Kid Kronicles: Episode 6 (its a long one so grab a cup of coffee) Question: Am I being too tough here on the school? Here is the scenario: So Jordon received a low grade on his final in his math class. We discussed it here at home and I fired off an email to the teacher for some feedback (see below, name withheld to protect the players): Hello Mrs. *Teacher*, I noticed jordons final test grade in which he got a 28 out of 50 (56%). He said some of the material was on some subjects with which he was not familiar. Can you let me know if this was the case? Would there be any consideration given that he was not there the entire semester? I am not looking for any handouts or freebies for Jordon, simply want to make sure he is doing the appropriate testing according to his knowledge. Thank you for your attention to this...I look forward to hearing back to you. Best regards, Rick Nielsen So the teacher responded with: The final that Jordon took was a comprehensive final that covers all material taught in 6th grade. This material would have been covered through a combination of lessons in his previous school and in our classroom here. Since Florida also uses Common Core, he should have been exposed to all the standards required for 6th graders through both schools. The real concern that I have is that Jordon was given his study guide almost a week ago and was given 2.5 days in class to work on it. He never once asked a question, but rather spent a lot of his time off task. I recognize that Jordon needs prompting to get back on task, but when this occurred, he became irritated and said that he was working despite the fact that he was spending several minutes playing with his pencil. On Monday, we did our last review and went over any questions that anyone had, and he didnt ask any. The study guide for the final was literally the exact same thing as the final, except the numbers were changed for the last 3 questions which were the writing prompts. I believe he also lost his study guide at one point, and I gave him a new one. I am not completely certain of that, but I am fairly sure. Based upon his performance since he has arrived, I dont feel that it is appropriate to adjust his grade to raise it higher. Unfortunately since he arrived at Hayes, we have spent so much time testing and reviewing for testing which means that there simply arent a ton of grades for him. However, his current class grade accurately reflects his performance on the activities that he completed. I dont mean this to sound unfair or unkind, but I believe that his grade is a true depiction of his work completion and demonstration of understanding. Id be happy to be speak with you about this further if you would like. Due to our alternate schedules for testing, scheduling a phone call may be difficult; however, we can work to arrange a time if you feel necessary. I am also able to respond via email if you have any additional questions. I will be happy to help in any way I can. So my response to the teacher was: Hi Mrs. *Teacher*, Thank you for your update. In my email below, I simply asked some questions and stated clearly that i didnt want any special considerations given that werent deserved. Its not unfair or unkind and I respect your assessment of his grade. If he didnt earn it, he doesnt deserve it. Period. Couple of points: I am not a teacher nor am i familiar with Florida standards vs. Kentucky standards...again its why i asked the questions and made no particular statements. He is my son so when I ask him something and he gives me some feedback, I simply want to probe a little deeper to make sure its accurate. I waiver between trusting what he tells me and also having some doubts but I tend to lean towards trusting him. Its the father in me and its fair to ask some questions. I went through Jordons backpack (which was a hot mess) and found the missing assignments. Trust me he got an earful and an accompanying punishment. His becoming irritated with you is completely unacceptable. As a parent I need to know these things immediately so that the punishment is timely and appropriate. I will be having a discussion with him when he comes home tonight. Same goes with him playing around with the pencil. What would your dad say if he knew you werent staying on task usually will motivate him. Otherwise call me and Ill handle the situation. He is capable of the work, I can see his ability when I lean on him here at home. Going forward, my hope is that the teachers lean on him too, he does respond to sternness and if that doesnt work, a call to me would have me at the school within an hour for me to have a discussion with him personally. *Guidance counselor (who was ccd in the email)*, going into the new school year after the summer, I would like to have a conference with all of his teachers, with Jordon present, and discuss how we can, together as a team, make sure Jordon rises to his potential. I believe I have stated this before, I am on this kid like a bad habit, and I will not let him slip. I need to be notified (immediately) of any failings, issues, disobedience, slacking, etc. His path is only easy if he deserves it, otherwise its a hard labor camp at this house. Sorry for the rant but Im establishing a baseline here with the teachers and the school. Failure for this kid is not an option. Please feel free to send any additional work home with him that he can do through the summer that will catch him up and/or even put him ahead. I will make sure we carve out a slot of time each day for him to work on it. Again, thank your for you response and I appreciate your support. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Im draggin his ass to the school tomorrow and making him apologize to the teacher in front of all his classmates. Too much???? #dadsadick #parentsadicknow
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 14:49:47 +0000
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