Media....really?

Who knew that Media (Library) class could cause such problems in our household? I will start off by saying the media teachers are all new this year. Last year the media teachers were horrible and I am trying to figure out if they are much better this year.

In Media, EE got a grade of W (with assistance) and a 2 (Satisfactory) for conduct. The highest grade is I (independent) and 1 (great) in all of their courses. I found it odd that he would be struggling in media and questioned his teacher. She forwarded my concern to the media teacher who called me one evening.

She was on the defensive for the duration of our call. My approach was to determine how I could help him do better in class. She went on to say that W2 is average and NOT bad. She has a curriculum she follows from the county. And she is teaching lifelong skills to the kids. The kids must contribute in class and they must be able to answer questions. She did feel bad because she scored EE incorrectly. He was tied in both the grade and conduct and she typically moves it up. His grade has been changed to I1.

That was the end of our conversation. I didn’t get a good feeling and felt she was talking down to me the entire time. My feeling is that media should be fun learning especially for a 2nd grader. EE loves the library and I don’t want him to dread class every Monday.

I wish it ended there but there is more. On Monday, EE received a work paper home from Media with the following note: a drawn sad face followed by “I know you can do better. I expect more from you”. It was a map of the library and the kids were to color code the different areas as stated in the instructions. He did not complete the assignment and may not have gotten much correct. There were 10 areas to identify.

I have to say I was very upset that a teacher would write this on anyone’s paper. The school has symbols used for grading papers. I have NEVER seen anything like this written on my kids papers.

I asked some of my friends what they thought about the comment and they all felt like me. I felt it needed to be addressed with her. Then if I didn’t feel satisfied I would talk to the principal.

I sent her a note letting her know that EE was confused by the map and told me he could not walk around. I then said that I thought her comment on his paper could have been worded more appropriately for a 2nd grader.

She responds with details (very detailed) of the assignment. They had been given 2 tours of the library and they were told they could get up if needed. At the end of the explanation she writes the following “If you can think of a way I can adapt my instruction to be more supportive, I would gladly welcome your feedback.” That is really the part that made me mad. She goes on to say that she is sorry I feel the way I do. She has high expectations for her students, like she knows I do.

I do think that it is important to not discourage children. This is just media class and in the whole scheme of things not as important as reading and math.

I have witnessed and have had other people tell me that she is not nice to the kids. In class, she often raises her voice. That really bothers me also.

I am not sure what to do at this point. My friends think I need to take it to the principal. I will think about it for a while, but I will definitely file this correspondence for safe keeping.