I Discovered that Truth is Sadder than Fiction...

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Dropped into school to see the principal today...

I was prepared to be angry, upset, hurt, disappointed. I was prepared to hear that my child had been disruptive, rude, disrespectful. I was ready!

Instead, the principal told me that there had been some issues in recent years with students being promoted to classes in which they did not belong...and then the teachers being far too lenient on these students - thus leaving the students totally unprepared for the state exam. Students failing the final exams have reflected badly on the school and the district.

difficult child had been identified as a student who did not belong in the Literature class - which was intended as an advanced course for seniors. There had been several discussions with difficult child in which she had been given the opportunity to "step up her game" and put in some extra work....but to no avail. The disrespectful essay she gave the teacher was just one more straw in an ongoing situation - and a clear sign that difficult child needed to be removed from the course.

So, that is that. I *did* have to sign a paper agreeing that difficult child was being removed from the course, and would be given credit instead for completing a lower-level English course.

When I asked the principal whether difficult child was on-track to graduate? He gave me an evasive answer and said that I needed to speak with individual teachers about that.

It's just so much sadder than I thought....
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
You do need to check on that DF. The HS up here messed up Jamie's senior english class which he took in the fall and he couldnt take it again in the spring to get the credit so he would have had to come back the next fall to get the credit. Instead, he went to adult HS at the community college and got his HS diploma that way. He absolutely had to graduate that spring because of his early enlistment into the Marines.
 

greenrene

Member
"When I asked the principal whether difficult child was on-track to graduate? He gave me an evasive answer and said that I needed to speak with individual teachers about that."

Read more: http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f6/i-discovered-truth-sadder-than-fiction-52978/#ixzz2NcWyTewT

Um, WHAT???? Hell no. It sounds like this school is seriously lacking in the communication department. At this point in the year, if difficult child were NOT on track to graduate, they sure as heck should have told you! And what would talking to the individual teachers do - how would they know much more than how difficult child was doing in that individual class? I think an appointment with the guidance counselor (or whoever is supposed to handle these things) may be in order.

You're getting BS from every angle, DF. I hope you have your rubber boots on to slog through it all...
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
It's one of the things that drove me crazy, too. difficult child could be off the deep end, but TOO often, it really was the system messing him up, and while his reactions to it might have been non-typical, it wasn't really fair.

Even more sad is that you don't have to be a difficult child at all for school to really mess you up.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Oh, dear.
What was difficult child's reaction? Or wasn't she standing there?
I can't believe that the principal said that. He should have at least offered to walk you to the counselor's ofc to look up the grades and status. Lazy.
 

buddy

New Member
I'm really sorry. Wow, thinking about her explanation about what was going on....quite a spin.

I agree, it's sad.
 
yeah...school is much sadder than you thought.

but on an up note, difficult child wasnt far off the truth...*I* actually believe that the principal gilded the lily and implied, if not said outright, some of the atta girl stuff she mentioned. i'll concede that magical thinking probably "heard" that she's going to be the next pulitzer prize winner, but i personally think its more grounded in reality than you thought originally. i also will guess that the extent of the real impact of her NonVerbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is still unknown and when the school gets back to you about her grad status i think i'd formally request an exit evaluation and a subsequent iep meeting to discuss schooling til 21.

i feel bad for her-it must be rough to be her.

in light of all of this, did you by chance ask about the recital stuff while you were there???
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Well, truth is often hard to take. But at least they're allowing her credit for a lower English course. Him not having info in how she is doing in her other courses just goes to show the amount of actual "caring" going on in the school. Real concern and he'd have had that info ready for you, knowing it would be your question.

We ran into a snag in Travis' Senior year as well. Seems the school allowed him to take Geometry without ever having passed algebra. He passed Geometry with an A, followed that with the next math class......sorry mind has decided to draw a blank.........and passed it with an A. He failed that algebra class back as a freshman. duh I'd said something when they approved the geometry class.....oh, no, he's fine they said. phht Then they decided that he somehow didn't have enough English.......when drama counts as an english class........blah blah blah

In the end I pulled out my ace in the hole. Here no child with an IEP can be prevented from graduating. (got that info from his counselor at the tech school) Suddenly everyone was super cooperative and things were juggled around and accepted as the credits they should be. That whole algebra deal was THEIR fault, not ours. They wanted to toss out the credits for the geometry and the 2nd math class because he hadn't passed the algebra. Uh, no, don't think so. Substituting drama for a reg english class had also been their idea as Travis has severe issues with language ect. So again? No.

So he graduated. On the honor roll.

Get your questions answered. Then? Call up the state school board and make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Hugs
 

HaoZi

CD Hall of Fame
I agree with Hound, he should have looked into that information and had it on hand in case you asked - he should have been better prepared for this meeting, and if not, have pointed towards ONE person rather than a group, you could talk to, to get answers. Messy, inconsiderate, and unprofessional.
 

JJJ

Active Member
Stories like this make me so grateful for our school district. Every parent can check the graduation status of their child online 24/7.

I would definitely make an appointment to see her counselor and go over her transcript to ensure she will graduate if she passes her current classes.
 

rejectedmom

New Member
DF, as someone who taught at the HS level for a couple of years I can tell you that the grades are not finalized until the last week of school and they do not go into the central system prior to that. At this point the principal would not have been able to pull up her grades any further than her last quarter mark. Teachers do put their grades into their personal class files either on their computer or in grade books and often students are aware of that but it isn't transferred into the main system till the end of the marking period. So the principal was correct in telling you to check with th indivitual teachers and with the guidance office who would have her entire HS history up to the last marking period. BUT he could have explained this to you and if he had ample time and prior knowledge of the meeting, he could have requested a current status from the teachers. -RM
 
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