Aloof teacher is heavy on app use and doesn't communicate well - would you take it to the principal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's like if we came to your job and kept complaining to your manager that we keep on getting Mickey as our Happy meal toy when we need Donald Duck. You go back and there is a giant box of Mickey's and no Donald's. Your boss threatens and fires you because your customers keep complaining but the manager is who gets the toys. They fire someone because customer complains but they are complaining of the Managers decision.

That's what it's like when they fire teachers and try to ruin their lives with bad reviews.

No it’s not. Teachers have some agency in how they teach the curriculum. They aren’t mandated to phone it in with EdTech and apps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's like if we came to your job and kept complaining to your manager that we keep on getting Mickey as our Happy meal toy when we need Donald Duck. You go back and there is a giant box of Mickey's and no Donald's. Your boss threatens and fires you because your customers keep complaining but the manager is who gets the toys. They fire someone because customer complains but they are complaining of the Managers decision.

That's what it's like when they fire teachers and try to ruin their lives with bad reviews.

No it’s not. Teachers have some agency in how they teach the curriculum. They aren’t mandated to phone it in with EdTech and apps

That’s quite a simplistic view.

At my former school I was told I MUST incorporate technology into every lesson. If I had students writing by hand and highlighting parts of their paragraph with highlighters, I was told that it would be better on a Google doc. Why? Because it’s always better with technology, as I was told. Never mind my valid reasons for wanting to stick to paper (no AI, no online distractions like games or texting, more tactile lesson, etc).

If I had stuck to my guns and had the students complete the assignment my original way, my observation ratings would tank. So I went with the less effective lesson but wowed my admin with my technology use. Because that’s all that mattered.

So no, we don’t always have the agency you think we do. We are held hostage to the demands of our administration and district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's like if we came to your job and kept complaining to your manager that we keep on getting Mickey as our Happy meal toy when we need Donald Duck. You go back and there is a giant box of Mickey's and no Donald's. Your boss threatens and fires you because your customers keep complaining but the manager is who gets the toys. They fire someone because customer complains but they are complaining of the Managers decision.

That's what it's like when they fire teachers and try to ruin their lives with bad reviews.

The grammar!

[Anonymous]

Well actually it's like this. The rule is if you see something that is a safety concern it must be reported. They call it mandatory reporting. The catch 22 is if you see the crimes go down in your classroom and you report it then teachers might get bad reviews as being "poor managers" and no renewed ( ie pressured to resign) because teachers have the gall to follow rules even if the data might not look good. It further doesn't look good when it reaches the news as the crimes snowball and they find that admin cover things up, make excuses as to why they couldn't call the police. They inevitably will pass the admin on to another 6 fig position and they will give teachers the boot and a messed up evaluation record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is in 8th grade and taking an advanced math class. The class has a lot of demands and while my kid is doing well overall, I'm not seeing much evidence of instruction from the teacher and the apps and classroom management system she uses is quite punitive. My daughter will insist she completed certain assignments but the system, she claims, didn't record that she completed them and records the grade as a zero. I've emailed the teacher about this, and she responds with these very aloof, robotic answers that sound like they're written by AI. "If Larla followed the instructions correctly to turn in her work, then should would have received a grade above zero. Thank you." Another time, DD missed a quiz because of a doctor's appt. The quiz was recorded as a zero. I wrote to the teacher again about this. No reply. Earlier this fall, the kids were invited to sign up for a math competition at a local college. The teacher provided a bad link and never responded when parents asked for the correct link (a few of us who got in touch ended up having to track down the information ourselves).

It's been unnerving, to say the least. I think the teacher just DGAF. She seems to be resorting to more of a facilitator than an actual educator. I've had more human interactions while taking asynchronous online classes with instructors on the other side of the country than from this teacher my kid sees every day, in person.

The last straw? Last week she sent out an email saying the students could take a certain quiz one day after school. Well, several kids including DD showed up to the classroom, but no one was there. Turns out they were supposed to take it online. Now all these kids have zeros. I wrote to her and again, I received this rigid response. Nothing admitting that she did not bother telling the kids exactly how to take the test. Should I complain to the principal or is that just going to light fires and cause problems for my kid? I get it, they're all resorting to apps and online communication and we're stuck with it. But if you don't want to treat the kids as human beings and help correct things for them, then find another job.

This sounds like a few MS teachers. This could have been DC’s science teacher this year. She doesn’t teach much at all, just refers them to do Gizmo, or a Kahoot, or an EdPuzzle, watch a video, etc.

+1 That’s our DCs whole MS experience. Very little lecture or teaching at all. Just a Gizmo, tons of Kahoot, lots of Wayground, Amoeba sisters vids, teacher vids from 2020, worksheets with no textbook yet told no Google searches —they literally have nothing to go off of, Ed Puzzles to ad nauseam, worksheets, Google slides, etc. It’s like the teachers don’t know how to lecture or they don’t know the material themselves.

This!

[Anonymous]

I remember playing Oregon Trail in elementary school and that was suppose to teach us about Westward Expansion and prairy life. We learned nothing except how to hunt buffalo with arrow keys and a space bar. We would have learned more by watching a movie and answering a few though provoking questions.

It's like hey kids we're going to learn cell biology by playing 45 minutes of pacman. Pacman is a white blood cell and the dots are nutrients and the ghosts are bacteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember playing Oregon Trail in elementary school and that was suppose to teach us about Westward Expansion and prairy life. We learned nothing except how to hunt buffalo with arrow keys and a space bar. We would have learned more by watching a movie and answering a few though provoking questions.

It's like hey kids we're going to learn cell biology by playing 45 minutes of pacman. Pacman is a white blood cell and the dots are nutrients and the ghosts are bacteria.

We only played Oregon Trail in afterschool care. I don’t recall playing it regularly during the school day. However, I will forever remember how dangerous fording a river in a wagon was and how dysentery could take out a whole family!

[Anonymous]

I will agree that the narrative is that teachers have agency. It's a good narrative for the powers in control because if there are no cameras in classrooms and just admins word against teachers then they can say anything. Saying that teachers have all the agency is a way for all the stake holders that should be supporting teachers to just blame teachers. This is why many of us are warning undergrads of the systemic corruption that make the job unsustainable and impossible. There are no checks and balances, our union is just for show and not only do we get no support but we actively get blamed for everything because there always has to be a reason for the poor quality of education. It's the teachers fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's like if we came to your job and kept complaining to your manager that we keep on getting Mickey as our Happy meal toy when we need Donald Duck. You go back and there is a giant box of Mickey's and no Donald's. Your boss threatens and fires you because your customers keep complaining but the manager is who gets the toys. They fire someone because customer complains but they are complaining of the Managers decision.

That's what it's like when they fire teachers and try to ruin their lives with bad reviews.

No it’s not. Teachers have some agency in how they teach the curriculum. They aren’t mandated to phone it in with EdTech and apps

What curriculum? It is ridiculous schools have moved away from physical math textbooks and workbooks. So many students benefit from direct instruction in math with worked examples, which are several problems worked out and the steps methodically explained often in different colors. So if a student was absent, wasn't paying attention, didn't understand they could go home and figure out how to do the homework and in class work. Parents and students would know what topic the lesson was on, what the previous and next lesson was on. Answers to the odd questions were often in the back so that a student could do some problems and make sure they were solving the problems correctly. Teachers would have a teachers' guide so a new teacher or a teacher that was teaching different lessons wouldn't have to spend so much time planning and creating a curriculum. More experienced teachers could supplement or change some things around but would still have a base to fall back on.

Instead math teachers are given an online program and/or are expected to create their own lessons. They are told not to guide students but be on the side encouraging them in a "productive struggle". Students in groups are supposed to figure out and invent solutions and algorithms. Teachers are told the district purchased online programs so someone is often tracking how often it is being used.

So the OP can take it to the principal but first OP needs to think about these questions:

1) Have your kid actually show you the online system and where she allegedly turned in work on time. Everything is time stamped. If you haven't bothered to do this, you have been wasting the teachers time.

2) Where are the emails your child first sent to the teacher? You say you emailed the teacher, but you are not taking the class. Your child needs to be the one emailing FIRST. If there is no response or it is inadequate, then you step in. A student email is much more effective if they can truthfully write something like: Teacher, after meeting with you on this date at this time to discuss why my assignments are getting zeros when I have been turning them in, I am still confused. I followed your instruction too ...., and it is still .....". If there is no response then you can take it higher because then there is proof your child tried discussing with the teacher and tried emailing.

3) If your child is doing well (you write, " my kid is doing well overall"), the school is going to come back with - then what is the problem or issue if your child is thriving?

3) What is the math curriculum that is used a that school and that class level? Is it a textbook, an online program, a collection of nebulous resources that varies by teacher?

4) What is the math progression in high school? OP writes she is in 8th grade in an advanced math class. Is that Honors 8 math? Algebra or Geometry or Algebra 2? Math 1 or 2? An accelerated 8th grade / Math 1 or 2 class? Will your child be using the same math progression in the high school your child is attending.

5) The reason many Asian students do so well is their parents understand math is a progression. Additionally practice and lessons in math is going to help prepare and pre-teach a child how to do well in a class like Algebra so they are 100% solid for higher level math. If the school isn't doing a good job teaching math, they supplement (and some will supplement regardless).

[Anonymous]

Textbooks are forbidden even though there is a giant closet full of them. It's as if if we used books they wouldn't be able to get away with the kids just surfing their phones all day. When textbooks are banned they can say" all those kids are not playing video games and doing tiktok, they are studying their online resources".

[Anonymous]

Could be worse. I sub in California and about half of the math classes here in middle schools do not have a permanent teacher. They do it all online on Chromebooks. One girl didn't know 2x6. Concerning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could be worse. I sub in California and about half of the math classes here in middle schools do not have a permanent teacher. They do it all online on Chromebooks. One girl didn't know 2x6. Concerning.

It’s like watching the fall of Rome.

[Anonymous]

I see Jeff Steel on the main page is pointing out corruption and anti war rhetoric. It seems like he fights for worthy causes. I don't know why he takes a position defending the corruption in education by blocking teachers who speak out.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The same teacher took it pretty far this week. My kid had a medical appointment the took up the entire day. We didn’t get home until late snd no, I wasn’t going to have DD stay up all night to catch up. That’s stupid. The doc office provided an absence note on letterhead and I even called the principal in advance to let her know DD had this appointment and she would be behind on a few things.

Well, the teacher gave her a zero on the assignment anyway, and the online system states the assignment was due two days later. She still gave her a zero, and DD’s average fell. I emailed the teacher who wrote, “Assignments are due on the due date stated.” That’s it. I reached out to the principal to let her know what’s going on. You don’t screw with a kid’s grades because they had a doc appointment. What kind of person is this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The same teacher took it pretty far this week. My kid had a medical appointment the took up the entire day. We didn’t get home until late snd no, I wasn’t going to have DD stay up all night to catch up. That’s stupid. The doc office provided an absence note on letterhead and I even called the principal in advance to let her know DD had this appointment and she would be behind on a few things.

Well, the teacher gave her a zero on the assignment anyway, and the online system states the assignment was due two days later. She still gave her a zero, and DD’s average fell. I emailed the teacher who wrote, “Assignments are due on the due date stated.” That’s it. I reached out to the principal to let her know what’s going on. You don’t screw with a kid’s grades because they had a doc appointment. What kind of person is this.

Something about your story doesn’t add up. She gave her a zero even though the assignment wasn’t due until two days later?

Also, I don’t believe that you’re calling the principal in advance about a simple absence. Seriously. That’s just not done. There’s an attendance secretary for a reason. That isn’t the principal’s job. Why would you call the principal for something so routine?

And I doubt the teacher said “assignments are due on the due date stated” after a medical absence unless the assignment was a long-term one with a well-advertised due date. In that case, I agree with the teacher.

The story just doesn’t add up.