Worked my butt off in the PTA and my son is in a "weaker" classroom

[Anonymous]

PTA Mom's should be like class team captains!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: actually the year has been going great so far, knock on wood. There is a couple of high level kids in the classroom and it makes for a nice peer group for my son. The teachers are great from what I see. Maybe my DS was placed there because they knew I would get along with the teacher

There is a lot of feedback from them, they like volunteering parents, and after some trying we finally arranged I would come in twice a week after dismissal while my child is still in aftercare (I can get off work early these two days) and do whatever is needed. I do copying, sorting, pencil sharpening, and recently have been promoted to grading some papers I also organize some stuff which does not require me physically present.
I am happy to do what I am asked and I think we get along with the teacher. I never ask to be in the classroom.
What I get out of it is that the teacher sometimes does little extra things for DS like making sure his homework folder is not forgotten in class, or that he can take a quiz on a book from home if he doesn't find one he likes at the library. I never ask the teacher for it, but when I notice I thank her profusely.
I am grateful she does what she can to help my child thrive.
Note to self: unclench and mellow out, mama

.

No offense to you, OP (if you're really volunteering for purely selfless purposes), but it's not appropriate for teachers to let other parents grade papers. In fact, that seems outrageously inappropriate - so much for any semblance of student privacy. And why would you agree to do something like that? How would you feel if another parent were grading your son's work? I'd be livid - parents should have zero insight into how any other child is performing. Particularly if that parent tends to unfavorably compare other children's academic performance to that of her own child, like you've done in this forum. Please step away from that type of "help" - its just not right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: actually the year has been going great so far, knock on wood. There is a couple of high level kids in the classroom and it makes for a nice peer group for my son. The teachers are great from what I see. Maybe my DS was placed there because they knew I would get along with the teacher

There is a lot of feedback from them, they like volunteering parents, and after some trying we finally arranged I would come in twice a week after dismissal while my child is still in aftercare (I can get off work early these two days) and do whatever is needed. I do copying, sorting, pencil sharpening, and recently have been promoted to grading some papers I also organize some stuff which does not require me physically present.
I am happy to do what I am asked and I think we get along with the teacher. I never ask to be in the classroom.
What I get out of it is that the teacher sometimes does little extra things for DS like making sure his homework folder is not forgotten in class, or that he can take a quiz on a book from home if he doesn't find one he likes at the library. I never ask the teacher for it, but when I notice I thank her profusely.
I am grateful she does what she can to help my child thrive.
Note to self: unclench and mellow out, mama

.

No offense to you, OP (if you're really volunteering for purely selfless purposes), but it's not appropriate for teachers to let other parents grade papers. In fact, that seems outrageously inappropriate - so much for any semblance of student privacy. And why would you agree to do something like that? How would you feel if another parent were grading your son's work? I'd be livid - parents should have zero insight into how any other child is performing. Particularly if that parent tends to unfavorably compare other children's academic performance to that of her own child, like you've done in this forum. Please step away from that type of "help" - its just not right.

+1. OP has to be trolling us. A random parent grading papers?! Seems like an ethical violation and that would never fly at any school I know. OP is way out of bounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: actually the year has been going great so far, knock on wood. There is a couple of high level kids in the classroom and it makes for a nice peer group for my son. The teachers are great from what I see. Maybe my DS was placed there because they knew I would get along with the teacher

There is a lot of feedback from them, they like volunteering parents, and after some trying we finally arranged I would come in twice a week after dismissal while my child is still in aftercare (I can get off work early these two days) and do whatever is needed. I do copying, sorting, pencil sharpening, and recently have been promoted to grading some papers I also organize some stuff which does not require me physically present.
I am happy to do what I am asked and I think we get along with the teacher. I never ask to be in the classroom.
What I get out of it is that the teacher sometimes does little extra things for DS like making sure his homework folder is not forgotten in class, or that he can take a quiz on a book from home if he doesn't find one he likes at the library. I never ask the teacher for it, but when I notice I thank her profusely.
I am grateful she does what she can to help my child thrive.
Note to self: unclench and mellow out, mama

.

No offense to you, OP (if you're really volunteering for purely selfless purposes), but it's not appropriate for teachers to let other parents grade papers. In fact, that seems outrageously inappropriate - so much for any semblance of student privacy. And why would you agree to do something like that? How would you feel if another parent were grading your son's work? I'd be livid - parents should have zero insight into how any other child is performing. Particularly if that parent tends to unfavorably compare other children's academic performance to that of her own child, like you've done in this forum. Please step away from that type of "help" - its just not right.

+1. OP has to be trolling us. A random parent grading papers?! Seems like an ethical violation and that would never fly at any school I know. OP is way out of bounds.

Especially this particular OP ...

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of a parent grading papers and I was a teacher years ago. Are we talking about putting stickers on completed homework sheets to acknowledge they've been turned in or actually looking over the school work and correcting it? I could maybe see a super busy teacher letting a parent do the former but certainly not the latter.

[Anonymous]

I keep thinking we're about to get punked by OP. I have this image of a tiny troll hopping between the pencil sharpener and the teacher's grade book while her son plays innocently in aftercare.

[Anonymous]

At my school Moms stuff the "Thursday folders", which go home with each child each week. They contain a mix of informational stuff on camps or after school or community activities, and all of their tests for the week.

It literally does not bother me one lick if other people see my kids work. its ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. If someone would judge a 7 year old, that is on them, not me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my school Moms stuff the "Thursday folders", which go home with each child each week. They contain a mix of informational stuff on camps or after school or community activities, and all of their tests for the week.

It literally does not bother me one lick if other people see my kids work. its ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. If someone would judge a 7 year old, that is on them, not me.

But this OP is claiming not just to see other kids' work, but to be grading it.

[Anonymous]

That's fine that you don't care who sees or even grades your child's work, but other parents may care (for whatever reason) and there's simply no legitimate reason to give a parent access to any other child's graded work. None. Privacy rules should be in place to protect legitimate privacy interests. Why can't they give the graded papers to the students directly rather than have a bunch of parents "stuff" folders? That's nuts - the kids are seven, not two!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's fine that you don't care who sees or even grades your child's work, but other parents may care (for whatever reason) and there's simply no legitimate reason to give a parent access to any other child's graded work. None. Privacy rules should be in place to protect legitimate privacy interests. Why can't they give the graded papers to the students directly rather than have a bunch of parents "stuff" folders? That's nuts - the kids are seven, not two!

My guess is that the teachers don't have the time to separate and sort all of the work on top of the mulitiple community and after school flyers (that's all pta stuff).

They don't send home parcc tests or such things- but I wouldn't care if my kid was getting 10/10 or 3/10 on their spelling test and another class mom saw it. People really care so much about 2ns grade math and spelling tests enough to critique and judge little kids.......that's on them. This isn't HIPPA stuff for petes sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school Moms stuff the "Thursday folders", which go home with each child each week. They contain a mix of informational stuff on camps or after school or community activities, and all of their tests for the week.

It literally does not bother me one lick if other people see my kids work. its ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. If someone would judge a 7 year old, that is on them, not me.

But this OP is claiming not just to see other kids' work, but to be grading it.

Do you not trust her to get 7+3 right? I mean- it's not evaluating essays in elementary. I really don't get the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school Moms stuff the "Thursday folders", which go home with each child each week. They contain a mix of informational stuff on camps or after school or community activities, and all of their tests for the week.

It literally does not bother me one lick if other people see my kids work. its ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. If someone would judge a 7 year old, that is on them, not me.

But this OP is claiming not just to see other kids' work, but to be grading it.

Do you not trust her to get 7+3 right? I mean- it's not evaluating essays in elementary. I really don't get the issue.

Right - that's not the issue at all. This isn't about the quality (or lack thereof) of any given student's work - I just think it's wrong for the school to provide anyone but the student and his family with access to individual work. Who cares why parents wouldn't want other parents to see and/or grade their child's work -it's simply nobody else's business. It's the school's job to evaluate and teach the child - is classroom management in such dire straits that the teacher can't stick to direct and private communications with parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's fine that you don't care who sees or even grades your child's work, but other parents may care (for whatever reason) and there's simply no legitimate reason to give a parent access to any other child's graded work. None. Privacy rules should be in place to protect legitimate privacy interests. Why can't they give the graded papers to the students directly rather than have a bunch of parents "stuff" folders? That's nuts - the kids are seven, not two!

This would clearly violate FERPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my school Moms stuff the "Thursday folders", which go home with each child each week. They contain a mix of informational stuff on camps or after school or community activities, and all of their tests for the week.

It literally does not bother me one lick if other people see my kids work. its ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. If someone would judge a 7 year old, that is on them, not me.

But this OP is claiming not just to see other kids' work, but to be grading it.

And this OP also claims to know the exact academic capabilities and IEP status of all the kids in the class, and expects that in exchange for volunteering, he will be kept away from the "weak" ones.

OP is exhibit A for keeping parents out of the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's fine that you don't care who sees or even grades your child's work, but other parents may care (for whatever reason) and there's simply no legitimate reason to give a parent access to any other child's graded work. None. Privacy rules should be in place to protect legitimate privacy interests. Why can't they give the graded papers to the students directly rather than have a bunch of parents "stuff" folders? That's nuts - the kids are seven, not two!

This would clearly violate FERPA.

Unfortunately it doesn't because the volunteer is seen as an agent of the school.

https://fpf.org/2016/01/19/who-exactly-is-a-school-official-anyway/

But this means that OP is bound by FERPA herself so that means she needs to be very careful about not disclosing the information she learns. She shouldn't even be posting what she has here.