Ok, NOW I'm irritated.

Published on September 20, 2005 By dharmagrl In Misc

One of my son's teachers is pissing me off.

Friday, Davey came home with a homework assignment that involved getting on the internet. I don't agree with that. Not every child has access to a computer and the internet at home. my friend is having problems with her computer and her boy (he's in the same class as Davey) expressed concern about not being able to complete his assignment because of the computer problems. Her response? "Have you mother take you to the library".

The base library is closed on Sundays, leaving Saturday as the only viable option for him to go do his homework there. What is his mother had worked Saturdays? Or had no way to get to the library? In addition, the library only has a few public computers, and as with anything else, active duty take priority. The rest of us have to take a number and wait. So, even if they HAD been able to get to the library, they still might have had to wait hours to get onto a computer. What if his mother was, due to a deployment, trying to single parent a family with smaller children in it? How would she have managed taking those smaller kids to the library and waiting around for who-knows-how long for a computer to come open?

As it turns out, my friend managed to get her home PC working properly long enough to get on the school website. When she tried to access the quiz that the teacher asked the kids to take, she found that said quiz had been archived and was no longer acessible to the public.

She called me, and asked me to try and access it. I did, and I got the same error message.

I decided to email the teacher and explain to her why my child wouldn't be able to complete his homework assignment. I also expressed my concerns about teachers assigning weekend homework that involves internet access, citing the same reasons as I gave here.

That was Sunday. I know she got my email because my son told me that she had mentioned it to him, also saying that she had mistakenly archived the quiz.

I have yet to hear back from her. That irritates the crap out of me. At the very least she could have emailed me back telling ME, the parent, what had happened. My child is NOT a reliable messenger....matter of fact, I don't think that he should be ANY kind of messenger for his teachers, period. I don't tell him to tell his teachers stuff, I contact them directly. I expect the same in return.

I'm going to email her again this evening, asking what the status of the quiz is. I'm going to make like my son never told me anything, and I'm going to sit back and wait for a reply. I aint holding my breath, though.

Am I wrong for thinking that she should have at least sent me a 2 line email explaining what happened and reassuring me that my child won't be penalized for HER mistake? Am I asking too much?

I thought that most teachers wanted parents to be involved in their children's education. How can we do that when their teachers won't communicate with us?

Comments (Page 2)

HC1240

on Sep 20, 2005

(And she probably hasn't contacted you because she knows she's in the wrong and doesn't want to have to own up to it)

I think TW is right. Hope you hear from her soon, but not holding your breath is wise. She knows she's wrong and doesn't want to be held accountable or have to explain her reasoning.

ParaTed2k

on Sep 20, 2005

"I don't know how things run in your home, Dan, but in mine, my wife and I decide whether we want a roof on our house."

People can survive without a roof, but not comfortably. Once upon a time, people slept under the stars, but that day is long past. I wouldn't say that the internet is as much a part of our society as a roof (yet), but come on. Everybody has it. The internet is the future. Why deny your kids the future?

Sorry but that was the most innane response you could come up with. Try again, when you're ready to actually respond to point.

ParaTed2k

on Sep 20, 2005

During the school week the children should be able to access the net at school, but on the weekend, there's no guarantee that a kid is going to be able to get to a computer. According to some statistics (which may or may not be on the mark), only about 56% of Americans have internet access. If this is factual, the implications to your situation are obvious.

Exactly Texas!

Moderateman

on Sep 20, 2005

mm SITTING IN CYBERSPACE ROOM HOLDING sign... will give internet access for food. heh

MarcieMoo

on Sep 20, 2005

My kids have homework almost every night. If parents ask me for some extra stuff for their kids to do, I might point them to the internet, if that's available to them.

But as for homework I assign, it's all pencil-paper-crayon type of stuff. I assume that if they're able to purchase a box of 24 crayons for school, they probably have something colorful at home. If not, we have very nice people in our community and even parents that volunteer extra supplies if the kids need. And crayons? I can go buy a box or two as well...but I hand them out with the proviso that they be well-taken care of at home.

I've been grumpy at my class lately...I don't know what to do to fix the problem either...i'm going to try a new seating arrangement but those only work for so long, too. I try to get them up and moving because I know it's hard this early in the year to sit for more than a few minutes. But they just don't understand that we need to take TURNS talking--when it's MY turn, no one else should be talking...when it's Lesley's turn....no one else should be talking...and when it's work time, we need to use whispers. I think we're just going to have to practice, practice, practice whispering until we get it...

Tomorrow's another day though...another day to try something new and try to do something the right way. I love my babies.

Oh...and if any of you are the prayin' sorts...please pray for one of my students and her family. Her mom and dad fought last night and I think dad broke mom's hand...mom didn't say that to me today, but my student was really upset today. My student didn't get hit, so that's good. I've talked to my social worker and my principal about the situation, and they told me that there wasn't really anything I can do....So...just keep them in your thoughts and prayers if that's your gig.

kingbee

on Sep 20, 2005

I'm emailing her again, and if I don't get a response by Friday, I'm calling the principal

it would be lots more fun to email her a lil treat instead. similar to givin an apple to the teacher only in this scenario, the teacher may decide pcs are too vulnerable and will wind up having to buy her own new apple product.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

The best place to get a free computer is educational institutions that are updating technology. Churches, also.

Hmm...when my husband was deployed to Greenland and we were using email as our primary method of communication, my Dell crashed and died on me (motherboard fried). At the time, we were broke, and were going to be broke for the next couple of months. The cheapest computer I could find (after calling a TON of places looking for used) was $200. There weren't any free ones. I called a veriety of places, not just computer stores and related services.

I don't think that it's as simple as you think, Dan. if it was, EVERYONE would have internet access and computers at home.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

I wouldn't say that the internet is as much a part of our society as a roof (yet), but come on. Everybody has it. The internet is the future. Why deny your kids the future?

Dude, that has to be one of the most assinine statements I've heard in a looooong time. Maybe in your relatively well-heeled circle of acquaintences EVERYONE has internet, but where I live they don't. They didn't at my last base either. I'd suggest that you go check your stats before you make such claims as 'everybody has it'.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

But...a computer with online access? If a family doesn't have one already (and believe it or not, it's not a necessity to live), they're probably not going to be able to afford to go buy one (not to mention the mess that getting internet access entails). And how do you justify doing that when the child will be at school with online access on Monday?

Exactly. If people have internet access at work and the kids have it at school, why should they go buy a computer for use at home, especially if money's a bit tight? That would be the LAST thing I'd think of or be willing to spend money on.

I just think this teacher has lost her mind. (And she probably hasn't contacted you because she knows she's in the wrong and doesn't want to have to own up to it)

I think you're right, but I still want a response. If nothing else, for politeness' sakes.

Cordelia

on Sep 20, 2005

Everybody has it. The internet is the future. Why deny your kids the future?

Everybody does not have it. I just moved into a new, as yet uncompleted subdivision and not everone is able to get access to the types of services they want. We (on my side of the street) cannot get cable. Some people prefer to hold out for cable (through which they would get their Internet) rather than the alternatives. A wait of a few months seems reasonable to them...but here Dan says these people are cheap and are denying their kids the future. Extenuating circumstances - such as a broken computer or services not yet available doesn't equal denying your kids the future IMHO.

I would also be irritated Dharma! Especially if there is a chance the teacher might take out any of her frustrations with you on your son. Grrr.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

She knows she's wrong and doesn't want to be held accountable or have to explain her reasoning.

That's too bad. If WE were the ones to screw up, I think that the school would want an explanation...no, I KNOW that they would. March of '99, Dave's grandmother passed away and we had to yank the kids out of school to go to the funeral. We were gone a week, because we drove there ( 2 days driving each way, 3 days spent there), and when we got back we had a nastygram from the school wanting to know how we could justify taking our kids out of school for a week in the middle of the school year. Their nastygram prompted me to compose my own nastygram right back, saying that I'm sure if my grandmother in law had had any say in it she'd have planned her own death around the school district's calendar so as to not piss any teachers or principals off. Thay didn't like that much....dunno why.

Anyway, I don't care about her feelings. I want an email acknowledging my contact. At least.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

My kids have homework almost every night. If parents ask me for some extra stuff for their kids to do, I might point them to the internet, if that's available to them.

See, but there's the difference, Marcie...you don't set homework that involves your students logging onto the school website to take a quiz. Your students have the option of using the internet, it's not a mandatory thing.

If any of these kids didn't have internet access and had no way of getting to the library to use a computer, they wouldn't have been able to complete the assignment and would have got a zero on their paper. That's unfair, IMO.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

similar to givin an apple to the teacher only in this scenario, the teacher may decide pcs are too vulnerable and will wind up having to buy her own new apple product.

If I had the balls and the knowhow.....but, alas, I don't, so thats not an option.

dharmagrl

on Sep 20, 2005

Extenuating circumstances - such as a broken computer or services not yet available doesn't equal denying your kids the future IMHO.

Mine either. There are LOTS of new subdivisions going up around here, and some of those don't offer cable or DSL as yet either. Parents waiting to get the service they want isn't anything close to denying a child 'the future'.

MarcieMoo

on Sep 20, 2005

I just don't think it's appropriate for where your son is at in school. High school? Sure. USUALLY high schoolers have a computer class or some sort of study hall or library time or they can stay after school or something to do something on the computer. But in elementary school? No. AND...I don't know how technolgically advanced other schools are...but my kids hardly know how to click a mouse...lol

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