Update on that Teacher Situation

After Hubs and I decided we needed to meet with this teacher and an assistant principal, I contacted one of the assistant principals (AP) to set up a meeting with an AP and this teacher, who teaches an Advanced Placement class, to talk about some classroom concerns and grading on projects so far.  One thing on which I hadn’t previously blogged is there were some summer projects and seems teacher didn’t even read the work and graded based on volume (this is when son asked about it and teacher answered with a “yup” and didn’t even look at son).

It took a few days to get the meeting date and then there was another teacher invited who is the leader of the school’s advanced placement program.  Prior to the meeting the teacher decided to send us this email and I didn’t respond:

Mr. and Mrs. Last name,
It has been communicated to me that you would very much like to have a
meeting with myself to have a discussion about your son, (name) in my
class.  I look forward to satisfying this demand.  Please let me know the
best time that is convenient for you to meet with myself.  I have time
available in the mornings or in the afternoon.

I got all riled up at this email.  He is going to satisfy this demand.

The meeting went well for us parents.  It did not go well for the teacher.  I liked the AP who was present.  He took pages and pages of notes. 

The meeting was in the teacher’s classroom, with five desks arranged in a circle.  Hubs sat to my left and the AP to his left.  The leader teacher was to my right.  Directly across from Hubs was this teacher.  When we sat down the teacher started by saying, “What can I do for you guys today?”  As you know, he is arrogant.

At first we addressed one of the summer projects.  I was prepared with a copy of the assignment posted in the summer and my son's assignment--it states to read a certain book choice out of 7 books, and list 30 quotes and then comment on each quote in page number order to show you have read all parts of the book.  A friend of my sons did not read the book, and responded with 2 sentences on each and listed 40 quotes.  he got a 100.  This killed my son because he read the book and listed 30 quotes and gave 6 thoughtful sentences on each.  When assignments were handed back just prior to this meeting, Son had asked teacher if he had listed and commented on 40 quotes would he have gotten an A and that is when teacher said “yup” to him.  So at meeting we had to discuss how son was looking for guidance but we also had to discuss does advanced placement mean a student gets graded on poundage?  Hubs stated how a teacher can know in 10 problems if a student read the material and gets it or not.  Teacher had hopped up looking around for the assignment rubric (I had a copy) and he defended that he told the kids on 1^st day of school he’d give them a few more days to add more to assignment.  The AP spent a very long time looking at son’s assignment and concluded he saw son add a few more quotes and he could tell he read book and had good sentences.  Teacher defended self on how with 3 classes and how there are almost 30 kids in classes this year that would be reading thousands of answers.  Ummmmm, yes?  It was clear that teacher stated he’d take another look at his work.  This is foreshadowing.

After this teacher says, “So we are meeting about his grades?”  We told him there was a lot more to discuss.

Next we moved on to the distractions.  Don’t think the leader teacher knew all this was coming.  Hubs brings up that teacher is kicking a soccer ball against wall during quizzes.  Teacher does not deny.  He states that he will stop if it is distracting our son.  Michele’s blood begins to boil.  AP does not interject to say that it is inappropriate for any child in any of his 3 classes, but AP is writing notes big time.

Then we bring up using the cell phone during quizzes and how there are noises that make the class giggle such as a baby crying and laughs and an animal noise.  Teacher denies using cell phone in class and states that perhaps the noise is coming from classroom next door.  Michele knows he is lying and keeps calm face while blood temp reaches 200 degrees.

Then we bring up the group presentation at which one student keeps his backpack on and the teacher mocks him and gets class laughing (and group received a failing grade even though they thought their presentation was better than two others that rec’d “C”s.  Teacher knew exactly what this was and said he gave the student a chance to take off backpack.  Hubs wanted to know that although this was unusual, maybe it was his “schtick” since there are presenters in the world who walk back and forth as they present, etc.  Teacher does not deny that this all happened and teacher said he directed the class’ attention back to the presenters (ummm, yes, due to you, teacher, is why the kids were giggling).   In addition, there was a two-page paper due along with this presentation and even though the boys had a good thesis, the teacher circled the bottom two inches of the 2^nd page to show that the 2^nd page was not complete and gave them an "F".  Again, a conversation about grading on poundage and Hubs mentions how a writer can knock a one page paper out of the park vs. two pages in many cases.    We state that son will ask to meet with teacher to LEARN how he can improve on future papers.

Then we get to the laser pointer infraction.  Hubs starts by saying that as a fellow teacher in this county, he hopes that of the following he hopes he heard wrong.  I then described that apparently during power point presentations the students take a few minutes to take notes in between each slide and during this time the teacher is pointing the laser pointer at kids’ heads and people giggle (I did not mention that according to my son he mostly chooses girls’ heads).  Teacher did not deny this.  By this time teacher is glancing at AP.  Hubs continues on for about 7 minutes on how this is against policy is the school system handbook (leader teacher is nodding), and how his students have been suspended for acts less than this, and how horrible it would be if it hit an eye and, as teacher to teacher, we do not need anything like this to get around and have a teacher story in the news.  This was serious stuff. 

Meeting was concluded with the AP stating that they will address the distraction concerns and we would have our son approach the teacher to set up a time to review work and be able to ask questions.  Everyone shook hands and then the lead teacher took us to the elevator (it needs a key) and she thanked us for the meeting as “she knew it was difficult but they really appreciated it and that they do now want students to leave the advanced placement program.”

As we drove home we had the feeling that teacher was not going to be having a good night.

I’ll write another post on the situation and an email from teacher in the two weeks since this.