Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy HELP! Need advice about teacher

I may be posting this in the wrong spot, so I apologize. It is my first post, and I am trying to get some ideas on how to handle this situation. My DD went to a Montessori school for PreK and Kindergarten. She is now in 1st (she is 7 yro). She has had all Os and was well above average in most of her standardized testing. She is really only challenged (a bit) in spelling because that wasn't a priority until now. I have found that on average she can miss 5 questions and still get an O. I realized one day that a word that both the teacher and I thought she spelled wrong was actually correct (Smiling- her 2nd i was long, but it had a dot). When I asked the teacher if this would make a difference, would it need to be corrected, the teacher insisted that it wasn't a big deal. After she received an S on her report card, the teacher reevaluated the grades and gave her the 1 point (2%) and she got her O. This go around she was on task at midterm, she had mid to high 90s in everything but spelling. So we focused on that, she didn't miss any the second half (I think I helped her study on three days in 4 1/2 weeks) She comes home with an S in science So I go online to see what her grades were, because she wasn't bringing home bad grades. She brought home one test/quiz, and it was 7 out of 8 points. WELL...that was her WHOLE GRADE for the whole 9 weeks! I am going to go in tomorrow and ask how they can base 9 weeks worth of learning on 8 points. FYI- the 1 point she missed is because she said 'The teacher told us 1 of the choices had to be wrong' It was a multiple choice question with all correct answers. I can't very well go on hearsay, BUT I can be upset that my child's grade was based on 8 points, right? And to just clarify...I am not so much upset about the grades as I am that she hasn't really learned anything. Yes a little history, and a little in spelling, but she has 100% in her extended math, and they were suppose to be doing something with her with extended reading. They assigned her a book report of her choosing, a biography. She chose JFK. She is getting credit for that, but it isn't really work. I think we worked on it for about 3 days. How do I approach this teacher when she said to me 'She is trying as hard as she can' and 'An S isn't a bad grade' even though she doesn't understand that the work is BORING HER. The one day last year, she woke up and was on the verge of tears because she said she was SO BORED, that was before they pulled her out for Math, and now that is the only happy part of her day

So which is important to you: a 9-wk "grade" in 1st or whether your child is learning at the level she needs?

I'd advise you to choose your focus and pursue that. Keeping your real goals in mind will get you further.

It doesn't take getting perfect grades to be bored in class. In fact my son is very good at dong just the opposite. The more bored he is the worse his grades and assessments got.

I agree with HappilyMom, you should be focusing on how bored she is in school and not about the details of her "grades". One word on a spelling testing isn't going to make or break anything. Keep in mind that first grade assessments aren't really grades. It's a report to give you an idea how your child is doing next to a set of benchmarks. An S usually just means that a child has MET the standards they are expecting for a given point in the school year, and an 'O' would mean they exceed it. A class like science where there isn't a huge amount of assessment, the teacher might not give any O's. There isn't any prize for getting all 'O's in 1st grade.

The goal is not to find justification to be upset. The goal is to remain calm and show a better way which benefits your child, the teacher, and possibly other kids as well. If you speak to someone, you may wish to approach them in a way which may be seen as helpful within the local norms. A sense of moving forward, having things in perspective, positivity, and facts are often helpful. While in general there is good and bad in everything, a focus on negativity and disappointment may be seen as smacking the oobleck with a spoon and creating an unyielding solid... it works against advocacy.

Many families begin creating a "resume" or portfolio of their children's accomplishments, achievements, and extracurricular activities which may be fun to look back on and may also prove useful when writing essays, applying to other extracurricular programs, etc.

A parent and child learning positive advocacy skills and keeping a collection of the child's achievements can be highly rewarding activities providing benefits now and in the future.