I'm thinking about starting a series of blog posts on my experiences with my sons' teachers and school experiences. At first I thught I'd call it "Middle School Mondays" because I have almost six years' experience and many stories, positive and negative, but a high school teacher has been on my mind.
The good thing about having a huge blow-up with high school son on a late Saturday night when Hubs is in Florida surfing post-Hurricane Irene waves and I'm left battling with the son who likes to socialize all weekend long rather than catching up on any schoolwork--the good thing is that we ended up really, really talking about what's on his mind and since then he has been sharing some (note I say some) info with me.
With our urging--and I regret the urging at this point in time--he is taking an Advanced Placement course and it involves Lots of reading and weekly quizzes and projects. As it states in his class syllabus, this is supposed to be a college level course.
The other day I went through my son's backpack after he got home from school and looked through every paper he had in every three-ring binder, particularly for this AP class (not a normal activity for me). There are several things that bother me about the lack of respect this teacher has for his students in this "college level course" so I am going to number them in no particular order.
1). A group research project is taking place and there's a hand-out with the directions. The teacher wants the students to obtain their info from the textbook and any other research online is fine, but just icing on the cake (my words). What he wrote: "Use the information from your textbook. Once you have completed that you can go online and research your little pubescent hearts out." Condescending? I may have not noticed this one sentence in and of itself, but it is the other things my son has told me adds up to my seeing a lack of respect for these 15 and 16 year olds.
2). My son thought this was a serious class. It is tough for him. Distractions are what he struggles with at home when trying to get any schoolwork done. During multiple quizzes the teacher is in the back of the class kicking a soccer ball against the wall over and over.
3). During quizzes the the teacher is in the back of the room looking at his I-phone playing an app that involves animal noises. Kids giggle and laugh.
4). Recently my son and his group of three other students had to present a project in front of the class. One of them got up with his backpack still on his back. The teacher asked if he was going to present with the backpack on and the student took it off and the teacher stated it didn't matter to him if he wore it or not. As the students orally presented, the teacher was standing near his desk to the side of the room and he mocked the student by reaching down to the teacher's own backpack and put it on and took it off--put it on and took it off. So during their presentation, the teacher had the class giggling as a result. My son said it was extremely distracting for all four of them to keep on task presenting their project.
Can you say Immature as well as Disrespectful?
I'd like your opinions. I'd like to email the teacher and ask for a phone call, but in my lifetime of having a child in high school for 1+ years, the two times I emailed a teacher asking a question I was never answered. So I'm thinking of calling the 10th grade assistant principal. I do not want this immature teacher to single out my son in any way.
I treat teachers as professionals, giving respect to their education and experience as much as I would to any other professional specialist and I can't stand it when I hear of unprofessional behavior. He is also a coach. I bet he thinks he is a "fun" teacher but my son does not feel this way.
Am I embarrassed to be involved this way with a 15 year old's school classes? Not at all. Hubs and I are all over our kids on a daily basis on our expectations for their behavior to us, to the household, to others and to their schoolwork and...... they know that occasionally we will have their back when we see less than appropriate behavior from adults. I have stories, people.
So please let me know your advice for how to phrase this to the 10th grade principal.
15 comments:
Whoa. That guy is over the line. That incident with the backpack alone is holding the student up to ridicule, something a teacher is never, EVER supposed to do.
I bet your hunch that he thinks of himself as the "fun" teacher is right. And I don't blame you for wanting to take it to the asst. principal rather than to the teacher. I think you could tell the principal almost what you've said here. "I'm wondering what you've observed in that classroom, because I'm getting that the atmosphere could be seen as distracting or even disrespectful by some kids. I'm sure Coach X doesn't feel that way about the students , but here are some things that are getting in the way, for my kid (and others), of the work they're supposed to be doing..."
Keep us posted.
Difficult. If he were 17 or 18, I'd say he first needs to talk to the teacher (lesson for life as a grown up.) But, he's 15. Armed with the teacher's own words in his instructions to pubescent students, I would first talk to the teacher. very diplomatically and not refer exactly to his pubescent behavior even though I would mention the iphone and ball pounding. The distractions and lack of respect.
Let him know how his actions have bothered your son. Distracted him. Perhaps don't let your son know you went there. Tell the teacher that. Then wait. See how it goes from there.
The AP gig - been there. My friend's daughter never took an AP class. (Our high school ranked in the top 100 high schools by Newsweek Magazine due to AP classes and tests.) She still graduated in top 50% of her class. Is now taking MCATs. Super student in college.
I could go on and on in regard to AP/IB. Would like to think it teaches higher learning skills and raises the bar. But....
Your son is 15. Go to bat, Mom. Just don't let your son know you can carry a bat. Empower him as he is most certainly going to run into worse than this guy. But will give you some knowledge on how to teach him to deal with what's out there. (Please note this response comes from a burned out mother of three.)
all i have to say is yikes! i would be extremely uncomfortable in that class. i think he sounds super immature & inappropriate. and those kiddos are taking an AP class!!!!!
i am sorry you are having to work through this one...my hunch is to go in and talk with the assistant principal with a more positive spin on it...just to get a feel if there are others noticing and worried. but i have no idea what i would really do in that situation with my own boys'.
i want to be treated like a professional...but i sure as heck am not acting unprofessional in front of my students or parents...this teacher must be young & trying to figure out how to be the role model or the friend...and someone needs to get in that room and guide him so he is professional...because currently he is not!!!
definitely keep us posted!
I appreciate the comments so much. I actually sat in the teacher's classroom for 4 mins during curric. night and he acted OK around us adults so I was surprised to hear these things recently from my son. The teacher is actually about 36 years old, married with a baby daughter.
Seems I could end up with a very long list of inappropriate examples--last night at dinner our son told us more so I am adding to the list:
#5). When he lectures with power point the students take notes and as they write for about 5 mins it is silent. The teacher aims his laser pointer with the red beam at the end on students' heads and everyone giggles.
#6). (and this one is really wrong)
A senior enters the class during the power point to deliver class books the teacher requested. The senior asked the teacher if he could unload them now on the table. The teacher said Yes, but you will have to do a dance for us. The student (a male) said he is not a good dancer. The teacher said, "How are you going to impress the ladies if you can't dance?" (giggles abound). When the student finishes unloading the books, the teacher walks over to him with open arms and envelops him in a hug. The student hugged back then dropped his arms. The teacher made a point to continue with his arms wrapped around student, being funny.
I then shared a lesson in touch with my son. Explained that especially in the workforce there is no touching allowed even in a "hey-how's it going style" as it can be used against you and is not appropriate.
I'd be at the school's door right now if that senior student was my son.
Your mom radar is pegged for a reason. That teacher is way out of line. I'd send a note to the principal with a copy of the handout with the word pubescent circled in red. There is no excuse for that level of disrespect to the class.
iphone apps in class? Mocking students? This guy needs to be on notice. If you contact the teacher, he might treat your son differently, and that would be worse than disrespecting the whole class.
My son is in 12th grade now, and if I've learned anything, it's that some teachers should not be teaching. And twice we've waited until it was too late to realize he was in and environment where he could not learn and we have the crappy grades to prove it. Some people should not be teachers. Period.
I would be on the phone or emailing a letter with the attached handout right now. But I am That Mom. :)
Good luck and isn't it wonderful when they Tell us things??
I think I might contact the principal.
Violet had a teacher last year (as a 10th grader) who seemed kind of crazy. But, I take what the kids say about their teachers with a grain of salt, until V. started saying some of the things that the teacher was saying and doing and she would pick on kids in the class.
I didn't want V. to get picked on so I emailed a principal. It didn't stop the teacher from trying to figure out who was complaining about her (there was more than just me contacting the school), and she seemed to take out most of it on one poor girl.
But, if the teacher is really acting inappropriately, I think I would be concerned enough to go around the teacher about your concerns.
Update after son has now returned from school--I got fumed over some add'l info and have called the school, but the but the phones go to vm at 2:30 and so I've emailed an AP and cc'd the principal asking for a phone call and a meeting with the appropriate administrator and a teacher due to my concerns(I am not naming the teacher until I get an admin on the phone and will not name my concerns until we are there in person). I will be making the appt for both myself and Hubs who is very concerned as well.
As an employee of the same school district he knows he would be in trouble if he used his iphone during class time.
A parent would have his head if my husband had aimed the laser pointer at different student's faces as the class is taking notes. And can you only imagine if my husband was seen giving a bear hug to a child who did not want to be hugged? I will have the details listed from my post all typed out in front of me and I now have scanned and will bring photocopies of the sheet with the "little pubescent" remark and my list. I'm sure the teacher has rarely had to deal with a parent but I am going to rock his world.
Wowowowowowow! This is all very inappropriate. I think you are doing the right thing, Michele. Good luck and let us know how this goes down.
I would set up an appointment with the school counselor. Maybe just you and he/she and discuss what has been happening. Unfortunately you may not be able to do anything except as an example for your son that there are all different types of teachers just as there will be employers. You have to deal with them and not get too bothered by their actions. With advanced placement classes there are probably few of that class, so the option to switch classes may not be a reality. It is a true shame for that kind of teacher to be teaching college level classes and acting like a goofus. So sorry that your son is having this type of experience.
Wow! That's all I can say right now! I'm a teacher. I'm a high school teacher. I'm a high school AP teacher. I like to joke around with my students because it makes them feel comfortable in a class in which the material and pressure to succeed, along with all their other AP courses and extracurriculuars tend to stress them out. But I have never come close to doing even one of the things mentioned here. Would I ever put the word pubescent in a handout? Lord almighty on a corndog! When they are taking quizzes or tests I practically take my shoes off if I have to walk once across the room. Laser pointer? Can't those things blind? OMG! Playing games on my phone? My house could be burning down and hubs could be calling me and I wouldn't even have time to dig around in the bottom of my purse int the bottom of my desk drawer for that sucker! You've gotten some good advice from your readers here: asst. principal, principal. Make it VERY clear that his grade is not the motive here, but that he may be getting a better grade if the teacher took the class as seriously as the students do!
Eew, eew, I hate this guy. Can't wait to hear what happens next. Have you spoken to other parents? Might help to get a few together on this.
Good Lord. Nothing to add, because you're doing exactly the right thing, I believe...and I agree with everyone else. Time to come down HARD on this guy's world!
You go Michelle. Even when I was in the FIFTH grade I distinctly remember the "fun" teacher. She thought she was hot stuff the other students loved how she would goof off during class and talk about her boyfriends, but I was never amused. What he is doing is flat out inappropriate.
Document everything, just as you are doing. Send a letter cc'ed to principal, school board, and Superintendent. This teacher needs to be fired, or reassigned to gym.
Appreciate so much all of the comments.
We have a meeting for tomorrow afternoon with an AP, the teacher and the dept chair for the AP program--this person prob thinks this is about the tough curriculum and she is not his supervisor but if they want her there.....then so be it. One reason we must point some of these things out is because there's a perceived inequity between what this high school teacher is allowed to do. Personal phones are not allowed during classtime. The other day ny son asked the teacher a question about an assignment he did--looking for feedback--and the teacher was on his cell phone during class, barely looked up and answered my son with a "Yup" which really bothered my son. He will learn when he is a bit older but right now he just turned 15 a few months ago. He heard our voice telling him--stick up for yourself with your teachers and ask about a paper--and this is the guidance he received in return.....and so it is going on the list of items.
I'll have copies of my list for the three people there. And I think they will be surprised to learn that my Hubs has the same Teacher Handbook which states about cell phone usage and that laser pointers are not allowed, etc.
Thanks for your support and excellent suggestions and Adventures--as always for the HS teacher point of view.
Son told me one of the boys from his oral presentation left last week for another class. The boy who was mocked because he wore his backpack told my son on his own how he feels the teacher is disruptive. After the meeting sending add'l copies to the Principal may be a good idea. There are several Asst Principles and I believe a "new" one is the one attending.
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