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Its official

BettyRay's picture

SS14 is graduating 8th grade with an F in math.

SS14 will be going to summer school and not Boy Scout camp. SS14 is very upset. His teacher made a point of telling DH & BM that SS14 doesn't understand the math concepts now (at the end of the school year) because he didn't study and keep up with homework throughout the school year.

He will be retaking the class next school year. In summer school he will be a study skills course.

DH explained to him last night that he was driving the bus on this one and SS14 chose to drive the bus to summer school instead of Boy Scout camp.

I’m proud of DH for following through on this one. I’m also shocked that BM is backing up DH on this. I’m still thinking that BM will cave and let SS14 go to scout camp. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

~BettyRay

Comments

Eagle Eye's picture

I'm glad to hear your SS will attend summer school!! My SS13 is having his 8th grade promotion with F in Science and F in Language Arts. DH and BM told SS that if he got any F's he would need to repeat the 8th grade.......haha what a joke! :?

I wished the school system would step in and tell him that if he wishes to move up to high school that he would have to attend summer school and pass. I am just amazed that he is moving up in school after failing. I am truly at a loss for words for his parents and the school!!

BettyRay's picture

SS14 was able to bring his language arts grade up from a D to a B. I know a lot of SS14's problem is that BM is permissive with him. She let's SS14 do whatever he wants.

But I don't understand the school either. DH has been contacting his math and language arts teachers repeatedly over SS14's missing assignments and low quiz scores and there just doesn't seem to be any follow through by the teacher or SS14 (for that matter). I'm not blaming the teachers I know they are over worked and under paid but I think it's important for teachers to respond when a parent is concerned about their child.

I've noticed his teachers let SS14's problem go for too long that now it's impossible for SS14 to correct it. If DH and I would have gotten a heads up earlier from his teachers maybe we would have been able to intervine earlier and get SS14 in the right track. Now it's too late.

~BettyRay

Eagle Eye's picture

I think my SS has had way too many chances given to him by his teachers. We do have an internet tool that we use so we can see his daily work or lack of assuming it is updated daily. My BD and SS were in those two particular classes together so I had something to compare. BD brought home A's and completed her assignments. SS always has some excuse! But what I found is that the teacher would always accept late work from him even after telling the class she wouldn't.

I believe in suffering the consequences of our actions but SS never has to suffer because he gets chance after chance! Funny thing, my BD brought home a C+ on a progress report and after I reamed her, DH went after her although his son had F's. He has said he expects BD to succeed in life and his son will work fast food. :O

BettyRay's picture

That's true. SS14 has had a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and even a 5th chance to turn things around. The school system is so paranoid about turning a kid off to learning that the system has removed student accountability from education equation. I mean they don't even require students to be present for parent/teacher conferences anymore.

My DH too has started telling SS14 that if he doesn't improve he'll be working fast food.

Rags's picture

From 8th grade though 12th my SS would get at least one F each semester and never was held back though we begged the schools to hold him accountable for failing.

Interestingly the district policy was in order to be held back the kid had to fail at least 2 of the same classes two grading periods in a row (6wks). Each semester my son (SS) would get straight A's the first 6wks then a bunch of C's, D's and F's the second six weeks. There were absolutely no repercussions or consequences from the school. His mom and I made his life a living hell at home but the schools would do nothing.

Second semester .... same story. Honor roll the first six weeks, dip shit status the second.

He was always Mr. polite, respectful and well behaved both semesters and the teachers would fall in love with him the first six weeks and let him get away with murder the second six weeks.

He never had to go to summer school to stay with his class and he never had to repeat a grade or a class.

I believe that the schools bring this crap on themselves by not holding the kids accountable for doing what they should be doing when they should be doing it.

In 8th grade we got a progress report home that said for any grade less than a C contact the school to set up a PTC with the teaching team.

We did that. When we got to the school for the PTC the looked at us like we were form another planet and asked why we wanted a PTC. We told them that the progress report indicated that we should call to set one up. Come to find out we were the first parents that had apparently read that part of the progress report form.

What the PTC determined is that the kid had been a straight A student in the first 6wks but the first half of the second six weeks he had started taking novels to class to read, sleeping, not doing his HW, etc....

We told them to take his book, tear it up and throw it in the garbage, take his desk away and make him stand to the side at the front of the class and to specifically request that he deliver his HW to the front of the class and hand it to the teacher immediately after attendance was called and if he did not have it to have him call us immediately on the classroom phone and we would address the issue.

You would have thought we recommended having him drawn and quartered.

"Oh, we can't do that, we don't want to break his love for reading". Ummmm, this kid would read toilet paper if there was nothing else to read.

"Oh, we can't do that. It would hurt his feelings", etc, etc, etc.........

With the exception of his Science teacher who grinned and said "I can do that" the teaching team was flabbergasted by our request.

No F-in wonder schools have no control over kids and are passing dipshit kids who can't do basic tasks appropriate for their age.

Grrrrrr!

Oh for the days of the paddle hanging from the side of the teachers desk and the resounding "CRACK" of the smack of a nice perforated paddle made from a beautiful hard wood against a ripe plump kid ass followed by the "Yelp" of a kid who is getting the message about doing what they should be doing exactly as they are told to do it and when they are told to do it.

CRACK ...... YELP ....... CRACK ....... YELP!

Should be music to every teacher, principal and parent's ear.

The kids that don't need the lesson won't receive it and the ones who do require it should get it..... effectively and often.

}:)

BettyRay's picture

Rags - I totally agree with you.

SS14 does the exact same thing. He's starts out great and then starts working the system and his grades take a nose-drive.

At SS14's school test scores are worth more than homework assignments. I think tests a worth two-thirds of the grade and HW is worth one-third. Also HW is not really graded; each asignment is worth X number of points when turned in and counts as a zero if not turned in. It's a bunch of BS, there's really no accountability.

SS14 knows there's no penalty turning in sloppy HW or slacking off and turning it in latey. Heck they just instituted a "no late HW policy" for the last 2-months of 8th grade. BFD - That should have been the policy from the 1st day of 8th grade.

Couple this type of grading system with a BM who is permissive and you end up with a huge mess. DH and I have been holding SS14 accountable on our end but he's just not with us enough to make a huge difference.

~BettyRay

ubrngoutdbitchnme's picture

As of today SS13 has an F in History and English and a D in Math. Why? Because he does not turn in his work on time. He figures he has the whole semester to turn the assignments in. But in the mean time according to him his grades could be worse! WHAAAAATTTT!!!!!

FH has had it with SS13 and he told him if he fails any of his classes he will NOT be sending him to summer school. It cost $100 each session for summer school. SS13 knows exactly what he is doing. SS13 knows that if he turns in all of his assignments he will eventually pass his classes with maybe a D. Not acceptable!

I told FH that next school year at the beginning of it we should request a parent/teacher conference with all his teachers and request that SS13 not be allowed to turn in any late work. This way SS13 will be forced to turn in his work on time and if he doesn't he will have some serious consequences to face at the end of the school year.

I strongly believe that this is what SS13 needs. If he continues down the same path as he is going down now when he is in 8th grade and with a no late work policy implemented on him he will HAVE to turn in his work on time and if he doesn't he will FAIL! I think failing is what SS13 needs. It sounds messed up but SS13 needs a RUDE AWAKENING. He puts us through so much bs during the school year what with us trying to get him to do his assignments/homework.

As of today we don't care anymore and he is on his own. If he fails he fails. He will not go to summer school and he will be in 7th grade classes as an 8th grader. If he does the same thing next year he will for sure fail 8th grade.

Lets see what grades SS13 gets at the end of this school year. He was also told that if he gets any Ds or Fs he WILL NOT BE DOING WHAT HE WANTS FOR HIS BIRTHDAY OR EVEN GET EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS AS A PRESENT! Good luck to him.

BettyRay's picture

I feel like SS14 is at a cross-roads either he's going to turn things around or he's going to be a slacker and flunk out of HS.

I've already told DH that if SS14 turns 18 and doesn't have a job or isn't attending college he's not gong to be mooching off - oops - I mean living with us. DH agrees with me now but we'll see how he feels when the time comes.

~BettyRay

on the fence's picture

My own BS 15 does this. He is finishing his freshman year badly. I could never understand why I couldn't really get any help from the school all through 8th grade. They just kept moving him along. The problem is now he thinks that's the way it works. I don't know if he gets it that he will not graduate HS if he keeps this up! He's a nice kid. Smart, well mannered. He tests well, but just will not put in the time to get that homework done and in.

Our public high school is pathetic at best. The emphasis seems to be on discipline and since BS is not doing anything "bad", he is simply going unnoticed. I can nag from my end, but without help on the other end, I'm afraid it's up to him. I hope he gets it when he has to repeat a class he doesn't like. He's that kind of guy. When it becomes important to him and he can see the real WHY of it, he'll turn it around.

I just can't see why we couldn't have had this lesson earlier. I may end up finding an alternative school for him. Sigh. Three more years.