Neglectful Teacher?

[Nutjob]

In my own little world my ds is the most handsome, most intelligent individual ever created but back on planet Earth I know that at school he is considered 'average plus', whatever that means!!!!

My ds is given homework in the form of 'Word Walls' (six words repeated 10 times in different orders) which he has to learn off by heart return to school to be tested and then given the next one and Number Bonds, (too long winded to go into but similar in that once learnt they are returned to school to be tested and move on to the next one) Myself and another mum whose boy is also somewhere in the middle of the class have noticed that although the brightest children seem to steam through these and as soon as they bring one in are tested and take the next one home that day, our ds's take them in and some times have to wait days to get them back, for example my ds took his Number Bond in last Wednesday morning and still hasn't got it back!!

I feel that for the sake of looking good in the league tables the school is concentrating on the brightest ones to the detriment of the rest. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you think I should confront the teacher? (We are attend a Parents/Teacher consultation tomorrow night)

Just another point - my ds is well aware that some children are ahead of him (he is on Word wall 16 the brightest boy is on 26!!!) and it isn't helping his confidence - surely there is another way of teaching that doesn't put them in competition with one another?!!

[CAM]

Actually Nutjob from my limited experience of league tables, it is the less bright ones that have to be helped more as the tables show averages. Where your son is concerned it might be worth speaking to the teacher.

[cazzybabs]

In my class the children know where they are in realtion to other children - and we often talk about it...so and so is really good at maths, but you are really good at drawing etc. I don't have positions in the class up, but even so they know. There are arguments that it is good for children to know where they are.

[hmb]

In my rather limited experience children will always find out where they 'are' in the class. The first thing that they do with marked work is to see who did 'best'. If you give them comments rather than grades or marks out of 10 (which some educationalists suggest you should do) it drives tham mad. They hate it.

[bayleaf]

I agree with the other 'teaching comments' - league tables are unlikely to be the motivation as it is far more likely that staff would work to bring up the weakest ones to improve the percentage at level X and above....
But the teacher could just be cr*p and have favourites who get better service than the rest.
I'd try and have a word with her in a terribly nicey nicey, ''I know how hard you work but is there any possible chance of getting them back asap as you're so keen to help ds get on '' with lots of protestations of you appreciate that it may not be possible as you understand how terribly overworked etc etc she is - but you just thought you'd ask....
Lets put it this way - I think I'm a pretty good teacher - but one of my weakest things is marking kids' boooks where frankly it will not make one iota of difference to thier progress - EXCEPT that they want to see ''their mark'' as commented below ( the fact that I've spent HOURS on corrections is completely ignored) so a parent could easily look and think - 'oh she doesn't mark every week - how awful.' If the parent mentioned it to me and I felt criticised I'd probably be a bit bloody minded about it as frankly I do work flippin' hard and in a situation where doing corrections will make a difference I am far more strict with myself - but if she could manage it without me feeling too ''got at'' - then I WOULD try hard to mark that child's book more often - just because I'd know I was being ''monitored'' when most parents rarely if ever look at books ( secondary) IME.

I'm rambling now - but hope you get it sorted...

[KMG]

Nutjob - sometimes things just slip through the net. I listen to readers in school, and sometimes a child reads who hasn't read in school for 4 or 5 days, and therefore hasn't changed their book - but it's not a conspiracy, it just happens sometimes.

However, as bayleaf says if you do raise it - in a supportive way, rather than a confrontational way - then I'm sure she'll get the message that you do notice, you do care, and she'll look out in future!

[Nutjob]

Thanks for all your comments - will have a chat with her tomorrow!!

[cazzybabs]

Hope it went OK when you spoke to the teacher? What did she say?

[Nutjob]

Well, I take it all back. Apparantly ds is one of the top few in the class. He is doing fine in all aspects so far. When I mentioned the Word Walls and the fact that some children (one in particular) were way ahead, she said that it didn't necessarily mean it was sinking in with them and that the one boy in particular, could not remember past WW's when they looked back on them, (which my ds can) in her words it was 'quantity over quality which is not really a good thing.' So, big apologies to his teacher, seems she's doing alright by him after all!!

[CAM]

Great news, nutjob! Glad you had the courage to speak to the teacher and well done to your child!