When schools have to be the parents

[xotoxi]

No, but they can deal with neglectful teachers, like the one writing the OP.

Why would a teacher whose students "consistently come home with failing grades on report cards, tests and homework assignments" wait for the parent to call them?

Some parents are like Donkeys.... I'd imagine...

Are you saying..that if your child came home with straight "F,s" you wouldn't notice..?

heh...no I would notice.

But only because I'm ULTRA VIGILANT, to the point that I DEMAND that papers be sent home (although papers with "F's" have a high mortality rate getting from the school to the home).

To help avoid this, some schools post the grades on a secure online gradebook, so parents can check grades at any time. However, this does NOT, IMHO, let teachers off the hook from calling parents to let them know why and how little Muffy or Tyrone is failing the class.

See...that's the benefit of having smart kids: No Fs.

 

[Samson]

Some parents are like Donkeys.... I'd imagine...

Are you saying..that if your child came home with straight "F,s" you wouldn't notice..?

heh...no I would notice.

But only because I'm ULTRA VIGILANT, to the point that I DEMAND that papers be sent home (although papers with "F's" have a high mortality rate getting from the school to the home).

To help avoid this, some schools post the grades on a secure online gradebook, so parents can check grades at any time. However, this does NOT, IMHO, let teachers off the hook from calling parents to let them know why and how little Muffy or Tyrone is failing the class.

See...that's the benefit of having smart kids: No Fs.

You figured this out all by yourself?

 

[xotoxi]

heh...no I would notice.

But only because I'm ULTRA VIGILANT, to the point that I DEMAND that papers be sent home (although papers with "F's" have a high mortality rate getting from the school to the home).

To help avoid this, some schools post the grades on a secure online gradebook, so parents can check grades at any time. However, this does NOT, IMHO, let teachers off the hook from calling parents to let them know why and how little Muffy or Tyrone is failing the class.

See...that's the benefit of having smart kids: No Fs.

You figured this out all by yourself?

I was one of those smart kids. I loved school and loved to do well.

My kids will be the same.

 

[Samson]

See...that's the benefit of having smart kids: No Fs.

You figured this out all by yourself?

I was one of those smart kids. I loved school and loved to do well.

My kids will be the same.

I hope so.

 

[ConHog]

See...that's the benefit of having smart kids: No Fs.

You figured this out all by yourself?

I was one of those smart kids. I loved school and loved to do well.

My kids will be the same.

First rule of kids. ALL kids are different, and chances are that you will push them to be like you were and they will go in the opposite direction.

 

[syrenn]

First rule of kids. ALL kids are different, and chances are that you will push them to be like you were and they will go in the opposite direction.

You got that straight!

 

[Samson]

First rule of kids. ALL kids are different, and chances are that you will push them to be like you were and they will go in the opposite direction.

You got that straight!

I cannot tell if you agree, but I believe Conhog's POV about this is right 50% of the time.

Of course, for everyting else, he's fullof shit.

 

[xotoxi]

You figured this out all by yourself?

I was one of those smart kids. I loved school and loved to do well.

My kids will be the same.

First rule of kids. ALL kids are different, and chances are that you will push them to be like you were and they will go in the opposite direction.

I'm not going to push them.

They will just watch me and emulate me.

 

[ConHog]

First rule of kids. ALL kids are different, and chances are that you will push them to be like you were and they will go in the opposite direction.

You got that straight!

I cannot tell if you agree, but I believe Conhog's POV about this is right 50% of the time.

Of course, for everyting else, he's fullof shit.

if by full of shit you mean also right, then you would be correct.

 

[random3434]

Let's assume OP writer is a good teacher who has reached out to Muffy and Tyrone's parents. The call was unproductive and nothing more than excuses, sob stories or mud slinging toward the school. What then?

Approx 10 percent of the special ed parents show up for conferences or IEP meetings at our school. I'm interested in ideas (even crazy ones) to get the folks more involved. We even offer quite a nice spread of free desserts for conferences. No luck.

10%?? That just boggles my mind. We've never, ever missed any IEP or other meeting for Kevin. . . . the thought never even crossed our minds.

That's not true for all schools. Maybe it's because she teachers high school, who knows.

I have VERY good turn out for my Case Conferences, so far this year I'm at 100%, and last year I think I only had to do 2 by phone.

One mother even took a taxi to get to one just last week. I felt bad she had to do that, but she really wanted to be there since it was an initial evaluation.

 

[Lumpy 1]

Well.. I feel Lucky my kids are so great.. I blame my wife...

How old are they?

Hailey is 11 and Kelly is 17.. both straight A's the last 2 years... okay Hailey had 1 B

Sam is 21 and Amanda is 30..

 

[Samson]

... okay Hailey had 1 B

..

The Wild Child!!!!

 

[chanel]

Ah girls!!! I have two very bright sons who are slackers. They are perfectly capable of getting straight A's, but it's not that important to them. And I'm not the type of parent who will get on their case for B's and C's. They excel in those classes they really enjoy; not so much in the ones that bore them. Pretty typical American kids.

The reason I started this discussion is primarily because I think many schools have simply given up. And that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. 'Parents don't care, so therefore we won't include them (or bother them)."

I am a proponent of the carrot and the stick. Wine and dine them and if that doesn't work; slap them with a fine. We don't enforce truancy. We don't enforce the dress code as written. We don't call emergency contacts when a parent is unavailable to pick up their kid who has been suspended. We let the parents off the hook, because in the back of everyone's mind is "The kid is effed up BECAUSE of his parents". Sadly, I don't know if that is fixable.

 

[Annie]

Let's assume OP writer is a good teacher who has reached out to Muffy and Tyrone's parents. The call was unproductive and nothing more than excuses, sob stories or mud slinging toward the school. What then?

Approx 10 percent of the special ed parents show up for conferences or IEP meetings at our school. I'm interested in ideas (even crazy ones) to get the folks more involved. We even offer quite a nice spread of free desserts for conferences. No luck.

10%?? That just boggles my mind. We've never, ever missed any IEP or other meeting for Kevin. . . . the thought never even crossed our minds.

That's not true for all schools. Maybe it's because she teachers high school, who knows.

I have VERY good turn out for my Case Conferences, so far this year I'm at 100%, and last year I think I only had to do 2 by phone.

One mother even took a taxi to get to one just last week. I felt bad she had to do that, but she really wanted to be there since it was an initial evaluation.

I would bet it's true that the older the students in spec. ed., the less parental interaction you will get, even that necessary. I don't think that caring parents start becoming complacent, I think that 'older' students have been introduced into the grouping, the parents having avoided testing as long as possible. For so many students that need an IEP, the earlier caught, the sooner they can make adaptations. Of course, if the need is a profound problem, parents may think it just doesn't matter.

 

[chanel]

Certainly and I've never spoken with any case managers at the lower level about compliance. However, it still amazes me how few even care about report cards. We used to hold report cards for students who owed obligations for lost books and whatnot. (that was ruled illegal recently). Many students had told me they had NEVER received a report card in high school because of that fine. How could a parent, no matter how dysfunctional, not miss a report card in four years? Boggles one's mind.

We've had an on line gradebook for about four years. Parents have to call or come in for the password. My students claim they know nothing about it. Every week when they bug me "What's my grade? What am I missing?" I tell them they can go on line and check. They are amazed. But not amazed enough to ask their folks to get the password. It's so sad.

 

[Samson]

Ah girls!!! I have two very bright sons who are slackers. They are perfectly capable of getting straight A's, but it's not that important to them. And I'm not the type of parent who will get on their case for B's and C's. They excel in those classes they really enjoy; not so much in the ones that bore them. Pretty typical American kids.

The reason I started this discussion is primarily because I think many schools have simply given up. And that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. 'Parents don't care, so therefore we won't include them (or bother them)."

I am a proponent of the carrot and the stick. Wine and dine them and if that doesn't work; slap them with a fine. We don't enforce truancy. We don't enforce the dress code as written. We don't call emergency contacts when a parent is unavailable to pick up their kid who has been suspended. We let the parents off the hook, because in the back of everyone's mind is "The kid is effed up BECAUSE of his parents". Sadly, I don't know if that is fixable.

I don't think the schools have given up.....its hard for me to imagine a less cushy job than being a public school administrator: I'm certain people that want to be on cruise control are not attracted to this form of employment (most, in fact couldn't begin to imagine it).

My theory is that many parents have given up, and to a certain extent I cannot blame them: They save their reserves to fight the bigger battles (e.g. they don't make a huge deal over making a few "C's"). Under the Best Circumstances they are usually working two jobs to afford to pay off their own debt, pay off government debt, save for retirement, and deal with the inevitable rainy day. In worse circumstances, they have handicapped their efforts with divorce, alcohol/drug abuse, anti-social behaviors that land them in jail....oh, yes, the list goes on and on about how they're lives have been ruined.

At any rate, whether or not Muffy is in dress code, or Tyrone makes an "F" in underwater basketweaving becomes the least of their concerns.

 

[Si modo]

As many of the USMB teachers are in this thread, I have a question for you: If you need to contact a parent for grades, behavior, whatever reason, and the kid's parents are divorced, do you only inform the parent who has custody or do you contact both parents?

 

[chanel]

True. So we are back at square one.

But I beg to differ about high school adminstrators. They couldn't pay me a million bucks for that job. Well - maybe a million. Lol

 

[Samson]

As many of the USMB teachers are in this thread, I have a question for you: If you need to contact a parent for grades, behavior, whatever reason, and the kid's parents are divorced, do you only inform the parent who has custody or do you contact both parents?

Only the legal guardian, which in more cases than you'd expect, is niether biological parent.

Otherwise you open yourself up to all sorts of accusations of sharing confidential information, etc., etc. While most parents may not have time to feed or clothe their kids properly, you can damn well bet they'll have time to raise a legal stink if given the opportunity.

 

[Samson]

True. So we are back at square one.

But I beg to differ about high school adminstrators. They couldn't pay me a million bucks for that job. Well - maybe a million. Lol

Oh yes, I agree.


I meant to say, that there's no way public school administrators are in it for the money: instead, they're in it because they actually like it in a bizarre, masochistic sort of way.


My greatest weakness is the constant moderating, nannying, and parenting that 50-100 teachers require...I just cannot get into it.