What can you do with a bad teacher?

Question

My son has a teacher that keep losing turn-in assignments, changing due dates on tests and work to be turn-in. The teacher will not return phones calls or e-mails. Also, on graded work he receive back 3 to 4 weeks later. I have talked to teacher and she said it will be taking care of, but no solution yet. I afraid if I of go to the administration there could be retaliation. She also has ten year.

Answer 1

This is unfortunate from your perspective, but there isn't anything you can do about it. In public schools, teachers are backed by a powerful union, and tenured teachers are impossible to get rid of (even child molestation often is hard to remove a teacher for unless there is really hard and convincing proof). In the private schools, it's considerably easier, but again is unlikely.

The bad news is this is a chance for your child to learn to work with hard-to-work-with people. There are many scatterbrained people among us in real life, and this is probably no exception.

Further, this is NOT that uncommon. Many variables go into the dates for assignments and tests, and teachers often are forced ot make changes at the last minute to accommodate something else. Graded work often goes into the pile and is graded as he or she gets time to do it. At the middle school or high school level, this teacher probably has to support 150+ students each day, and in English, especially (if this is an English teacher) the paperload is enormous. This is why many math teachers have gone to grading work on a "check" basis (going around the classroom, seeing it's done, then checking it off as being done), then grading it in class. This is because for math you HAVE to have immediate feedback, whereas in other classes it doesn't really matter if you get immediate feedback or not (it's NICE, but it won't hurt you in later assignments). With regard to missing assignments...often I have found that it is the student who forgets (but not always). I learned after I developed a "check-in" system where I checked off the work as it was put into the basket that often the students who'd swear I lost their work...never really turned it in, and assumed that since they couldn't find it, they turned it in!

Teachers often do not return phonecalls and e-mails because they either don't get the messages or do not have time to call or write. They, like you, often do not want to work any more than they have to at home, and usually this means their full day plus several hours at night...so there really isn't time to return calls. Personal issues that crop up are hard to deal with when you're teaching because you can't even get to a phone for most of the day (unlike the average job of anyone else with a college degree, where you can go to the bathroom when you need to...usually...and pick up the phone and make a quick five-minute call when you need to).

This is also why I stopped teaching. It IS that difficult to have a life and do your best to support the kids. It was EITHER be a person myself OR be everything for the kids. After several years of being a 24/7 teacher, I burned out and had to recareer. Tenured teachers, I've seen, have come up with interesting strategies to deal with the stress. Some of those strategies, sadly, include ignoring the parents. This isn't PERSONAL, but it's one of the ways they can cope with the emotional demands of being a teacher (much less the paperload).

So, let's come back to what you can do, now that you see more about her perspective and the fact that you won't REALLY be able to do anything. The best way you can help is to ask her what she needs from YOU to help your child. There's always something you can do, too, and asking this way means you are not the enemy.

In the meantime, the only one that can help HER with new strategies is another teacher she respects. If you have a good rapport with one of the other teachers in her area, talk to that teacher. Tell that person you're concerned because this teacher seems really stressed and may be losing papers. She's having trouble with paperload. Maybe she needs some help? Would she maybe be open to having volunteers in her classroom or finding other ways to deal with paperload? By showing that you do care about the teacher, too, you will probably enlist a good ally in the other teacher, who can tell you what you can do for now (and will probably also talk to her and maybe give her some tips).

Another advantage of going through another teacher, is they know what works for other teachers (they hear it from the kids), and he or she might have some new things to try.

As you noted, going "over her head" to the administration won't help (and won't cause retaliation, but will hurt her feelings...and it sounds like she's probably going through a lot. Teachers do NOT respond well to principals, usually, and they view them as the enemy, though some principals are better friends with their staffs than others. Others may have thought they made a change by going to the principal, but I can assure you, you cannot change a teacher permanently by going through the administration. You will not make friends with her OR your child's later teachers. You will, however, look like a really concerned, thoughtful person by moving quietly and asking for help from the people the teacher respects. You will also be more likely to help her make PERMANENT changes for your child and other children. The other teachers won't view you as a troublemaking parent, either. Also, if you go to the administration ONCE, you can't go again (or you are seen as a troublemaking parent by the administration), so save that for a big issue.

Good luck. Your best bet is to survive the year, though if you really want to help, try to find ways to help her help herself...through another teacher who may be your best ally in finding some resolution.

Answer 2

Don't be afraid to go to the amdintrastion. There job is to ensure the best education in there district, so reporting a teacher will help them. The teacher legaly can't retaliate, and if you can prove she acts out agenst your son for your actions, report again and they will handel the issue. Tenure dosn't mean she is untouchable, she is still abligated to preform well, tenure means that tyhe board must provide a valid reason for removing the teacher from her post. Ask to sit with the teacher and the Prinsipal at the school to discuss the issue, that way the school is awear of the issue and can watch her, while the teacher doesn't feel violated or overstepped and will be more apt to act. Don't be afraid of the teacher, s a parent, your child's education is more inportent then a teachers job or actions.

Answer 3

Request a meeting with her and the principle, document in detail all the problems (with dates, examples, etc). Make sure the teacher and principle are both present to avoid any conflict. If nothing happens after that, go to the school board. GL! My daughter had an awful kindergarten teacher, singled her out from everyone and made her feel very bad about herself. (Just a quick example - all the other kids brought junk food to school and if she brought a treat once in awhile the teacher would take her entire lunch and make her go without food for the school day). I had a meeting with the principle and the teacher and nothing came of it, so I ended up transfering my daughter to another school. That teacher was disciplined a year later for similar incidents.

Answer 4

I had similar yet different problems with my son's 2ND grade teacher. I finally went to the administration. My son has ADD and she was punishing him everyday for not being attentive by keeping him in at all recesses, permanent lunch room clean up duty, making him sit in hallway to do work alone. Basically, she was alienating him from the other kids along with degrading his self esteem. I talked to her several times. She did nothing other than to tell me she had a "master's degree in teaching" and knew more than I. Well....I finally wrote a letter to her with copies to the principal, school district head and school psychologist.
We had a big meeting and she was warned to discontinue this treatment of my son. The letter went into her permanent records file. She did not dare to cause a stir by retaliation as you say, as all eyes were on her at that point.
Report her to the administration for your son's sake and the other children, too.

Answer 5

You have to tell the principal about this teacher situation. The Principal is the superviosr for the whole school and he is the boss or you can call the school district and tell them the situation. The Government employs the teacher or the Board if any. Talk to these people and they will be able to help you out. They will appreciate your feedback in order to make the school better.

Answer 6

Contact the principle to explain the situation and ask to set a meeting with the councelor. Ask the coucelor to copy all homework before giving it to the teacher (We went through a similar situation). My son's grades improved after the councelor and I started keeping tabs on his work (I also found papers improperly graded). It all boiled down to a personality conflict and he was actually being sabotaged. All parents should keep an eye on their child's progress in school.

Answer 7

One thing you may try is to send an email, but cc it to their repsective administor. That will let the teacher know that their admin is now aware of the correspondence as well. If this doesnt elicit an response within two school-days, then you must proceeed to admin. Make it clear to admin that you will be observing the situation closely for any signs of retailiation, and are prepared to take such events to the school board. That should be enough. Feel free to contact me to find out about ways to help your child excel in school. [e-mail]

Answer 8

ur son's education is involved here. u need to act. its not just ur son thats gonna suffer, but all the kids under this teacher. let the heads know. don't let people like them remain in their jobs, being paid by our taxes and doing nothing better than take whats being offered to them. u need to kill these rats. for they are worthless.

Answer 9

There are bad teachers.Its a fact.Two of them messed up my life so much that I didn't complete college.You've done all you can to make her see sense.Go and see the administration.

Answer 10

you can get then fired by telling your parents to talk to the princibale and thew princable will either fire him and find a new teacher or tell him that he has two days to straighten up or he wil, be fired if he is a good princable