Student Grades…Who’s Responsible?

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2 responses to “Student Grades…Who’s Responsible?”

1. 

   July 9, 2010

   teachermrw

   beginning with, defensively….

   Why is it ok to yell at teachers? Because teachers are viewed as servants.
   Why blame the teacher for a student’s failure? It’s convenient.
   How/when did this accountability transition happen? Parents don’t want to be the “bad guy”, i.e. hold student and themselves accountable
   but soon morphing into…

   Are the parents/student upset because they were surprised? I think so.
   If so, do you blame them? Well, teachers shouldn’t allow themselves to be yelled at. There needs to be respect.

   “I like that teachers are more approachable now, though I think the teacher has a responsibility to manage communication more effectively so that we don’t get a blast in the face from angry parents.” I do agree. I think that there are proactive steps which need to be taken by the teacher to hold student and parent accountable.

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   1. 

      July 10, 2010

      Tracy

      @teachermrw, I agree, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be yelled at. I do think that if the report card came as a surprise then the parents have a right to be angry. As a teacher I know how a student is performing throughout a term and if I see that a failure is imminent I let parents know. That way a) something can be done about it to avoid the failure, and b) there’s less of a likelihood for angry parents showing up at my desk demanding an explanation!
      Transparency is key.

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