Families, do you trust your teachers to take education seriously?

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

P
Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
P
Pp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

P
Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
P
Pp

Sounds like you need to do a better job monitoring and supporting your kid as well. Teachers have 150 students. You have one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I am concerned by the times that I've seen purported educators on DCUM state that they:

1) don't listen to education research

2) don't believe that learning loss is happening

3) deny science.


It makes me worried about the public education my kids are receiving. My hope is just to weed out the bad information the teachers might provide in school.

As a scientist in virology and related fields, opening schools now is crazy.
Learning loss is not as bad as you imagine it to be.
Death is irreversible. Temporary gaps in knowledge and socialization are reversible.

x1000

[Anonymous]

All the whole European schools stayed open (until recently with the variants). People: use some common sense. As if the Europeans love their kids any less. So many PhDs here but no one with any common sense...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

P
Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
P
Pp

Sounds like you need to do a better job monitoring and supporting your kid as well. Teachers have 150 students. You have one.

Does the Union offer the same media training class in victim blaming?

[Anonymous]

Yes, the Union leaders wrote the book on victim blaming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, the Union leaders wrote the book on victim blaming.

Parents: Unions are ruining my life! All they do is complain and act in their own self interest.
Parents: Have zero self awareness or ability to reflect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, the Union leaders wrote the book on victim blaming.

Parents: Unions are ruining my life! All they do is complain and act in their own self interest.
Parents: Have zero self awareness or ability to reflect.

But let's be real....that parent described a scenario in which the kid advocated for themselves, and the teacher was actually wrong, but the teacher still shamed the kid and I'm pretty sure did something to violate the kid's IEP.

And then someone came in and said it was the parent's fault.

DCUM: the most bile-filled people on the internet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

P
Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
P
Pp

Sounds like you need to do a better job monitoring and supporting your kid as well. Teachers have 150 students. You have one.

Clearly this is just an attempt to rile the poster up, because obviously the kid didn't actually do anything wrong. The teacher f'd up, more than once--being rude, ignoring a 504, messing up the grading, and not apologizing. And yet, just like a public school teacher, here you are casting the blame on a parent for...what? The assignment was turned in. A polite email was sent. What would you expect a parent to do differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

P
Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
P
Pp

Wtf!? What an incredibly unprofessional response by the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

P
Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
P
Pp

Sounds like you need to do a better job monitoring and supporting your kid as well. Teachers have 150 students. You have one.

1. My kid is in high school with a 504 plan that lays out the steps for her to gain self advocacy skills because in 2 years I won’t be in college with her. It isn’t appropriate for me to monitor and check completeness of each assignment. When parents do that, teachers should we helicopter. Plus, she has an EF coach she checks in with everyday. And she is learning from my basement. I helped her write an appropriate email and check her 504 for how to handle the situation. How much more do you want me to monitor a now 16 year old? This isn’t first grade.

2. No amount of monitoring would have helped. The teacher entered the grade with the wrong title. And the teacher made a mistake and missed her assignment that had been there since it was due. Seems like the teacher is the one who needs monitoring. Not my kid who did everything right.

[Anonymous]

What a stupid question. Teachers eat, sleep, and breathe education. They burn out quickly because they take it too seriously sometimes. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the education is any good, especially in big counties like Fairfax, where all the important decisions are made by higher ups who never set foot in a classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, the Union leaders wrote the book on victim blaming.

Parents: Unions are ruining my life! All they do is complain and act in their own self interest.
Parents: Have zero self awareness or ability to reflect.

I’m reflecting. Here’s where I landed. My kid did absolutely nothing wrong. The assignment was in the right place, turned in before it was due. Ultimately got an A. When there appeared to be a problem, shee wrote a polite email, advocating for her 504 accommodations.

The teacher was 100% wrong. He shot off a nasty email without checking first to make sure it wasn’t his error. At a minimum, he could have responded more appropriately. And then he doubled down: with DH, then with me, the. With the counselor, until we needed a meeting with the AP and DD handing in proof of submission for him to say: oppps, my bad. (She screen shots and files submissions because ADH).

What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a HS kid, so here goes. In classes 7-8 teachers (all of whom I’ve observed at some points his year). Half are going to do a great job. 1/4 are going to half ass it but meet minimal standards of competence. And 1-2 are going to be miserable beyatches or bastards. Do a full nine weeks with no grades in SIS, be mean and unapproachable
No show student meeting and teach in a mediocre way even after COVID. They won’t even try to makedistance learning work. Because it’s new and hard.

BTW— I have found in MS and HS where you get a range of teachers, this is usually the case. Out of 7, 4ish are great, 2ish are very meh, but in minor ways and show lack of effort or a hint of snark that don’t warrant a principal referral. And there is always one of these disasters.

For example. My kid had an ADHD 504. She gets, per the 504, 3 school day to turn in small missing assignments for up to 80%— after she is told they are missing. Emailing her is fine. Posting a zero in Gradebook is fine. Doesn’t matter, but she can’t fix a problem she doesn’t think exists.

Her teacher is any-grading and anti posting grades. So her first grade in his class this year was a zero from week 1 of school that posed 7 weeks into the quarter (less than a week before the end). She was new to him. No prior contact. No mistakes.

DD send a polite email that I reviewed that said


Dear Mr.Xxx. The grades for assignment Xxxx just posted and I see mine is missing. But, I’ve looked for an hour and I can’t find the missing assignment in Google Drove.. My 504 plan (attached) gives me until Tuesday to submit it for 80% credit. Could you please tell me where to find the assignment so that I can get it in.” Not perfect. But not bad for a 15 year old with panic attacks.

His email back to her (a kid in DL he had never, who had never missed a minute of class and had no prior missing assignment) started with:

X, I am incredibly disappointed in you. You had ample time to do the assignment in class and seven weeks to make it up (she didn’t know it was missing genius!). 504s are designed for you to goof off instead of working, and up you should be ashamed of using to get out of the consequences of refusing to work.

Sit there. Think about what you have done, amd reply by the end of the day with an appropriate response.

He still didn’t tell her what the assignment was and I though pt her response was appropriate for 10th grade. And did I mention her 504 is also for anxiety and that self advocacy with teachers is a 504 goal?

We then took over from the sobbing kid. 4 emails later, we discovered in a meeting that now included the Asst VP, counselor and teacher that DD had DONE THE ASSIGNMENT, was missing nothing for that class and had had date stamped LMS proof it was turned in on time and the teacher has :1. had called the assignment one thing and entered it in SIS with a different title and 2. Missed the fact the assignment was completed by DD on time.

This is our a**hole teacher. And he will still be an a**hole in the classroom. And I will never trust him with my kid. He certainly never apologized to her, admitted his mistake and tried to repair the relationship.

I don’t trust teachers less, exactly. But my vision is clearer. They are there to do a job for money. I’m a Fed, so I have an agency mission. I work paid for weeks at a time during shutdown, because we provide a vital service.

I thought teachers had a sense of mission too. I was wrong. They aren’t essential and they aren’t their for kids— or their communities in general. They are there for a paycheck. So on a personal level, Imtust them less.

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Professionally, I think COVID has exacerbated differences. The great teachers are mostly still great— and putting in more hours than ever to make it work. The a**holes who don’t seem to like kids will be a**holes at school or in DL— but it’s easier to amd I catch and document in DL. My days of blind trust and lattes gist crtpetrifiatee sms coupons from Startnicpuks are over.
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Sounds like you need to do a better job monitoring and supporting your kid as well. Teachers have 150 students. You have one.

1. My kid is in high school with a 504 plan that lays out the steps for her to gain self advocacy skills because in 2 years I won’t be in college with her. It isn’t appropriate for me to monitor and check completeness of each assignment. When parents do that, teachers should we helicopter. Plus, she has an EF coach she checks in with everyday. And she is learning from my basement. I helped her write an appropriate email and check her 504 for how to handle the situation. How much more do you want me to monitor a now 16 year old? This isn’t first grade.

2. No amount of monitoring would have helped. The teacher entered the grade with the wrong title. And the teacher made a mistake and missed her assignment that had been there since it was due. Seems like the teacher is the one who needs monitoring. Not my kid who did everything right.

Don't bother arguing with the trolls. You don't owe anyone an explanation. Some teachers are great and some are awful. Like every profession.