The School Just Disgusts Me...

[DaisyFace]

UGH!

Well, yet another marking period is ending for difficult child - I've been watching her rack up the zero's and F's for missing homework and incomplete projects...

And yet again, miraculously, the grades ALL go up at the end as each teacher tacks on glowing "Class Participation" grades and "Extra Credit".

So instead of flunking - it's C's and D's.

Which, sure is great for difficult child.

But why in the world would she ever think it's important to do homework or class projects if teacher after teacher snows her it is completely un-necessary?!?!?

I am really just disgusted at our education system.

 

[InsaneCdn]

The School Just Disgusts Me...

Shall we see how many of us on the board are in the same situation? (actually, mine is a bit better right now, but... I KWYM)

 

[DDD]

I'm sorry, Daisy. Obviously most schools aim to let our difficult child's "slide through"..or they expel them so they have no chance. Mostly it's a lose/lose situation that's not likely to improve any time soon. Hugs DDD

 

[AnnieO]

Guy I work with put it perfectly...

"He (principal) said I shouldn't worry, with an IEP he would graduate on time..."

 

[susiestar]

Many teachers do this so they won't have to deal with the kid again the next year. I have heard some of them say that if the parent won't make the kid do the work, why should they try to? in my opinion that is nuts, and lazy.

The school also will pressure teachers to do this. If a child is held back the system has to pay to educate them for another year and they dont' want to use their money that way. Makes no sense to a lot of people. Plus they will tell you they MUST pass her because otherwise they won't have anything to give her to do next year.

Talk about your I.D.Ten.T. Error!

 

[Shari]

Sad.
Cgfg has been given enough extra credit to bring her grade from a 38% to a 70 in a month...

 

[shellyd67]

My difficult child is failing right now too ! We are in the process of hiring a tutor because the school justs keeps telling me how bright he is ???? Oh Really ????

 

[JJJ]

Our elementary district has what amounts to a no-fail policy. About 80-85% of the kids make honor roll and they only need to pass (ie. get a D) in 8% of their classes, so basically pass gym and you graduate.

 

[slsh]

DF - does she have an IEP (I forget, sorry)? If so, I'd bet that's it.

I remember when thank you was getting virtually straight A's at one point. I queried the teacher on how this was mathematically possible. Apparently the policy in his self-contained classroom was that the students were graded on what they turned in. So the fact that he refused to do 95% of the work didn't matter because whatever he decided to do, he got As on. Un-hunh, yes, excellent reasoning. When I pointed out that life didn't work that way and he should be graded on what he was supposed to be doing, I was informed bluntly that he obviously had the "potential" and couldn't/shouldn't be flunked just because he refused to do anything. An IEP mtg I will never forget - should have had the de-de-de-do de-de-de-do Twilight Zone theme playing in the background, LOL.

I have to agree that I think (cynically) that the real purpose behind this junk is to get the kids passed on through and out of the SDs ASAP. But, again, I'm a terminal cynic.

 

[DaisyFace]

Well, I see that I am preaching to the choir!

No wonder we end up with adults without basic academic skills - sheesh!!!

No, my daughter does not have an IEP. But this thing about tacking on extra points at the end has been so predictable every single marking period that it MUST reflect some kind of school policy or philosophy. Slide the kids through and move on...

 

[AnnieO]

DF...

She can have my son's Reading/English teacher.

He EARNED 20 extra credit points on his holiday project - 10 for turning it in before the due date, and another 10 for making one of the recipes and bringing it in.

(This is the project I was ranting about because of the way she sent it back multiple times as WRONG.)

So, he got a 95% on the project. GOOD. She did not enter his extra credit AT ALL. He should have 115% on this project. But no. On the project itself it says - 95 + 10 (cookies).

That's nice, where the @#$%^&*( is the other 10 for turning it in early? Due date was Jan 5 (says Jan 4 online), and he turned it in Dec 20.

End of the quarter's tomorrow. When report cards come out, if it ain't on there, Mama Bear (and project helper extraordinaire) is gonna get growly.

But seriously. Send some of those XC points Jett's way, and I'll send Mrs. D to your SD.

 

[DaisyFace]

But seriously. Send some of those XC points Jett's way, and I'll send Mrs. D to your SD.

Deal!

(Although I wouldn't be surprised if Mrs. D was then STRONGLY encouraged to start padding her students' grades. We're too crowded as it is! We can't let the same kids keep repeating your English Class!)

((And if this is not already ridiculous enough - many of the teachers have showed movies in class since the end of Christmas break until now. I guess some of those extra points must be for good 'movie watching' skills.))

 

[busywend]

This always amazed me with my difficult child, too. I was gobsmacked at the amount of fudging they did on grades. AND I begged them to failed her a couple different times and they refused. Said they couldn't. I said even if the parent wants you to? Yup - parent holds no water on that topic for sure.

Whatever happened to that extra year being a benefit? I know a few people that benefitted from being held back from my school days.

 

[AnnieO]

Whatever happened to that extra year being a benefit? I know a few people that benefitted from being held back from my school days.

it's bad for their poor little self esteems, doncha know. (ugh)

 

[DaisyFace]

it's bad for their poor little self esteems, doncha know. (ugh)

Double Ugh!

Don't even get me started....

 

[susiestar]

Where was all this worry about our self esteems when I was a kid? NONE of my teachers gave a dang if I had self esteem. If I wanted self esteem I could work hard and accomplish something - that would give me self esteem. I didn't need someone to give me pity points so that I didn't flunk.

I really feel sorry for kids in schools today. Those who work hard to get good grades then see kids who do NOTHING pass and even get good grades like As so that they will have self esteem but who worries about the kids who do the work? Those kids know their grades don't mean anything. Otherwise they wouldn't give them to kids who don't do the work.

I don't see why ANY kid, including my own, has an incentive to do what a teacher wants them to. They are going to pass no matter what, so why bother? If they just do whatever they want whenever they want they will still get good enough grades to go to college. Grrrrrrrr.

 

[AnnieO]

Susie - Onyxx said something of the sort to me back when she was in about 5th or 6th grade. Why should she bother?

Red pens... Gee, an "A" in red is still sweeter than an "F" in bright purple. Or blue. Or green...

 

[DammitJanet]

But then where were these people when they wouldnt pass Jamie's English class because he missed one too many days in his Sr year because he had pneumonia with doctor's notes. He had the grades too. They wanted to make him take the class over. They also wouldnt just pass Cory on in this school district. They did in the younger grades but once they hit HS, it was all over.

 

[JJJ]

I wish all schools would go to OBE (outcomes based education): where there is a list of skills that the child needs to master and knowledge the child needs to gain. The report card would then show which of those were "securely mastered" "developing" or "beginning" -- our district use to just do that for kindergarten but recently expanded it to grades 1-3. It really helps show the parents where the child needs extra help. It also eliminates the whole "grade" issues.

 

[susiestar]

Janet, our school does BOTH. A kid who refuses to do the work or is a troublemaker? Cannot flunk a class. A child who is well behaved but gets hurt/sick? Cannot pass. We were told a week before HALLOWEEN that Jess would have to repeat 8th grade. She had the flu and then got hit by a car. She missed 11 days, WITH notes, and then she had a 3 day migraine and the NEURO sent a note for her every day. They faxed the neuro office saying they KNEW it was not a dr office and was just a friend of mine sending the note.

She had straight As. On every assignment in every class. Was not behind. Just missed class due to things she couldn't control. We pulled her out because they were dead set they would flunk her no matter how many days she attended, what her scores were, and what quality her work was or what she learned. It was ridiculous.

Yet if she yelled in class, had rages, hurt people? She would pass. I know it because I know kids they did that too - passed them because they didn't want to deal with them.