| My daughter has elected to complete a couple of | | | | Either neither teacher can spell worth a darn or |
| extra academic credits toward her graduation | | | | Madame English Teacher just needed to divert blame |
| requirements via a reputable online school this summer. | | | | from herself. Additionally, the fact that the English |
| One of those credits is an English III credit. The course | | | | teacher cannot seem to recognize that there is a |
| focuses on grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. A | | | | significant problem with the quiz indicates that, like my |
| week before the course began, the teacher, we'll call | | | | daughter suspected, the woman is far from qualified to |
| her Madame English Teacher, placed the following | | | | teach the course. And, finally, it scares the bejesus out |
| message on her site: | | | | of me that Madame English Teacher sent my |
| Welcome to English III. I'll be posting a discription of the | | | | daughter a reply email that was completely devoid of |
| course soon. This class is definitely harder than the | | | | capitalization, punctuation, and proper grammar. |
| regular version because it is much shorter, so be | | | | Shouldn't English teachers, heck, teachers in general, be |
| prepared to work a lot harder. | | | | held to a higher standard? |
| Now, my degree isn't in English, it's in Psychology, but | | | | No wonder we're raising a nation of people who can't |
| even I can see that Madame English Teacher has two | | | | spell, write, or communicate effectively; or even |
| very glaring misspellings in those three short sentences. | | | | adequately. When even a teacher can't manage to |
| And this individual is teaching high school seniors! | | | | make the effort to set a shining example of proper |
| So, anyway, I called the school principal listed on the | | | | use of the rules of the English language, something is |
| website and although she seemed unconcerned about | | | | very wrong. One of the first things we learn - in |
| the errors, she promised to point them out to the | | | | psychology, in education, heck, as parents - is that |
| instructor. My daughter informed me later that day that | | | | children learn by example. What kind of example is |
| the blurb had been removed and the English III home | | | | Madame English Teacher setting for her students? |
| page was now blank. I also received a call from | | | | How can she possibly correctly judge the standard of |
| Madame English Teacher herself explaining that the | | | | a student's work when she obviously doesn't know |
| Science teacher had written the contents of the page | | | | what such work should entail (as evidenced by her |
| because Madame English Teacher herself was busy | | | | inability to display the standards in her own |
| trying to wrap up her end-of-semester duties from the | | | | communications)? |
| regular school year. I'm wondering how the Science | | | | And, please don't make the argument that teachers |
| teacher managed to pass English herself. | | | | are overworked and underpaid. First, that's the state of |
| My daughter has since completed the first unit and | | | | most employees these days. Second, that's no excuse |
| taken the unit quiz. The quizzes are teacher-generated | | | | for an inability to do one's job properly. And, third, it's |
| and then loaded into the online system. During the | | | | not true. |
| regular school year, my daughter earned a perfect | | | | I spent several years working in the human resources |
| grade in English. She does well in all of her subjects, | | | | department at a local urban school district and most of |
| but she's an exceptional English student. But this | | | | them were paid nearly twice what I was making, and I |
| summer school course has her ready to pull her hair | | | | was making pretty good money. Our human |
| out, and here's why: | | | | resources director used to say that teaching was the |
| Quiz One, Question 3... | | | | only profession where you could make more from |
| Select the option that best completes the sentence. | | | | year to year merely by virtue of staying alive. |
| The librarian _______ _______ work long hours.a. | | | | And, summer school teachers...! Forgetaboutit! They |
| do notb. does notc. doesn't notd. can't not | | | | got paid their regular daily rate plus a premium for |
| My daughter, being a veritable genius, selected option | | | | teaching summer school. Teachers would actually fight |
| "b". Her answer was marked wrong. Thinking "what | | | | to be placed in a summer school position! It was like |
| the...?", my daughter emailed Madame English Teacher | | | | earning double-time plus. Now, to be fair, beginning |
| and, trying not to sound like she thinks the teacher is a | | | | teachers weren't paid a whole lot, but because of |
| complete moron, worded her email as such. | | | | union rules, teachers got what was called a step |
| "Hi, Madame English Teacher. | | | | increase every year, plus, because of contract |
| I just took the unit one quiz and, maybe I'm tired, but it | | | | negotiations, they received regular cost of living |
| seems as if some of the questions might be scoring | | | | increases (those of us who worked in administration, at |
| incorrectly. I'm not sure, but I think I got question three | | | | the time, had not seen a cost of living increase or a |
| right even though the system said I got it wrong. Can | | | | raise in more than five years). Additionally, teachers |
| you take a look at it? | | | | had a top-of-the-line health care plan which included |
| Thanks | | | | dental and vision coverage (they paid less than $50 a |
| Genius Daughter" | | | | month for this superb coverage!), they received a |
| This is the reply she received from the teacher...i think | | | | certain number of free sick days, got winter and spring |
| youre just tired ill reset the quiz so you can take it | | | | breaks and summers off, worked less than seven |
| again | | | | hours a day, got one free period for "planning", and |
| Ok, is it me or is something very wrong here? | | | | received numerous "bonuses" for any perceived extra |
| I believe that the above written communication from | | | | duties they performed. For instance, a teacher would |
| Madame English Teacher contains two separate | | | | receive extra pay if he or she had to cover another |
| sentences, yet there is no placement of periods or | | | | teacher's class, even if it was for mere minutes. |
| capitalization that would indicate such. Also, last I | | | | Teachers were also paid their daily rate for taking |
| checked, the "word" youre is supposed to contain an | | | | professional development classes and received what |
| apostrophe indicating that it is the product of two | | | | was called a "schedule" increase once they earned a |
| separate words; you and are. Ditto for ill. Although, "ill" is | | | | higher degree (i.e., anything above a B.A.) |
| a word, I believe that the teacher meant to write I'll, to | | | | I'm not saying that teachers don't work hard. I could |
| represent "I" and "will". I don't believe she was trying to | | | | never do the job. I would never want the job. Still, being |
| tell my daughter that she wasn't feeling well. And | | | | overworked is no excuse for the poor performance |
| shouldn't there be a line of greeting such as "Hi, Genius | | | | of teachers such as Madame English Teacher. And, I |
| Daughter" and a closing such as "Thanks, Madame | | | | don't believe that this teacher is performing poorly |
| English Teacher"? I seem to recall, way back in the | | | | because she's overworked. I believe that she |
| dark ages when we were expected to communicate | | | | performs this way because; first, she obviously doesn't |
| correctly, actually studying how to write a letter. Emails | | | | care; second, she's not held to a higher standard; and, |
| are electronic letters, not an invitation for sloppy written | | | | third, she's not good at her job. |
| communication; especially on the part of a teacher! | | | | The quality of the education that our children receive |
| Hello! | | | | depends on the quality of the individuals who provide |
| The ongoing inability of this teacher to communicate | | | | that education. If a teacher can't be bothered to |
| effectively using good written English indicates that she | | | | facilitate a quality educational experience for every |
| may have told a little fib about the Science teacher. | | | | child, they should find another profession. |