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[quote=Anonymous][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]

I'm a teacher and your daughter's observations are absolutely correct. Don't be surprised if the teacher is done after this year. I'm sure she'll get all kinds of pressure and useless suggestions from her administrator after half the class scores below 350 on the SOL. [/quote]

This is also true in my elective  classes, although "only" a third of students have IEPs and 504s. I even have students sitting right in front of me who play videogames on their phones class after class. Admin wants them to pass and frowns on us telling them to drop the class and go find something better to do with their time. They have all been pushed into this class to "impress colleges" so none of them wants to be there. Most of them are years-behind in my subject despite taking it at an "advanced" level so the class is extraordinarily dumbed down because our hands are tied.

This occasionally happens even in AP because we have open enrollment, but the on-level classes are particularly painful to teach. I have a choice between delivering the material and spending virtually all my time telling students to put phones away and pick their head up from their desk, telling kids to listen, or issuing bathroom passes and monitoring who is coming and going, and why isn't so and so back despite being gone 15 minutes because I have four students asking to go to the bathroom and I have to manage the bathroom line.

I came from the private sector, thinking this would be a rewarding career albeit low paid. Heading back to the private sector very soon.[/quote]

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