Recently our high school math teacher dropped everyone's grade 20 points by giving us all zeros on one of our tests. She did this becuase some dumb*** wrote some rude comment on a paper and she dropped us all down 20 pts becuase no one wanted to admit who it was. Is it right that our teacher deducted 20 pts from all our grades and i'd like to know if she's broken any rules.
If it helps i go to a catholic high school and my grade went from an A to a B
2007-03-23 08:25:54 · 28 answers · asked by nadalalex 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
Just to clarify, no one cheated on the test, just some guy wrote a derragatory comment on a sign up sheet which was given to her. she told us she'd drop our grade 10 points, but instead gave us all zeros on a recent test.
2007-03-23 08:56:55 · update #1
Private school, they set the rules man.. Such is life, deal with it.
2007-03-23 08:33:12 · answer #1 · answered by redgralle 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It sounds bad and it wasn't a very nice thing to do BUT it doesn't mean anything. If the teacher dropped some of the kids but not all of them then that's not fair. Dropping all of you makes absolutely no difference to your marks at all. That is why she could do it - get a reaction from you guys but it doesn't affect the marks at all.
Lets say your average is 10% higher than mine. It will still be 10% higher because she dropped the both of us. She lost a bit of control, was frustrated and probably hurt, she wanted to show she was still the boss and the authority figure so she chose this strategy.
Forget it, won't make one bit of difference. Do you really think she is going to get her mark book out and record a bunch of zeros all the way down? Nope. If she dropped everyone by 20 marks then she had already recorded the correct score in her mark book. No worries. Even if she didn't record any marks then the test becomes obsolete. Take it from me (32 yrs in the business)
Signed a math teacher.
2007-03-24 14:03:34 · answer #2 · answered by Critters 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a teacher, I can understand your teacher's frustration. However, to drop everyone's grades is not the answer. I don't know about legal issues, however here are some suggestions.
Does your school have a student handbook? Look through it to find any advice there.
Talk with your teacher after class or after school. In a respectful, calm manner (that is very important!) explain why you think what she did was unfair. Sometimes, teachers do things they regret later and after they calm down, are willing to talk. (Hey, we're human too!)
If talking with your teacher doesn't work, take it up with the principal. Request a conference with the principal. Bring your parents along for support if you like. Explain that you feel it is unfair to dock your grade for the actions of another student. Point out that the difference between an A and a B will affect your GPA and could affect college admissions.
Good luck. I hope things work out for you!
2007-03-23 08:35:25 · answer #3 · answered by Darcy 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If it's not legally wrong (I don't know if it is), it's certainly morally and ethically wrong. It's not right to punish everyone for what one person did. That's rule #1. If she can't prove who did it, then SHE'S screwed. That shouldn't affect your grade. Grades are meant as an ASSESSMENT of competency. I don't see how deducting 20 points from everyone's grade is assessing anything other than her bruised ego. Your class should discuss this with her. If she won't budge, get your parents in on the act. If necessary, talk it over with the principal. Let that be your last resort. Good luck!
2007-03-23 16:31:06 · answer #4 · answered by elizabeth_ashley44 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, penalizing EVERY student is unfair. (She just proved that whatever that person wrote was probably true! I can see why she overracted; the truth hurts sometimes.)
NEVER should a teacher use "grading" as a way of discipline. The only exception would be a participation grade. Even then, each student earns a grade based on his or her efforts.
I'm very sorry this happened. I would make sure that an adult is made aware of this, either your dean of students, the school's pastor, principal, your parents. When you do this, be very factual and leave any opinions out. If I were you, this very minute, I would write down what was said and done so it will remain fresh in your mind.
I'll keep you in my prayers...
Mon :-)
2007-03-23 08:37:23 · answer #5 · answered by santan_cat 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
find out who the idiot was that was rude & caused the trouble in the first place. Thats the source of the problem, not your teacher. You were lucky if thats all that happened if some idiot did that when i went to school. As cliche as it sounds (and believe me i hate saying it) but kids these days have no respect. No, it wasn't fair what your teacher did, and you could probably fight it, but that fact is no one owned up to being a nimrod, and no one called him/her on it, so you all suffered. Good life lesson. Fair isn't in most peoples vocabulary. Whoever the idiot was is the root cause. Get mad at them, not the teacher for responding as anyone would.
2007-03-23 08:34:08 · answer #6 · answered by Merk 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What your teacher did is what any good leader would have done when nobody was willing to take responsibility.
If you want to blame someone, it is the person who wrote the rude message who is at fault, not your teacher. I suspect she believed the wrongdoer would come forward rather than have the punishment imposed on everyone in the class. He or she lacked the character to do so. I am sure your teacher was very disappointed.
2007-03-23 08:36:25 · answer #7 · answered by Suzianne 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You could check to see if your division/district has any sort of assessment policy. You might have an avenue to fight it if it does. I would also talk to your principal, if you feel he/she will listen to your concerns. Being in high school, your marks are important for your future plans.
As to my opinion- I do not agree with her at all. Your marks are what you have earned and are supposed to reflect you knowledge of the content, not a classmates behavior. I feel that reducing all of your marks because one person doesn't have the guts to fess up to something they have done wrong. I think your teacher needs to do some researching on assessment and the purpose of assessment.
2007-03-23 17:02:48 · answer #8 · answered by harleighzoe 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a teacher myself, I would have to say what she did was unfair. It is not fair to punish the whole class because of one student. She should have tried harder to find out who had done it. I don't know if she has broken any "rules".
If I were you I would talk to your parents and see if they can call or go up to the school to talk to the principal and hopefully the zero can be removed.
2007-03-23 08:33:11 · answer #9 · answered by t s 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Since you attend a Catholic school the teacher is justified in teaching a lesson in honesty and morality. Teachers in public schools are not allowed to punish a class for individual misbehavior. Of course, that's why there are so many more misbehaving kids in public school.
2007-03-23 08:35:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
That sounds like something my science teacher would do... to the student who actually did it. I seriously think it's unfair that she gave you and you class zeroes because one smartass decided to be "smart" and write that not-so-smart comment on a paper. It's just so immature on her part, just like how it's immature for the dumb*** who started this whole thing. You should tell someone of a higher status than her. They could do something about her unteacher-like behavior.
2007-03-23 12:29:48 · answer #11 · answered by zzz_snoozer_zzz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋