Lazy Student and Parent Causing Problems

[2ndTimeAround]

eh, not so sure about working hard to make friends. I had a student last year that hated me. He hated me because I was so mean by comparison. His other teachers were extremely slack and did not enforce school-wide rules. Namely, kids could use their phones, were not sent for tardy slips when they breezed in a minute late and food/drink were allowed in the classroom.

It was his first semester in high school and I was his only teacher that treated him like a child, he said. The following semester, when he had other teachers that enforced rules, he came back and apologized for being, as he said, a douche. I accepted his apology, lol.

My point is that just because a kid hates ONE teacher out of many does not mean that the ONE teacher is doing anything wrong.

That being said, it is always a good idea to be polite and genuinely concerned about students. But putting on a show (letting him know you're friends with his favorite teacher) is not the ideal way to tackle this problem, IME.

[JessicaKellin]

Originally Posted by 2ndTimeAround

My point is that just because a kid hates ONE teacher out of many does not mean that the ONE teacher is doing anything wrong.

That being said, it is always a good idea to be polite and genuinely concerned about students. But putting on a show (letting him know you're friends with his favorite teacher) is not the ideal way to tackle this problem, IME.

If the kid hates ONE teacher out of many, you do not need to consider what the difference is. If it is enforcing the rules, as in your case, there's nothing you can do about it. There may be other factors though to consider. In the end, a child is rarely going to learn from a teacher that he or she hates so you do what you can do get past that.

It's not the best way, but when you've tried the 'best' way and it doesn't work, it's time to pull out the the stops. Every situation is different but this little bit of politicking has come in handy on the rare occasion for me.

[GiverofEnglish]

Originally Posted by callmebob

How much differentiation needs to be done in high school? At this age, students should be expected to be responsible for their own learning. Teacher teaches, student does work, no questions asked.

While high schoolers are expected to be more mature than middle schoolers or elementary students-they need just as much differentiation as any other grade level. It is part of a teacher's job to continuously present ideas and concepts in ways that students will be able to grasp the material. And sometimes that means making accommodations and modifying lessons to fit the needs of your students, regardless of IEP's.

As for this particular student and his parent, they seem to blame a lack of student motivation on the teacher, especially when a teacher is going over and beyond to meet the needs of this student. I would take the P's advice and just provide varying modes of instruction and incorporate as much of Bloom's taxonomy as you can. Plus, be sure to document all your extra efforts-you will thank yourself in the long run!