It MUST be my fault.

We had open house last night. The 8th grade counselor said that they voted this morning and decided NEVER to have open house after three week grade reports come out again. The parents were, um, hostile.

We are adapting to a new curriculum, called CScope. It's actually really great because it's all hands on, lots of activities, and it requires deep, complex understanding of the material. The kids though, are struggling... obviously. Here's an example. In years past, it was enough for a kid to memorize a definition out of the book. He'd see the same definition, verbatim, on his worksheets, quizzes, and ultimately... tests. Wow! Of course they did well. I mastered rote memorization by the time I was in 8th grade and they are little wizards as well. However, as educators and as a society, we rightfully demand more! Memorization of straight facts is no longer enough. We need our students to be able to truly wrap their minds around a concept, and then apply that same concept to an unfamiliar example. That shows true mastery.

Well, we're facing growing pains. I have G/T kids scoring in the 40's and 50's, which doesn't bother me all that much because I know they'll catch the wave, eventually. I keep preaching that we've just raised the bar, and that it's time for them to step up. I think they can. It's just an exercise in patience.

Well, last night, some dad came in and demanded to know my 'failure' rate. He was literally angry with me because his daughter had failed the first two tests. So, I asked why she did not make corrections to the first one (she made a 27), and she had no idea. She didn't remember. I was frank, but nice, to this guy, and just suggested we schedule a conference. He was satisfied with that answer and left me alone. But, I was flustered. So, I asked my counselor about her first thing this morning. The girl failed TAKS last year, and consistently scored in the 70's and 80's on report cars... going back to third grade! You're right, guy, it's my fault she's not doing well.

Apparently the guy had come in this morning to the office and asked for her to be moved out of my class, citing 'personality conflicts'. OMG! Are you serious?

I mean, really... I work my self to the bone to try to help those who won't,or are incapable of, helping themselves. It is such an uphill battle. The last thing I need is a parent who won't confess to his daughter's shortcomings or mistakes, and instead blames them on the nearest teacher. I found out this afternoon that he had basically accosted three other teachers last night. It made me feel a little better, but this whole ordeal is really eating at me.

I tried to schedule a conference but they didn't answer, go figure. I'm really nervous about this one because this guy is intimidating. But, I know I have the support of the administration and this guy is out of his mind looking for the cause of the problem. That's a lot easier than asking his daughter to take accountability for her schoolwork and learning. Really, it is.