Another school question

Prompted by RJ's situation, but wanted to get some other opinions ...

My daughter is 13, in seventh grade and has always been a straight-A, perfect-attendance, great-attitude kid when it comes to school. Really irritates me at times as she lies awake worrying that she may have gotten a 98 instead of a 100 on a test.

But anyway, she comes home the other day and says she doesn't want to do her math homework because it doesn't matter, she hates the class, no one wants to be there, etc.

We ask her what's going on, and apparently the teacher's Instagram account is making the rounds in the class. We look, and the (public) account includes photos of kids' homework (with the name not visible), saying "I need a big raise to deal with these kids who can't even get the basic concepts right", and also includes things like "I hate my job", "I can't wait until summer", "Thank God it's Friday, I need some time alone with this" with a photo of her holding an assault rifle, and "Arming the teachers? I'm ready", with her holding a couple of handguns. Also some photos of her in a bikini, saying "I think my workout program is showing some results, how about you?"

I don't really care about the gun bikini stuff, but ridiculing the homework turned in and talking about hating school is apparently rubbing off on some of the students. Talked to my daughter and a couple of her friends in the class after seeing it, and they all said the same thing, "Ms. XXXXX doesn't want to be there and doesn't care, so why should we?"

What would your course of action be?

 

Ask YankeeFan.

 

Step 1. Meet with principal IMMEDIATELY. In said meeting, note discussions you've "overhead" re: instagram accounts.

Step 2. In said meeting, explore whether another math class might be possible. If told it's not possible, ask about someone higher up the chain with whom you might speak.

 

BWIP, read up on this one.

Newark teacher who wrote nasty, threatening tweets given reprimand - San Jose Mercury News

• "I already want to stab some kids. Is that bad? 19 more days," Hodges tweeted on June 23, under the name Mrs. Hodges and the handle @kree49.
  

• "I am getting Starbucks for sure before school tomorrow. That way I'll be refreshed AND have something to dump on the little a-holes," said another June 23 tweet.

• "So happy to be done w/school for 10 days, but especially to be away from the ones who truly try my patience & make my trigger finger itchy," she tweeted on April 24.

• "The problem w/teaching summer school is I'm gonna get all the (expletive) who failed my class, 2 of whom I wish would get hit by a car," she offered on May 5.

Teacher got a "reprimand," which basically means nothing, but you will get some kind of action out of the district for this.

 

19 more days? FROM June 23?

I don't think a school year ever went beyond June 7 when I was a kid in the Paleozoic Era.

 

Year-round school. Not uncommon at all.

 

The level of complaining that I see teachers do on social media never fails to astound me. Union protection is a beautiful thing.

Also, do you have any of those bikini photos?

 

I agree. You need to take action. Your daughter doesn't have to put up with this crap that deadens her drive to excel.

I would not publicize this and get a group mentality going, though -- unless the principal doesn't act.

For some reason, math teachers have a unique ability to make students hate school.

 

Yeah, that's what I didn't want to deal with, the moms who are burning up each others' texts and e-mail accounts with how to handle this.

I just sent an e-mail to the principal and cc'd the superintendent, and took the tone of, "I'm sure you don't know anything about this, but ..." and provided some links, asked about any social media policies, about how it may be a good idea to encourage her to set her stuff to private and how frustrating it is to have a child who is excited about school and learning, only to go to class and deal with this stuff. I basically told her I don't know what to tell my daughter about being excited for school when her teacher hates it.

We'll see what I hear back.

 

So I'm wondering:

Why wouldn't you go to the teacher first? Why go above her head to get her in trouble? Why not give her a chance to fix it?

 

I don't know ... my first instinct is to go to the principal as well.

The gun stuff is really fucking disturbing. If she's a hunter, fine... But assault rifles?

Also, mocking kids' homework on social media should be an immediately fireable offense. Even if the name is covered up, I'm guessing the kids could figure out whose work it was.

She sounds like a lunatic.

 

Fair enough.

I'm just thinking of those times when our SE would get called into the hopping mad ME's office because some tennis parent called with a ridiculous complaint.