What to do when the teacher doesn’t want to teach your child?

[RhodaCamel]

Ds is 14, in year 9 and working towards his GCSE’s in the subjects he has chosen.
Last week we had his parents evening. He is mainly doing ok with most teachers saying he is progressing on an average level and a nice pupil to teach.
He would like to be a gaming developer as a career and really has closed down all other career options as this is all he says he wants to do.
He chose computing as one of his subjects and as far as I was concerned he was enjoying the lesson and doing ok.
During the parents evening we met with the teacher who teaches the computing lessons. I had high hopes for the feedback as like I say ds loves all aspects of computing and sees this path as his future.
However, the feedback from the teacher was completely and utterly negative. He says ds isn’t interested, he says he has tried to engage him and is not getting anywhere with him (this is the first I have heard about this since he started this lesson in September, no contact from the teacher at all!). Everything was so negative and the teacher seemed totally uninterested tbh. I said to him that if this is the case then I really don’t think it’s worth wasting his or more importantly my ds’s time or future and that maybe ds would be better off moving to a different lesson/subject all together. The teacher virtually bit my hand off at that suggestion and said absolutely that was exactly what he had been thinking.
I just don’t know what to do now tbh ot only because this is all news to me but because ds is distraught, he says there is nothing else he wants to do and he really wants to continue with this lesson, I’ve said he needs to up the game then but he is adamant that the teacher is of no help to him.
Imo, the teacher did seem totally disinterested and at this rate it will be a complete waste of ds time to spend the next 3 years with this person.
I don’t know what to think, surely a good teacher wouldn’t be writing off a pupil 4 months in and should be doing everything possible to help and encourage learning and bringing the parents to attention if this is happening. He really appeared to have no go in him, he appeared tired, lethargic and discouraged tbh.
Where do I go from here? I have ds digging his heels in saying he wants to stay in the class but in his opinion the teacher isn’t teaching well or giving him any encouragement.
What shall I do now? What would you do? What should be my next step? Talk to the year head?

My DS is older and in Scotland but has studied computer science right through school. It's very different to gaming though. They haven't really touched on games design at all - it's all been databases, SQL, cascading style sheets, python, HTML and website design, javascript, systems design, security.

That's not to say that computing science isn't a good basis for that sort of degree, but learning the basics of database design isn't perhaps the most stimulating topic.

@RhodaCamel
Maybe you should consider the questions that @ChloeDecker raised before you go in to school. It would have been helpful if your DS Teacher had asked them, but also useful if your DS has also give them some thought.

My son has the same aspirations and he didn’t want to take Computer Science because it’s largely irrevelant.
Computing and technology moves so fast I can’t see being taught for three years at any
level will be much use. For example my son likes to take photos and render them into digital models for other gamers to buy for their games. All done by software packages, just takes time rather than massive coding knowledge.
I’d swap him onto another course whilst there’s a chance.

@RhodaCamel you haven't answered the most basic questions asked of you and your son.

What does he do outside of school for his passion?

Ds1 is doing computer science A level, he also did it for GCSE and was the only one to get a grade 9 because of all the extra work he did outside of school. Ds2 is currently in year 9 also doing computer science. He tells me they are coding in python (which he already did outside of school anyway) plus all the theory side including networking, components of CPU etc.

Maybe you should have a look at two teachers who have a YouTube channel on the current syllabus for computer science to see if it anything like you think it is. Loads of kids want to do gaming as a job but the realities of what that entails are usually a million miles off.

www.youtube.com/channel/UC0HzEBLlJxlrwBAHJ5S9JQg

I work in the industry.

Does he understand the variety of roles available in computer gaming? It isn't just programmers who are needed to create a computer game. For example you can work in marketing, translate into other languages, create the music... Would he want to programme or would he prefer creating with 3D models?

How are his grades in art, physics and maths? A degree in one of those (or computer science) will be better regarded when he tries to get hired after uni. (The specialist computer gaming courses can be very hit and miss! )

My Ds has picked CS for GCSE and he's found coding pretty dull so definitely won't be doing A-level. For options they had the choice to do more creative digital qualifications but my son isn't arty really.

If your son is creating stuff on his computer in his free time at home then I'd say that he definitely shouldn't drop GCSE and make sure that his maths and physics is strong for A-level and degree.

Your son doesn't seem to disagree that he's not an enthusiastic student in which case the teacher's not at fault here.

The programmers never seem to have Uni degrees. I don't think OP's son needs a degree or even computing GCSE.

There are apprenticeships that they can do. Computer Science GCSE is quite a new qualification. You don't need it to study it at A-levelor degree level

If teacher says DS is disinterested and DS is saying that this is all he wants to do, there is obviously a disconnect here. Could it be that DS thinks the subject is easy or that he knows more than the teacher about it? Could it be that he thought it would be easy/fun and doesn't like the harder/boring bits? Can you look through DS's past assignments and the grades he received? If he isn't doing the work required/achieving the grades he needs then can he re-do them and try to catch up?

I know there might be a personality clash or you might think the teacher is at fault, but if this is what DS wants to do with his life then he does need to take some responsibility and put in extra effort to get himself back on track. Yes, the teacher has some responsibility, but the teacher has a responsibility to teach the whole class, so might not have enough time to give your son the individual attention he needs (& if your DS comes across as disinterested, then teacher might lack the inclination to go the extra mile for him)

The programmers never seem to have Uni degrees. I don't think OP's son needs a degree or even computing GCSE

It’s been a chicken and an egg situation. For so long, there were no qualifications for CS (ICT is not CS) at GCSE Level and only a tiny amount of schools offered the A Level. Therefore, universities couldn’t specifically ask for a Computer Science qualification. Obviously, this did have the knock on effect for jobs to be filled by those who didn’t have a CS degree because those jobs needed to be filled by someone.
That is slowly changing and now, even some Russell Group universities are offering one grade below if the A level is CS, for a CS degree and organisations such as GCHQ are going in to schools to look for talent to train, in those taking the A Level.
There’s also a reason why the tech companies have been a large part of the re-introduction of the subject in schools in the U.K. alongside the DofE. They need that generation to be upskilled.

Computer Science (GCSE) is one of the most misunderstood subjects, I think. It is basically a science subject. It involves theories and requires logical thinking. (That's why Computer Science degree courses often have good A Level in Maths and Physics as entry requirements.) Has your DS had a chance to read GCSE syllabus? His disengagement might have come from the difference between his expectation of the subject and what the subject actually offers. Why not looking at game development courses at higher education, then figuring out what A levels are required, then which GCSEs are useful. Depending on which element of game development he is interested in, what he needs to pursue his dream may be different. Coding or Computer Graphics, or Architect and etc.

I am sorry that the Computer Science teacher was negative and discouraging at the parents evening and that your DS feels deflated by it. There appears to be lots of computing/coding/game programming courses available online or holiday terms, so he may be able to find something suitable for him outside school. Good luck.

Are you sure he had the right person? I have had lots of teachers mix my kids up with others. The best time was when my son who was being assessed for ASD was told he was being too chatty in groups of boys. My son explained to me later he had been sitting at the back of the class all year with no one on one side and a quiet girl on the other. He wished he was confident enough to be jokey and chatty with the other boys!

Are you sure he had the right person?

Sadly, I don’t think the teacher does have the wrong person. In my experience, it is usually the boys (sorry to stereotype, but it is) who love gaming that tend to be the most shocked by the content of the GCSE in CS and the most ill prepared for it. It really bears little resemblance to gaming as it is not about the ‘use’ of computers.

If he has started it in Year 9, then he would have been Year 8 when he chose his choices and I would hazard a reasonable guess that he didn’t look much at the syllabus or past papers (there is now no practical programming ‘coursework’ even) because he would have been so young to be choosing. It’s why Ofsted are clamping down on 3 year GCSEs and with their new Deep Dive inspections, schools will likely be downgraded if they follow this route as it hugely narrows the curriculum at too young an age.

What is DS's maths like? Maths A level is usually essential for CS.

Is it? Madness if it is. I graduated in Computer Science from University back in the early 90s and my maths was and still is pretty shocking. I've been In the industry predominantly as a programmer for the last 30 years.

Being shitty at maths has never been a blocker to me.

That is not true. Edinburgh is a huge centre for games development.

You are right. There actually is a fair amount of development done in this country.

As above, I would suspect that your DS is enjoying gaming and not programming. At 14yo he should be coding, there are a million opportunities to teach yourself coding. Is his computer constantly dismantled and put together again? The people I know who are making a living from computers were coding at 14yo in the 1980s when there was very little support, so if he is not coding already, the teacher is probably right he is not into it.

Yes, yes Booboostwo My brother ended up not going into computer gaming (though has become a developer in another industry) but at aged 13 (in 1990, so computer science really not commonly available in schools) he taught himself assembler and then started writing games in his spare time. If your DS is as passionate about games development as you say he is, then I'd expect him to be doing something similar - and have experience like this will be valuable in him getting a job ultimately.

I mentioned upthread my DS's disfunctional CS class at school. Worth noting that the one student who is line for a grade 9, also codes a lot in his spare time, builds his own computers etc etc.

There are a few issues here but not doing a GCSE in an ICT subject and swapping it for something else is not going to provide your DS from a career in his desired field.

*proclude not provide

I would look at his classwork and see what marks he is achieving. Computer Science requires organisational and project management skills, logic, coding skills and testing and rewriting a program until it is right. It is hard work and a difficult subject at university.

It is hard work and a difficult subject at university.

Software development isn't hard work, if you enjoy it. There are many aspects of things I write where I think "hell, that's going to be tricky", but I wouldn't class it as hard. It's problem solving and that's what development is ultimately, that and making it as efficient as possible.

I also want to say that my maths GCSE is a grade D.....and I'm still a software developer

There's loads of software and gaming jobs where I live. Not a big UK city.

Hope your DS finds his way.

I did computer science GCSE over 20 years ago - so I've no idea what the current syllabus contain - but we did no programming at all it was all logic gates and systems.

And yet you feel qualified to give advice? Are you sure you didn't do ITC?

I'm another thinking he didn't know what he was signing up for, I get this with computing and with childcare, for some students they think it is one thing and then they are shocked they have to work. With childcare they want to take the crying dolls home.

If he is set on a career in computing I would expect him to be coding at home and bringing things in to show me. Maybe a home made logic gate using electronics or otherwise.

To pass you need to program, you need to be able to convert numbers to binary without using the internet you need to be able to convert numbers into Hex too.

In fact GCSE computing can be taught and passed without ever touching a computer.

Bubble sorts are not the most interesting of subjects (and before anyone says they are not used in industry, they are the simplest to teach and build a foundation for teaching other sorts) even if students are comparing height, doing russian dances or comparing playing cards. And yes I have done all three.

Computing and technology moves so fast I can’t see being taught for three years at any level will be much use.

Actually about 80% of the content is the same as I did for O Level in the early 1980s. The only thing that has really changed is the internet. I had to learn about JANET and ARPANET.

For example my son likes to take photos and render them into digital models for other gamers to buy for their games. All done by software packages, just takes time rather than massive coding knowledge.

Who do you think writes the software packages he is using?

And yet you feel qualified to give advice? Are you sure you didn't do ITC?

sashh Also said I worked as a software engineer and have a close family member who teacher computer gaming at university.

My point was it wasn't what I expected 20 years ago and perhaps the Op and her DS should check what was on the syllabus in case it was the same. And yes my GCSE certificate say Computer Science not sure ICT was a GCSE at the time either - think that came in later.

It also had no bearing on my ending up as software engineer- didn't do it at A-level or degree level and no one was interested in the GCSE computer science when I started working.

Potentially could it be hes being taught things hes already taught himself? And is therefore bored and disinterested in the lessons?
My DH was very computer savvy when in school as his dad had always encouraged him to learn about computers (and play games) and therefore he really struggled in ICT (as it was previously) as he already knew the subject and on occasion argued with the teacher as there information was very outdated and incorrect

They still offer ICT GCSE in Wales - DD1 went to option talk it really didn't seem worth having - especially as they sat a Level 2 ICT BTEC in year 9.

There is a GCSE in Computer science done by Welsh board just not offered at DC school.

Though I thought England had moved away from ICT GCSEs- after industry lobbying - to Computer Science GCSE.

Your son needs to realise that he's not only going to get the exciting bits. The boring bits come along with it.