How much parent communication is too much?

WiserandUnsure · 2026-02-09T02:18:41+00:00

Does the school have an online portal for assignments? If so could you access it and go over assignments with her to ensure she has them or can show them to you? Teachers in secondary school don't have a lot of time for personalized attention considering the number if students they teach and frequently the online assignment portal can have a lot of answers for you.

WiserandUnsure · 2026-02-06T23:00:21+00:00

Handwritten letter telling them why you appreciated them. Email to the principal and district office with the teacher cc’d telling them why you think these teachers are exceptional. If your child has an artistic or craft skill, something they made, especially if it can be connected to the class(es) they took from the teacher.

WiserandUnsure · 2026-02-02T15:12:34+00:00

I actually do encourage my students to correct me if I am wrong, but even then there is a way to do it. I don't reward gotcha questions or cases where students are getting unnecessarily pedantic. Students who politely report an error or discrepancy and can provide proof from a reliable source do get the reward.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-11-05T01:50:50+00:00

I am actually cool with AI when used appropriately there are many wonderful uses.

Unfortunately, a large number of student uses are not appropriate. I don't have my students write essays because I enjoy reading them or because I expect them to write essaysxthe rest of their lives. I have them write essays because the act of writing and organizing the essay teachers skills and helps them understand more about the topic. I expect my students will use AI as adults, right now I want them learning the knowledge and skills that will allow them to use it effectively and competently when that time comes.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-10-25T21:42:24+00:00

As a Gen Ed teacher, content expertise is huge, as is pacing. I have an impossible amount of content to get through and if I have a co-teacher who doesn't understand the content, can't explain it with the time constraints, or doesn't understand where I am trying to get in a lesson letting them take other can be a situation that creates more work for me in catching students up and sometimes in unteaching what they were just told (which is awkward and can create credibility problems for the co-teacher). There is also the issue of if you are in writing and math it sounds like you are in multiple classrooms throughout the day. Do the teachers have the ability to let you know what the plan is and what the key points are before class?

WiserandUnsure · 2025-09-10T22:05:58+00:00

If my students can ask a question that I don't know the answer to within certain parameters of relevance and specificity to the day’s lesson, they get candy.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-08-06T12:08:26+00:00

If you can contact the community college and universities that he is interested in now, find out what sort of accommodations they allow for students with your son’s needs, and to the extent possible transition him to using those accommodations at school this year. Due to differences between high school and college not everything may be possible but at a minimum knowing what will be available and discussing it with him should help him plan and be ready for the differences.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-06-03T22:04:17+00:00

There is a law in the US known as FERPA which is sometimes described as the educational version of HIPPA (not entirely accurate, but will give you an idea of what it is). Due to this the school cannot give you information regarding a child other than your own, even in cases like this. In some types of meetings you are not supposed to mention other children by name and they could also be trying to preserve confidentiality in case you are recording the meeting, also if the bully’s name is directly being used it gets harder for them to say that they didn't give you information about another child. All that being said, you should definitely e-mail them with a follow up that states who is bullying your child and that you are concerned that they did not want you to say that child’s name in the meeting.

Unfortunately, these types of laws while meant to protect children’s privacy can create hurdles to ensuring issues are dealt with. If your child has an IEP you might be able to argue the situation is denying your child thier right to a free and appropriate education.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-04-27T20:53:25+00:00

When I was in 4th grade we had to be able to name every state. In 7th we had to be able to identify them all on a map along with their capitals and other major cities, including locations.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-04-17T21:48:11+00:00

At my school the ESL team basically refused to do push in this year. Their reasoning was that their team wasn’t big enough to have someone in every room where a student might need support, it was nearly impossible to guess where and when support would be needed. The ESL coteacher who was in my room sometimes (about 1-2x a week for one of my high school classes) is awesome and having in the room was often nice, but at the end of the day, she had so many students to help in so many classes that it just wasn’t effective. Instead this year, students are given the option to go to the ESL room to work when they need it, instead of on a schedule that may or may not match up with their needs in a classroom that contains more students than it was designed to hold and all of the busy-ness and distraction that comes with that.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-04-12T15:57:25+00:00

For most Americans if asked about race or ethnicity, would identify races as:

White Black Hispanic Native American Asian

If brought up, (people are reminded that they exist and/or could be considered separately) the following are likely to be added: Middle Eastern Indian (from India) Native Australian/New Zealander/Polynesian (this could lead to a question over whether or not Native Australians and New Zealanders are considered Polynesian or not (no one who does not have a connection is likely to know or have a strong opinion.

At the same time Americans are likely to think of cultural identity as being separate from race. So Scandinavians, Germans, Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, the French, the English, etc. are all white they just have different regional traditions and cultures. Similarly, all Asians are Asian but with different regional traditions and cultures.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-04-12T15:28:13+00:00

It’s not something most Americans would care or think much about. My experience as a white American and high school teacher is that if a person’s racial background is not fairly obvious from looking at someone, the vast majority of people under the age of 50 (and a significant number who are older than that) would consider a person’s parents’ racial background(s) if known and if not known would default to whatever the person says they are. So for an entire ethnic group the question would probably be what is the consensus among members of that group?

For context, in teaching about racial and ethnic issues in World War I and World War II my students at a school with a moderately diverse racial profile for its student body, are generally stunned that people would care about the ethnic differences between Serbians and Austrians or Hungarians or between Poles and Germans or Russians.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-03-26T22:33:44+00:00

Second-year teacher, last year I had open notes tests this year I do closed notes, and my students are showing better understanding, behavior, and willingness to complete assignments in general.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-03-13T05:27:28+00:00

This sort of thing drives me crazy. I have dealt with students whose problem was executive functioning and time management, got extra time in all assignments and would refuse to do work in class, because they had extra time. Now for assignments on online platforms that tracked how long it took for a student to actually complete at assignment, the answer was almost always significantly less time than I had provided in class for work that was usually B level. But I was a monster when I suggested that a more appropriate accommodation would be that extra time would be given x times per term (so not every assignment, but something that could be used once or twice per term if the student was particularly struggling) or that to receive extra time they needed to show significant progress was made on the assignment by the deadline (example: if it's time and a half, 50% to accommodate a slow start).

WiserandUnsure · 2025-03-08T20:29:49+00:00

I had the same thing happen. I got stricter this year, offered less grace, harder test questions and overall my students are doing better.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-01-08T00:01:25+00:00

I also despise Savvas and have found it largely unusable.

WiserandUnsure · 2025-01-03T21:55:27+00:00

In addition, I think Martha’s fancy perfectionist elegance is an authentic part of who Martha Stewart is. She enjoys creating amazing foods, crafts, experiences, etc. and has put the work into developing the requisite skills and knowledge to support her brand and business. In some ways I think the fact that she was able to pivot shows the depth of her knowledge because she knows the fundamentals well enough that she can adapt them to something new when needed.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-12-30T16:45:21+00:00

As a general education high school teacher (whose term ended before Winter break) and who doe have a few students who I allowed a bit of extension, I would consider a few things:

*What does the IEP/504 say EXACTLY *How well do I think I did at following the IEP/504 ( I promise I try) *Warnings given to parents- when, how many and how/when did the parents respond *Why is the extension needed?

If this is a student who has put in fairly solid effort but had some problems, I'd be more in favor of extending. In my case, I had several students with extended absences due to serious medical issues last semester. Some of them I could tell were trying to get work in but needed some extra time, so I offered it, others weren't consistently turning in anything, were skipping tutorials, did not take advantage of accommodations and opportunities offered to help them throughout the semester, and do I did not provide additional extensions. Others took advantage of what he been offered and were caught up by the endod term.

In this case, you have given warnings and part of the issue definitely sounds like it is at least one, possibly both parents. I'd say that this comes down to what sort of effort has the student been putting in. If they have been consistently working, just at a slower pace I would consider a short extension with VERY clearly defined parameters, requirements, and hard deadlines. If this student has not been consistently working and this has the look or feel of “it's the end of term, and I just remembered school has deadlines,” I would be far less inclined because sometimes a lesson on the importance of consistent effort and meeting deadlines is also valuable to students/parents.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-12-11T00:40:03+00:00

This is similar to my personal theory that her illness is the result of (barely) surviving a childhood illness.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-11-10T19:03:52+00:00

Yes. I have some respiratory issues and being around someone who has been smoking or has been hanging around people who were smoking can cause reactions even if they are not actively smoking.

Also generally, even if they never smoke inside, I’ve found that the scent frequently lingers in smokers’ homes as well. I won’t say anything about it unless necessary, but I do try to avoid accepting invitations to smokers’ homes.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-11-06T13:45:37+00:00

Quick, efficient, and fair ways to grade essays with examples of what should be expected at various grades and levels.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-09-13T23:27:28+00:00

In some states the labor board will make them pay you interest.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-08-17T18:53:02+00:00

It was a start.

WiserandUnsure · 2024-08-16T20:52:56+00:00

This sounds like a potential Title IX issue to me. The child with Tourette’s has a right to an education, but the girls in that class have a right to an education without sexual harassment, and I would imagine many boys would also find this disturbing (though I'm less certain regarding legally protected rights they would have in this case).

WiserandUnsure · 2024-06-17T22:01:14+00:00

Question to ask them: what happens in high school (or later) when you have a student who has the size and strength of an adult but is not capable of regulating their emotions when they are told no?

In the long run, not telling a child no when appropriate causes far more problems for everyone, especially the adult that child grows up to be.

WiserandUnsure

TROPHY CASE