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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Dear teachers, in case you didn't know, students talk amongst themselves. So when the highest grade in an non-honors class is a B- and majority of the class are Cs and Ds, maybe question if there is anything wrong with the way you teach. [/quote]

I'm a teacher and I agree.  If it's honors, OK, they signed up for something demanding.  But if it's not, then there is something wrong if the average grade isn't at least in the low B's, high C's.  [/quote]

My child has a language-based learning disability, so she signed up for a regular English class this year (she does not receive IEP service hours during Engliah, but is instead monitored through her Strats class).

She tells me all the time how bad she feels for the teacher of that class. From what she can tell, at least 2/3 of the class are English learners, and she suspects that almost everyone else in the class has an IEP. She said at least 10%-20% of the class is absent each day, and the teacher has to give at least 20 reminders every day to make students close games on their computers or phones.

On a regular basis, she hears the other kids in the class say things such as:
"I don't do writing."
"I don't do projects."
"I'm not reading that book, story, poem, etc."
"I don't care if I fail."

How could grades possibly be a B average in an ENGLISH class if there are students who refuse to read, write, or do projects?

How could grades possibly be a B average if almost everyone in the class is learning English or has an IEP ?

How could grades possibly be a B average if 10%-20% of the class misses the class every day?

If my daughter's observations are correct, I feel bad for the teacher too. How discouraging to teach a class where the students refuse to engage. How do you teach kids ENGLISH if they refuse to read or write?

By the way, my son had this same English teacher two years ago, and she was a wonderful teacher. My son consistently reports that this teacher was one of the two best teachers he has had through all of school. He was also in a standard English class but his class was more typical than the one my daughter seems to be in this year.[/quote]

She probably IS a great teacher which is why they have her a high needs class like this. The better the teacher you are, the harder the classes they give you because they know you can handle it. Parents think the good teachers are in the honors/AP classes which could not be more wrong. That’s where they stick the men who can’t do anything besides lecture and give notes because they assume the kids will be fine either way.

That being said, the best best teacher can’t magically out-teach phones and Chromebook games and general torpor among the students. I teach a class similar to the one your daughter is in and my gradebook and general environment probably looks very similar.  The kids who care are making immense progress and learning a lot. The kids who don’t - there’s basically not a thing in the world I or anyone else can do to encourage them to care about their own education. [/quote]

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