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<p>Oh come on, lets not nibble around the edges here. Nysmile said perfectly what is really going on here</p>
<p>On one hand, I can easily believe that a teacher would get mad about a student not standing up for/saying the pledge.
On the other, I find it very hard to believe that you would not have had a friend also write in blue pen, skip lines, etc., to prove that the bias was solely against you.
Still, if the principal/counselor is willing to write a letter supporting you against one of their staff/peers, you should have a good reason.</p>
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<p>I’ve never had to stand for the pledge. We didn’t have it in middle school and none of my other teachers in the past 2 years at my school have had a problem with it. This one just didn’t know how the law. The lab format didn’t include spacing rules and we had to hand in the carbon copy of the lab which was of course in black, but while I was noting down numbers on the original copy, I used blue pen. When the graded lab was returned there was a -10 for using blue pen. </p>
<p>If I really wanted attention, I would have filed a lawsuit against the school. The ACLU even agreed to file a Friend-Of-The-Court brief and work with my attorney. The district court in this area has even ruled that it is unconstitutional to remove someone from a class for not standing for the pledge of allegiance.</p>
<p>totally get where you’re coming from. get your gc to write a letter. </p>
<p>don’t pay attention to the d-bags who are somehow turning this against you-- if you’re telling the truth, of course. using black ink, space formatting, all of that crap – no matter how clear all those rules are made, there’s no reason that should result in a kid FAILING the class. </p>
<p>i had a chemistry teacher try to give me a 50% on an exam because i was two minutes late to his class (because i was finishing an AP bio test in another class. it took a good amount of threats from my parents and my gc to make him get his act together. here’s the kicker: he despised me because i argued with him when he tried to convince us, his honors chemistry students, that evolution was not real at the beginning of the year.</p>
<p>Thank you for once again, showing your true colors on CC. If your response post is indicative of your character, there is much more to this story than writing in blue ink and not using the correct spacing in a lab. You’re smart. You’ll continue your education and go on to do great things. Just try to remember that character and integrity should also play a role in one’s life. Bye.</p>
<p>OP’s personality does not need to serve any role in a high school AP Chemistry class. Even if he’s a jerk, if he gets the questions right and completes the work, he gets an A. It’s not even like English where a teacher can slight you due to the subjective nature of the work. However, to the OP, didn’t you know you were going to be getting such a grade? I mean it must not have come as a surprise to you! It also could not have just been 10 points of a lab or off tests. That doesn’t bring an A down to an F. After that spat with the teacher I personally would have left the class-why would you be in a class with a teacher who obviously has it in for you?? I know that’s not really advice, but it seems to me that we aren’t getting the full story.</p>
<p>I’m surprised by the lack of maturity in nysmile’s posts - immediately attacking the OP without any knowledge about the situation, his personality, or the school he attends. If he wanted an anonymous overbearing mother hen to accuse him of things, he would have asked for it - stick to the advice. </p>
<p>As some have said, make sure you explain this situation to the admissions committee with a letter from the GC, principal, and maybe even a letter from yourself. I’m sure requirements are fulfilled if you’re in AP Chemistry (which is a science fast track course), so really, i don’t think you need to worry about that - though it is a good point. This is a learning experience, if nothing else. A lot of teachers are like this and they won’t disappear once you get into college. </p>
<p>In fact, it might even increase.</p>
<p>I know a student who’s now at U Florida who go had an 800 SAT CR, F in AP English due to the student’s reaction to a teacher who was so incompetent that parents got her removed at the end of the year. However, other students played the teacher’s game and got As, so had better college options than UF.</p>
<p>My own older S had SAT CR score, 760, C/D in AP English due to his reaction to having a teacher whom I later learned was not only incompetent at English, but was refusing medication for being bi-polar. S got into 2 top 25 schools, rejected by an Ivy, chose a tier 2 school that gave him lots of merit aid. He flunked out of college because he didn’t go to class or do assignments because he felt the profs couldn’t teach him anything… He’s an example of why many colleges don’t want to accept students whose test scores are far higher than are their grades.</p>
<p>He felt that the professors couldn’t teach him anything? I’m sorry, but that is being ridiculously snooty…</p>
<p>No reason to apologize to me, anima0534. I agree with you. He had a lot of growing up to do. Incidentally, my H is a college prof, and I was a college prof during much of S’s childhood.</p>
<p>People should not underestimate how intimidated some teachers are by some students. However, failing the class surely was not a big shock because it takes more than the last quarter to fail a class.</p>
<p>Part of life, though, is learning to play the game. I teach study skills and often tell students that part of being successful is figuring out what the teacher wants–and then giving it to him/her. Teachers don’t care if you like them and some of them don’t want you to like them, and most high school students think that it is important to the teacher to be liked. It’s a game.</p>
<p>I should’ve mentioned the grading policy at my school. An F is a grade of 70 or lower and I had a 70.6. I guess that would be a C at most other schools, but it will appear as an F on my transcript. During the first trimester when the incident occurred I received a 60, then a 70, and then an 82 for the final trimester.</p>
<p>Also, I convinced my guidance counselor to write a letter stating that I was berated and removed from class and that the teacher has had a history of similar complaints.
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<p>We have many biology teachers like that who teach their religious views instead of evolution, but students haven’t done anything so far. My biology teacher in 9th grade was a creationist, but was open to debate and actually wanted students to argue with him. Other teachers tend to disregard laws and teach religion.</p>
<p>Yeah, that would’ve been handy to mention…</p>
<p>A 70.6 is average, not failing, in most places.</p>
<p>Eh. As far as grades go, typically an A still counts as an A for the same number of students, even if the percentage grade needed to get an A is changed. Typically, not always. </p>
<p>As far as the actual content, this sucks. I had a friend who got a D in AP bio. the teacher promised them that if they got a 5 on the AP she’d give them an A. Before school started he had to resign up for the class in order ot get rid of the D. However, his labs and such, the teacher would often not even look at one of his pages, and mark him off for not having graphs or whatnot, that were clearly there, then refuse to discuss the grade. The teacher didn’t like him, and ended up giving him a B instead of the D, but yeah. In most schools there a few teachers whose grades/teaching capability are sub-par, and occasionally you hit some that are terrible. Other than appeal to the principles and counselors and such, i don’t know what you can do. Maybe get your parents involved and try and force the teacher to explain it to your parents (with your papers and tests in hand).</p>
<p>Your high school profile should show that grading scale and that should help you out quite a bit. My son’s school is similar (70-74 is a D, below 70 is failing–it stinks). You might request an official copy of your transcript for that scholarship you just might be applying for to see what the school includes. That will show you exactly what the school includes when it sends out transcripts.</p>
<p>yeah, my school’s considered number one in ohio and it’s still full of absolute ****. </p>
<p>I have a physics teacher trying to give me a C in a class when I clearly earned more points on the final exam than she indicates. I went up to show her and she said “well, the grades have already been submitted and there’s nothing I can do now.” As if her submission had anything to do with the amount of points I rightfully earned. But I’m not letting this one go yet. I’ll just carry this argument over to next school year and get the principal involved if I have to.</p>
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<p>That’s terrible! I hope you are not at a public school . . .</p>
<p>" have a physics teacher trying to give me a C in a class when I clearly earned more points on the final exam than she indicates. I went up to show her and she said “well, the grades have already been submitted and there’s nothing I can do now.” "</p>
<p>Grades can still be changed. This is one of those times in which your parents probably need to get involved. I had to do this when an incompetent science teacher who had no grading rubric gave my S a failing grade that I knew he hadn’t earned. The bulk of the grade was connected with a group science project, which had been done mainly at my house, and also had been shown to the public as were all of the class members’ projects. I knew what my S had contributed, and I knew how his group’s project compared to the other students’. The principal ended up raising the grade during summer vacation after it was very clear that the teacher had arbitrarily assigned a grade. </p>
<p>Do not wait until next fall. For all you know, the teacher may not return. Get the grade changed now.</p>
<p>You school gives out grades with decimals? Usually, they would round 70.4 down to 70 and 70.6 to 71.</p>
<p>^That’s what I was going to say, moosey. How is a 70.6 a “70 and below”? In my school, .5+ rounds up and .4 or less rounds down. </p>
<p>People in my school grub for extra credit to get .5+ so their grades round up. .__.</p>
<p>Not that a D- is that much better. >></p>
<p>I would definitely talk to your principal and GC.</p>