Adjusting to middle school math expectations
My child is a new 6th grader at King Middle School. While things seem to be going well and as expected with the transition to middle school, I'm finding myself a bit concerned with one of the teachers and need a sanity check from other parents. My student is struggling with math. He didn't have any problems in elementary school and we haven't received any communication or concern thus far. He came home with a very low grade, not even approaching where he needs to be. No comments were listed. In reaching out to the teacher, we first had a heck of a time receiving a response, then when we did get a response the answers were extremely stand-offish and curt. She had no explanation except for us to go through the Powerschool site through every assignment listed and graded and see where he was missing points. We did this and it turns out that he was missing some points with incomplete homework and low scores on tests. While I admit we have not been checking Powerschool, we have not seen any tests or homework returned that indicated low scores or missing work. The only place it was listed was Powerschool. It was never communicated that this is the primary means of monitoring progress. Needless to say, my son is less than enthusiastic about this class. He is not an overly emotional child by any means, but feels the teacher is cold and can't be bothered. I'm truly taken aback at how "self-service" things seem to be. In addition to having a very substantial homework load nightly, my kid is now having some anxiety about even approaching the teacher with clarifying questions.
Can someone get my expectations in check? Is it too much for the teacher to provide more insight than to send a link to powerschool? While we aren't expecting her to be warm and fuzzy, we truly have the impression that she cannot be bothered. I am going to make a point of scheduling a face to face meeting with her, but was hoping for some support and insight.
Parent Replies
I feel like it's appropriate for you and your child to lower your expectations for how much a teacher is supposed to manage. You may not like the teacher's personality, but as for your being responsible for checking Powerschool and communicating with your kid about those earlier test scores, that really is on you. Was there a back-to-school night? If this wasn't communicated then, then that's certainly a problem, but -- teachers are slammed, they have too many students, and it's unrealistic to expect them to go down a list of students and follow up with parents on moderately low performance.
I think you have to make a distinction between the reasonable expectation that there is less hand-holding in middle school, and your dislike of this teacher's personality and style.
Hi there. I have a 7th grader and he probably had the math teacher you are talking about. Even if your son has a different teacher, 6th grade is just a whole lot different from the Elementary experience: kids are much more responsible for their own learning and it is not a warm and fuzzy place. Even so, I would really suggest setting up a meeting and going in and talking to his teacher, and just be honest, not defensive, just honest. I found her to be very concerned and helpful under the stern and offputting exterior. 6th grade was an adjustment for our whole family, but we are all doing better this year. Best to you new Cobras!
Hi SOSMOM,
I currently have an 8th grader at King and our overall experience there has been great. Of course, like any school experience there have been a few rough times. Here are my suggestions: always attend Back to School and Parent-Student-Teacher Conference with your student. Meet your child's teachers, listen to their talks, read all Back to School information; all my daughter's teachers have provided useful information about their classes. If PowerSchool info is available, look it up, research what you find. If assignments are missing, ask your student if they turned them in. Sometimes busy teachers miss an assignment or make mistakes. Contact your child's teacher when you have concerns. If you are not satisfied, contact your vice principal. Tip-I have found that teachers are more responsive at the beginning of the year, so don't wait too long if you have concerns. Don't be discouraged, King has a very supportive school climate. Now in our third year at King, we find Principal Levenson (superb!) and almost all of the King staff competent, caring, and super nice.
6th grade math was tough. The teacher said that my kid should just come for extra help at lunch time. I was less able to help because I didn't understand the Common Core math. Here's what got us through: we got more involved in his math -- looking at his homework every night to make sure that it seemed complete (and asking how much was correct when it was reviewed in class), checking powerschool every frigging day, AND using Khan Academy. My kid completed the entire 6th grade curriculum on Khan Academy before beginning 7th grade. It was not fun, but he's back on track. Yeah, it would be great if the teacher would communicate more, etc, but the goal is just getting through with your son not behind for next year. You might even consider a math prep/review camp/class over the summer. The only thing I'd ask the teacher for is if s/he has specific areas that he needs to focus on or review. Good luck!