What is a teacher's responsibility?

amother

Fri, Dec 03 2010, 11:39 am

What is a teacher's responsibility when a child is not doing well in school?

My fourth grade dd is struggling. We help her with her homework, we help her study for tests, but she has trouble grasping the information. She does not have a learning disability, or require therapy, she just needs some extra attention.

The school wants her to get a tutor after school. I think if she didn't learn it in 8 hours at school, why do we think she'll learn it in 30 minutes in the evening? Not to mention the expense!

I think that, in taking pride in their craft, the teachers should be using creative, flexible techniques to try to reach her. The school thinks, they've allowed her to sit in the classroom, they've provided their instruction, their job is done.

What do teachers and other mothers think?

amother

Fri, Dec 03 2010, 11:51 am

amother wrote:

OP, I was in the same boat last year. We switched DD's school. We were lucky to have a new teacher who was really trying to find a right approach to every student. My DD did great.
My advise to you - look for another school. You don't need to spend extra $ (on top of the tuition) on tutor. Be your DD's advocate. See new schools and talk to principals. Ask to see the classroom and talk to the teacher. Make sure you check if the teacher is licensed. There are too many unprofessional uneducated teachers around who are suggesting to get a tutor these days only because they have no clue how to do their job.

cbw

Fri, Dec 03 2010, 11:57 am

I too have a dd that struggles in school sometimes. I say sometimes because I've noticed that it really depends on the teacher. yes, in an ideal world, the teacher would be flexible in her methods and figure out a way to reach out to each child based on the way that would maximize their learning. sometimes you will get an amazing experienced teacher who is able to do this. usually, you will not. this is largely due to the overcrowding of most of our yeshivas. teachers just cant appeal to each child so they will pick a method that they think the majority of the students will understand. yes, that leaaves certain children lost but there is too much to learn, too little time and too many students. so if you get it , good, if not, figure it out on your own time. I have needed to provide tutors for my dd. amazingly, if she doesn t have any type of learning issues, the tutoring works like a charm, and she usually picks it up right away. the one on one really makes a huge difference because the tutor is focusing on just your dd. also, your daughters self esteem will gain a tremendous boost with the confidence she will gain by knowing the material very well. another thing that you should do if possible, have the teacher give the tutor the material ahead of the class, so your daughter can be taught in advance instead of after, she will then begin to shine in class and sucess almost always breeds success. as an aside, I wouldn't attempt to tutor her yourself, since this could create power struggles between you two. good luck!

Chayalle

Fri, Dec 03 2010, 12:12 pm

Some students learn better one on one, which you can't expect that from a teacher with a large class to teach.

I have two DD's in school, one B"AH learns everything quickly and easily. The other is a good student but needs extra help. B"H I have been able to be her tutor - I put many hours into reviewing the school material with her on a daily basis so that she has kept up and done well. The last year or two she has been more independant, but it has been slow. At this point she basically needs me to study with her before tests, otherwise she's okay.

If I hand't been able to do this for her I definitely would have hired a tutor. I wouldn't want her self esteem nor opportunities to suffer. I also don't believe in shifting responsiblity. Regardless of who should be doing this (teacher, school, whoever) THIS IS MY CHILD and I want her to have the best chances for success.

Rodent

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 6:21 am

As a teacher I personally think it is my duty to attempt to reach all of my students. That doesn't mean I will always succeed, but I feel that it is my job to try. In the past that has included mummifying a chicken in Ancient History for a blind student (who did the physical aspects of this) as descriptions of diagrams just don't always cut it, and writing and performing a rap of a novel we were studying in class which had some embedded quotes in it for the kid with some learning problems who couldn't grasp even the basics of the simplest (and worst) book I have ever read so that he at least understand what it was about and could go into the exam with some quotes to make it seem like he knew what he was talking about. I have also always given students some ways to contact me outside of school hours (high school though) and been available in lunch times and my prep periods. Is this enough for all kids? No, but I do what I can within my limitations. Beyond that parents may need to get outside help as well.

So yes, I think it is a teacher's responsibility to try and reach that quiet kid down the back that tries to blend in and never be called on because they have no idea what is going on. But if that isn't enough, then it's not necessarily the teacher's fault and it would be in the child's best interests to get some more support for them.

I would hope that the teachers my kids get would do the best they can with them. And I will never send my kids to a school with any teachers that are unqualified, I have HUGE issues with that.

Isramom8

Sat, Dec 04 2010, 1:09 pm

Theoretically, a teacher should teach in a way that every student understands, or else what has been taught? Practically, classrooms are overcrowded, time is limited, specific material must be covered and students have varying needs. It does not do your child a service to argue theory. Find a school that can meet your child's needs, or get tutoring, or both. Yes, it's annoying.

What I liked about the special rd school we put one of our kids into was the way they made sure each student was actually learning. It's called special education, but I discovered that it's really just careful, caring, deliberate, responsible education. In the regular school, our child was either pulled out to study with private teachers for which we paid, or kicked out of class, or not learning, so what was the point? The school is very honest about saying that their level is high and they do not have the facilities to teach students who can't keep up. Infuriating, but does it help kids to kvetch about it?

Fox

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 3:47 pm

Isramom8 wrote:

It's called special education, but I discovered that it's really just careful, caring, deliberate, responsible education.

Wow, you said it!

I taught for approximately 18 years, although only some of it was spent in Jewish schools.

Based on my experiences as a parent and a teacher, the single biggest problem is not lack of time or lack of money; it is lack of true educational administration.

When I began teaching, I had a supervising teacher in my classroom every single day for at least an hour or two. Before classes began, we spent time with the our supervisors discussing the curricula, how each year's curriculum fit into the whole picture, ways to supplement, etc. Our supervising teacher spent 1-2 hours each day observing our classrooms. We then conferred at the end of the day, discussing what went well, what didn't, what ideas I might try, etc. Oh, and her boss often observed classrooms, too. BTW, none of this was done in a confrontational manner; they observed everyone and were genuinely committed to mentoring teachers.

Contrast that with the situation at my DDs' elementary school, where several newly-hired teachers of my acquaintance were given the following preparation: a list of the girls' names and a stack of textbooks selected for the grade. No curriculum; no goals; no concept of how things fit together in the framework of the whole school . . .

The result, as you can imagine, is haphazard. A handful of teachers are skilled and smart enough to take what they are given and craft a coherent curriculum out of it, along with supplemental instruction for students who are either ahead or behind the rest of the class. But the principal does not so much as poke her nose in a classroom unless there is a discipline issue or parents complain about a specific teacher. And those teachers who are not blessed with inherent abilities are basically wasted -- they never get a chance to learn to be better teachers.

My first teaching supervisor had a mantra that she repeated often: "If people knew better, they would do better." It's not literally true, of course, but it does contain an important truth. With help, support, information, and ideas, people can do better. Someone who is good can become great, and someone who is lousy can become average. Unfortunately, many of our administrators are poorly prepared themselves, and they spend little time developing their teachers.

I honestly believe that if we had better administrators, we would have happier teachers, parents, and children.

amother

Sun, Dec 05 2010, 4:15 pm

OP here. Thanks for your responses, they've mostly confirmed what I already thought, and given me food for further thought.

Thanks to your posts, I have a better understanding of the teacher's limitations, and my ultimate responsibility to do what I have to so that my child will learn.

I guess I'm frustrated, because she's not so far out of the *normal* spectrum! She had a Hebrew vocabulary test 2 weeks ago. Her father studied with her for 2 nights for about 20 minutes each night, and she got 17/20. So she's teachable!!! But we don't have the time to prepare her for every single test and HW assignment. And we don't have the money to shell out for a tutor.

She really needs what Isramom8 identified. "Careful, caring, deliberate, responsible education".

Any suggestions how I can encourage the school to step up to the plate without appearing combative? Otherwise I fear I will have to move her, which breaks my heart as she's very happy where she is.

Fox

Mon, Dec 06 2010, 10:37 am

amother wrote:

Any suggestions how I can encourage the school to step up to the plate without appearing combative? Otherwise I fear I will have to move her, which breaks my heart as she's very happy where she is.

Oh, boy! A lot depends on the school and how defensive (read, "insecure") the teacher and/or principal happens to be.

I find it so frustrating when schools automatically recommend "tutors." A genuine tutor is a highly-trained, experienced teacher; what they often mean is a "homework companion," and you are correct that this won't help your daughter in the least.

Here is where we all have to become homeschoolers to some extent. The only way I ever discovered to help this kind of situation was to do some research and experimentation to find out what helped my daughter learn the material; I then asked the teacher to implement the easier ideas or give me the material in advance so that I could create some activities. Yes, this is incredibly time-consuming.

Truthfully, it wasn't even all that effective. Most of the teachers were reluctant to utilize my suggestions, and almost none of them were willing to provide me with the material. Most didn't plan their lessons more than a day or two in advance, it seems.

Another idea is to see if the school has another teacher who would be willing to spend 15 minutes a day with your daughter to review the material with her. Sometimes a different method of presentation can make a huge difference.

Hatzlacha!