grievance inventory

1. Christopher is not learning math. His grades have dropped steadily from B to C to D. This skid to the bottom prompted not the slightest glimmer of interest in Ms. Kahl until the principal learned she hadn't been in touch, at which point she was, immediately, in touch. Last week I received an email from her suggesting that possibly Christopher had had 'a bad day' when he took the test on Chapter 3 (grade: D+).

Yes, I think it's a safe bet Christopher had a bad day the day he took the Chapter 3 test. Also another bad day the day he took the Chapter 2 test. Plus a lot of bad days in between.

I emailed back requesting a conference, and that was that. No word since.

2. Christopher is not learning math, part 2. No word problems; precious little practice & no practice to mastery ever; math shortcuts taught without reference to the principles that make them possible.

3. Christopher is not learning math, part 3. Homework is not graded. Problems are not corrected.

4. Christopher is not learning math, part 4. Homework is not graded, problems are not corrected, and parents are not informed. Christopher came home with a computer print-out of every grade he's earned to date, and it turns out he has zeroes on 3 homework assignments because he didn't hand them in. I had no idea. He did the assignments; apparently he left them at home or in his locker or lord knows where.

Did the teacher tell us?

No.

Did the teacher ask him to find and/or do the homework and turn it in late so she could make sure he'd mastered the concepts being practiced?

No.

She gave him a 0 and entered it on Edline.

Of course, it could be worse, and I'm sure it will be. Ed talked to a dad on the train who said his son completely stopped doing math homework for six weeks without their realizing it. They never heard boo from the teacher.

-- CatherineJohnson - 13 Mar 2006

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