Are Other Upper School Students at Potomac Not Getting Tests and Papers Back for Weeks at a Time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid at Potomac had this issue and discussed it with me. Pretty similar scenario as OP describes. I encouraged talking to their advisor. Advisor agreed it was unacceptable and counseled kid to go to Virchow. Virchow set up an in person meeting with kid - discussed issue in depth. Virchow was open and receptive, acknowledged it was not okay, and agreed to address issue with teacher. Everything worked out fine. There are proper ways to handle these things and posting on DCUM isn’t it - won’t help your kid one bit.

Plus, OP’s saying she needs to have access to an online record of every grade her kid gets in a class is absurd unless she has reason not to trust her kid. By upper school if you still feel the need, or your kid actually needs, you to watch for every single grade they receive all year long, you have a problem. By upper school a kid needs to have some independence and accountability. One of the strengths of Potomac is their belief that a kid needs to learn to self advocate - and not just with the teacher but all the way to the top - Virchow in this case. Support your kid, give him advice, but let him handle it.

This whole “self advocacy” thing is great in theory, but doesn’t always work. Some kids just aren’t good at it and don’t want to come across in a negative way to a teacher. And to be honest, if a teacher waits until semester’s end to grade pretty much everything, or assigns a different weighting to a grade than a child or parent expects, it often winds up a surprise low grade that the kid/parent doesn’t expect. It looks shady and subjective on the teacher’s part. This has happened to my DC more than once and not fun. Grades have unfortunately become too important to just let pass by and teachers should be able to provide some transparency to the process.

So if your kid wants to be a lawyer, Potomac is great school. If the admin does not respond to their concerns, the students (not the parents) should sue the school. Any student that starts the suit should get a great reference for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid at Potomac had this issue and discussed it with me. Pretty similar scenario as OP describes. I encouraged talking to their advisor. Advisor agreed it was unacceptable and counseled kid to go to Virchow. Virchow set up an in person meeting with kid - discussed issue in depth. Virchow was open and receptive, acknowledged it was not okay, and agreed to address issue with teacher. Everything worked out fine. There are proper ways to handle these things and posting on DCUM isn’t it - won’t help your kid one bit.

Plus, OP’s saying she needs to have access to an online record of every grade her kid gets in a class is absurd unless she has reason not to trust her kid. By upper school if you still feel the need, or your kid actually needs, you to watch for every single grade they receive all year long, you have a problem. By upper school a kid needs to have some independence and accountability. One of the strengths of Potomac is their belief that a kid needs to learn to self advocate - and not just with the teacher but all the way to the top - Virchow in this case. Support your kid, give him advice, but let him handle it.

This whole “self advocacy” thing is great in theory, but doesn’t always work. Some kids just aren’t good at it and don’t want to come across in a negative way to a teacher. And to be honest, if a teacher waits until semester’s end to grade pretty much everything, or assigns a different weighting to a grade than a child or parent expects, it often winds up a surprise low grade that the kid/parent doesn’t expect. It looks shady and subjective on the teacher’s part. This has happened to my DC more than once and not fun. Grades have unfortunately become too important to just let pass by and teachers should be able to provide some transparency to the process.

So if your kid wants to be a lawyer, Potomac is great school. If the admin does not respond to their concerns, the students (not the parents) should sue the school. Any student that starts the suit should get a great reference for college.

They can mention the lawsuit as an explanation for why their grades were less than stellar.

[Anonymous]

Worrying about grades is so boujee!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid at Potomac had this issue and discussed it with me. Pretty similar scenario as OP describes. I encouraged talking to their advisor. Advisor agreed it was unacceptable and counseled kid to go to Virchow. Virchow set up an in person meeting with kid - discussed issue in depth. Virchow was open and receptive, acknowledged it was not okay, and agreed to address issue with teacher. Everything worked out fine. There are proper ways to handle these things and posting on DCUM isn’t it - won’t help your kid one bit.

Plus, OP’s saying she needs to have access to an online record of every grade her kid gets in a class is absurd unless she has reason not to trust her kid. By upper school if you still feel the need, or your kid actually needs, you to watch for every single grade they receive all year long, you have a problem. By upper school a kid needs to have some independence and accountability. One of the strengths of Potomac is their belief that a kid needs to learn to self advocate - and not just with the teacher but all the way to the top - Virchow in this case. Support your kid, give him advice, but let him handle it.

This whole “self advocacy” thing is great in theory, but doesn’t always work. Some kids just aren’t good at it and don’t want to come across in a negative way to a teacher. And to be honest, if a teacher waits until semester’s end to grade pretty much everything, or assigns a different weighting to a grade than a child or parent expects, it often winds up a surprise low grade that the kid/parent doesn’t expect. It looks shady and subjective on the teacher’s part. This has happened to my DC more than once and not fun. Grades have unfortunately become too important to just let pass by and teachers should be able to provide some transparency to the process.

We are at a different school, but I agree with this. When teachers don't return tests or papers, by the time the kids know what their grades are, it is to late to "self-advocate" for anything. Without timely and consistent feedback, most kids think they are doing great and are shocked to learn they aren't. At that point, its just whining to get a grade changed when its too late to improve on future assignments because there won't be any. Teaching is more than just presenting material; it is helping a kid figure out whether or not they are grasping the material by giving feedback on performance so improvement is possible.

[Anonymous]

Well said, PP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idiotic of you to post here. Talk to Virchow, dean of academics. She’s fantastic at advocating for students. Really your kid should talk to her, not you but you sound like you are the type who wants to do it yourself. BTW - tell your kid this is why he had an advisor. He is supposed to take this issue to his advisor not his mommy.

+1
This is also something for your child to figure out (if in fact it’s actually true). I have multiple kids there and just asked them and none have had this issue or know of their friends having it

No, that’s how you may deal with it. If I’m paying $45k+/year, I expect a certain level of professionalism and customer service. That includes timely grading and responsiveness. Once my child addresses this issue with the teacher ONCE, without a response, I’m getting involved. Period.

This is so crass.

Not the pp to whom you judge to condescendingly but This is not crass it is in fact what you are paying for. Are the grandparents footing the bill, do you work, are you a trust fund kid? I work my but off to send 4 kids to private school at $50 k a year that means I have to make 400 k to afford school. You better believe that I expect to at the very least get what I would get at public school. So sick of parents pinching themselves that their kid is in elite private that that don't demand the very basics, e.g. returning homework on time. Not like the kids get any breaks if they turn in papers/homework late.

[Anonymous]

I am most concerned about my DC shutting down in classes where work is not returned a in timely fashion and no matter what they do (extra credit, meeting with teacher) there is no improvement made to the grade, which isn’t known until grading report time. It’s just not right.

[Anonymous]

This sounds like a systemic problem at Potomac. The parents need to step-up and talk to the admin asap. Why is this happening? Sounds like the admin is not doing a good job monitoring the teachers and/or not making the expectations clear. This is for adults to discuss and resolve, not the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like a systemic problem at Potomac. The parents need to step-up and talk to the admin asap. Why is this happening? Sounds like the admin is not doing a good job monitoring the teachers and/or not making the expectations clear. This is for adults to discuss and resolve, not the kids.

Does Potomac have an open gradebook to students? It sounds like no from comments.

Many schools have moved to that model because it puts pressure on teachers to get work back and provides students with consistent clarity about where they stand.

The earlier comment about it being advertised that grades aren't returned in order to reduce stress on an admissions tour sounds like their admission team spinning what may be a systemic issue.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the kid should just work hard and not go making excuses when s/he doesn't cut it. Go back to public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the kid should just work hard and not go making excuses when s/he doesn't cut it. Go back to public.

Glad you made it out from under your bridge.

[Anonymous]

It was that or whine that life is hard and no one is catering too me just because I pay tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idiotic of you to post here. Talk to Virchow, dean of academics. She’s fantastic at advocating for students. Really your kid should talk to her, not you but you sound like you are the type who wants to do it yourself. BTW - tell your kid this is why he had an advisor. He is supposed to take this issue to his advisor not his mommy.

+1
This is also something for your child to figure out (if in fact it’s actually true). I have multiple kids there and just asked them and none have had this issue or know of their friends having it

No, that’s how you may deal with it. If I’m paying $45k+/year, I expect a certain level of professionalism and customer service. That includes timely grading and responsiveness. Once my child addresses this issue with the teacher ONCE, without a response, I’m getting involved. Period.

This is so crass.

Not the pp to whom you judge to condescendingly but This is not crass it is in fact what you are paying for. Are the grandparents footing the bill, do you work, are you a trust fund kid? I work my but off to send 4 kids to private school at $50 k a year that means I have to make 400 k to afford school. You better believe that I expect to at the very least get what I would get at public school. So sick of parents pinching themselves that their kid is in elite private that that don't demand the very basics, e.g. returning homework on time. Not like the kids get any breaks if they turn in papers/homework late.

It is butt not but.

[Anonymous]

They do not have an online grade book and have never gave a great explanation as to why not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the kid should just work hard and not go making excuses when s/he doesn't cut it. Go back to public.

Spoken like a true lifer parent who doesn’t know better and just wants to maintain the status quo.