Read between the (fucking) lines (you incompetent old idiot)
Hello, Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher.
Obviously, Big Son is having major problems in science this year that he isn't having in any of his other classes. (And I am frustrated that I have to call this to your attention, when it should be the other way around.)
Unlike 99.9% of (our school) parents, I truly don't care about my kids' letter grades. (This is because in the future, my kids will be taking Japanese high school entrance exams, which will count more than anything on their report cards, thank god.)
However, I do care very much about Big Son's "4" in "completes assignments" (which is the worst on a scale of one to four) and his smattering of "3's" in other areas in science (which is the second-worst), and that fact that his grade in your class is dramatically lower than his grades in his other classes. (Big Son got four A's -- straight A's, not even A minuses -- and two B+'s................ and C- in Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher's class. At any time in the first quarter, did I get a progress report, an email or a phone call that Big Son wasn't completing his science assignments? Nooooooooooooo, I did not.)
I have no doubt that Big Son is indeed failing to complete his assignments for your class. (Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher tends to deal with complaining parents by brandishing evidence that their kids aren't doing their work -- I will head him off on this point. Big Son never seems to have any science homework, and it is my guess he has tuned out completely.)
I also have no doubt that Big Son doesn't quite understand what the assignments are, or he would be doing them, as he does in all of his other classes. (Hell, Big Son got a B+ in RELIGION for godssake, which is the bane of his existence, proving he even does homework he HATES. But he clearly doesn't do homework when he has no clue what's expected of him.)
The only issue you mentioned to me earlier this month was that Big Son did not do some assignment regarding the Mississippi turtle. ( Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher came up to me in the hall a few weeks ago and I honestly could not understand what he was babbling about -- something about turtles. I could barely understand him -- no wonder my kid doesn't.)
I spoke to Big Son later that day about it, and he seemed to know what I was talking about, and said he was working on it. I figured the problem was solved. Obviously, I was wrong. And obviously, it is a much bigger problem than I thought, based on my brief conversation with you (which, quite honestly, was not really a conversation but just me standing there trying to make sense of your droning on and on about turtles).
Last year, I was able to speak to you both in the mornings and after school most days as needed, and I could clarify what Big Son needed to be doing and keep him on the right track. But now that I'm working fulltime, I almost never see you. Perhaps we can schedule a conference to talk about this? Or perhaps you would prefer to discuss it in writing via email? I will do whatever is most convenient for you. (Based on the experiences other parents have had, I don't want to waste my time in a futile face-to-face meeting with Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher, listening to him babble incoherently, and I really hope he agrees to an email exchange.)
I appreciate all the support, help and attention you've given Big Son over the past two years (and I do mean that sarcastically, but hopefully you will believe I am sincere), and I have no desire to join the posse of parents who hound you about their kids' grades (though let's face it -- I have joined them in spirit, even if I know hounding you will just waste my time and yours).
But my son is clearly having major problems in your class, and I want to work with you to do whatever I can to help him overcome them (even though I deeply resent that I have to do this, when all of my son's other teachers seem to be able to do their jobs phenomenally well without any help from me).
Thanks (for nothing) ---
L.
Obviously, Big Son is having major problems in science this year that he isn't having in any of his other classes. (And I am frustrated that I have to call this to your attention, when it should be the other way around.)
Unlike 99.9% of (our school) parents, I truly don't care about my kids' letter grades. (This is because in the future, my kids will be taking Japanese high school entrance exams, which will count more than anything on their report cards, thank god.)
However, I do care very much about Big Son's "4" in "completes assignments" (which is the worst on a scale of one to four) and his smattering of "3's" in other areas in science (which is the second-worst), and that fact that his grade in your class is dramatically lower than his grades in his other classes. (Big Son got four A's -- straight A's, not even A minuses -- and two B+'s................ and C- in Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher's class. At any time in the first quarter, did I get a progress report, an email or a phone call that Big Son wasn't completing his science assignments? Nooooooooooooo, I did not.)
I have no doubt that Big Son is indeed failing to complete his assignments for your class. (Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher tends to deal with complaining parents by brandishing evidence that their kids aren't doing their work -- I will head him off on this point. Big Son never seems to have any science homework, and it is my guess he has tuned out completely.)
I also have no doubt that Big Son doesn't quite understand what the assignments are, or he would be doing them, as he does in all of his other classes. (Hell, Big Son got a B+ in RELIGION for godssake, which is the bane of his existence, proving he even does homework he HATES. But he clearly doesn't do homework when he has no clue what's expected of him.)
The only issue you mentioned to me earlier this month was that Big Son did not do some assignment regarding the Mississippi turtle. ( Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher came up to me in the hall a few weeks ago and I honestly could not understand what he was babbling about -- something about turtles. I could barely understand him -- no wonder my kid doesn't.)
I spoke to Big Son later that day about it, and he seemed to know what I was talking about, and said he was working on it. I figured the problem was solved. Obviously, I was wrong. And obviously, it is a much bigger problem than I thought, based on my brief conversation with you (which, quite honestly, was not really a conversation but just me standing there trying to make sense of your droning on and on about turtles).
Last year, I was able to speak to you both in the mornings and after school most days as needed, and I could clarify what Big Son needed to be doing and keep him on the right track. But now that I'm working fulltime, I almost never see you. Perhaps we can schedule a conference to talk about this? Or perhaps you would prefer to discuss it in writing via email? I will do whatever is most convenient for you. (Based on the experiences other parents have had, I don't want to waste my time in a futile face-to-face meeting with Mr. Very Weird Science Teacher, listening to him babble incoherently, and I really hope he agrees to an email exchange.)
I appreciate all the support, help and attention you've given Big Son over the past two years (and I do mean that sarcastically, but hopefully you will believe I am sincere), and I have no desire to join the posse of parents who hound you about their kids' grades (though let's face it -- I have joined them in spirit, even if I know hounding you will just waste my time and yours).
But my son is clearly having major problems in your class, and I want to work with you to do whatever I can to help him overcome them (even though I deeply resent that I have to do this, when all of my son's other teachers seem to be able to do their jobs phenomenally well without any help from me).
Thanks (for nothing) ---
L.
posted by L. at 5:54 PM
4 Comments:
GRRR...I hate teachers like that. My kid has severe ADHD, multiple learning disabilities, hyperflexible joints that make it hard to hold a pencil, etc. and last year the Kindergarten teacher was HORRID. My kid very nearly flunked Kindergarten. This year we are in a new school district and lucked into getting the Teacher Of The Year, 2007. She is wonderful, and my kid is doing great under her compassionate and appropriate guidance. I hope the old fart will agree to communicate via e-mail--I ended up taking one of the Kindergarten teacher's more heinous e-mails to the Principle and it helped a lot.
Wow, here we go again.
having done this ourselves for so long I really am having trouble grasping teachers who do this for a living and do it so POORLY!!
good luck!
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