Is it possible it isn’t the right class? I’m a teacher of several advanced courses and I usually have one kid each year who should not be in the class. It’s usually apparent in the first two weeks due to engagement, homework completion, etc. I have a student right now who shouldn’t be in one of my AP classes and spoke to family but they rejected that their kid has any issue. This is usually only 1 or 2 students out of 125 each year, so i would say it’s probably more likely that the teacher is a bit of a jerk.

If this teacher actually said “maybe this isn’t the right class for you” in front of others, that is unacceptable. It’s unkind, harmful and counterproductive. That alone warrants you getting involved.
That’s assuming this was an accurate retelling… Dig a little deeper there, just in case.
I really get that you want to teach your child to handle this, but this is also an opportunity to show your child that you are there as an advocate.
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.
- teacher

My teen is experiencing something similar -- she was out sick for a week, and when she had trouble with the next test (she had made up all the work by then, using materials the teacher provided) she went into office hours for help with the questions she got wrong. At one point the teacher said something along the lines of "I don't understand why you don't get this" and wouldn't go through the problem again or answer further questions. DD had also previously complained that the teacher will often tell them the answer rather than show/prompt how to find the answer.

Family conferences were a week or so later, so I looked for an opportunity to bring it up with her advisor, but in a way that allowed DD to share the experience. The advisor was surprised by the teacher's behavior (as reported) and promised to follow-up with the math teacher. DD now needs to check-in with the advisor for further follow-up. I don't know if there will be changes or if we need to escalate further (and if so, whether DD will want to). DD is at a private school that places a lot of emphasis on seeking help/advocating for yourself, and while she sometimes needs nudging to ask for help, she usually is a pretty good self-advocate, but teenagers don't necessarily know how to work around every obstacle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What level math is it? I would have DC email teacher and ask if there is a day that they could meet during lunch to review. Does your DC have friends in the class? Sometimes getting a study group together to work on assignments can help all of the kids learn things they're missing. Get a group of 4 to work on assignments together during lunch or after school via FaceTime. Also, everything is on YouTube.

Please do not ask a teacher to sacrifice their break/lunch time. There are better times for this and most schools have designated times for seeking extra help.

PP, at our school, lunchtime teacher office hours *is* the designated time. If your child's school doesn't have this, they should insert the appropriate time into their request.

One year DD had a horrible teacher (her opinion anyway) and DD would basically teach herself. She stayed one topic ahead so when teacher taught, it was review. And DD could ask good questions. Get a tutor for this if your child can't learn this way on her own.

Agree with getting a copy of the text book. This year and going forward.

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of the teacher response, “maybe this isn’t the right class for you” in response to kids struggling or asking for help. Shouldn’t challenging material require some of a struggle / extra effort?? That response from the teacher - which my kids also encountered, always in math btw - is the opposite of the resilience-building we are encouraged to foster in kids. I think most teachers have given up doing all but the minimum. So sadly OP, yes I think you need to help your kid find khan academy videos and use the peer tutoring centering (which is very hit or miss at our school).

This happened to my daughter. She got 100s in regular math classes (obviously not challenged enough there), but the honors teacher/chair of the math department would not allow her to stay in honors classes after getting a high 60s on the two assessment exams in the first two weeks. There was zero interest in helping her meet the challenge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What level math is it? I would have DC email teacher and ask if there is a day that they could meet during lunch to review. Does your DC have friends in the class? Sometimes getting a study group together to work on assignments can help all of the kids learn things they're missing. Get a group of 4 to work on assignments together during lunch or after school via FaceTime. Also, everything is on YouTube.

Please do not ask a teacher to sacrifice their break/lunch time. There are better times for this and most schools have designated times for seeking extra help.

In our school district it is during lunch (lunch is 1 hour long and teachers only receive 30 min. The other 30 min is reserved for tutoring or clubs)

Anonymous wrote:DC is struggling to get help in a HS math class. DC is prone to anxiety, particularly in math, but shown some growth in getting out of their comfort zone in asking for help from the teacher. My question is what advice would you give to get help from a teacher who, when asked how to do a problem, says things like "I already explained that" or "maybe this is not the right math class for you" instead of answering the question. This apparently been said to multiple kids, not just mine. Strict or tough teachers are part of life and I've discussed that with my DC along with giving some advice. But personally (not discussed with DC, mainly just venting here) I feel that this type of response is unusually harsh, does nothing to help my kid learn, has increased DC's anxiety around math, and discouraged DC from asking for much needed help. DC can't switch teachers for the rest of the year unfortunately. I haven't reached out to the teacher nor do I really want to as I'd like to let DC learn how to handle this. Any advice I could give DC?

Btdt. My DC is at the top ranked NOVA high school, and the AP chem teacher is known to be awful that way. She is the worst. And fake nice on top of it. Get a tutor.