned to students when they fall below a 75 average.....they are immediately assigned afterschool tutorials that they must "by law" attend....if they don't ..... it becomes a discipline action.....it works.

Schools and teachers can fight these types of things from happening......but they have to fight it, and not become apathetic.....

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Same here. And then you hear about these kids that never show their parents their report cards. WTF?

I never understood how kids could get away with that, my parents always knew when report cards were coming. If they didn't get them within a week they'd call the school.

 

[hippie_hunter]

A similar thing happened in my school. It's more of a school that only cares about test scores, graduation rates, and simply getting rid of the student than actually caring about their education.

 

[Darthphere]

I never understood how kids could get away with that, my parents always knew when report cards were coming. If they didn't get them within a week they'd call the school.

My parents would ask me for report cards the week after I jut gave them one.

 

[PLAS]

I'm not sure how it is in other schools, but at my school, the parent can go online and see their student's grade in "real time".....meaning if I put new grades into the computer today, it automatically updates that student's grades in my class......this has helped us alot because we have teachers that wouldn't put grades in until right before progress reports, or final grade reports........now if a parent will keep an eye on their student's grades, they will say something if the grade doesn't change for 3 weeks......it keeps the teacher on the ball, and the parent informed.....I send home progress reports at 3 weeks and 5 week periods.....and if a major grade has been given I'll send one home.....as well.....

Most schools require a teacher to call home.....if a student's grade falls 15 pts or more from the grading period before.....usually what screws teachers is they do not document and therefore cannot prove that progress reports were sent, or adequate attempts were made to get in touch with the parent.....

To everyone that is looking at becoming a teacher.....


DOCUMENTATION is your friend......COVER YO ASS......*smiles*
ORGANIZATION IS THE KEY.....

In 16 years of teaching I've never had a grade changed.....including "special services kiddos".....because I had clear documentation that adequate time was given to make up work.....parent was contacted when student had missed more than 3 days of my class, and homework was sent home.....at my school we also have "mandatory tutorials" which are tutorials assigned to students when they fall below a 75 average.....they are immediately assigned afterschool tutorials that they must "by law" attend....if they don't ..... it becomes a discipline action.....it works.

Schools and teachers can fight these types of things from happening......but they have to fight it, and not become apathetic.....

totally agree, actually, I do keep a record of all of my students' grades, attendances, homeworks, assignments, etc

and, I also ask the kids to get their parents' signatures on their homework

I also keep a list of the parents' signatures for reference whenever I suspect someone might be forging

yet, most of my students say they love my class, and I am ruthless on their pubescent asses

 

[moraldeficiency]

I am ruthless on their pubescent asses

disturbing....

 

[Jack Rabbit]

What happened to the days where a kid was slow, you ignored him and put him in the corner?

We should bring that **** back.

 

[PLAS]

What happened to the days where a kid was slow, you ignored him and put him in the corner?

We should bring that **** back.

the slow kid became the president, now he wants to share the slowness

 

[PLAS]

disturbing....

ohmygawd, I guess it can be taken out of context