UPDATED Need advice from middle/high school teachers

[formerlyak]

UPDATE: The teacher gave more verbal directions in class today to clarify the project from the weekend. DS did need to change something small, and she let him get his project back and fix it to turn in tomorrow (the original due date). He also sent her an email asking her what he could work on to show he is up for the challenge of honors English next year, as someone here suggested. Hopefully, that will give us some clarity. Going forward, if there are two sets of directions on a multi-day project, he will do what he can and then ask for clarity.

--------------

Original Post:

I know there are a number of teacher on this board, and I am totally at a loss.

DS is in 8th grade honors English. There are three different teachers for this course and DS got the "hard" teacher. She is definitely a tough nut and while the other teachers do the same, coordinated assignments, DS' teacher does a lot of her own stuff (they all have the same syllabus, but the requirements for assignments are different with DS' teacher). All the kids know this about her and kind of buckle up for a ride when they see her name on their schedule.

DS did well first semester and was one of the few who somehow earned an A- from her. Now in second semester, she is all over the place and all the kids, not just mine, are struggling. She gives different directions for the same assignment to all three of the class periods. She will pass out an instruction sheet for an assignment, the kids will follow that, and then she will put different instructions in the online classroom and sometimes she grades based on the info in the online classroom and sometime she grades based on the paper instructions she passed out. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.

She seems to like DS quite a lot and he has worked on outside projects with her with no issues. It's the in-class projects that are really throwing them all for a loop.

I honestly don't care if he gets a B in the class, my concern is that placement in high school honors seems to be solely based on the recommendation from this year's English teacher (so for DS, her). And given the differences in expectations between the three teachers, the playing field isn't very level.

How do I help at this point? I am usually good at "coaching" him so he can find ways to talk with the teacher or organize himself and be successful, but I have no idea how to coach him when we don't even know the rules half the time. 

I have thought about asking for a conference, but she is very much a "they are in 8th grade and need to be independent" kind of teacher (and I agree), so I am not sure if that would hurt or help.

Any thoughts from the teachers of ML?

[docholly]

I teach at a different level, but if she is handing out two different rubrics and grading based on whichever one pleases her, I would have your son email her to ask about the discrepancy.

Example:
On X assignment, we were given this rubric/set of guidelines in class (picture attached). The online assignment description was different and that was then used for grading.

To better prepare for future assignments, which set of guidelines should be used?

If another discrepancy in rubrics is noticed, I would email before the assignment was due and ask for clarification.

I have made similar errors in the past as I am updating grading materials, and I have no problem with a student pointing it out.

As for the rec for Honors English next year, I would also have your son email the teacher and state that he is invested in going forward with Honors English, and he would like to know what he can do/improve on to get the recommendation.

[docholly]

As long as grading is fair (clear guidelines), I wouldn't necessarily worry about this teacher being the "hard" teacher. But, I would definitely reach out when their is an issue with the assignment descriptions, and I see nothing wrong with starting the conversation about the recommendation for Honors English in the future. I really can't see a teacher saying only the "A" students are recommended though. If this teacher truly gives out few A's, I can't see her only recommending those few students. Skill/talent in a particular subject doesn't always correlate to straight A's.

[sugarbear]

I don't think it's unreasonable to have a conference. Even if the goal is independence (as it should be), you can still arrange it and be present, but have your DS lead it. Or, he can send an email.

Either way, the conversation should occur when an assignment is given. He should have both the hard copy and online instructions with him. I would have him go through and note the discrepancies in advance. Have her clarify them to him, which hopefully will subtly demonstrate to her the need for clarity across all platforms.

In my class, this would show me that the child IS ready for honors classes. I'm a huge fan of self advocacy and it speaks volumes, especially when I am filling out recommendation forms for high school applications.

[Aloe Vera]

I agree with the previous posters. As soon as your son notices a discrepancy in the instructions, he needs to be proactive and ask the teacher which one they are to follow.

[formerlyak]

Thanks, everyone.

He has been good at advocating for himself in this class in the past, and when he has emailed her, she has responded by thanking him for his thoughtful questions and polite emails. One of the things on the syllabus was to craft appropriate and well-written emails to the teacher when they have questions.

I think in this case, he feels bad pointing out the differences because he doesn't want to appear as though he is saying, "You messed up."

The most recent version of this is for an assignment due tomorrow. He did it over the weekend based on the paper instructions passed out in class. Today there are additional instructions in the online classroom. It isn't a lengthy assignment and it would take maybe 30 minutes to redo. I think if he opted to turn it in early (today), I will have him email her tonight, mention that he saw the additional instructions and would like to turn in a new version tomorrow that adheres to those guidelines tomorrow when it is due.

[docholly]

Feb 24, 2020 13:19:23 GMT -5 formerlyak said:

Thanks, everyone.

He has been good at advocating for himself in this class in the past, and when he has emailed her, she has responded by thanking him for his thoughtful questions and polite emails. One of the things on the syllabus was to craft appropriate and well-written emails to the teacher when they have questions.

I think in this case, he feels bad pointing out the differences because he doesn't want to appear as though he is saying, "You messed up."

The most recent version of this is for an assignment due tomorrow. He did it over the weekend based on the paper instructions passed out in class. Today there are additional instructions in the online classroom. It isn't a lengthy assignment and it would take maybe 30 minutes to redo. I think if he opted to turn it in early (today), I will have him email her tonight, mention that he saw the additional instructions and would like to turn in a new version tomorrow that adheres to those guidelines tomorrow when it is due.

I think it is good to point out that teachers do mess up.  :-)  And, it is ok to point out when people mess up as long as you do it in a polite and professional way.  I like when students point out I have made an error because that way I don't have people silently angry with me (haha), and I can fix it and avoid ten other emails asking for clarification.  

Also, as a teacher, even if I didn't make a mistake, if I get the same types of questions/inquiries from multiple students, I know that something isn't clear, and I revise that assignment/add additional help in class.  If no one speaks up, I can't make it better.  

[RoxMonster]

I agree with previous posters to have him email her ahead of turning in an assignment and ask about the discrepancy in rubrics/requirements.

It could be she is thinking up other things she wants them to do between assigning it and grading it, but I think if that happens, she should really make an announcement that's the case and give them extra time to work on it to compensate, which it doesn't sound like she is doing. I wonder if she is even aware she is communicating two different things? Maybe by him politely asking about it/pointing it out, it will bring it to her attention and she will stop doing so.

[notsopicky]

formerlyak , I wanted to chime in, even after your update. As a teacher of 2 and a half decades, the "mess" of the directions is really not sitting right with me. I try to look at things as an admin would (partly b/c I've been in schools so long, and partly b/c I have an admin degree); there's no way on this good earth that I would be able to support a teacher who was consistently being inconsistent with students (and by extension, their families). You can't have a set of directions on a handout, another set verbally communicated to kids, and then a third posted online. That's madness, and she can't defend that.

Additionally, it's bothering me that the inconsistencies seem to stem from all the ways we communicate with kids and families in this era. With so many kids we are responsible for--with their individual learning plans, those that are English-learners, kids between 2 homes, kids who live in poverty, etc. etc. etc.--I'm just stunned that she's so all over the place. And it's middle school to boot--which is a crazy enough time--it's just bad procedures and bad class mgmt all around.

The whole "they have to be independent" shtick is fine and dandy, IF she's consistent. It's the inconsistency which gets kids all anxious--and their parents in a tizzy--rightfully so. You are well within your role as a parent to have all.the.questions about this situation. I'm pretty WTF about it all myself, and I don't even know you!

I appreciate (for you and your son) that she was able (willing?) to clarify the directions and give more time for completion. I recommend staying on top of it, b/c from what you've written, it sounds like this scenario is her pattern (although I hope I'm wrong).

[formerlyak]

notsopicky I agree with you that she is doing her students a disservice. I teach adults and would fully expect to be called out on these types of antics. But I didn’t know if my work with adults was skewing my perspective on this situation.

My favorite (sarcasm) is when she gives different verbal directions to each period. The kids and parents compare notes to try and make sure all bases are covered. It’s a bit of insanity.

And we are a family where DS goes between my house and his dad’s. He doesn’t have printing capabilities at dad’s, so he usually plans out his work to print before he goes there. There was one day DS didn’t bring a printed copy of his assignment - he turned it in electronically. She wanted it printed (again the requirement to print was in the Google classroom but not the printed page of instructions she passed out). He asked if he could go to the library to print, as our school library allows printing for kids who don’t have printers at home. She told him no and made him sit outside the whole class and gave him a zero. In this particular case, he wasn’t at his dad’s and could have printed at home, but I’ve always wondered what would have happened if that was the case. Would she care? Would he still get the zero?

[darthnbjenni]

She may be differentiating the assignments based on each individual class. I do this with my 9th grade AP students to prevent academic dishonesty, because they are more inclined to cheat to maintain high grades than my regular level kiddos. However, I make sure my directions and rubric are similar for each class before printing or posting.

[notsopicky]

formerlyak, good grief, that is not ok (to sit in the hallway and give him a zero). I can't even fathom a school in which admin would support that.

I think an email is warranted to the teacher [and possibly even admin--and I NEVER (and I mean never) say that]. You are gracious to concede that he wasn't at his dad's, so a barrier to printing wasn't the issue, but you are 100% correct--what if it had been--and again with the inconsistent directions?!? GAH! I'm so frustrated for you and your kid b/c the whole thing is so inefficient, so ineffective--what a mess. And why does the library even offer printing if teachers aren't going to allow students to utilize the service?!? (I'm a librarian and we offer that service!!)

Your perspective is right on--don't just drop this. It's teachers like this one that give the whole lot of us a bad rap.