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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Public school is like fighting with the government!

Grrrr!
Awww...what?  You pissed off Momma Bear?


  I have four kids, they are all in different grades and different schools according to their grade.   My oldest son is a Senior this year, so...logically...he'll be graduating.  Or not.  He better be!  My sons all seem to suffer from the same illness, "REALLY smart, pleasure to have in class, doesn't turn in his work...passes tests".  I hate hearing these words from teachers.  I have tried everything on the planet, punishment, rewards, begging...nothing I do has worked.  Now my oldest son is in the last Trimester(Yes you read that right, our idiotic school district switched from Semesters to Trimesters, thinking it would save money, or be easier on the kids, or end world hunger or some shit...Guess what?  It didn't, now they are switching back next year because too many kids are failing. WTG!) of his Senior year he's realizing that this could be a problem.  He's limped his way through school, only getting a good enough grade to pass, or not in some cases.  He's done summer school, and online catch-up courses so I thought he was good.   At the beginning of this year, I was under the impression that he only had 1 credit to make up.  Then I found out he was in AP Calculus.  WHY?!  Why on Earth would his counselor let him take that class?  Why when they know the kid doesn't turn in homework..would that be acceptable?  I thought you had to get some kind of approval to take an honors class?  Apparently I was wrong.  He's now failed it for first and second trimester.  After the first trimester I asked the counselor to get him out of the class, didn't happen.  Now after second trimester I'm not asking, I'm telling.  I'm still getting the run around..."well Mrs. B...we have to have a committee meeting, and then a parent meeting and a meeting w/ the principal..." Yada yada yada.  I DON'T CARE JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN!  I don't understand why it takes more than one brain to make this a reality.  

Also my middle son is having an issue w/ his geometry teacher.  Same song different school.  I met with them today.  They try to placate me, "Well Mrs. B we can have his seat moved in the class, would that be OK?"  NO I want him OUT of the class, the teacher is singling him out and picking on him, how is that acceptable?  Why is changing his seat going to fix that?  What. The. Hell!  If it was your kid would it be acceptable?  Then I get "well you know it's four weeks into the trimester...why do you want him switched now?"  Well it took you IDIOTS TWO WEEKS to send me his report card, I had no idea he failed geometry til then, then it took you a week to get back w/ me on the situation and then it was spring break, so that's why!!!  I'm so fucking sick of this damn school district I'm ready to pull all four of my kids out and do online charter school w/ them. I feel like I'm drowning in piles of bureaucratic red tape and there's no end in sight.   I gave them a choice, either get him OUT of the class, or give me the papers to transfer him somewhere else...then they start back peddling. "Oh...well...Mrs. B, we'll look into this and see what we can do, we'll work on it today and get back with you".  That's better, of course I still have yet to hear from them today, it better happen.

Oh By the way, they just changed the policy on graduation this year (OF COURSE@!) if you don't have ALL your credits by graduation, you can't walk w/ your class and participate in the ceremony.  Now they are telling me that he's 1.5 credits short and this IF he passes EVERYTHING for this trimester.  So somehow he's got to make up those credits in the meantime AND pass everything else.   So disgusted I could scream, at all involved!  I have screamed at my kids, but I don't know what good it will do, hopefully he finally gets the desire to participate in graduation because I've got nothing left for incentive or discipline or anything, I'm spent.  

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4 comments:

  1. Sounds to me like the one who failed your sons is you. You honestly had no clue what classes your own kid was taking? You also never knew he was struggling? Never asked about homework? Never called the teacher during the trimester to see how he was doing? The school can only do so much and they have to deal with parents like you all the time, in addition to your off-spring. It's past time to tune in Momma. Your anger is misdirected, aim it at your sons and yourself.

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    1. Fortunately we are all entitled to our own opinions, thanks for taking the time to share yours and judge based on this limited picture. At least it counts as a read.

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  2. First of all, ignore what Anonymous said, anybody who can say nasty stuff while hiding who they are isn't worth listening to. Second of all. I feel for you. I work at my kids school and I get frustrated on a daily basis. Parents have no rights anymore and it is an awful feeling. In my oldest son's class all the parents in the class actually banded together on a serious issue and went to the Supt of School and were ignored. We went to the School Committee and were ignored. It wasn't until we threatened to go to the media that they actually listened to us.

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    1. Yea, it's a mess. It seems to just get worse and worse every year. I'm not saying that it's all the teacher's faults they have no rights to do anything either most the time, and there are plenty of GREAT ones in the mix. It's the few bad apples that have a contract and no one can touch them that ruin it. Same goes for the kids. Life goes on. My husband works for the media LOL... I guess if they want to drag their feet that long ;D

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