<p>My 14 year old has always been good at math. She is getting a 74 in pre-AP geometry. We can click on the individual grades in the computer gradebook and see what the class average was for each assignment. For the last quiz, the class average was 67. For the last test, the class average was 61. We are 8 weeks into the school year. Earlier tests have had class averages between 57 and 70. (Below 70 is failing.) My daughter says that the guy spends the class time talking about his MENSA membership and how smart he is. He has 13 years of teaching experience.</p>
<p>I’ve emailed the head of the math department twice, asking that (a) someone at least look at his students’ test scores and compare them with the scores of kids in the other preAp classes and (b) that someone observe his class. Her response is always “Arrange a conference with the teacher.”</p>
<p>I’m too emotionally involved in this. What am I supposed to say at the teacher conference? “Please be a better teacher.” It should be obvious to the guy that if the average kid in his class is failing every single one of his tests, and the class is full of kids who, before now, have gotten As in math, the problem is him, not them. </p>
<p>Do you think a teacher conference could accomplish anything? Do you think if would sink into him if I talk to other parents and ALL of us schedule teacher conferences?</p>
<p>My father, a retired college prof, always said the class should have a balance of A’s, mid grades and low grades. If everyone has an A the material is to easy. If everyone is doing poorly then the material is not being presented properly or it is beyond the classes level and entry into that class needs to be rethought. We have run into this sort of thing before and it should be delt with from the administration to the instructor, but I find that almost never happens.</p>
<p>Go talk to the teacher, yourself, in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way (which you’re not doing a great job of right now.) There may be something going on that you don’t know about. In fact, I’d venture to bet that there is something about the situation that isn’t currently part of your knowledge base. Talk first. If your worst fears are confirmed, then take other steps.</p>
<p>I would print out the page that shows the grades and mail it to the principal, with a note that this is unacceptable</p>
<p>and if you can get copies of other teachers and see if you can see their grades</p>
<p>and if you get nothing, then mail it, you can do it anonmously, to the school board and the other parents</p>
<p>I am assuming no names are attached to the grades, so print it all out today asap before it is pulled (because once it is made public, it will be pulled), and send it to all that matter</p>
<p>you are being brushed off and they just want you to go away</p>
<p>we had a similar problem with a teacher, and some parents and I did that…not to difficult to do</p>
<p>I have no problem going over people’s heads if necessary,in our middle school we had such a horrible math teacher the parents got together and the school brought in a new teacher- best thing they ever did</p>
<p>don’t be afraid to make a stink, what do you have to lose? math is math, meantime, see if D can get help from other teachers at the school, if they have office hours, etc…they should tutor and help all kids who need it, not just their own, and be sure they know this teacher is terrible</p>
<p>Go into the conference with, “I’m concerned. Can you tell me about any problems with the class? Why is the average so low? Is there anything we parents should know or be doing?” It’s likely that there is a “ladder” that you have to climb, and a teacher conference is the first rung. Once you have that, the math department chair may be willing to talk to you. Otherwise, he’s going over the teacher’s head, which is not a good thing for him to do. </p>
<p>Look at the conference as a hurdle to be jumped, not as a possible solution.</p>
<p>what chedva says is true, it is almost having to get the conference over with to show you tried, THEN you can say, well, the teacher doesn’t see a problem, etc,m though, obviously there is</p>
<p>with my Ds stats teacher, she and several kids in the class went to the Vp of Academics, who behind the seens DID look at the teacher’s grades, etc and compare to others…they have access</p>
<p>You just need to show them this is not acceptable</p>
<p>Hah!
Not 10 minutes ago, I sent an email to my D’s Science teacher, very sweetly telling her how disappointing the grade of “D” is to my daughter on the last test. I also added that my D tells me that the highest grade was a “C” and I am interested in knowing if this is true, or if my D is saying that to make me feel better. I mentioned how hard my D worked for the test, and if the teacher could give me some feedback on whether she thought my D was just not getting the concepts in the class.</p>
<p>Let’s see the response.</p>
<p>Seriously, if the highest grade is a “C” and the average is a “D” why wouldn’t the teacher re-think her teaching strategies?</p>
<p>A teacher conference might actually help. Bring your daughter along too. Focus on what your daughter can do to improve her understanding of the material. Can she come in to see him before or after school for help? Can he provide more problems for her to work on? (These questions alone may be enough for him to get his butt in gear and teach–they mean extra work for him if he doesn’t) If she feels she understands the material, try to find out where the “disconnect” is. Find out what he feels is most important–before each test/quiz if possible. (Sounds like this guy has a major ego, so asking his advice is probably a good tactic) Is there other graded work? (e. g. homework, notebook checks, projects?) In my kids’ school the honors math and science classes are very difficult, but if you get 100%s on the homework and class work and you get full credit on the notebook checks and projects, an A or A- are still possible (provided there are no REALLY low test scores–40’s or 50’s). Also, can she get ahold of past tests (to study from)? Has he scaled scores in the end in past years?</p>
<p>You definitely have to go up the chain of command, starting with the teacher. You cannot take things directly to supervisors, principals or boards.</p>
<p>Keep your approach very sweet, even though you are seething. In fact you need to calm down a lot before you even tackle this.</p>
<p>“What is my D not getting”
“What can we do to help her?”
“How would you assess the situation?”</p>
<p>But PRINT out all you can now, because it may “disappear” once you let the teacher know you have seen the scores</p>
<p>Sure, go up the chain whatever but have your information NOW…print out all you can get ahold of, talk to other parents, having been there, i know that you most likely will be told it is your Ds fault, etc so you need to be ready to push ahead</p>
<p>We had a situation in our math sequence wherein every year, kids were getting to a certain class and doing the same thing - low average test scores, poor general performance. But it wasn’t the teacher’s fault- it was the teacher BEFORE that teacher who caused the problems. Kids were getting into this class (honors/pre-AP) that had no business being there, because they had received A’s and B’s in the previous class (where they had no business being either). Basically there were a lot of students who were not prepared or qualified for the class, but didn’t realize it because they had always been “A” students in the past.</p>
<p>The previous year’s teacher was the one that would give extra credit for writing reports, had the kids write poems, songs, and stories, etc. Basically, many students had 70% test averages, but could still pull off a B or even an A anyway.</p>
<p>I am guessing he is planning on curving the tests before report cards. I cannot imagine an entire class failing a subject. Of course curving does not help prepare your child for the next level of Math.</p>
<p>I think it’s useful to go into a conference with a “How can I help my child succeed?” attitude as a first step. I understand your frustration but he may feel ganged up on if he’s approached by a group of parents. And you probably want to talk to him directly before you go over his head. </p>
<p>He may be able to make some suggestions for how your d can do better in class. Unfortunately some people are brilliant at math and not so great at teaching. From your description I wonder if he has it in him to be a “better teacher”. Have you considered getting a tutor for your d to cover the material? My d is a good math student but her AP Calc teacher wasn’t the greatest. An hour a week of tutoring made all the difference and bounced her grade back up.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the terrific advice! I’ll make myself a little script for the teacher conference and try to stick to it (and not get hostile.)</p>
<p>There is nightly homework. My daughter gets 100s on it…almost everybody does. Then the quizes and tests come along and they all tank. There’s a disconnect that is obvious to me, but I guess not to the teacher.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s the case of the kids in the class not being prepared by the prior math classes being too easy. It’s a large school and the other geometry students seem to be doing fine. It’s highly unlikely that this teacher could have gotten all the “dumb” pre-AP math students.</p>
<p>Can you compare the homework to the quizzes/tests? That way you might be able to tell if the test problems are more complicated than the homework, or cover completely different topics (:eek:), or perhaps the kids just run out of time.</p>
<p>“Kids were getting into this class (honors/pre-AP) that had no business being there, because they had received A’s and B’s in the previous class (where they had no business being either). Basically there were a lot of students who were not prepared or qualified for the class, but didn’t realize it because they had always been “A” students in the past.”</p>
<p>Bingo! problems in a classroom aren’t always so cut and dry. If you feel you have to nuke the teacher fine, but don’t expect roses to grow from what’s left over? </p>
<p>Know an excellent AP Bio teacher at the HS. Talked to him one evening at a grocery store. He was considering retiring. The main reason? He was having to fail more kids that semester than he did in the past decade. He was angry that kids weren’t coming in prepared to do the work. He was upset with the middle school science teachers for leaving gaps and even more angry with the hs guidence counselors for putting kids into his classes that simply could not do the work. They weren’t going to spend 2 hours a night just on AP Bio, they were shooting for C’s, which just told him it was time to retire. </p>
<p>the old saying “look before you leap” applies. First talk to the teacher, express your concerns, get his side of things. See what solutions are available… extra Saturday class?, evening reviews? I know alot of AP teachers that do much more if the need is there and people are willing to put the extra time in. However, if your kid isn’t getting it in an hour of classtime from this teacher, what’s to say anyone else is going to be able to do it. In most cases bringing the textbook home, opening it and doing the chapters can overcome a poor teacher. Something’s amiss on both sides here.</p>
<p>missypie, It must be very frustrating to be getting A’s on the homework and then tank the test. You’ve received some great advice. Tell your D to hand in there, it can really be a hit to your self esteem when this kind of thing happens, but I also believe that there is a lesson to be had in learning to deal with a teacher that you are not connecting with. I always tell my kids that there are bad teachers out there and that there will also be bad bosses. Figuring out what the teacher wants and giving it to him is an important skill. Sometimes it’s impossible. My son had a nightmare teacher for Geo. last year. When he did poorly on tests he would blame the teacher. When conferencing didn’t help, my H started tutoring him & he ended up with a good grade. It sucks that you sometimes have to take matters into your own hands, but as we told him, “When it comes time to take the SAT, they don’t care if you had a good teacher or bad. It’s ultimately your/our responsibility to make sure that you learn the material and can test well in it. We need to take responsibility for your education and do something if the teacher is dropping the ball.”</p>
<p>Remember folks, this is Geometry…not Calculus. My son got As in Geometry and he is quite math-challenged! The difference is that my son had a teacher who liked to teach geometry and got a sense of satisfaction when his students “got it.” My daughter’s teacher delights in telling them that he’s brighter than they are and that he could have any job in the world. (Please, take the next offer!!!)</p>