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....
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....