A reader writes:
I have an editorial comic on my refrigerator with two panels, one labeled 1960 and the other 2010. In both panels a boy is bringing home a failing grade. In the first panel the parents yell at the boy. In the second panel they (as well the boy) yell at the teacher.
I have taught grades k through 9. The best combination for student success is a dedicated teacher, supportive parents, and a willing student. Once when teaching second-grade I had two struggling students whose abilities were at the exact same level. One set of parents was very involved, met with me, helped their child with homework, and expected their child to succeed. The second set of parents was not involved and seemed to have a negative attitude toward school. Guess which child was on grade level a couple of years later?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/calif-student-sues-teacher-district-over-c-grade-190653943–abc-news-topstories.html
This story was going around this week. Student gets a C+. Sues teacher and district. The article makes it sound as though the teacher was being unfair, but only one side of the story has been presented.
Discussions and compromises make a lot of sense. Teachers do make mistakes. I know I sure do! And I think a reasonable amount of transparency is a fair thing to ask of teachers, though it takes a good deal of work to make sure that all i’s are dotted.
But a lawsuit? Completely absurd.
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IF, and with any media reporting one has to make it a big if, the story is correct, then I say what the student and his parents are doing is the right thing. To go from a 106%, which means he did all the work and got extra credit along the way, to a C+ which is usually a 77-79 % seems extreme, especially considering that he showed up at the agreed to time to do the lab. His absence was “excused” and therefore he had the right to make it up for full credit. He was not allowed to by the teacher.
Now, I don’t know if the plaintiffs followed all district procedures for challenging the teacher’s handling of the situation. It was implied that they did but even then, I’m surprised that the principal didn’t tell the teacher to allow him to make up the lab.
Something is fishy here and I’m not sure from which side the smell is coming.
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Here it is…or a similar version
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Diane, I blog a lot about abandoning our mania for reducing learning and people to numbers via grading.
I wrote a post about that comic. http://www.joebower.org/2012/02/whats-meaning-of-these-marks.html.
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Interesting: though the comics are similar, they are not the same!
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I remember seeing that cartoon somewhere, and I agree. I don’t think teachers are afraid of accountability. I believe we are against receiving 100% of the blame when a student doesn’t perform well.
Education is a cooperative endeavor between the teacher, students, and the parents. The reform movement has lessened the accountability of the students and parents and have put all of the responsibility on the teachers. This has to change.
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