10 days until the quarter ends. Why are you ignoring teachers' attempts to contact you?

[Anonymous]

BTW- if you email us via Edline about 50% of the time we are unable to reply to you. It simply bounces back as undeliverable. I don't know why it works sometimes and not other times. Likewise if your child emails outside of the mcpsmd.net domain I will be unable to reply via my home email because of restrictions placed on the accounts by MCPS. If I email you directly I use the email in myMCPS to contact you. I do not place calls unless it is a disciplinary matter requiring either your assistance or assistance outside of the classroom (i.e. an administrator, counselor or resource teacher).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BTW- if you email us via Edline about 50% of the time we are unable to reply to you. It simply bounces back as undeliverable. I don't know why it works sometimes and not other times. Likewise if your child emails outside of the mcpsmd.net domain I will be unable to reply via my home email because of restrictions placed on the accounts by MCPS. If I email you directly I use the email in myMCPS to contact you. I do not place calls unless it is a disciplinary matter requiring either your assistance or assistance outside of the classroom (i.e. an administrator, counselor or resource teacher).

+1

Please change the settings on your Edline account to allow me to reply to you. Also, if you change phone numbers or email addresses, give the front office staff your new contact info to update myMCPS.

I really want to proactively contact you and with maybe 60% of parents it is not exceptionally hard to make the initial contact nor does it take multiple attempts to get a response. The other 40% have provided stale contact info to the school, failed to turn on the option to receive emails via Edline, or ignore contact that is successfully going through such as voice mail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10 days until the quarter ends. Why are you ignoring teachers' attempts to contact you? What can we teachers do to encourage/facilitate a response?

I'm not. Either nobody has tried to contact me, or somebody's attempt to contact me was unsuccessful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Teachers actually contact parents when there is an issue, instead of ignoring it????

Bless you, OP. My child is in 5th grade, has severe ADHD which is impacting his schooling, and not one teacher has ever contacted me (since K). They wait until the parent conference and the grade report comes in with all Ns or all Is.
And then claim they cannot change any of the grades.

I assume after years of this, you are now proactive about contacting the teacher before this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the email or phone number is correct? Several teachers have screwed up my email address, and apparently they aren't tech savvy enough to understand when messages aren't delivered.

My child had a medical emergency at school. The nurse called a phone number in Oasis that was wrong despite my updating the Parent Forms 4 years ago. Oasis was not in sync with the updated Parent Forms that were coming home since I gave the school the new number. Luckily, the nurse called the other contact numbers - our emergency contact, my husband's cell number, my husband's work number, as well as our home phone. Those numbers were correct. Our emergency contact and my husband reached me on my cell. Being that I was the closest to the school, I was able to get there in 5 minutes.

The information the teacher has is only as good as the data processors who are supposed to update the records. Don't assume the numbers and emails are correct. You could also use snail mail and the back up numbers if need be. Also send a note home with the student that needs to be signed by the parent for confirmation of receipt.

Are you sure there are no language barriers? Is an interpreter needed? Do the parents both work so socio economic factors are making it hard for them to communicate with you when you are available? Perhaps see if the counseling office can get more info. from the child and see what is going on at home. Unfortunately, some kids are latch key kids and families do the best they can to get by. If the child needs interventions and supports (I assume that is why you need to talk to the parents 10 days before the ending of the marking period) see what the school team can do to help the child. Pull in the Administration and Counseling staff for help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the email or phone number is correct? Several teachers have screwed up my email address, and apparently they aren't tech savvy enough to understand when messages aren't delivered.

My child had a medical emergency at school. The nurse called a phone number in Oasis that was wrong despite my updating the Parent Forms 4 years ago. Oasis was not in sync with the updated Parent Forms that were coming home since I gave the school the new number. Luckily, the nurse called the other contact numbers - our emergency contact, my husband's cell number, my husband's work number, as well as our home phone. Those numbers were correct. Our emergency contact and my husband reached me on my cell. Being that I was the closest to the school, I was able to get there in 5 minutes.

The information the teacher has is only as good as the data processors who are supposed to update the records. Don't assume the numbers and emails are correct. You could also use snail mail and the back up numbers if need be. Also send a note home with the student that needs to be signed by the parent for confirmation of receipt.

and what happens when the student does not return the signed note? You can not give a disciplinary consequence for this. It isn't breaking a school or MCPS rule.

Are you sure there are no language barriers?

Yes, I call on language line when there is a language issue. Those parents are actually very responsive. It is actually the U.S. born middle class parents that most often don't respond to me. One SAHM jogged past our school every day. Another child told the class "I can see Larla's mom." After that, I saw her from my classroom window every day. One day, I sent my para out to meet her with a grade report and a request to meet. We never saw her again after that.

Is an interpreter needed? Do the parents both work so socio economic factors are making it hard for them to communicate with you when you are available? Perhaps see if the counseling office can get more info. from the child and see what is going on at home. Unfortunately, some kids are latch key kids and families do the best they can to get by. If the child needs interventions and supports (I assume that is why you need to talk to the parents 10 days before the ending of the marking period) see what the school team can do to help the child. Pull in the Administration and Counseling staff for help.

The administrators and counseling will only intervene if the child is going to become ineligible. I get it. They are swamped. But parents care if that A becomes a B. Or two Cs keep their child off Honor Roll that marking period. So I have to keep calling and emailing if only as a CYA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10 hmmm, not sure much is going to change in 10 days. Was there some sudden change to his/her grade. Maybe a heads up when I can actually have time to intervene would have been nice.

Is this something that is actually fixed at home? Do you want me to tutor him/her? Can you deal with this at school?

Yesterday, we had a grade level team meeting. Both Science and SS had projects worth 30 points due within the last week. English had a paper worth 25 points. Any of those can move a student a letter grade if he or she "forgot" to turn them in and they are currently reflected as a Z in Gradebook/Edline. Might be worth responding to the teacher's efforts to contact you (the parent) before the deadline date when that Z becomes a 0.

Science, SS and English all had important stuff due in a 5 day period, maybe teachers should talk to each other.

If my child "forgot" to turn it in, call him/her up to your desk and ask for it. Do you want me to come in to the school, go through my child's bag and hand you a project?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10 hmmm, not sure much is going to change in 10 days. Was there some sudden change to his/her grade. Maybe a heads up when I can actually have time to intervene would have been nice.

Is this something that is actually fixed at home? Do you want me to tutor him/her? Can you deal with this at school?

Yesterday, we had a grade level team meeting. Both Science and SS had projects worth 30 points due within the last week. English had a paper worth 25 points. Any of those can move a student a letter grade if he or she "forgot" to turn them in and they are currently reflected as a Z in Gradebook/Edline. Might be worth responding to the teacher's efforts to contact you (the parent) before the deadline date when that Z becomes a 0.

Science, SS and English all had important stuff due in a 5 day period, maybe teachers should talk to each other.

If my child "forgot" to turn it in, call him/her up to your desk and ask for it. Do you want me to come in to the school, go through my child's bag and hand you a project?

We do talk to each other. That's why we have a team meeting every day that cuts into my time for trying to contact parents who won't return emails or phone calls. All three of these assessments are unit projects that students had at least two weeks sometimes more to do. They weren't due on the same exact day.

Do you really think we haven't already asked the students multiple times for their work? The first step is never to involve the parent. But after repeatedly requesting late work and entering a Z in Gradebook so that the student and parent can see it on Edline before the deadline passes, there isn't much more I can do. Yeah, I would love it if you would drop off a finished project. Sounds like that won't happen. Darn it!

While I can't forcible enter your home, pry the X-box controller from your son's hands and coerce him do the project, you certainly can at least let me know that you are aware that work has not been submitted and will no longer earn credit in a few days.

[Anonymous]

If it's that difficult to contact the parent, how about sending a note home with the child asking the parent to contact you. Can you do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL, sweet teacher. It's funny. I asked my child's English teacher to contact me about his 2 learning disabilities back on Back to School night. She hasn't yet.

Have you followed up since then? That teacher probably had a dozen parents ask her the same thing, god forbid she might forget to write down one or two.

This is one of the reasons why BTSN is not the appropriate time to try to have an individual conversation about your child. It is meant to be a chance for parents to see the classroom, meet the teacher, and hear an overview of the year for ES or course for secondary school.

There is no way that I would be able to work a normal duty day, prepare a presentation for parents, drive back to school, go through the presentation five times, answer parents' general and specific questions, get home at 10 pm, return to work at 7:30 the next day, teach another full day, and somehow remember that a specific parent asked me verbally to contact them about their child.

I do hear what you're saying, but please realize that that is what most people do at their jobs most days. If that feels unreasonable to you or if you don't remember things when raised in those contexts, perhaps you should affirmatively tell people to contact you only via email or phone messages so that you can remember better. I have certainly needed to do that when having a harried day, or if I don't feel a particular question will make it onto my to do list if I don't ask for it in writing or by appointment. If you don't alert parents, though, they may not know that their questions are slipping through the cracks do to your memory and other commitments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's that difficult to contact the parent, how about sending a note home with the child asking the parent to contact you. Can you do that?

Sent it home. Either he didn't deliver it or parents are ignoring it as well. Monday, the Z becomes a 0 and then I'm the bad guy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's that difficult to contact the parent, how about sending a note home with the child asking the parent to contact you. Can you do that?

Sent it home. Either he didn't deliver it or parents are ignoring it as well. Monday, the Z becomes a 0 and then I'm the bad guy.

There are no bad guys except the student who didn't get the job done. If you sent emails, there's a paper trail. If the parents complain after they get the report card, you could also say you sent a note home. I assume there was x,y,z times you asked the student to come in for help or to make up the assignment for partial credit. So if there is a complaint, you have documentation to support those interventions were offered as well. No one to blame but the child so let the chips fall where they may.

BTW - the parents have Edline so they should have been aware of how long that Z was there. Sometimes the best lessons my kids learned was when that Z turned into a 0 and they got that bad grade on their report card. There was a consequence to their actions and they began to go in for office hours and talk with the teacher regarding anything they were unsure of on Edline. That 0 forced my kids to work out issues with their teachers independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's that difficult to contact the parent, how about sending a note home with the child asking the parent to contact you. Can you do that?

Sent it home. Either he didn't deliver it or parents are ignoring it as well. Monday, the Z becomes a 0 and then I'm the bad guy.

There are no bad guys except the student who didn't get the job done. If you sent emails, there's a paper trail. If the parents complain after they get the report card, you could also say you sent a note home. I assume there was x,y,z times you asked the student to come in for help or to make up the assignment for partial credit. So if there is a complaint, you have documentation to support those interventions were offered as well. No one to blame but the child so let the chips fall where they may.

BTW - the parents have Edline so they should have been aware of how long that Z was there. Sometimes the best lessons my kids learned was when that Z turned into a 0 and they got that bad grade on their report card. There was a consequence to their actions and they began to go in for office hours and talk with the teacher regarding anything they were unsure of on Edline. That 0 forced my kids to work out issues with their teachers independently.

I'm glad to hear that you supported the natural consequences when your child failed to do or submit work. Unfortunately, all too many parents yell and threaten until teachers cave or administrators force them to change grades. I know that my ass IS well covered in this particular case, but I'd rather the student turned the work in and earned a grade that reflected what he learned in the course than to be left no choice but award him a grade of zero.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure the email or phone number is correct? Several teachers have screwed up my email address, and apparently they aren't tech savvy enough to understand when messages aren't delivered.

Unless they received an automated response that the email wasn't delivered, how would they know that it wasn't vs. you simply ignoring their emails?

I always get a bounce back message. In this scenario, I would definitely send it with a delivery and read receipt. Common sense.

Also, I don't have phone phobia (like many others), so I wouldn't hesitate to call and leave a detailed voicemail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL, sweet teacher. It's funny. I asked my child's English teacher to contact me about his 2 learning disabilities back on Back to School night. She hasn't yet.

Have you followed up since then? That teacher probably had a dozen parents ask her the same thing, god forbid she might forget to write down one or two.

This is one of the reasons why BTSN is not the appropriate time to try to have an individual conversation about your child. It is meant to be a chance for parents to see the classroom, meet the teacher, and hear an overview of the year for ES or course for secondary school.

There is no way that I would be able to work a normal duty day, prepare a presentation for parents, drive back to school, go through the presentation five times, answer parents' general and specific questions, get home at 10 pm, return to work at 7:30 the next day, teach another full day, and somehow remember that a specific parent asked me verbally to contact them about their child.

I do hear what you're saying, but please realize that that is what most people do at their jobs most days. If that feels unreasonable to you or if you don't remember things when raised in those contexts, perhaps you should affirmatively tell people to contact you only via email or phone messages so that you can remember better. I have certainly needed to do that when having a harried day, or if I don't feel a particular question will make it onto my to do list if I don't ask for it in writing or by appointment. If you don't alert parents, though, they may not know that their questions are slipping through the cracks do to your memory and other commitments.

I realize that's what lots of people do. And perhaps the teacher usually does a great job of keeping track of these things, but for whatever reason forgot this one request. It's ridiculous to ask a teacher to contact you at BTSN and then sit back for weeks, refusing to follow up when you don't hear from the teacher, just so you can bitch about it on DCUM. A responsible parent would give the teacher a couple of days, and then send an email to the teacher following up.

It's the same thing with people complaining they can't respond to a teacher's email because Edline bounces it back as undeliverable. I've yet to encounter a school that doesn't have an online staff directory listing teacher's email addresses. Look up the email address and respond that way. If you can't do that, send a note in to the teacher with your child, or call the office and ask for the teacher's email address. It's not that hard.