First grader question!!!?

Question

Hello, I just want to really get a poll from the parents out there what would you do?
My son is in frist grade, he missed school Thursday and Friday of last week. (he was sick but feeling better now.) Monday was a student holiday, so Tuesday upon returning to school he had a subsitute teacher, he also had a sub today (Wednesday) apperently subtraction was studied on one or both of the days he was out. I am not sure if the sub was unware he was absent, simply didnt care or what (although his excuse was and still is in his folder.) I belive he was never taught the lessons he missed, and the missing assignments were never sent home, so i can teach him what he missed. It also seems to me that he was expected to simply do his work, without being taught the lessons, I belive this is not fair to him at all! What would you do?
(I work full time 10 hour days I am a single mom

Thanks guys!!! Good advise so far! I have already reviewed the subraction with my son and he is very bright he understands. I should have said that earlier sorry guys!!!

Answer 1

First, you are to be commended for being a terrific Mom. Glad to see that you care enough about your kid to be certain he keeps up.

Bring this concern directly to the teacher and principal, if needed and get what you need from them to help him catch-up with his lessons.

Answer 2

Hi. I am a First Grade teacher myself. Hopefully your school will offer some sort of review of this important lesson that he missed. I would call the teacher and ask for worksheets to do at home. I would also buy flashcards. Subtraction isn't usually learned as easily as addition. Rest assured, also, just because the students were present during the lesson....doesn't mean they all got it the first time it was taught. They're all probably in the same boat! Be diligent.

Answer 3

More than likely the teacher was unable to inform the sub that he was absent, especially if it wasn't a planned absence on her part. You should call the school office and see if they can find out what the assignment was that he missed. More than likely they won't be able to tell you, but they can at least inform the sub that he wasn't in school for the lesson that way he can get some extra help. Also, have the school leave a message for his teacher to call you once she is back in school. She will want to know what has been going on and help him get caught back up as soon as possible.

Answer 4

Wow...it's awful to know now that the school system is failing everywhere...and I thought our school was problematic. NOT. I was also a single mom at one time(I have remarried) and I worked long hours. Because there was a lot of problems (and still is) with our school I would ask my daughter what classes she had that day. I always put 1 hour total into helping her with her classes and reading (my daughter is dyslexic and has major reading problems) We always had fun with math and I mad homemade math problems on index cards and also turned them into flashcards for her. We did this five days a week with weekends off. Now she is in the third grade and she excels at math even though she still has her reading problem. Maybe just see on a daily basis by asking your son what they are working on in class that day. If it is subtraction work on that, adding work on that. Use flash cards and make up your own problems for him to work on. In first grade usually 10 problems is the max. Don't do more than that or your child can either 1)get bored easily 2)loose focus on what he is doing 3)run screaming from the room saying things like "mom not a again...! You don't love me if you give me another math problem!"
Also I would call up his regular teacher and explain what happened as well. Explain that you would still like to have any handouts or worksheets that he missed on those days. Explain your feelings with the teacher on the subs behavior and how math was handled in class. One thing I know is that if you explain your problems that you have with happend it puts the ball back in the teachers court. She/or he may have to maybe get a dayplanner and write what they want a week out that way in case they are sick the sub has that information. Also our school still takes an absent chart that way if for any reason a student misses a class the sub knows by looking on that chart and looking at the day's actives to see what was missed by that student. Hopefully this helps!

Answer 5

When His regular teacher returns to school, take him to school and tell her about all this hoopla. Teaching subtraction can be fun and easy(heck, my 3 year old can do it;). Try using jelly beans or cereal pieces. Give him a problem like 9-2 and give him nine pieces of whatever you are using. Explain to him that if you have nine jelly beans, and if he eats two, all he has to do is count the ones he did not eat. Get his home work papers and do the given problems with the jelly beans! I am glad he feels better. I hope you get this whole mess straightened out! Oh, and also, don't listen to what Colleen O says, you did not cause this.

Answer 6

I have yet to be in a school where missed work is not required to be made up within 24 hrs of the time the child comes back into school.

In our current school, the parent is responisble to pick up the work missed each day, and the child must turn it in when they come to class.

Most likely your substitute would assume your child would have already viewed or reviewed work missed while absent. Either way it is your responsibility to assume the teaching role if your child is not in the classroom.

Answer 7

Seems like to me the sub just did not know what was going on with him being absent and all. I don't think it is her fault what I would do is take him to Sylvan learning center and let them teach him subtraction as well as help him with the work the other students are doing. And he will be cought up in no time!

Answer 8

i would call the school, let the teacher sub know if she is still there that he needs to make up these lessons. if his regular teach is there let her know. Be nice though.

this happened to me in the second grade and I was really confused about subtraction and my teach never filled the missing lesson, until I took a test and failed it.

for the sake of your child, let the teach know and you can also get some math work books at Wal Mart or Staples, to help re-enforce the missing lessons and let him have some extra practice to catch up with the rest of the class.

Answer 9

Since it sounds like you'd have a hard time going in for a conference, write the teacher a note, asking her to call you at such and such a time so you can discuss it. More than likely the sub was unaware of his absence..I'm sure the teacher will be more than understanding.

Answer 10

Sometimes you can't just depend on the school. Get M & M's or something to use for counting and just SHOW him the concept of subtracting. He has 4 MM's you eat 2 now how many:)
Maybe he'll end up ahead of the other kids.