My math Teacher isn't doing his job?

Question

I live in Vancouver Washington, and my Math teacher isn't doing his job. I'm a 10th grader.
~He doesn't teach us, he has us students teach each other. While he just walks around, and corrects us, and tells us we’re wrong.
~I've had a couple of nights of homework that were 65+ problems.
~Can't use a calculator, if you do use one, he'll give you and F right there.
~If you don't give the proper heading, he won't grade the paper, he'll just write down "NO CREDIT YET"
~He gives us unexpected tests every week, but never tells us what it's on.
~When working on a problem, he makes us do it HIS WAY. Makes us change, and if we don't we get an F
~I gave him my option on what he's doing, but he told me "Nothing i say or do, is going to change his mind" blah blah blah
----I do have his endorsement to get out of the class, but I feel really bad for the other students that are also failing----

I'm trying to get all the parents involved to bring this teacher down.

WHAT DO I DO???????

I have also gotten my counselors involved. I have to go and talk them again this Monday. But I'm kind of scared since, I'm going by myself.
My parents are having my type a paper to the counselors to read, so I don't have to explain it, and be afraid I left something out.

I don't exactly want to bring the teacher down, but I do know he needs a talking too.
I know for a fact that, if the vast morgority of the class is failing, the teacher has change his ways, to help us. Instead of pretty much saying "My way, or the high way" Why should We (students) change the way we've always learned just for him.

One of the times my group were working on some math problems, and we didn't understand the problem, so we simply, attempeted it, couldn't get it, so moved on, and willing to come back to it. When the teacher notced we didn't finish it, we got in trouble.

Answer 1

speak to the counselor and tell him or her that you want is going on and you would like to have another teacher. all the kids in your class need to get together and say something also. you should also speak to your parents and tell them what is going on.

Answer 2

I am taking two math classes this semester: Elements of Algebra: the teacher is great and does a wonderful job of explaining stuff (I am a bit bored in this class). She, however, is a bit of a push over. Therefore, people who don't wont to do stuff or those that have 20 million excuses as to why they didn't do what they were supposed to are easily able to get away with it. Probability and Statistics: The professor is great and does a good job of explaining math concepts. However, he moves quite quickly through the information. Some people could easily be lost and not feel like they know what they are doing. I must say, though, whether or not a teacher is good totally depends on his or her students. Because students do not learn at the same pace or in the same way, they will automatically look at their own personal experiences to decide whether or not a teacher is good. Hope this helps: B

Answer 3

Sounds like an academically good teacher. The principal and district know his style and he must have produced over the years or he wouldn't be there. Unfortunately in the PC crap era, it is well meaning but misguided students such as yourself that get good, tough, successful teachrs transferred out and replaced by the PC teacher who will not challenge you. When I taught it was done my way, the right way. After all, I was the teacher and you were the student and I knew it all and you didn't know much of anything. Same for me when I was a student. My best and favorite teacher in H.S., Miss Bates, taught Algebra. She was tough and expected excellence. I did ALL my homework and did my best but all I could get each of the two semesters was B. She and I have kept in touch through these many years and I will be taking her out to lunch again next week.
Come to think of it, you should not be pursuing this based upon what you wrote above. You sound intelligent but sort of teen lazy, normal but you don't want that much longer to be a part of who you are. Just a suggestion.

Answer 4

Seems to me he is doing his job better than most teachers.

Learning from other students both encourages the students to know it better so they can teach each other, and makes it more fun to learn because you're listening to your friends instead of him.

Also, it's better than just sitting there while he drones away out of a book, isn't it?

As for calculators, please... are we getting so incompetent these days that we cannot do math problems without cheating? Using a calculator might be quick and easy, but it really doesn't teach you much if you still can't do the problem by hand.

Showing your work and propper headings? Of course. This is how the normal business life goes. You can't just hand in some figures without any explanations.

Unexpected tests keep you on your toes and makes sure you are studying what you're supposed to be.

As for doing things his way, what do you expect? He is a teacher, he knows what he is teaching. You are a student. You are there to learn the proper way of doing things.

I don't know if you are in highschool or college, but if it IS highschool, you're going to have a very rude awakening when you get to college. Most teachers are like this, and for very good reasons too.

It seems to me that he is doing a better job than most teachers these days and that perhaps you are just a little bit lazy yourself and don't want to step up to the challenge. I don't think it's him.

Answer 5

Check and see what grades everyone else gets consistently, take a survey, basically, of the sentiments & observations of your classmates and others who've had his class. If you all go to him together with your concerns, then he might relax or raise some grades.... (My friends and I did that with a very power-driven English teacher.) If going to him only makes him more difficult to deal with, then go to other teachers and tell them. Then go to the counselor. Then to the principal. I'd suspect all the while you've been telling your parents too....

There is proper protocol to be observed in these instances. I understand you're fired up to fire him (been there, done that twice in high school) but things have to be done in a logical and considerate manner. See your classmates first, then go to him. Then up another level if that doesn't work...then up, then up, then up.

That's what I'd do. Coz yes, you need headings and all that group work. But you know what else? Not a single college math professor will let you pass a class if you don't have a calculator. Not kidding.

Answer 6

sounds like he is an old fashioned type teacher. I agree with the calculator thing, btw,

the question is whether you loved math before you got your new teacher, you could say how you don't like math anymore because of him.

you should just transfer to a new class and forget about bringing him down, you will not be successful and only make everyone hate you and call you a troublemaker. I'm sorry but that's the truth.

I had lots of bad teachers in high school, in fact my physics teacher was sooo bad. he was also involved in the football team and people that sold football tickets got to have extra credit. I knew people that failed all their tests but sold so many tickets that they got an "A" ..sickening. I complained but I got nowhere. Sometimes you just have to live with it :"-()

Answer 7

I'm a teacher and this is what i would suggest...

1. talk to your counselor, and bring your PARENTS! Parents voices are a 1000 times louder than kids' voices in a school.

2. If that doesn't work, then you need to schedule a parent-kid-principal meeting. Principals HATE bad press and to look bad, so you need to bring it to his/her attention. You could suggest to the principal that the teacher needs a mentor who is a superb teacher. You could also suggest that some of the adminstrative staff go observe the class on a regular basis.

3. Your city is a decent size, but I dont know how big your school district is. There are often area/assistant super intendents. It's their job to make sure the schools are being run properly. Contact a 'super intendent'. If you dont have assistant ones, go straight to the top. Other than that, you want to go to the Board of Education in your district.

I know this sounds extreme, but it is SO frustrating for teachers who do their job to see teachers who DON'T. We want them gone as much as you do.

The only people who have the ability to make this known are the kids/parents.

Whatever you do, you must get your parents involved, or else it makes it so much harder on you. Adults often dismiss kids and think they just don't "like" the teacher. Make sure to emphasize all the things you said here.

Contacting parents of the kids in the math teacher's classes would also help a LOT.

Answer 8

You're doing everything right. Use the endorsements to get out of class.

Find out who has a parent (= father) who is an ENGINEER or mathematician. There should be a student distributing the answers and steps to the other students each night on the internet, in other words, cheating. It's the only way to survive this goofball. The class has to get together and collude and cheat. This is a rare example of cheating being ethical. I would get the engineer's or mathematician's child to exchange emails with the class brainiac and then shotgun them to all the other students each night.

I'm proud to say I've never voted for a school bond issue or teacher issue in my life. I knew it was going to come to this.

There is a "math channel" on one of the 200 cable channels that is pretty good. There are video and exercise books that will get you through algebra and geometry somehow. There are home schooling courses that explain the steps, too.

Answer 9

Regarding making the students work together, he is probably a constructivist teacher. The constructivist approach promotes students using their reasoning skills to try to figure out things on their own, as something will have more meaning for them that way than just being told how to do it. Using this approach, the teacher becomes less of a "teacher" and more of a "facilitator," helping steer students in the right direction. However, making students do it "his way" seems to contradict the constructivist approach...

Regarding some of the policies, as long as he's been up front about his policies (i.e. no calculator, headings on paper), just suck it up and do it the way he wants you to. There is nothing wrong with expecting students to use their brains as opposed to calculators unless the problems REQUIRE graphic calculators or the like. There is no reason students can't be expected to put a proper heading on an assignment. Regarding the tests, I would assume that they are usually on what you've been working on that week. It is his way to make sure individual students are learning and not just letting others in the group do all the work. If you are not doing well on tests, set up an appointment to meet with him and get extra help, as you are evidentally not understanding the material.

One choice is to stay in the class and suck it up and do things the way he wants them done. You giving him an option on what he's doing implies you told him he's teaching poorly and told him what to do instead...probably not the best course of action. If someone who has training in education (another math teacher or an administrator) spoke to him about his teaching methods that would have more merit for him, but there are always going to be students who don't agree with how a teacher teaches.

Another choice is take his opportunity to get out of the class. If other students are having as much trouble as you, those students and their parents will probably put up a stink and the problem will be resolved.

The objective should not be to "bring the teacher down." If there are truly problems with his grading practices and teaching methods, the objective should be to help him to improve. If efforts (made by the administration) do not help him to improve, then replacement could be an option. If he's tenured, they will need to prove they've given him chances to improve, have evaluated him and told him about problems, etc. If he's tenured one must wonder how he made it past the probationary period if he's supposedly so bad.

Another option, of course, is to continue on your quest to "take the teacher down." Parents and students alike can complain to the school board and administration. Just be aware that if he is new, he is still learning. That may be little consolation for you, but it is the truth. Also, I sincerely hope that whatever you do in the future, you do flawlessly, as I would hate to see someone want to "bring you down" rather than wanting to help you improve.

Answer 10

Ooh, that's a tough one. I would definitely get your parents involved and maybe have a group of your classmates go to the counselor or assistant principal with your issues. Have specific examples and talk to each other ahead of time so that you can present your case convincingly. I know that sometimes teens can get blown off as argumentative and uncooperative, so make sure you know what you're going to say ahead of time. If enough of you ban together and have your parents involved, the school staff will listen.

Good luck!

Answer 11

What you are doing is the right thing, talking to the counselors, and writing it down before you go in to your meeting. But you need to worry about and take care of you. It is not your place to "get all the parents together to bring him down" That sounds like a witch hunt. Maybe the other students LIKE his style of teaching? Maybe they do well with it. Maybe they agree with you because they think you would like them better. If they are not happy with his teaching style, then let THEM go into meetings with the counselors! It is perfectly acceptable for you not to be happy with his style if teaching, as long as you voice your objections with maturity! Good Luck to you.