I have been Called to the Principal's Office

[xotoxi]

Just wondering, Sam...if you were to get an assignment every week from every teacher for the year...what would you do with them?

What is your plan?

There are two reasons ALL parents need to see graded papers:

1. To see how they can help the student improve
2. To measure whether or not whatever parents are doing is working.

Since the beginning of school, I have told all the teachers that this is my objective.

I thought you wanted to see the papers so that you could browbeat the teachers by asking them:

1. Is this the ONLY WAY this can be taught?
2. Why'd you correct this, but not this?
3. Tell me a little more about how this relates to the curriculum?

 

[Ravi]

It cracks me up that a tenth grader would have to get his parent to sign that said parent looked at the kid's assignment.

I can see this in elementary school, but high school?

Sometimes it is best to let your children *ahem* grow up and take responsibility for their own actions.

 

[del]

It cracks me up that a tenth grader would have to get his parent to sign that said parent looked at the kid's assignment.

I can see this in elementary school, but high school?

Sometimes it is best to let your children *ahem* grow up and take responsibility for their own actions.

how do you think samson will do on his kid's first job interview?

 

[xotoxi]

It cracks me up that a tenth grader would have to get his parent to sign that said parent looked at the kid's assignment.

I can see this in elementary school, but high school?

Sometimes it is best to let your children *ahem* grow up and take responsibility for their own actions.

how do you think samson will do on his kid's first job interview?

He'll probably file some forms with the better business bureau just to make it difficult with administration.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well, Samson doesn't need me to defend him, but I have been hands on involved with the schools sufficiently to know that parental involvement can make all the difference in whether the kids are actually educated. Samson obviously takes his role as dad seriously and the fact that he wants to know whether his kids are being educated is commendable and not something that should automatically generate criticism.

 

[Ravi]

It cracks me up that a tenth grader would have to get his parent to sign that said parent looked at the kid's assignment.

I can see this in elementary school, but high school?

Sometimes it is best to let your children *ahem* grow up and take responsibility for their own actions.

how do you think samson will do on his kid's first job interview?

Helicopter outside the window.

 

[Mr.Fitnah]

What is the problem grading papers?
We used to switch with the other students and grade each others as we went over the test or quiz, then they would be handed up to be recorded ,then handed back to be brought home, so you could be beaten.

 

[Samson]

It cracks me up that a tenth grader would have to get his parent to sign that said parent looked at the kid's assignment.

I can see this in elementary school, but high school?

Sometimes it is best to let your children *ahem* grow up and take responsibility for their own actions.

how do you think samson will do on his kid's first job interview?

That reminds me: I need to start bringing donuts down to the Marine Recuiter's office.

 

[Samson]

Just wondering, Sam...if you were to get an assignment every week from every teacher for the year...what would you do with them?

What is your plan?

There are two reasons ALL parents need to see graded papers:

1. To see how they can help the student improve
2. To measure whether or not whatever parents are doing is working.

Since the beginning of school, I have told all the teachers that this is my objective.

This was the sequence i know.

1-kid does assignment and turns it in.
2 -teacher grades assignment and gives it to the kid to take home to be signed.
3- kid takes it back to the teacher with parents sig on it and tuners it in.

This is however private school but i cant see this system being all that difficult for public school. Especially they are the ones always complain about not enough parental involvement.

This is exactly what I did as a teacher in public school.

 

[xotoxi]

It cracks me up that a tenth grader would have to get his parent to sign that said parent looked at the kid's assignment.

I can see this in elementary school, but high school?

Sometimes it is best to let your children *ahem* grow up and take responsibility for their own actions.

how do you think samson will do on his kid's first job interview?

That reminds me: I need to start bringing donuts down to the Marine Recuiter's office.

No. You need to start bringin' some donuts HERE!

 

[Samson]

how do you think samson will do on his kid's first job interview?

That reminds me: I need to start bringing donuts down to the Marine Recuiter's office.

No. You need to start bringin' some donuts HERE!

Here you are, Homer:

 

[Samson]

I may have mentioned elsewhere, this is my middle daughter's first year of teaching. Her biggest observation: There are a substantial number of teachers who whine.

YES


This is particularly poingnant when you realise that most of them are paid as well, or better, than an Lt serving in A-stan.

 

[Samson]

Just wondering, Sam...if you were to get an assignment every week from every teacher for the year...what would you do with them?

What is your plan?

There are two reasons ALL parents need to see graded papers:

1. To see how they can help the student improve
2. To measure whether or not whatever parents are doing is working.

Since the beginning of school, I have told all the teachers that this is my objective.

I thought you wanted to see the papers so that you could browbeat the teachers by asking them:

1. Is this the ONLY WAY this can be taught?
2. Why'd you correct this, but not this?
3. Tell me a little more about how this relates to the curriculum?

No, I'm saving that to do if they ever ask me to meet with them after school at 3:30 PM.

 

[xotoxi]

There are two reasons ALL parents need to see graded papers:

1. To see how they can help the student improve
2. To measure whether or not whatever parents are doing is working.

Since the beginning of school, I have told all the teachers that this is my objective.

I thought you wanted to see the papers so that you could browbeat the teachers by asking them:

1. Is this the ONLY WAY this can be taught?
2. Why'd you correct this, but not this?
3. Tell me a little more about how this relates to the curriculum?

No, I'm saving that to do if they ever ask me to meet with them after school at 3:30 PM.

BRING IT!

That's what I do for patients that want me to fill out disability forms and insurance forms, etc.

I bring them in and let them sit there watching me fill out their forms.

 

[Samson]

I thought you wanted to see the papers so that you could browbeat the teachers by asking them:

1. Is this the ONLY WAY this can be taught?
2. Why'd you correct this, but not this?
3. Tell me a little more about how this relates to the curriculum?

No, I'm saving that to do if they ever ask me to meet with them after school at 3:30 PM.

BRING IT!

That's what I do for patients that want me to fill out disability forms and insurance forms, etc.

I bring them in and let them sit there watching me fill out their forms.

The difference being that you get paid for it.

The teacher doesn't.

 

[Annie]

I appreciate the POV.

Yes, I know exactly how much prep work that demanded, I've done it too.

However, if you don't measure whether or not your prep/lectures are effective then its a waste of time, and if parents want it, then why wouldn't you make it a priority?

For your other children, assuming they are not limited in any way, should the teacher construct lessons and assessments towards turning out the grades you demand or using them to actually measure what the children have mastered? It would be great if all lessons lent themselves to scantrons, but they don't.

No?

Why not?

In the social studies, with which I'm most familiar, by middle school one is trying to teach the underlying philosophy behind government. One is trying to teach comparative religions. One is trying to teach the differences between parliamentary systems vs authoritarian systems. In other words, a combination of compare and contrast, reasonable arguments of why one considers A superior to B, etc. is the norm. Rote isn't the most effective way to teach, nor are there absolutes.

Certainly vocabulary, dates, significant figures can be used in objective questions, but the core learning is not only subjective in nature, it's imperative to developing higher order thinking.

 

[Samson]

For your other children, assuming they are not limited in any way, should the teacher construct lessons and assessments towards turning out the grades you demand or using them to actually measure what the children have mastered? It would be great if all lessons lent themselves to scantrons, but they don't.

No?

Why not?

In the social studies, with which I'm most familiar, by middle school one is trying to teach the underlying philosophy behind government. One is trying to teach comparative religions. One is trying to teach the differences between parliamentary systems vs authoritarian systems. In other words, a combination of compare and contrast, reasonable arguments of why one considers A superior to B, etc. is the norm. Rote isn't the most effective way to teach, nor are there absolutes.

Certainly vocabulary, dates, significant figures can be used in objective questions, but the core learning is not only subjective in nature, it's imperative to developing higher order thinking.

So, you're saying the SAT and the LSAT, and the GMAT, all of which are pre-graduate and post gradate admissions tests graded with scantrons do not contain higher order thinking questions?

 

[Annie]

No?

Why not?

In the social studies, with which I'm most familiar, by middle school one is trying to teach the underlying philosophy behind government. One is trying to teach comparative religions. One is trying to teach the differences between parliamentary systems vs authoritarian systems. In other words, a combination of compare and contrast, reasonable arguments of why one considers A superior to B, etc. is the norm. Rote isn't the most effective way to teach, nor are there absolutes.

Certainly vocabulary, dates, significant figures can be used in objective questions, but the core learning is not only subjective in nature, it's imperative to developing higher order thinking.

So, you're saying the SAT and the LSAT, and the GMAT, all of which are pre-graduate and post gradate admissions tests graded with scantrons do not contain higher order thinking questions?

do they? Or are they a combination of reading comprehension and rote facts within? So, you DO want just teaching to tests? I agree that would be easier for teachers and parents like yourself.

 

[xotoxi]

For your other children, assuming they are not limited in any way, should the teacher construct lessons and assessments towards turning out the grades you demand or using them to actually measure what the children have mastered? It would be great if all lessons lent themselves to scantrons, but they don't.

No?

Why not?

In the social studies, with which I'm most familiar, by middle school one is trying to teach the underlying philosophy behind government. One is trying to teach comparative religions. One is trying to teach the differences between parliamentary systems vs authoritarian systems. In other words, a combination of compare and contrast, reasonable arguments of why one considers A superior to B, etc. is the norm. Rote isn't the most effective way to teach, nor are there absolutes.

Certainly vocabulary, dates, significant figures can be used in objective questions, but the core learning is not only subjective in nature, it's imperative to developing higher order thinking.

I agree with Annieh.

Not everything can be, or should be, graded on rote memorization and multiple choice. I think that a lot can be learned from students participating in discussion sessions with their classmates. That type of learning cannot be graded objectively, but rather subjectively...is the student showing signs that they are thinking.

 

[Samson]

No?

Why not?

In the social studies, with which I'm most familiar, by middle school one is trying to teach the underlying philosophy behind government. One is trying to teach comparative religions. One is trying to teach the differences between parliamentary systems vs authoritarian systems. In other words, a combination of compare and contrast, reasonable arguments of why one considers A superior to B, etc. is the norm. Rote isn't the most effective way to teach, nor are there absolutes.

Certainly vocabulary, dates, significant figures can be used in objective questions, but the core learning is not only subjective in nature, it's imperative to developing higher order thinking.

I agree with Annieh.

Not everything can be, or should be, graded on rote memorization and multiple choice. I think that a lot can be learned from students participating in discussion sessions with their classmates. That type of learning cannot be graded objectively, but rather subjectively...is the student showing signs that they are thinking.

Of course EVERYTHING cannot be learned ONE WAY.

Who said scantron's should be the only tool to evaluate learning?