My Next Email
By Jules at Mean Girl Garage
One of the worst things about teaching is dealing with unrealistic parents. Right now, I am dealing with quite a few of them. This week I had to deal with one of the worst. Their daughter is developmentally handicapped. She is reading and understanding things on a 2nd grade level. I teach 5th grade. The parents know this but either don’t want to accept it or don’t really understand it.
Let me go back before I go forward. Every year a student who is in the special education program meets with the pertinent people to update her IEP (Individualized Education Plan.) Last year, at this student’s IEP meeting, the mother asked the school psychologist how long it would take for her daughter’s IQ to reach a normal range (91-110.) Um……your daughter’s IQ is 65. It will never reach a normal range.
This past fall, following everything on her IEP, she failed a test in my class, science. However, I do not make my tests count for a ton of points. She still passed my class with a C. This is good for her.
Her mom harped on me about this stupid test. She thought her daughter should have been able to take the test again. When I graded the test, I circled the correct answers. She couldn’t take the test again. And I don’t give my tests again. I asked my principal. She said it was up to me. I asked the Special Education Supervisor. She felt I did everything ok.
I know. You’re wondering why I didn’t ask my special education teacher. I didn’t because she’s a waste of space. She gives kids the answers. She told another teacher and I that up until this year, when we are entering grades online and parents can see them, that she would just think that a kid was doing around B-ish work and write down a B on his report card. She never even took grades. I had to ask her for two months to make copies of my students IEPs. She finally gave them to me at the end of September. And at the end of October, she asked me for the 5th grade Content Standards. They are in the same books as all of the other grades’ Standards. Where is she pulling what she’s teaching? So she had already been down my throat about giving this child a make up test.
Obviously, these parents were used to seeing all As and Bs. That’s what the special education teacher had done. I, on the other hand, actually take grades. I write them down. I average them. What a new concept.
On Tuesday, the school nurse stopped me in the hall and informed me that there was a rumor that she heard. THIS mother and another mother had told her that I had been fired. The school nurse told both of them to stop that rumor immediately. It wasn’t true. I laughed. It takes awhile to fire a teacher. The district has to put the teacher on a plan, observe them, meet with them regularly. There’s a lot involved. And I have had great evaluations. There is a teacher in my building getting fired, but not me.
On Wednesday, I had to email this parent. She had asked that when we start a new chapter to let her know. I had given her the science book on CD so that her daughter could listen to it at home. I emailed her giving her the breakdown of what we’d be doing for the next two weeks. I told her the two main concepts that I expected her daughter to know. I also told her that even though her daughter would take the test so she could get exposure to the way the state writes questions (we have a state mandated test in the spring), I wouldn’t count the test towards her daughter’s grade.
She emailed me back asking when the study guide would go home because her daughter would need extra time to study.
WTF? She didn’t thank me for outlining what I’m doing with her. She obviously didn’t see that the test isn’t counting for a grade. She wants to know when the stupid study guide is going home? What is wrong with you, Lady? You’re spreading rumors about me all over town, you gave me a blanket at Christmas with my name spelled wrong, and all you care about is when is the stupid study guide going home?
Screw you. For real. It’ll come home two weeks before the test.
That’s what my next email to her will say.
Wow. I can't imagine what's it's like to always be on the hook for student's lives. I mean if YOU'RE not going to fix every child then who will? Snort.
ReplyDeleteAren't people just amazing?! I think it is a dis-service to the special needs children when teachers are just passing them along to "just get them through", but it only hurt them. A lot of these children are bright in some areas and no so in others, they do have the capability to learn some, but no always all things. Parents are just as bad. This mother is showing that she wants to look like she cares, but truly doesn't. My hat is off to those who choose and enjoy teaching. They are the ones that make a difference and will be remember for good, unlike those that see teaching as "just a job"!
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