Worst. Teacher. EVER. (very long & very ranty)

sneakymom · Jun 28, 2009

You wrote
<<I just want to say it's not all 5th grade teachers. My 5th grade teacher was amazing. I loved her and learned so much in her class. There are (or were) good ones out there, but the bad ones do need to be weeded out. But nothing will happen to them (and they know it!) if no one speaks up.
>>

I know. It's just really strange that I didn't care for either of my girls' 5th grade teachers.

This year my youngest had a teacher on her team (they do teams of teachers in middle school here) that she (nor I) didn't care for. I told her that in the time that I've gone to school- I've had teachers that I haven't liked a whole lot either. Unless there's something REALLY bad going on (such as what the original poster said) I told her that it's just something she's going to have to deal with. You're not going to like everyone you meet as an adult either.

sillyitiliangrl · Jun 28, 2009

I am so compltly heart broken that your daughter and her classmates had to endure this! As an educator myself, I cannot immagine how anyone would last in this profession with an attiude like Mr. C!

I am so glad you and the other parents are doing the right thing and trying to prevent this from happening to another years class! It is very commendable. The fact that you have a lot of parents (hopefully a majority) all complaining about the same things will hopefully help your school administrators realize that it is not an issue of a "crazy parent" but one of a "crazy teacher"!!!

I hope everything goes well!

carolpetunia · Jun 28, 2009

Oh hon, I'm so sorry. Teachers have so much power over a kid's whole outlook! I suffered abuses very similar to what this man is committing, from at least three different teachers over the years, and I can see the resulting intimidation in some of my behaviors to this day. "Mr. C" needs to be far, far away from children! I hope you and the other parents can get something done.

swampwitch · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by Yosemite

This teacher is a bad teacher. Unfortunately he is still teaching because parents like you and the others have not come forward with examples of his terrible behaviour to these children. He is a person in power in the classroom and he is abusing his power and the parents of these children are allowing it to happen. Next year he'll have a whole new class to terrorize. Let's hope that the parents of those children next year will report him to the Principal, school board, Province or whatever it takes to get him away from endangering those children. He is endangering them - certainly emotionally.

That may sound harsh, but if nobody is willing to come forward publicly and get justice for their kids, then this man is winning and negatively affecting these children in his charge. It's not enough to just complain about him - action needs to be taken to remove him from that situation.

You are assuming that nobody had complained. That assumption is false. I can't possibly explain all the nuances of the situation in two posts on a forum, so I understand that you can't possibly know everything that happened.

I do resent the fact that you are blaming me (as a parent of one of the students) for the bad situation. (Bolding above is mine.) The bad teacher is responsible for the bad teaching, not the parents, not the school board, not the principal.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I can definitely tell you based on my own experiences and not assumptions that you can even get your family doctor involved in a situation such as this. I find it difficult to believe that if you and all the other parents have reported this man to the proper authorities in the school system that they would have disregarded all the information and just dismissed your claims. If that is the case, then those persons that you reported him to also need to be brought to justice with the proper authority above them and something WILL be done.

I understand where you are coming from in that you were all afraid he would be worse to your children if you made his life difficult, but I personally will not tolerate bullies such as this teacher in any aspect of my life or my family's and I would not rest until I had done everything possible to remedy that bad situation. I would have had signed testimonials from every other parent and documented proofs and gone to the top if I had to.

Now you are saying that I am lying?

Going in hard against this particular teacher would have been THE WORST THING to do while our children were in his class. Both my husband and I and my friends (that's five adults who understood the situation because they were in it) came to this same conclusion.

It's easy to sit back and read a partial story, then say what you would do and that is fine, that is your opinion. Assigning blame and casting doubts on the truth of what I said is not fine, IMO.

Thanks again, everyone else for your support.

swampwitch · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by Catessa

...As for the caterpillers:

The tent caterpillar if unchecked is a threat to our forrests. Even while being sprayed to control them the caterpillars can become so abundant that they are capable of completely defoliating tens of thousands of acres of forest. Diameter growth may be reduced as much as 90 percent.
Tree flowers may be eaten, nectar gathering by honeybees may be reduced, and seed production is diminished. During years when larvae hatch before leaves unfold, caterpillars mine buds. The quantity and quality of sugar maple sap are greatly reduced as a result of defoliation. The roads can get slick with them just like ice and cause accidents.

Would you like this on your home?
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/med...622a_500px.jpg

LOL! We don't have that many around here, but I have heard that there are some years where they are all over the place, but that is part of a natural cycle. It's not their fault that we drive cars that slide around on their bodies!

They're not all bad:

Tent caterpillars are primarily a nuisance. They do not transmit diseases to humans, do not bite, and are not poisonous. During years when large numbers of these caterpillars hatch, they can cause slippery roads and walks when they leave the trees.

Benefits of a caterpillar outbreak can be numerous in a natural setting. While caterpillars are distasteful to most birds, some birds feed on them. When alders and other trees are defoliated, the shrubs and trees below receive increased sunlight, giving some of them a boost in growth. The eaten leaves pass through the caterpillar's body and emerge as little pellets which can break down easily, returning nutrients to the forest floor. Pupae provide nutritious meals for small mammals, and moths are eaten by birds and bats.

http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse003/inse003.htm

rubsluts'mommy · Jun 28, 2009

I think what was meant was that if parents stood up against the guy 'en masse' and let the school board know, as a group, not as one or two parents, that would make more of a difference.

I've been there, as a student, at various levels of education. in 7th grade, I was stuffed into a 6th grade class with three other 7th graders as a 'mixed grade class experiment' and the math teacher kept putting us off in terms of books for OUR grade level... I complained, in writing. My mother complained, in writing. The four of us were transferred back to straight 7th grade classes within a few weeks. It wasn't abusive, but it was wrong, nd in this instance a couple voices managed to get the situation fixed.

In college, I had a professor who had zero people skills. This clown WAS verbally abusive to all of us. I made notes and went directly to the department secretary (awesome lady), who, unbeknownst to me, was passing these reports along to her boss, the Head of the Music Department. Between my accounts, and the term-end 'grading of the teacher' where this jerk was failed across the board for the whole year, he went up for his review and was canned, and essentially blacklisted from teaching in the area colleges... yes, he knew music theory, but he didn't know people. enough spoke up, and he was terminated.

Find out when the school board meets next... hopefully soon. Get other teachers together and attend it. If it's not open to the public, get a full on letter writing campaign going... this dude needs to not teach ever again. Ever. One voice doesn't always make a difference... but a whole lot of them tend to be heard... and taken seriously. When one complains, in this day and age, admins and teachers tend to dismiss it as 'whiny, over-reacting' parents and kids... but if everyone stands up and speaks out, there's a better chance of being heard.

good luck...

Amanda

yosemite · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by RubSluts'Mommy

I think what was meant was that if parents stood up against the guy 'en masse' and let the school board know, as a group, not as one or two parents, that would make more of a difference.

I've been there, as a student, at various levels of education. in 7th grade, I was stuffed into a 6th grade class with three other 7th graders as a 'mixed grade class experiment' and the math teacher kept putting us off in terms of books for OUR grade level... I complained, in writing. My mother complained, in writing. The four of us were transferred back to straight 7th grade classes within a few weeks. It wasn't abusive, but it was wrong, nd in this instance a couple voices managed to get the situation fixed.

In college, I had a professor who had zero people skills. This clown WAS verbally abusive to all of us. I made notes and went directly to the department secretary (awesome lady), who, unbeknownst to me, was passing these reports along to her boss, the Head of the Music Department. Between my accounts, and the term-end 'grading of the teacher' where this jerk was failed across the board for the whole year, he went up for his review and was canned, and essentially blacklisted from teaching in the area colleges... yes, he knew music theory, but he didn't know people. enough spoke up, and he was terminated.

Find out when the school board meets next... hopefully soon. Get other teachers together and attend it. If it's not open to the public, get a full on letter writing campaign going... this dude needs to not teach ever again. Ever. One voice doesn't always make a difference... but a whole lot of them tend to be heard... and taken seriously. When one complains, in this day and age, admins and teachers tend to dismiss it as 'whiny, over-reacting' parents and kids... but if everyone stands up and speaks out, there's a better chance of being heard.

good luck...

Amanda

Thank you for putting that in words for me. Apparently I didn't get my point across nearly as well.

yosemite · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

You are assuming that nobody had complained. That assumption is false. I can't possibly explain all the nuances of the situation in two posts on a forum, so I understand that you can't possibly know everything that happened.

I do resent the fact that you are blaming me (as a parent of one of the students) for the bad situation. (Bolding above is mine.) The bad teacher is responsible for the bad teaching, not the parents, not the school board, not the principal.

Now you are saying that I am lying?

Going in hard against this particular teacher would have been THE WORST THING to do while our children were in his class. Both my husband and I and my friends (that's five adults who understood the situation because they were in it) came to this same conclusion.

It's easy to sit back and read a partial story, then say what you would do and that is fine, that is your opinion. Assigning blame and casting doubts on the truth of what I said is not fine, IMO.

Thanks again, everyone else for your support.

I suppose you could interpret it that way - that I'm blaming you and the other parents. I don't see it that way.

Nobody said you were a liar - I simply said that I cannot believe that if enough of you came forward and were adamant that the whole system would disregard your issue. If that is the case, then you parents would have the option of going to the Province or even Federally with your complaint. You could contact the local newspaper if the local school system was not listening to you. There most certainly are other avenues to follow and when it comes to the emotional and physical well-being of children, we as parents need to do whatever we have to do to protect them from people like this, not be afraid to speak up or try to fix the situation. Fearing reprisal from the teacher is not an excuse for me, but then I've always been the kind of person that won't allow injustices to continue. I appreciate that not everyone has the ability to speak up publicly.

As for being worried about going against the teacher and what result that would have had on your child, I also have problems with that statement only in the context of my own experience. There were other classes for her particular grade so she could have been transferred to any of those other classes and away from that teacher while my complaint was in progress.

autumnblueangel · Jun 29, 2009

Swampwitch, it may have been best not to speak up whilst your child was in his class to protect your child, but now that your child is out of his class - it's most likely happening to other children. Your child might be strong enough to handle it, but what about all the children he is damaging with his antics?

What you described about the boy in his wheelchair is disgusting and discrimination. A lot of what you have described borders on or is technically child abuse. This teacher should be reported. How far will he go? What has he done to other children that your child diddn't know of and thus couldn't tell you about?

One day, all his small stuff will add up, and he will do something worse. He will get carried away and trully hurt a child, which if you and all the other parents speak up now, could be avoided. You need to inform the school board and if that fails, go to the police, the local council, social services & or the media. Even if you stay anonymous, you need to report it, so that it can be investigated.

You did what you could to protect your child during his horrible reign, now it's time to do something for all the other children he could screw up over the next 10+ possible years he could be continuing teaching.

Good Luck!

swampwitch · Jun 29, 2009

Thanks, Autumnblueangel, please see post #19 for the update. I agree completely with you and RubSluts'Mommy.

swampwitch · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by Yosemite

...Fearing reprisal from the teacher is not an excuse for me, but then I've always been the kind of person that won't allow injustices to continue. I appreciate that not everyone has the ability to speak up publicly....

The "reprisal" would have not have been directed at me, it would have been aimed at my (then) 10-year-old.

You've got my number... I am extremely afraid to speak up publicly, I am a shrinking violet, I shy away from controversy and debate, and when it comes to my daughter I will let her suffer rather than ever speak up... NOT!

Seriously, could you please stop attacking me in this thread with your false assumptions? I posted the thread for constructive comments and support that anybody wanted to give, yet I find I am spending a lot of time defending myself against your false conclusions. I am no longer going to do that.

yosemite · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

The "reprisal" would have not have been directed at me, it would have been aimed at my (then) 10-year-old.

You've got my number... I am extremely afraid to speak up publicly, I am a shrinking violet, I shy away from controversy and debate, and when it comes to my daughter I will let her suffer rather than ever speak up... NOT!

Seriously, could you please stop attacking me in this thread with your false assumptions? I posted the thread for constructive comments and support that anybody wanted to give, yet I find I am spending a lot of time defending myself against your false conclusions. I am no longer going to do that.

Sorry you feel it is an attack. It isn't really - I'm just expressing how I personally feel about your situation with the particular teacher and how I personally would have dealt with it. This man would not have had another moment with my child for any reason and I would do everything, including going to the top, to preclude him from ever having anything to do with my child or anyone else's child. That is just how I would have handled it and I personally, just cannot understand how someone could leave a child (any child) in that environment, period. That's just how I feel personally. Everyone has to deal with their own issues in whatever way they feel is comfortable and best for them which is what you obviously did so nobody can fault you for doing what you thought was best for you and your family.

You handled it the way you felt was necessary for you and your family - I'm just saying I would have handled it differently - much differently.

swampwitch · Jun 29, 2009

A weird thing... my friend who is the mom of the kid in the wheelchair (who is around the school a lot) talked to several of the other parents of kids in Mr. C's class, but most of them didn't believe her. Evidently their kids didn't say much or the parents didn't believe the kids, either. She stopped doing it because she felt some of the parents would tell Mr. C that she was bad-mouthing him! It might have happened, too, since he definitely targeted her son at the end.

There were two other parents (beyond the coffee moms) who knew something didn't smell right so I am going to try to also get them on board to sign the letter I'm writing to the superintendent.

Mr. C has a position of power in the school district and I just found out that he has a parent who is a principal here! Oh well, I'm still writing the letter.

clixpix · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

A weird thing... my friend who is the mom of the kid in the wheelchair (who is around the school a lot) talked to several of the other parents of kids in Mr. C's class, but most of them didn't believe her. Evidently their kids didn't say much or the parents didn't believe the kids, either. She stopped doing it because she felt some of the parents would tell Mr. C that she was bad-mouthing him! It might have happened, too, since he definitely targeted her son at the end.

There were two other parents (beyond the coffee moms) who knew something didn't smell right so I am going to try to also get them on board to sign the letter I'm writing to the superintendent.

Mr. C has a position of power in the school district and I just found out that he has a parent who is a principal here! Oh well, I'm still writing the letter.

Hopefully going above the principal's head will have an effect. I also hope that others have complained along the way, and that this is "the final nail in the coffin" type scenario. He's a bully in teachers clothing.

yosemite · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

A weird thing... my friend who is the mom of the kid in the wheelchair (who is around the school a lot) talked to several of the other parents of kids in Mr. C's class, but most of them didn't believe her. Evidently their kids didn't say much or the parents didn't believe the kids, either. She stopped doing it because she felt some of the parents would tell Mr. C that she was bad-mouthing him! It might have happened, too, since he definitely targeted her son at the end.

There were two other parents (beyond the coffee moms) who knew something didn't smell right so I am going to try to also get them on board to sign the letter I'm writing to the superintendent.

Mr. C has a position of power in the school district and I just found out that he has a parent who is a principal here! Oh well, I'm still writing the letter.

I hope the other parents will support you in your endeavour - it will bring so much more clout to the situation. Good luck!

laureen227 · Jun 30, 2009

Originally Posted by Sneakymom

You need to say something to the school's principal if the teacher was that bad.

There must be something about grade 5. I didn't like my oldest's grade 5 teacher. There were these 2 girls there (and they both were older b/c they had been held back a grade) and I swear this teacher let them do whatever they wanted to. I sat in the classroom one day and wondered exactly who was in charge- these girls or the teacher?

And then my youngest's 5th grade teacher- UGH. Didn't care too much for her.

And my oldest's had at least 1 teacher every year that she hasn't really cared for since 6th grade. But NOTHING like what your child went through.

Cheryl

my 5th grade teacher was fabulous - of course, she was also my mother, so i'm somewhat biased

i agree that not speaking while your daughter was in his class was probably the wisest choice. i'm glad you're writing the letter - he may be in a position of power now, but things change - principals leave for new positions, as do superintendents. current board members are replaced by new ones - wouldn't it be true justice if a parent of one of his former students became a board member?

since i was threatened w/contract non-renewal for extremely facetious reasons [i resigned rather than fight it since i really didn't want to stay, anyway - why subject myself to that kind of stress for such an unpleasant situation?], it really irks me when another person is able to stay in a position that he's so obviously unsuited for simply because he's politically connected

i hope the other parents sign your letter, & that it has the intended effect. the mother of the wheelchair boy could easily sue him, personally, for the way he treated her son - there are many lawyers who specialize in cases dealing w/the mistreatment of special ed students. if i were her, i'd be looking into this - it may be the only way to get rid of him, given his connections.

Worst. Teacher. EVER. (very long & very ranty)

sneakymom

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