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I agree that by high school students should seek out the work they missed, but teachers do not always make this easy.
Last year my son needed surgery right after Christmas. We knew he would miss 2-3 weeks of school, so I contacted his guidance counselor and asked how we should handle the assignments. He advised me to email all the teachers. Three weeks before the Christmas break, I asked them to prepare work that he could do while recuperating at home. Only one out of six teachers responded, and sent home a packet on the last day of classes. Once school reopened in January, I again contacted the other teachers without any response. His brother went into the classrooms and asked for work. I offered to come to school and pick up everything. Nothing!
In the end, he spent the better part of two months trying to catch up. These were AP classes, not the type that he could breeze through without working hard. It was a needless lack of cooperation on the part of the teachers.
Of course not, I don't know anyone who thinks the line is as clear as that. However, as students get older they should need less and less support so yes, a student entering 9th grade would need less support than they did finishing up the year before.
The summer after 8th grade is a great time for parents to prepare their students for the higher expectations. We let our kids know very clearly that we expected them to handle issues with their teachers first, to be proactive, utilize the guidance office and tutoring services offered, make good use of the times when teachers make hours available to meet with students, etc. In many ways high school is easier as lines between students and teachers can be more direct...but students need to be allowed to do it on their own. It's not like that in middle school. We do continue to support them, but they are standing on their own more and more.
I certainly don't expect teachers to be doing the same kind of teaching/supporting that we do as parents, it's just not their job. They can't possibly do that for all of their students. If kids do need that kind of support (and aren't getting it from their parents) the guidance office would be the place to start.
I don't expect them to do the same work as the parents, either.
But expecting kids to mature at uniform rates, to receive uniform support from home, to assert that if a kid hasn't done X thing to self-advocate then the kid must be lazy...
These are not a teacher doing the teacher's job, let alone the parents'.
As for the guidance office...
They make the teachers look under-worked and over-trained - neither of which describes the teachers in my experience.
I agree that by high school students should seek out the work they missed, but teachers do not always make this easy.
Last year my son needed surgery right after Christmas. We knew he would miss 2-3 weeks of school, so I contacted his guidance counselor and asked how we should handle the assignments. He advised me to email all the teachers. Three weeks before the Christmas break, I asked them to prepare work that he could do while recuperating at home. Only one out of six teachers responded, and sent home a packet on the last day of classes. Once school reopened in January, I again contacted the other teachers without any response. His brother went into the classrooms and asked for work. I offered to come to school and pick up everything. Nothing!
In the end, he spent the better part of two months trying to catch up. These were AP classes, not the type that he could breeze through without working hard. It was a needless lack of cooperation on the part of the teachers.
That's tough. I don't know how I would have handled that situation. My classes are difficult for students to make up work at home. There is very little in the way of paper generated from my class.
If they have a piano or guitar at home they could self study and call me at lunchtime if they had questions. Then they could play their play tests for me when they got back. The theory assignments could be made up when school resumed.
Surgery might make it difficult to play guitar or piano. I think that in a case where a student had surgery I would have to work with him after school to get him caught up and modify the number of points each assignment was worth for that student. I would however, communicate that with the parent rather than not answer them at all.
You seem to be missing one basic point---he didn't know what the assignment was! He asked, I asked, we were both brushed off by the teacher telling us to check the website, but the assignment wasn't on there, just the title, not the details. There's only so many times you can ask the same question without getting an answer before you give up. he was absent, it was a legit absence, would it have been such a big deal for the teacher to give him the assignments/ Instead, she waits until after report card went out and then sends me an email that he would receive an incomplete for missing assignments, including missed spelling tests.
Ok, so..this is what you do, teacher, you close out your grading period. You notice a student is missing work, including tests. You have a week to get the grades in. So, you arrange for the student to take the missing tests. Or, when he or his mother asks repeatedly what's missing, you tell them! Or, you play your little power kick game, whatever makes you happy!
He should know what the "Map Assignment" is. If he doesn't know then HE SHOULD BE ASKING.
He did ask. She just told him to check thew website. He was absent during the three-day period they assigned this, so, perhaps its small wonder he doesn't know what it is? Would it have killed her to tell him? More fun her way I guess!
I can understand your frustration, but please understand that if the teacher were on TRUE power trip she would have given your son a 0 for the missing assignments and not an incomplete. Incomplete is her way of acknowledging that the missing assignments are legitimate.
I suggest that you help your son write down exactly what they problem is "I checked the website, the assignment is on there, but I don't understand the assignment. Where can I get the instructions for the assignment?" Then have a list of assignments.
If this teacher truly has poor communication skills (I believe that she does) this will give you a written record of what you have tried so that you can go to administration with it.
I highly recommend that you be much less confrontational when you meet with her. I understand that you may be frustrated and this board is a more appropriate place to vent your frustration. When you see her be sweet as pie. It works better that way.
She may very well be a jerk, but you won't get anywhere if you treat her that way.
I may get slammed for this, but it's true. I cannot tell you how many times parents have asked for work and I've meticulously put together a list, pulled all of the worksheets, books, etc. and presented it to them only to have nothing come back after the absence. It's just extremely frustrating and a total waste of my time because when they return with nothing I have to do it all over again.
I may get slammed for this, but it's true. I cannot tell you how many times parents have asked for work and I've meticulously put together a list, pulled all of the worksheets, books, etc. and presented it to them only to have nothing come back after the absence. It's just extremely frustrating and a total waste of my time because when they return with nothing I have to do it all over again.
I can't imagine why you would get slammed for it - it's simply true and I am sure many teachers have the same experience.
I've changed how I do such things - I give a cover sheet of what I've given them - and what else would be coming, and I only give them part of what they have missed, offering the rest when some comes back.
I keep a copy of the cover sheet - it both provides me with coverage in case somebody accuses me of not giving them their work and makes it easier for me to keep track of what material has gone out/is expected/needs to be recreated if they come back with zip.
I may get slammed for this, but it's true. I cannot tell you how many times parents have asked for work and I've meticulously put together a list, pulled all of the worksheets, books, etc. and presented it to them only to have nothing come back after the absence. It's just extremely frustrating and a total waste of my time because when they return with nothing I have to do it all over again.
Like we have time to be putting together packets for each student who misses. I know parents get frustrated but teachers have to deal with several absences per day not just your student. My preference is they get their work when they get back. I keep a book with the assignments in it and I keep copies at the front of my room of everything I pass back.
You know, maybe I need to make late packs every time I make a lesson plan. At least I wouldn't have to take extra time when the office calls down for late work. I average about 4 students absent from each class. Of course, now I'm wasting paper, which I have to buy, if I make too many.
There has to be an easier way to get absent work to students.
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