Reply to How to address biased HS teacher

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DC has a teacher with known conservative views on many social issues (pro-choice, against gay marriage, aligned with groups that do not believe in affirmative action or kids who are trans using their preferred gender bathroom) based on previous advocacy work.

This year DC wrote what we thought was an excellent paper related to about a particular historical moment in the LGBT rights movement, and got a poor grade. When she got the rubric and grading back many items that were marked off did not make any sense. When she tried to inquire with the teacher the teacher was very defensive and kept coming back to the point that the teacher did not agree with the thesis. The teacher also came down on DC for not presenting the other view point which is that LGBT rights are not a good thing. DC did mention that there is opposition from some groups, especially religious groups, but it was not half her paper because the assignment was not to present all sides of an issue but to pick a moment and make an argument about it. One of my good friends is a HS teacher and read the assignment and paper and was shocked about the grade and thought this needed to be brought up to the administration.

We are not sure what to advise DC to do next if anything. Is this something you would bring up and how would you do it? Would you go to the teacher first? The department head or the principal? This is a public school.[/quote]

You think the paper is wonderful because it represents your point of view and you feel that you are proving to the teacher she is wrong. The paper in fact could suck.  Just depends. Does the rubric say to provide opposing viewpoints and explain them?  Refute them?  Teens' ideas of refuting an argument can be based on feelings but maybe the point was to refute the arguments with actual facts and citations. Even so they might pick the wrong facts that don't actually refute argument. It's still a learning process.

Your friend of course is going to tell you the paper is brilliant even if she doesn't think so.

Other posters are right, you and your DD just want the teacher to be wrong.  It's a waste of time. Don't teach your kid this kind of nonsense. They don't need to try and fix the teachers view points. That's not her responsibility and it's not even possible. Do your kid a favor and just tell them yeah this wasn't the right approach, learn to tread your audience, and don't waste any more time on this.[/quote]

WHAT KIND OF BS REPSONSE IS THIS? ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME?? Are you really saying that kids should be treading lightly around their teachers personal belief systems instead of trying to learn, meet the grading rubric, and succeed based on the merits of the assignment? In high school none the less? You are ridiculous. [/quote]

Because it is very likely that it is not the teacher bias but as other posters have already pointed out it is the failure to include the counter argument and properly explain it.  That is the point of the assignment and if it isn't done, that's going to lower the grade.  The best approach if the student really wants to work through the issue, is to sit down with the teacher and have the teacher explain the reasoning for the grade, the student to LISTEN and not defend, take notes and then read back to the teacher what the issue was to confirm their understanding.  [/quote]

A well written essay supporting segregation might not be well received either without the other viewpoint.   [/quote]

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