Atlanta Metro News

By Lee

August 11, 2006 10:33 AM | Link to this

What you described is not “fudging” a grade, but rather, FRAUD. Pure and simple. Kudo’s to the teacher for refusing to go along.

We had a well publicized case a couple of years ago where an assistant principal changed a transcript. They merely reassigned this AP to a different school. This AP should have been fired and their teaching certificate revoked.

In my opinion, grade inflation is a pervasive problem at all schools. Maybe not 30 points as in the above example, but it does happen. HOPE scholarship is one reason.

Things like this are the very reason the “public” is losing confidence in “public” schools.

By been there

August 11, 2006 10:37 AM | Link to this

This sounds like a school that I taught at in middle GA. Its all about giving students a break and the benefit of the doubt. Our assistant principal wouldnt let us fail folks unless we had called home and sent a bunch of letters. It was horrible.I wasn’t coming back so I just passed every student and called it a day.

And the dress code was a joke. Bedroom shoes weren’t allowed. Unless the student was pregnant and had swollen feet.

By MA

August 11, 2006 10:39 AM | Link to this

It wasn’t so much pressure as it was policy. It is the policy of the school that zeros will not be given. If a child does not do any work — does not turn in even one scrap of paper — they are given a grade of F which is translated into 50% numeric grade. The idea behind this is that it is too hard to bring up a GPA with a zero averaged in, but it is still possible with a 50. Of course, when they grow up and get out in the work force, will they expect to do no work at all and get half pay for it?

By been there

August 11, 2006 10:40 AM | Link to this

This sounds like a school that I taught at in middle GA. Its all about giving students a break and the benefit of the doubt. Our assistant principal wouldnt let us fail folks unless we had called home and sent a bunch of letters. It was horrible.I wasn’t coming back so I just passed every student and called it a day.

And the dress code was a joke. Bedroom shoes weren’t allowed. Unless the student was pregnant and had swollen feet.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 11, 2006 10:59 AM | Link to this

Here’s a twist: an administrator asking to see a folder of the student’s work, then saying you can’t give him an F because you have no documentation. But you have “no documentation” because he doesn’t turn in any work!

The way to solve that is to have students put a name and date on a sheet of paper, with the name of the assignment and then file it…ridiculous, but “documentation”. nonetheless.

PS It actually does have an effect on some, because then they know you have something to show their parents and they can’t use the “the teacher never told us” excuse.

By MMM

August 11, 2006 11:12 AM | Link to this

Ok, I’m not a teacher but I want to play devil’s advocate here and say that the decision to equate an A with anything above 92, B-85, C-78, D-70 or whatever it is these days is an arbitrary decision. Why shouldn’t the scale be F-0, D-1, C-2, B-3, A-4? If this were the case, than an A averaged with an F equals a C—which seems more logical to me.

I don’t want to say that the present rules should not be applied equally. Or that it isn’t dispicable for administrators to apply pressure on teachers to disobey them. But if a kid is expected to make 3 perfect A’s (100) to bring that zero up to a “D”(i.e.75) average we have pretty much told that kid to head out the door to the nearest unemployment line.

By mommyto2

August 11, 2006 11:29 AM | Link to this

as a parentd I am apalled. that princple was doing that child a dis-service by passing him. and news flash with an attitude like that he probably wound up in jail anyway.

By mommyto2

August 11, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this

as a parent i am shocked. that princple was not doing him anyfavors by passing him. i am sure he ended up in jail anyway.

By OldSchool

August 11, 2006 11:42 AM | Link to this

Our school did away with Ds years ago. I’ve never quite understood the reasoning behind that move. The lowest passing grade a student can earn is a 70 which translates to a C. A 69 is a failing grade. There is no more below average.

Maybe if we brought back the D, mediocre grades would be recognized as just that…below average but still passing.

I think it’s likely a no-win situation no matter what we do.

By E. Lewis

August 11, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this

If he had been a good enough athlete they probably wouldn’t have even asked, but simply made the changes themselves.

By SET

August 11, 2006 12:17 PM | Link to this

This is an interesting thread, but the writiers all seem to assume that they are working in schools - I suppose just because there is a sign on the building that so labels it.

Determine what the real mission statement of the organization is, not what they claim it to be.

These so-called schools are so different from the public schools that I attended I would throw out the concept that they really aren’t schools - they’re something else. It’s only the teachers (workers) that don’t get it.

Now what kind of institution would prevent the teachers from actually teaching (by enforcing standards) - and cook the books (grades) either in front of or behind the teacher’s backs?

By BlindHomer

August 11, 2006 12:46 PM | Link to this

At least we now know why Johnny can’t read. Cowards like ‘been there’ just cave in to Administrators and pass Johnny on to the next class.

By JustMe

August 11, 2006 12:56 PM | Link to this

I have had “soft” pressure applied to me…

A senior failed a required class. The administration sent the senior to my room to plead his case for me to change his grade. Of course, I had to be sympathetic and listen to him cry and carry on, but I could not change his grade.

I don’t know if the administration did this because they were wanting me to change his grade, or if they just got tired of listening to him and wanted him out of their office.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 11, 2006 01:13 PM | Link to this

BlindHomer: “Cowards” may be a little strong…but there is no doubt that teachers, who are 100,000 strong, act like 100,000 weak.

Teachers (as a group) truly exhibit a sheep-like mentality. Why else would they make PAGE and GAE the two largest educators organizations in the state? How is your organization going to support you, against an administrator who is asking to to commit forgery when that administrator (and likly many above) are members of PAGE and/or GAE?

I can’t believe the number of teachers who have never thought of the obvious, conflict of interest that entails. It is somewhat understandable for new teachers, as new teacher orientations almost always allow PAGE and GAE reps to attend but never MACE reps. (Begs the question, are they afraid of teachers exercising the same critical thinking skills that they want them to model for their students?)

But I have seen first hand plenty of retaliation taking against teachers who try to do the right thing. You can cast an eye toward politicians as well, who refuse to address discipline, then send their children to private school.

And ultimately, it’s top level administrators who cave in…all because they kowtow in mortal fear of pointing out the obvious: Johnny didn’t get his F; he earned it.

By Theresa

August 11, 2006 01:24 PM | Link to this

You know what was missing in that article? The notification and response of the parents. The teachers are there to teach. The students are there to learn. It is the job of parents to make sure their kids are doing their part. The kids making the A’s and B’s, you can bet the parents are involved and know exactly what homework needs to be done and what tests are coming. I am sick of hearing about how bad the schools and teachers are….parents need to make it a top priority to get an education for their kids. A child should never receive a grade he has not earned. Bring the parents into the picture and hold them accountable along with the student.

By Theresa

August 11, 2006 01:24 PM | Link to this

You know what was missing in that article? The notification and response of the parents. The teachers are there to teach. The students are there to learn. It is the job of parents to make sure their kids are doing their part. The kids making the A’s and B’s, you can bet the parents are involved and know exactly what homework needs to be done and what tests are coming. I am sick of hearing about how bad the schools and teachers are….parents need to make it a top priority to get an education for their kids. A child should never receive a grade he has not earned. Bring the parents into the picture and hold them accountable along with the student.

By jim d

August 11, 2006 01:35 PM | Link to this

Sorry Theresa,

But you can’t hold the parents responsible either for aa child refusing to do his/her work. Ultimately its entirely up to the child. At least if we are really trying to instill a sense of responsibility in that child. After all once he’s 18—who’s responsible?

By Lee

August 11, 2006 01:38 PM | Link to this

Justme, I would hesitate to call that “soft pressure.” It sounds like the administration told this student “we can’t change your grade. Only the teacher can do that.” An appropriate response, IMHO.

This is one reason I like the online grade books. I check my daughter’s grades at least weekly. Although she normally gets excellent grades, she is a kid. She once complained about getting a low quiz score - about how “unfair” the test was. I looked online and saw where the class average was 85. Sorry kid, the class average is 85 and you made 75, you have no one to blame but yourself. Now, if the class average was 65, I might say she had a point. Right or wrong, that’s just the way I look at things…

I do think there should be some kind of in-house review board that would look at these kinds of issues. Do any schools have something like that? Just asking.

By Lola

August 11, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this

It makes me sick to my stomach that we even have to answer a question like that. Giving a student a 50 when the amount of work they’ve done is zero, is exactly the reason this state is at the bottom of the nation in education. Yes, parents need to be responsible for their children, and it is not a teacher’s responsibility to do anything other than teach a child and give them the grade they’ve earned. Administrators going against that policy is more than immoral. It’s downright criminal.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 11, 2006 01:45 PM | Link to this

RE: In house review. One way to put a break on all of this, is to have teachers contribute to the evaluation process of administrators. Checks and balances! What a concept!

Not the whole evaluation, mind you, but a part. That way, it has the potential to bring pain to the administrator who is asking the teacher to commit forgery.

By Dana

August 11, 2006 01:56 PM | Link to this

Wow, I was surprised to see my comment generated a post. I should add that this was the only administrator or school at which I was pressured to change a grade like this. I’m not sure how common a practice it is. When I worked there, the administration was ineffective (obviously) and largely allowed the students the run of the school. We had gangs. A couple of kids got into a fight over gang issues in my classroom. I once got locked out of my classroom by students; when I went to get the principal, he laughed at me and said, “Kids will be kids.” I was furious. The parent volunteer who had been talking with the principal glared at him, then marched down the hall and demanded the door be opened, which the kids did. I add these comments to illustrate the fact that the school was just all around in poor shape due to faulty administration. I heard that they were all gone within two years and was invited back by my former department head. I politely declined. It’s a shame; there were some good teachers there who were just run down by the stress of working in that environment.

By the way, MMM, in Georgia, the public schools did away the D as OldSchool mentioned. The scale is 90-100=A; 80-89=B, 70-79=C; 50 and below=F. Gwinnett County has a “D,” but it’s 70-73. In Georgia the lowest passing grade is a 70. I am now working in a private school that has D’s. Public schools report numerical grades, such as an 87, whereas on a report card from our school, that grade would simply appear as a B+. As a teacher, I like this better, but I’m not sure what the parents think. That I know of, none of the kids or parents have complained about the lack of specificity.

By Lee

August 11, 2006 02:06 PM | Link to this

AJCaccountable, it is not GAE, PAGE, or even MACE who has the governing authority here, it is the Professional Standards Board. If a teacher has been instructed to change a grade against their will, they can file a complaint with the PSB. It is the PSB who has the authority to revoke a teacher’s or administrator’s certificate.

Of course, if a teacher does, they better have their ducks in a row, because administrator retaliation is a very real consequence here.

This is an issue that many professionals face everyday, whether they are a teacher, accountant, lawyer, doctor, or whatever. I have read on this blog time and time again that teachers want to be thought of as “professionals.” Well, here you go….

By reality check

August 11, 2006 02:12 PM | Link to this

Where do you think the “soft pressure” initially came from? Not an administrator with too much time on their hands looking to make just one more teacher’s life miserable but more than likely a parent threatening a direct and inviting line to the superintendent’s office and the TV stations. It’s a lose-lose situation that will never change until parents accept the reality that there are uncomfortable consequences for failure and school systems stop trying to appease every parent ultimately compromising the academic, professional and personal credibility for all. Why do we think that the rules and standards are in place only for other peoples’ children.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 11, 2006 02:21 PM | Link to this

RE: Lee and “Of course, if a teacher does, they better have their ducks in a row, because administrator retaliation is a very real consequence here.”

A lot of the problems teachers face boil down to poor mechanisms to protect teachers from retaliation. The mantra is “it’s not about the teachers, but the students” as if they are mutually exclusive!

Restore checks and balance in the way of making PART of an administrators evaluation based on teachers, and some of this will be greatly mitigated

By teach overseas

August 11, 2006 02:42 PM | Link to this

This is such a common problem, I’m sure most people have no idea. There are so many kids taking multiple levels of the same class- even math or foreign languages, which presumably, act as building blocks one to another. It’s laughable really, if you can’t pass first year Spanish- what are you doing in second year Spanish? But there they all are….

Just the fact that the admin would place these kids in sucessive classes when they failed to passed the first one shows that admin has every intention of keeping little Johnny on track to graduate. After all, graduation rates are published in the paper.

Example- 4 years of English are required to graduate. Johnny fails 9th grade English- he is now not on track to graduate. So admin puts him in two classes. If he manages to pass the higher level class, the lower level teacher is under tremendous pressure to pass him- no matter what.

And Blind Homer- before you go calling anyone a coward- you spend a year at a school and witness first hand the wrath of an unhappy admin.

By the way- the year our county got rid of D’s- calling it “raising standards” (they lowered the standard for an A) the county ran an ad claiming that for the school year- not one student got a D for the whole year!!!! Raising the standards!

By jim d

August 11, 2006 03:00 PM | Link to this

Lola,

I’m afraid the only thing you could hold me responsible for as a parent is teaching my child responsibility.

Having done that, he is responsible for his class assignments not me. I already went to school once and won’t be responsible for his failures anymore than his sucess. HE IS RESPONSIBLE for himself.

By Lee

August 11, 2006 03:20 PM | Link to this

I’m just curious, what was the reason for doing away with D’s in the public school systems?

By Sick and Tired

August 11, 2006 03:38 PM | Link to this

This whole topic is dumb and shows a bigger problem. Why did this child progress to the next grade, having failed English? He should have been in 10th grade until he could pass 10th grade English.

Having someone take 3 English classes the same year, is a system setup for failure.

By Dragonlady

August 11, 2006 03:39 PM | Link to this

Lee: In our school system, the administration did away with D’s (which signified a grade of 70—74) because a “D” seemingly marks a student as close to failure. Why not give him the same grade and call it a C? A C sounds so much better, don’t you know, and looks better on a report card. To say he made a D might hurt his feelings. And we want to do everything we can to encourage students to succeed. While there is some value to that viewpoint, especially helping students to succeed, I believe we have bent over backwards in this area and need not worry about hurting anyone’s feelings anymore. The feeling of entitlement and lack of responsibility is currently so egregious among poorer students (and among all students, really; I’m referring in this post to those students who would be making D’s) that we need to worry about a great deal more than whether or not someone’s feelings have been hurt.

By jim d

August 11, 2006 03:41 PM | Link to this

Lee,

I do believe the logic was so no child would be below average. This of course would indicate improvement across the board.

By jim d

August 11, 2006 03:45 PM | Link to this

I must admit that if a “D” is average in Georgia, perhaps it should be considered a “C”. since a “C” indicates average

By Dee

August 11, 2006 03:51 PM | Link to this

I don’t know why everyone seems so shocked - coaches have been pressuring teachers to pass athletes for years so that the school can stay on the winning streak.

I am moving to GA because I felt the school system was better and the Hope Fund was offered to students.

Here in CT the school system “SUCKS” to put it plainly. I have sons with different special ed problems my first son was passed to get rid of him he cant read past 6th grade or do math past 7th.

My other son withdrew from school to go to night school and work during the day.

Now my youngest is told he will not receive special ed services because with all the testing the public school has done they say he tests at least 3 points higher then the score needed to receive special ed services. He can’t even read at a 3rd grade level and should have stayed back but because of the no one left behind. He was pushed forward.

By Producer

August 11, 2006 03:53 PM | Link to this

jim d,

Part of teaching your child responsibility is making sure he takes “responsibility” for doing his schoolwork!

I’m sure your parents would ask you if you’d done your homework when you were growing up.

It’s your job to do the same.

By Producer

August 11, 2006 04:01 PM | Link to this

In the past 35-40 years since integration, why have Georgia schools always been near or at the bottom?

I’m not a teacher so I’m asking a serious question. Is our spending per pupil below the per capita average?

And why do those at the top remain there?

By holdingAJC"accountable

August 11, 2006 04:18 PM | Link to this

Dee,

What you describe is so typical (no help because he’s 3 points too high) that I have heard of parent coach their kids to fail, to get the greater good of services…

DOCUMENT everything…make yourself a pain in the @ss Sometimes that works…

By Stella

August 11, 2006 04:44 PM | Link to this

I get so sick of hearing how Georgia is at the bottom of education. People, get your facts straight:

The tests that are used to stack the State of Georgia against the others is the SAT. (Georgia is at the bottom). The ITBS is the IOWA Test of Basic Skills. (Our kids are not in Iowa!)

The state of Georgia gives EVERYONE- even ESOL, even SPED, even kids who care barely tie their shoes the SAT.

Other states, like Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina ONLY give the SAT to students who are really and truly college bound students. (Makes more sense to me)

You cannot use the scores of these tests to make comparisions- it’s apples and oranges here.

Studies consistently show that when the top 5% of US students are compared to the top 5% of students from other countries- the US students are in the top.

Our smart kids are just as smart and our dumb kids are just as dumb- but the US gives everyone- even the great unwashed an opportunity of education.

By holdingAJC"accountable"

August 11, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this

Stella,

I’ve heard the argument we are last because we give the test to everybody unlike some states. But I’ve also seen surveys where in states that had a similar percentage of students taking the test as Georgia, we are still dead last…

Funny how states that give teachers some real power (i.e. collective bargaining) are not at the bottom…

By OldSchool

August 11, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this

Some years back, around the time we ditched the D (below average) grade, our principal “encouraged” us to “give the students some hope.” That translated to: If a kid is failing anyway, at least GIVE him/her a grade that COULD be pulled up to a minimally passing grade. For instance: give them a 65 that would be failing but could still be turned around with effort.

And then I had one young man who was PUT in my elective Engineering Drawing course. He came faithfully… never missed a day. He even came on time and sat quietly during announcements, read silently during my 15 minute mandatory reading time, and promptly went to sleep when the timer sounded. He never did the first drawing, never watched any demonstration, never got his equipment out, never turned in an assignment, never…. His grade was the “suggested” 65.

3 years later, this young man came to me demanding to know why I kept him from graduating. He was insistent that it was MY fault (an elective teacher mind you) that he was not able to march with his class. Nevermind that he had not passed more than 2 REQUIRED ACADEMIC CLASSES. No, it was MY fault he had not graduated. He followed me into my classroom ranting and waving his arms around. I just let him rant and wave. Finally he paused for a breath and I asked him to meet me in guidance. He left, I didn’t. Class went on with my students gaping in disbelief. I shrugged it off. After class, I went to the guidance office and uttered just one simple statement. “Of the all points you got for my class, I GAVE you the first 65.”

Life is too short to cave in but I guess I did when I gave him the 65. I’m too old to fight many more battles like that. From now on I’ll just tell the questioning party, “Find someone to change your grade for you. I won’t.” If they don’t like it, they can go argue with someone who is scared of them.

By C.R.H.

August 11, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this

The state of Georgia has not “done away with the D grade”. Some school districts within the state have, but not many of the larger ones.

And suggesting (even the mere whiff of it)a parent coach a student to get services that the student is not qualified for is really a load of crap. One of the reasons I would never have thought of joining an organization like MACE is because that organization seems to be a little rotten from at the top. Sure the website looks like they are doing right by the teachers, but I have heard most of the activities are more self-serving for certain persons running the show at MACE. However, I also wouldn’t be opposed to teachers forming a union. Just not one like MACE

By HB

August 11, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this

MMM wrote, “But if a kid is expected to make 3 perfect A’s (100) to bring that zero up to a “D”(i.e.75) average we have pretty much told that kid to head out the door to the nearest unemployment line.”

I think MMM is right that this is the reasoning for not giving zeros. Kids should be encouraged to work to bring the grade up, and a zero can make that a hopeless cause. My teachers tried very hard not to give zeros and had policies in place for grading of late work. One gave a grace period of two days, where she docked a full letter grade for each day a paper was late. After two days, it was a zero. Others gave half-credit for late work. I think those policies struck a balance by encouraging students to go ahead do the work, even if they did it late, but without giving them a free pass to skip assignments. Their grades suffered, but not enough to make them give up on the class all together.

That said, giving a 50 without to sudents who don’t turn in anything is ridiculous! Give them a chance to make up for their mistakes, but don’t give them something for nothing! If a student’s grade can be bumped 30 points just to make sure he/she graduates, then what’s the point of awarding diplomas at all?

By Jeff

August 11, 2006 05:13 PM | Link to this

Something I encountered at my old high school (on the eastern edge of Metro ATL):

The AP would not let me leave the building on the last post-planning day until I had an “acceptable” failure rate!!!!

Of about 30 kids that EARNED an F, only 8 came out with an F, and THAT was the result of some VERY creative accounting on my end!

By MMM

August 11, 2006 05:14 PM | Link to this

My kids get N, S, M, and E at their charter school. Everything is referenced to a specific skill to be mastered in that grade with “N” means either Not meeting or Not covered, S—showing progress toward, M-meeting standard and E—exceeding standard. This drives me nuts because everything hinges on whether the standards are themselves appropriate. It is nice to see writting out what skills they are expected to master and everyone will get a N if it hasn’t been taught yet with the goal being that M’s should be made by the end of the year with OCCATIONAL E’s for truely extra work and demonstrated skill.

This doesn’t translate into a typical GPA, so our kids have been bypassed by some of the district awards banquets. I’m not sure if we are better or worse off with this system—but then it is elementary school—so knowing that your child has mastered “adding fractions” or knows “verb tenses” may actually be a more honest way of looking at it.

By Bubba

August 11, 2006 05:17 PM | Link to this

Accountable I have not seen that ‘survey’ - I have seen that, if you disaggrate the data, you find that looking at minority kids on the SAT, GA is in the upper middle and looking at white kids, GA is in the lower middle. We are at the bottom on the overall SAT because, relative to other states, we test almost everyone and we have a lot of minority kids. Based on SAT scores, North Dakota has the best education system in the US. They had the highest SAT scores but they then again, only about 50 kids that took the test…

By Jeff

August 11, 2006 05:23 PM | Link to this

MMM,

As a teacher, I like the way that system sounds. That way, succesful completion of a course could be described as having some pre-set number of Ms and Es.

One problem: Who decides how to determine mastery/ exceeds and how?

By jim d

August 11, 2006 05:32 PM | Link to this

Producer,

Whats so difficult for you to understand?

He’s been taught to be responsible. And he is. Now if he fails on occasion to complete an assignment—-he is responsible. Hell I’m not waiting for him to be in college to learn that lesson. It’s too costly.

I’ve done my job, so don’t be telling me what my responsibillities are.

By Lee

August 11, 2006 06:22 PM | Link to this

Jeff’s post brings up an interesting point - that is, what is an acceptable failure rate?

If a class is comprised of students that follow a normal distribution in ability (i.e., it is not overloaded with a particular sub-set such as ESOL, sped, etc), one would expect the failure rate to correspond accordingly. If it is way out of bounds, shouldn’t administration step in to correct?

Of course, one problem I see in Jeff’s case is that the AP waited until the last day of post planning to do anything. An AP on the ball would have been dealing with this issue by mid-term.

BTW, I am not saying that Jeff failed too high of a percentage or that he wasn’t doing a good job or that the 30 F’s weren’t warranted. I’m just asking a hypothetical question here.

By Jeff

August 11, 2006 06:40 PM | Link to this

Lee,

If about 100 students I had, 30 chose to fail. (And THAT is an accurate way of describing the VAST majority of them… MAYBE 2 or 3 exceptions to that.)

I was also the second highest on the EOCT for the course I taught that had one…. beating out veterans with MANY years more experience than me.

Another interesting note: of my 30 failures, at LEAST 25 were in my low level class. I ran EVERY class EACTLY the same….

By Shirley U. Jest

August 11, 2006 07:01 PM | Link to this

Doesn’t it defy logic that a student would be taking English 10, 11 and 12 at the same time? No wonder he can’t pass English 11 or 12 if he hasn’t yet passed English 10. This happens all the time - a kid fails the first semester of Algebra but takes the second semester and then is required to make up the first semester during summer school. It seems to me that 1) the chances of him passing the second semester are slim and 2) if he happens to pass the second semester, why make him go back and repeat something he probably already knows? And these decisions are made by the adults!

By Karen Armsby

August 14, 2006 08:21 AM | Link to this

Our society provides the opportunity to an education. It is not the school’s duty to guarantee success. It is the student’s responsibility to value that opportunity, and show up and do the work. If the student doesn’t pass or graduate, then it’s his own fault. I think the school system administrations are wrong to retain these slackers and gives them these endless do-overs. They waste resources (and my tax dollars) that could be used for good students that show up, work, and want to succeed. My advice to school administrations is to stop the waste, and dump the losers.

By jim d

August 14, 2006 08:59 AM | Link to this

My goodness Karen, dump the losers

A bit uncharacteristic of you this morning.

How about if we offer the “losers” some form of an alternative education so they don’t become a larger burden on society as adults? You know, teach them to chunk garbage bags into the back of a garbage truck, or flip burgers and Make change

By Karen Armsby

August 14, 2006 09:29 AM | Link to this

jim d, If it is true as the teacher in this story said that the student didn’t turn in the assignments, then yes, let him go. Why should the school waste the teacher’s time and our tax dollars on disinterested and non-performing students? Draw the line of opportunity to require a miminum of showing up and doing the work, and let slackers and losers move on. I did not say that schools should abandon those who do come to learn, who try, and who need longer to succeed. I am talking strictly about so-called students who waste their opportunity to learn.

By jim d

August 14, 2006 09:40 AM | Link to this

Karen,

Re-reading the article leads me to believe this student may have had difficulty in English. The article doesn’t mention his other classes. He had failed all of his english classes apparently though. Should failure in one subject be reasonable cause to give up on a student? Should we not attempt to find his strengths and build on them?

By jim d

August 14, 2006 09:48 AM | Link to this

Karen,

Let me point out that we are only hearing one side of the story. Could it have been possible that the schools had failed in earlier grades to detect a few problems and provide the child the necessary help to teach him to read? Could he have been dyslexic?

I’m not sure we can just write a child off when there may be extenuating circumstances surrounding their failure to turn work in.

By Sara

August 14, 2006 11:00 AM | Link to this

I have to say, this particular discussion thread has me feeling even more respect toward my high school Latin teacher [in an Atlanta public school — she also taught Spanish.] I remember when grades were posted, and those of us striving to achieve would boast over who had the highest A, or who came oh-so-close to grabbing that elusive A minus, but were instead relegated to B status. [This was, of course, 1997, before the advent of the 90=A and numerical cumulative averages. One had to score 92% or higher to enter club Alpha.]

Anyway, we couldn’t help but notice numerical grades in the single digits [I kid you not] in some of the class sections…unfortunately, ours included. I think the kid in our class who scored a 7 [seven] was actually proud in some odd way. We all had to admit that such a grade actually took some weird, post-modern form of effort to achieve.

But he was outdone by a couple of kids in dear Teach’s Spanish class. One kid had a 3 [three], and the other, a 2[two]. Probably even sadder was the fact that one of the kids was originally from a Spanish-speaking country.

It was a sorry commentary on the work ethic of some, for sure, and a source of no small amount of amusement to us overachievers, but thinking back on it, I guess it was a lesson in something else, too: Quid pro quo — and I don’t mean the grammatical aspects [well, those happened, too, but that’s for another post.]

Our teacher was honourable and hardworking and effective, and so it came as no surprise that we got what we ‘paid’ for with our scholastic labour. Every A or B I earned with hard work, and the C I settled for one part of a semester was the fruit of weeks lazed away in mediocrity. That C didn’t stand for Cicero, but I’ll bet you it lit a fire under my butt faster than I could parse ‘Ut sementem feceris ita metes’[which is decidedly apropos, if you catch my translation] — and, what do you know — my grades improved commensurate with my heightened efforts. Who’da thunk it?

Anyway. I sure am grateful now for all those skilled instructors along the way who made me work hard for a repository of knowledge and a satisfactory academic record. The former couldn’t really have been achieved without effort on my part and the latter wouldn’t have been worth the paper it was printed on, without it.

Ack, anyway. Summation time. I think more Cicero will do just fine: Honor est praemium virtutis.(Honor is the reward of virtue.)

Well, looky there. Even back in the Golden Days of Marcus Tullius and ‘em there was no free ride.

[Any errors, whether spelling-related, syntactical, semantic, or otherwise, are not a reflection upon this commenter or her Atlanta Public Schools education. Thank you. :)]

By Sara

August 14, 2006 11:05 AM | Link to this