Lower grade given to "teach a lesson"

[lalaloo6]

Did you specifically ask the teacher to change the grade? If yes, definitely go to the principal; the principal can probably ask the teacher to change the grade

[je_ne_sais_quoi]

My daughter didn't ask him to change the grade; she asked for an explanation of it. I think she was stunned by his answer, and that is where she left it.

[BunsenBurner]

Wow.
At my D's school, the grading policy is clearly stated in the course catalog (something like 93-100% is an A or 4.0, 90-93% A- or 3.7, etc.). Is there a school-wide grading policy at your D's HS?

[je_ne_sais_quoi]

BunsenBurner: Each teacher sets his/her grading parameters, and they fluctuate from quarter to quarter.

[mathmom]

I think most principals probably can. And they certainly can reprimand the teacher, which I think should be done in this case. I like the line about reducing the teacher's salary. She's out of the school, it's not like the teacher can do anything further to her at this juncture, but he may be less inclined to pull shenanigans like this in the future.

[je_ne_sais_quoi]

My next child is due to start HS next year, and was going to study the same foreign language. It is likely she will also have this teacher, so I'm a little afraid of making waves for her sake. He is kind of a loose cannon, in my opinion.

[Northstarmom]

"Yes, I have a print-out of her scores on all the assignments. He does not dispute the objective, numerical grade. He admits she earned one grade "on paper" but he gave her a lower one. Apparently he feels that is his right. Can a principal override a grade given by a teacher?"

Yes. I was able to get that done for S once when a teacher gave him a low grade that I knew wasn't what S earned. The teacher said she had no grading rubric! A group of parents (whose kids had similar problems) and I complained to the principal, who did change the grades.

[eg1]

My worry there would be that, having "gotten away with it" with your older child, he'll feel pretty comfortable that he can play games with your younger child's grades as well....

[je_ne_sais_quoi]

That's true, eg1. I hadn't viewed it from that angle.

That's good to know, Northstarmom. The more I think about it, the more I hope my daughter will decide to approach the principal with her print-out in hand to see what he can do. I am curious to hear what the principal will have to say, if he will defend this haphazard grading practice. I really wish I knew if my daughter was the only one who got a grade different from what was earned. My daughter doesn't want to call anyone from her class and ask them, which I understand.

[jazzymom]

J:

Let the counselor and the principal know that this happened and ask if they can do anything to have it rectified. Then just let it lie. I would, if I were you, do everything humanly possible to insure that no younger children end up in this guy's classroom.

[UCLA Band Mom]

I absolutely cannot understand the motives of this teacher. Why would he want to punish a student who cared about getting good grades? You would think that he would be thrilled to have a motivated student such as your daughter.

Would this teacher prefer students who act apathetic and lazy? He is definitely sending out the wrong message to his students, and for that alone the Principal should be notified.

[goaliedad]

I think that if you do approach the administration, you need to explain the situation with your younger daughter coming along and ask that if they can/will change the grade, that they do so without consulting or notifying the teacher. Just fix the darn transcript.

It sounds like the school doesn't want to ruffle this teacher's feathers as they don't yank his leash on all the other stuff, so they should be amenable to fixing the grade behind his back.

<snark on>Also gives you the last laugh... <snark off>

[CCSurfer]

This sounds so much like my kid's AP language teacher that I wonder if it could actually be the same guy. And if it is, the principal already knows all about it, because we very recently sat in his office sharing some of the bizarre, truly objectionable, not-language-related lessons he was trying to impart to our kid. I say, go to the principal with the emails. Teachers can't just assign grades at random; they do have rubrics to offer some hope of standardization and basic fairness. Now if the guy had given your D a truly low grade in some utterly subjective thing like "participation," there isn't much you could do about it. But admitting in writing that he lowered her grade to teach her a lesson, despite the actual grade she earned? Maybe if there are enough parent complaints, documented, with written substantiation of unprofessional behavior, the school will finally do something about your guy, our guy, and all the guys who take advantage of their positions of authority.

[Anona]

I think they should cut the teacher's salary 10% to teach him/her not to be a "salary grubber."

What do you think?

I was thinking something similar!

My AP lit teacher basically did the same thing to us. He made our final exam (which was basically our entire 4th quarter, and therefore semester) a graded class discussion in which everyone got the same grade. Our class got a B, which meant that EVERYONE got a B for the class.

And for this former teacher of horsegirl's, I think all teachers should get the same pay!

[je_ne_sais_quoi]

I'm reluctant to share too much of the story for fear I will no longer be on college "confidential"! One other nugget, though: In the email, he told my daughter he hoped she would learn through this experience that grades do not reflect ability. He feels that is a very important lesson for her, specifically, to learn. If she got a grade lower than she knows she earned, it was his hope that she would better grasp this fact. Ironically, she does know that grades do not reflect ability! She simply wants hers to reflect her performance.

CCSurfer: I hope we are talking about the same person! It would be awful to think there is more than one. He certainly sounds similar, especially the non-language-related lessons you describe.

My younger daughter is going to switch languages to be sure not to get this teacher. It's hard to know for certain, but I think the teacher is mentally or emotionally off-balance.