Teachers not interested in quiet achievers?

Question

I just wonder Australian teachers share the same trait with US teachers. My child is in primary school in Sydney. She is a quiet achiever. She performs at very high levels above her class mates and her year. She hates to show off in front of her class. But most of her teacher(s) always marked her down to just above average because they did not like her quiet nature. And also because they often don't give kids tests. They often assess verbally and informally at primary school level. This year she is doing national wide competitions. She is going to make her teachers look stupid as she is beating other kids left, right and center. At grade 3, she is practising with tests for grade 4 and 5 from the US and Australia.

Do you experience this problem in the US? It looks like modern school is a personality contest. It has lost the character ethics long ago?

I have already given her extra education at home for her needs. She does extremely well at schools and well admired by her friends and their parents. Her reports are always good but tehy should be better. The only negative thing is that she does not like (or respect) her teachers that much for favouring talkative kids.

Answer 1

Where I come from, a lot of emphasis is placed in written tests, even verbal skills has structured tests.

It was meant to be evaluating how much the kids have learnt BUT it always isn't the way. Plenty of negative pressure is created and kids end up spending great deal of time getting prepared for the tests - tuition, remedial classes etc. Some kids that may have done well, may simply be exam smart in this case or were mugging for the test, but have not acquired the true spirit of learning.

I'm glad to have read about your situation and hear about another extreme. Perhaps, it is tough to find the ideal system. I just posted some education question some time back and received one saying " No school is Ideal school". I guess it is pretty true. It is hard to please the mass, even harder to meet each and everyone's needs. For teachers to give reports, assessing classes of students under tight schedule, they have to use a general guideline. For exceptional kids, sometimes, it may become tricky for the teachers. Often a system does not offer too much of flexibility.

I think you are doing the right thing, understanding your child's talents and strength and developing it yourself.

A school besides in delivering knowledge, training thinking skills etc, it is also a place to learn social interaction, and self management during those hours away from parents. Perhaps, you can find other good points which the school's offering and is still nurturing your child's growth in those areas.

Otherwise, there isn't a need to follow the norm, which means parents may have to do more work, searching for a more compatible school, often it may mean a private one that is not doing things based on a certain drawn-up mass system. But talk and discuss with young soul first, she may have own preference and need to be prepared, understand for the change you may want to give her.

Anyway, with the fantastic results that she is bringing in, I'm sure the school is happy to know. You are also changing the expectations in school on a case to case basis. If you can be positive, I think there's a win-win situation here, instead of putting the teachers in-charge of your child down. Give the teachers good vibes, invite understanding. This will make them and you feel good. Most importantly, your child will benefit.

(You just reaffirm for me why there are increasing home-schooling cases.)

Answer 2

I always have a problem with people who want to group large demographics into a single trait or behavior, so I am skeptical that ALL Australian teachers do this. Furthermore, you are basing this on your child's reports, and on circumstantial evidence, because you are not actually in the classroom. Sometimes children---especially very clever children---are quite good at playing their parents and telling them the exact information that will push their buttons in whatever way they want.

As for your question, I can only speak for myself. I have had some painfully shy students who were among the brightest in the class. Although I try to get them to contribute to the classroom discussions---for their own good, as well as for the enrichment of the classroom environment---I would never mark a student down merely because he/she was quiet.

Speaking as a parent, if I had a child was was extraordinarily gifted and who did not thrive in a classroom environment, I would home-school or find a private tutor. It is obvious that you do not think much of your child's teachers, since you feel that they will be looking stupid as a result of your child's test scores. Why do you endure them if you think so little of them?

Answer 3

Well, I just graduated 8th grade int the US and in my grade, there are 23 other students. The school that I attend is a private, Catholic school with about 500 students I believe in grades K-8. There are many bright kids in my class but there is one that is EXTREMELY smart, a prodigy, and yet is quite in class. ALL of the teachers know that she is brilliant and recognize her brillance. Not only do the teachers see that but the students do too. But this could also be due to the fact that we have many tests, in Math class alone, we have about 5 tests/quizzes a week, sometimes more. Maybe the fact that we attended a small, close, private, Catholic School and took test/quizess had an impact on how the teachers graded her.

Answer 4

I disagree. Kids should not get spanked if their grades are lowers then an A. I'm 15 and of course I go to school. I try my hardest abd always apply myself and I only get A's in certain areas. I have never recieved an A for maths as I'm not good at it and I can't remember all the rules and stuff we need for it. As for english I always get A's. If your child doesn't try and apply themsleves they're basically not interested in school and therefore you spanking them will just make the problem worse. My brother was a high school drop out he is now making $2000 a week. If you call that not being a success then I don't now what is. P.S BTW He loves his job and if he had to redo he would do the exact same. P.S.S I'm guessing you live in the US, well I live in Australia and here $2000 is alot to be on in a week. Don't no about the US but.

Answer 5

A primary goal of educators is to help students learn to interact. A person who cannot do so will have a great deal of difficulty in this world. Rather than insulting your child's teachers, you might help her to be more outgoing. I know a painfully shy young girl who is now thriving in a weekend acting class. In only a few months (she is 10 years old) she seems to be a changed person. She now has many friends. She is also extremely intelligent and is now respected for the way she can express her ideas in class.

Perhaps you daughter will eventually be a research scientist or engage in another profession where she can essentially be alone. But it seems that she is headed for a very lonely life unless you change your attitude and support her.

Answer 6

I can only speak for myself--no, I don't look down on "quiet achievers." I use a variety of instructional methods and assessments so I get to know my students' strengths. I do require class participation, but if I know a student is shy, then I will take that into consideration and not call on them excessively. Although part of my job as a language arts teacher is to address not only written communitcation, but verbal and non-verbal as well.

It may take me longer to get to know the quiet students, but by the end of the year, I can generally list the strengths and weaknesses of all my students--I generally have about 150 students each year.

Answer 7

All teachers in the US even up to college level seem to like the students who speak up in class more...maybe because its easier to assess whether they are "getting" the information or not. I myself am a quiet achiever...I rarely talk in class because I'm just not that outgoing, but I do well in the classes anyway.

Answer 8

most teachers in the US grade in part on the child's participation in class. not all do and I don't think anyone would give significantly lower grades because a child was quiet. it might bring down her overall average, but not other grades.

Answer 9

I have been a quiet achiver all my life and yes, your daughter may get stepped on if she continues to stay on the shy side. Work with her on building confidence and she will go very far in life.