Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Advice needed on very difficult teacher

This is an important life skill, because sometimes papers... wait, what are papers again?

Papers are those flat things people used to staple back in the olden days.

Okay, what's a staple?

Oh yeah, I remember... like meat, grains, and vegetables.

Paper was a real office staple way back when.

I think this teacher missed her calling in the military.

I had a chance to perform a randomized study of stapling today. My results suggest that staples parallel to the top edge (A) and placed a random distance from the top results in the most efficient paper stacking. Staples parallel to the side (B) tend to be placed more conservatively towards the edge with a reduced variation of placement and thus an increased stacking depth at staple overlap. Diagonal stapling (C) has less variation in placement but more variation as expressed in minutes of rotation from forty-five degrees resulting in consistently the largest paper stack thickness.

Sample size:
n of (A) = 14
n of (B) = 0
n of (C) = 0

Studies of friction in each direction were not studied to determine mean proportion of stack slide.

On an unrelated note, the coefficient of friction of a corn cob is somewhere around 0.83154

Oh, I don't think so...

Hi, Val,
Sorry if I missed this up-thread (I read some of it earlier but we're up to 9 pages now!), but if the teacher is this particular it must have come to the attention of other parents as well, I would think. Have you had the opportunity to discuss this with anyone else--because that might be helpful. (On the other hand, perhaps it would be tricky if your kid is working far ahead of others, but still--the staples?? I would think most parents would find that ridiculous, at least in private.) Also I would imagine somebody who is this picky about what the students are doing might also have rubbed her colleagues the wrong way as well. It would be nice if teachers like this faced some pressure--social or from people higher up the scholastic food chain--to be more reasonable.

I think all this is just a big cover up for making sure all kids perform as AVERAGE in the end. Those ahead will lose points for redundant work. Those behind will gain points by doing the redundant work. It all confirms that schools want the kids to perform at the same level ... this is the perfect way to balance out the kids' results!

And personally, I prefer vertical staples close to the edge ... make it easier for me to make photocopies without taking out the staples or tearing the papers!

I would report the teacher saying that she isn't taking her meds.