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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP can you give us the TL;DR version of your question for us?[/quote]

This is the best I can do:

How should I gently suggest to the teacher in upcoming PTC that being a harsh grader - while at the same time telling students they should be there because they love Japanese and not because they want a good grade - is causing more harm to my kid than helping?

Why is caring about grades an inherently bad thing?

[b]How can my kid demonstrate that he's doing what the teacher asked when he follows the rubric for a graded essay but still makes an 86?[/b][/quote]

OK, this is problematic. The truth is, he may just be a bad teacher. You can complain diplomatically, by all means, but if he's not the brightest bulb, he's never going to get it. [b]I think what might be more helpful is for your kid to request a meeting with him to go over why he thought he checked all the stuff from the rubric, but still lost points. Your kid will need to pay close attention to the teacher's explanation, because the tone will tell him just as much as the words. If the teacher is amenable to flattery, and your kid has savvy social skills, he might be able to get some points back (life lesson!).
[/b]
Kids can tell when teachers are in the wrong and just don't want to admit it. My daughter witnessed her Spanish teacher unfairly take off points from a classmate because she "seemed anxious when presenting". My daughter could hear every word she said and it was all correct according to the rubric, so her classmate should have gotten all the points, like my daughter did.

You can also request a meeting with the counselor, and ask whether this teacher has had complaints before. Ask other parents too.

Most teachers are honest and willing to discuss material with students, but there will be a few who just aren't. It sucks when you land on one. My oldest, in college now, had a terrible math teacher in senior year, who created a ton of unnecessary stress right during college applications. My daughter hasn't had such a terrible experience (she's in 9th grade), but we told her it might still happen.

All this is a life lesson in the things you can control vs the things you cannot control. Tell your kid to hang in there, and if you suspect he's a little weak in the actual language skills, get him a tutor.
[/quote]

Great advice, thank you. I did suggest to my kid the bolded above and will again suggest to him that may be the best course of action here.

I generally don't do teacher conferences any longer, but in this case I probably should to get a better read on what is motivating this teacher. It probably comes from a good place, but I can sense my kid is getting a little frustrated with him.
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