Resigning from band senior year, filing complaint against teacher

Pre-College Topics High School Cafe
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<p>Today, I wrote the following letter to my counselor, principal, and assistant superintendent.</p>

<p>Please accept this letter as my intent to resign from the Heritage High School Band program.</p>

<pre><code>I made this decision because I am disconnected from the program itself, and the people in it. Band no longer provides the stimulation and joy it once did.
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<p>I also made this decision based on several grievances against the program’s director, Mr. John Doe. These include probable illegal actions, against multiple students, that occurred in the prior school year. This letter shall serve as my (informal) complaint.</p>

<p>In my three years of band, Mr. Doe has demonstrated on numerous occasions to be a rude and discriminating teacher. I have reason to believe that Mr. Doe is discriminating against me and certain other classmates on financial basis.</p>

<p>During the prior school year, Mr. Doe has acted improperly on many occasions against me. In analysis of his behavior, certain students and I have come to believe that he does not want to be challenged intellectually by any student. Therefore, this group and I have numerous accounts of behavior such as humiliating remarks in front of the band, and constant subordination to the rest of the band, should we bring up a valid point that contradicts his. The most notable event happened on 21 February 2013, when I was sent outside and scolded for simply looking at my watch during class. Relations with him went downhill from there.</p>

<p>The bulk of my complaint against Mr. Doe is the financial discrimination in the band program, particularly in the class of Wind Ensemble. Wind Ensemble is the faction of the band program which performed at Carnegie Hall this spring.</p>

<p>In the 2012 school year, every band student auditioned for the privilege of being selected to be in the Wind Ensemble and travel to New York. I passed the audition with flying colors.
However, that fourth quarter, Mr. Doe, in a physically and verbally intimidating manner, interrogated me about my family’s financial condition to pay for the trip. My family had not paid to go on Band trips before, and he said, “Your family has used the excuse of financial problems on every band trip.” I found this remark to be very degrading and discriminatory. My family’s assets are very capable of financing the trip to New York; however, it is our choice to not spend the money. I was forced to explicitly lie about my family’s financial condition and plans to get him off my back.</p>

<p>On the first day of the prior school year, Mr. Doe informed me that unless I had money to pay the private travel company, I would not be welcome in the class. I was required to summon two-thousand dollars in financing or be kicked out.</p>

<p>I was intimidated into requesting a schedule change with my counselor, from a senior band I had earned my place in, to a junior band. It would not be long before I found out he did this to other students.</p>

<p>This action, if not unlawful under the California Education Code, is unethical to the highest degree. The State of California is supposed to furnish the funds for band operations, not the individual students. Furthermore, a teacher cannot discriminate by financial ability when choosing students for a class! (To my knowledge, the band trip which students paid for was also not part of curriculum.)</p>

<p>Therefore, if possible, I request to begin proceedings in filing a complaint against Mr. Doe. If requested, I can summon other classmates to support my testimony.</p>

<p>I hope to have your help in resolving this matter. And, I hope to have your help in transferring me to another course, and out of Symphonic Band.</p>

<p>It is senior year. But I feel it has to be done. I no longer have any passion for music, and certainly not for his class.
I work with my Mayor, and talked to him about this. He is outraged this is happening to multiple students in one of his city’s high schools. He encouraged me to pursue this with the district Board, and with the local newspaper. (I won’t go that far!)</p>

<p>I am curious, since this is senior year, what repercussions this might have. I plan to apply to top universities, and if this damages my chances, so be it. It had to be done.</p>

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<p>If you’re family was “very capable” of financing a trip to New York, why are you continually using financial problems to excuse your way out of paying your own on band trips? I was in band all through high school, and all of the students were expected to pay dues in order to participate for the extra events (i.e. band trips). If it was a particularly hardship, students would fundraise or work to come up with the money, or they wouldn’t go. It’s not fair to the other students who are funding your band trip when your family is perfectly capable of paying. I’m sure they would prefer to have a free trip as well. I can’t comment on your teacher’s attitude because I do not know him, but I can’t help but be on his side on this particular point. If this is public school, I do not believe they can deny you the class, but they can certainly refuse to take you on the trips with them.</p>

<p>To comment on your question directly, I doubt this will damage your application. Just don’t bring it up. I don’t know how it seems to other people, but as a third party, who doesn’t personally know anyone involved, this letter doesn’t make you seem much better than your band teacher.</p>

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<p>Congrats for being in band all 4 years. </p>

<p>So… why am I using the excuse of financial problems? Because it seemed the only way to get the teacher off my back. </p>

<p>“It’s not fair to the other students who are funding your band trip when your family is perfectly capable of paying.” Never said I wanted to go with them. I should’ve mentioned I was required to audition for the upper band.</p>

<p>“It’s not fair to the other students who are funding your band trip when your family is perfectly capable of paying. I’m sure they would prefer to have a free trip as well. I can’t comment on your teacher’s attitude because I do not know him, but I can’t help but be on his side on this particular point. If this is public school, I do not believe they can deny you the class, but they can certainly refuse to take you on the trips with them.” My point exactly.</p>

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<p>Are those the real names of your school and band teacher? If so, I think it would be nice to change it just because the wrong person could possibly read this…</p>

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<p>I forgot to edit out the name of my HS. and John Doe is not his name lol</p>

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<p>^Of course John Doe is not his real name. Lol, sorry about that. My apologizes Ractagon. :p</p>

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<p>That’s still the name of your high school, right?</p>

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<p>Ummm yea. As I said earlier, forgot to edit that out.</p>

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<p>I’ve been in band before and it seems to me like all band directors have this god complex where they think they know everything and hate being comtradicted. But remove the part about being financially capable and make it clear that he was forcing you to go on these trips. Then you have a good letter.</p>

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<p>I most certainly will remove it. Good thing I haven’t sent it.</p>

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<p>Why couldn’t you just say that you weren’t willing to pay for the trip, so you were going to refrain from going on it? Why was it necessary for you to lie? If you did not feel comfortable having this discussion with your band director, why couldn’t you ask to have this discussion when your parents were present or have your parents speak to the band director on your behalf? If your band director refused to let you join the class, why don’t you just go to your counselor or the principal to petition to be in the class. If this didn’t seem worth it to you, why didn’t you just drop band years ago? If this band director is such a jerk, why did you audition to be in the higher band, instead of the junior band (who I’m assuming was not directly taught by the band director, since you asked to move to that class after you spoke with him)? Does your school not have a lower band that doesn’t go on trips, so that this is a non-issue?</p>

<p>There are other ways to pursue an interest in music besides being in this particular band.</p>

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<p>*apologies
*Ractogon… :(</p>

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<p>baktrax, in hindsight i am sure i could’ve pursued it differently.</p>

<p>However, I’d rather not pursue music in any band that is run by this teacher, where approximately 80% of current students and alumni dislike him.</p>

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<p>letmeseetheworld: don’t worry bout it!</p>

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<p>That’s fair enough–I don’t mean to sound unnecessarily harsh. I just didn’t understand why you kept putting yourself in a situation that you very clearly found unpleasant, but hindsight’s 20/20 (and clearly if so many of the other students don’t like your band either, they are doing the same to themselves). It seems to me that if you don’t like the teacher, you can just drop the class, or perhaps, it’s different because you’ve already signed up for the class? I don’t quite understand your need to say that you don’t like being scolded or that you lied to your teacher. Perhaps, it’s more complicated at your school, but I would imagine that if you don’t want to be there and your teacher doesn’t want you to be there, it would be fairly easy to switch out.</p>

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<p>No harm taken. I just want to get out of the class, that at my school, automatically re-enrolls you every year. I’ve played in this band since 8th grade, when the Symphonic Band needed extra clarinets, and was promoted to Symphonic Band as a freshman. I sort of feel my college app will be missing something if I resign now. However, I don’t want to keep walking into his room every day with the same feeling of dread.</p>

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<p>Why are you writing a letter and not requesting a meeting to discuss? This type of letter doesn’t demonstrate your willingness to problem solve and may cause the school to look at you in a different light.</p>

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<p>I’m sorry but you said that you auditioned for Wind Ensemble with the knowledge you would be expected to go to New York. If you are able to pay for the trip it is rude to take advantage of the system & not pay. Free trips are offered to those who are financially struggling, not those who just don’t feel like paying. I honestly don’t think the teacher did anything wrong. He could have been a little nicer, but if you are able to pay, you need to pay for the trip or you shouldn’t be allowed to go.</p>

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<p>If you have proof, send the letter. If it is just you and your friends complaining just drop band. You can say no one likes him, he is not fair, yadda yadda but unless you have some kind of proof your letter is likely to do nothing but maybe make you look like a complainer.</p>