<p>Shinkrap, I certainly understand how your daughter would be overtired, overstressed, etc. on graduation day - why she was late, why she missed her cue. But I am assuming that the other seniors (or most of them) did manage to get there on time and sing on stage, even though they also were tired from the Hawaii trip. If that is the case, it really comes off as whining even though it might be a legitimate concern. If I am wrong, and a large number of seniors had the same problem, then it would be more appropriate for them to communicate their concerns as a group. </p>
<p>Again… I see why this was hard for your daughter, but I think the “big picture” simply leaves a sense that the overall consequence was minor and you only come off looking bad to register a complaint at this point. </p>
<p>The problem is… every kid who shows up late, any time, usually has an excuse. Every kid who misses their cue to go onstage, usually has an excuse. You’ve got a large number of seniors in the choir and an inexperienced choir director who may have gotten things wrong on her point scale (maybe it should be 100 out of 200 points, a C rather than an F)… but no real harm done to your daughter in the long run. Which is why I see this as one of those things to let go. It doesn’t mean that the teacher/choir director was 100% right … it’s just that its not worth complaining about after the fact. </p>
<p>Also, I’m not sure its the thing a MOM should be complaining about, anyway. Did your daughter apologize to the choir director at the time? I mean, a very gracious thing to do would have been to go to her immediately after the graduation and say, “Oh, I am sooo sorry! I really messed up.” (I think the fact that your d. missed the early rehearsal and the stage clue for that event kind of suggests that she planned to skip that part all along – so without an apology I can see the choir director being somewhat skeptical about the excuse now offered)</p>
<p>Just to be clear, my D is SO over this, final transcripts already sent, and hundreds of miles away, happily a camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp! She is not whining…I guess I am, especially now, several days later, having decided not to say anything to the school, but still posting to this thread, while learning that other seniors also sing at their own graduation. Thanks all!</p>
<p>So like I said in the OP,</p>
<p>… I am/was not questioning the grade, I am/was wondering if I should give feedback to the teacher about requiring seniors to perform during their own graduation as a final. </p>
<p>I can’t imagine what feedback you would give to the teachers. It sounds like this mistake shouldn’t have happened…and it had nothing to do with the teachers.</p>
<p>I’m still astounded that #1…the students go on a senior trip to Hawaii(our local HS, upper middle class,is lucky if they go to an amusement park)
and in doing so, its scheduled to return the night before graduation…you would think the powers that be that schedule the trip could have done better planning.</p>
<p>Our local public schools tend to do a bus ride to Disneyland, but this is a private (Christian) school. Some kids did not go. No, the planning wasn’t the best, but parents (including me) were part of the planning…</p>
<p>A lot of seniors get senioritis…I think that maybe the choir teacher was sick of your daughter’s class in general and was anxious to take out her frustrations on anyone she could.</p>
<p>In law school, we had a teacher second semester third year (when 100% of us already had jobs waiting for us) who hated us. It was an 8 am class and attendance was terrible. He really really wanted to fail some students. (Everyone came out of law school with exaclty the number of credits needed so failure would have been disasterous.) As it turned out, he had a stroke 4 weeks before school was out and we didn’t have class the last 4 weeks, so no one failed. But he would have been delighted to fail ANYONE in the class (even the kids like me who actually showed up for class.)</p>
<p>Sometimes students are victims of extreme teacher frustration-sometimes it’s deserved, and sometimes it’s not deserved. On the last full day of school, the teacher who was the lunch monitor for my daughter’s 6th grade class got their attention and told them that they were the worst students he had ever encountered and that they should all pray to Jesus for forgiveness but that He probably wouldn’t because there was not a good thing about any one of them. (!!!) I have no idea what went on at lunch…but best just to let it go!</p>
<p>S graduated Saturday. A friend of his turned in a paper for English 2 days late. The teacher had warned them if they turned it in late they would get an F in the class. Here is a kid who is senior class president, really active in the school who was not allowed to walk at graduation. In fact he was supposed to speak and the vice president had to scramble to write a speech at the last minute.Plus re-take English in summer school just to get his diploma.I’m not sure what is happening with the college he was supposed to go to.
I know…he was warned. I still felt bad for him. And his parents.</p>
<p>How are teachers allowed to be so arbitrary and say, “If you turn this one thing in late it’s an F”? Unless it was the only assignment for the grading period, it should not be an F. If he had 5 90s and one zero, the average would be 75. </p>
<p>I’m very glad that the gradebooks are all accessible on line to us now. The teacher puts in the grade and the weighting and the computer does the arithmetic. No turning a 70 into a 50 just to prove a point.</p>
<p>Thumper, the band/orchestra/choir at D’s school were all fine — and she was in choir throughout school. But I call 'em as I see 'em … and D’s combined mass/graduation was b-o-r-i-n-g. While some nice music might have helped, it would have kept us all there longer. As it was, everyone was ready for coffee immediately afterwards! :)</p>
Sorry, but I don’t think it’s arbitrary as long as the teacher says so in advance. It would have been well within her rights to say, “I won’t accept it late, and since the research papers are 50% of your grade, if it’s late, you fail.” Missypie, you’re assuming that the “5 90’s” are the same weight as the research paper; it often isn’t.</p>
<p>Relax. Its over. It doesnt’ matter. water under the bridge.<br>
Its choir not a core course.<br>
its choir, can’t say I or any college would put much emphasis on a B in choir.
They should be fun! Seniors should not have finals in choir.</p>