What I Should Have Said

The following is in response to a conference I had this morning with a parent and by no means represents my feelings about all parents, and may not in fact fully represent my feelings about this particular parent after I have calmed down.


Ahem.

Let me address your complaints in order.

1. Under no circumstances would I ever have cause or reason to tell your child--or any other--that he could not make up work due to excused absences. However, as stated in the Student Handbook, it is the child's responsibility to ASK for that work. Your child has, just two minutes ago, admitted that he did NOT, in fact, ask for any makeup work, and therefore I am under no obligation to give him any.
This is, of course, aside from the fact that he was IN CLASS for ninety minutes the day before I turned in grades, and he could have used that time to complete his work, but he chose not to.
Furthermore, I have, for the past three months, had after-school sessions for any student who felt he needed extra time to do work. Although several students in your child's class attended those sessions, your child did not.
Finally, the makeup work policy is not mine, but the one handed down to the entire faculty by the Board of Education. Your child received the Student Handbook at the beginning of the year which states this policy, and YOU YOURSELF signed the Handbook and committed yourself to supporting the policies therein, so you are now calling your own self a liar; congratulations on being a great example to your son.

2. It may be that other students than your son are failing my class. However, this meeting is about YOUR SON and HIS failure to complete the work, so all other students' grades are irrelevant at this particular time.
AND, if there are other students failing, not only is it NOT YOUR BUSINESS, but I guarantee it is for the same reason your son is failing: sitting in class and expecting the work to do itself.
Yet I see no other crybabies in this room complaining about the grades they EARNED, perhaps because they, unlike your son, have parents who realize exactly who is responsible for making that grade. HINT: IT'S NOT ME.

3. Each student was given a list of work that needed to be completed in order to obtain a certain grade. Your child did less than HALF of the work; indeed, he did not even do enough work to get a D. He had, in his folder, a visual reminder of the things he needed to do; in addition, I gave an oral reminder to the entire class EVERY DAY, so he absolutely and in no uncertain terms knew that he was behind.

4. The class is self-paced. That means if your child chooses to SLEEP IN CLASS instead of doing his work, the responsibility and consequences of this decision are on him and HIM ALONE. I have reminded, prodded, urged, encouraged, and done everything else I could think of to get your child to do SOMETHING--ANYTHING--to no avail.

5. The reason your child had a C on his progress report was that, at 4 1/2 weeks into the quarter, he was doing work that was consistent with a C average. The grading period did not stop at that time, but your child did, and that is why he has an F.

6. Thank you for showing interest in your child's work halfway through the FOURTH QUARTER of this school year. Where were you when he failed the first quarter? Where were you when he barely passed the first semester? How is it that you have been unhappy this whole year, and yet this is the first time I have heard of it?

7. YES I AM 532% AT FAULT FOR YOUR CHILD'S GRADE. IT IS ALL MY OWN RESPONSIBILITY AND IF I WERE A GOOD TEACHER, WHEN I SAW THAT HE WAS GOING TO FAIL, I WOULD HAVE PICKED UP HIS PENCIL AND DONE THAT WORK MYSELF.

Yes, that is what I should have said. Instead, I waited until he left the room and then I cried.