Now, I understand that teaching is a hard and often thankless job, and that parents often make the job even harder then it needs to be. I am not bashing the teacher, nor do I think my son's issues are her fault in any way. Here is what is going on:
My son started 4th grade this year. He likes school and has never struggled with it. He likes his teacher this year and there are no behavior issues (he has been reprimanded for talking on occasion). Through out school, up until this year, they have used S, S+, and O for grades (or NI or needs improvement). My son has always gotten mostly S+ and Os. Recently he brought home his first report for this year for me to sign and they are using letter grades, he got all Cs and one F. He can not explain to me why his grades are so low, and I have not seen any thing to explain it in what he has brought home. We always double check his homework and make sure it is all done, and work he has brought home graded has not shown indication of such low performance, so I am assuming it has to do with work they do in class. So, I wrote on the report card (we have to sign them and send them back) for the teacher to please contact me so we could meet to discuss what my son needs to do to improve. After waiting over a week with no word I send in a second letter requesting a meeting. I have not heard back. I understand she has 20 other students and is busy with her own life as well, but if a parent wants a meeting to help her child not fail, shouldn't that be something time is made for? Am I being unreasonable to expect her to call me to set up a meeting time that works for her? I could go in and see her personally but I don't want to interrupt class time. If she fails to contact me again what should my next step be?
She looked at each report card as the kids turned them in to be sure they were signed, so I know she saw there was a note, but it is possible she forgot about it by the time she would have had time to read it later that day. I will email and if that does not work I will pop in before school or during her planning period for a face to face.
Thank you everyone, the situation has been resolved. I appreciate the time you all took to help me out. She finally called me and we went over what had been wrong and worked out ways for him to improve. I don't currently have her email, but I will be sure to get it for future use. She also told me about the class website and told me I could call the office on Monday for an access code.
Blessed BE.
I would definitely not rely on my son to deliver such an important note!! I would contact by e-mail or leave a phone message at the office. If the teacher did not respond after that attempt I would contact the principle.
M
Show up at the school and ask her if she has gotten your two notes. Maybe she isn't paying any attention. Make the appointment standing in front of her.
If this doesn't work, then you talk to the principal. Don't wait. If you had NO idea that your son was doing so poorly, something is very wrong. This is important.
You need to email or call her and give her at least 24 hours (week days) to respond.
Otherwise when you drop off or pick up your son just ask her when could you meet with her to discuss this last report card.
Notes do not always make their way to the teacher and I doubt she has had time to sit down and go through all of the returned report cards to read them. Most of the teachers right now are reporting for meetings after school almost every day. And then working on plans, grading etc.. Fall is a really busy time for them.
Call the office and ask when she has her planning time. Call during that time and ask to speak with her, or ask to set up a meeting during her planning time. Too easy.
Are you sure the second note isn't crumpled up at the bottom of your son's backpack?
I would email or call. Teachers want their students to be successful...I can't imagine she's ignoring you deliberately.
I wouldn't assume she has seen the note.
If you have her email address try sending her an email.
Or you might try calling the school office to set up a parent teacher conference (they might know when she has a free period - maybe when the kids are having lunch).
If you get no response after trying to contact her several different ways then escalate to the principal.
You got a lot of good suggestions. Just one more:
When I am emailing a 'busy' person, one thing I do now is to add at the end of the email "I know it may take you a few days to answer these questions, however, I would like to know this email reached you. Could you please just reply/send so that I know you got it? Thanks so much." This makes things a little more simple and lets me know that they DID get/read it.
In this day and age I can't imagine communicating with my kids teachers via note. If my child brought home the report card you describe I would have sent an email that day and if I had not heard back within a couple of days I would have called.
Really email is best as you have a "trail" of all communication and dates. You don't say how old you child is, does the school have online reporting of grades and children's progress? My kids have always had a website to log in to that shows all grades and behavior scores. We would never be surprised by a bad report card as we look at the site throughout the semester.
Call the school and ask what time is her planning period. Don't tell them why you need to see her as your goal is not to get on her bad side, but to help your child's grades.
Just call the school. Obviously she didn't get your notes.
All this worrying and hand-wringing....just call. sheesh.
Most teachers communicate with parents by email and/or phone. A note or letter could be sitting in a pile somewhere. So I would send an email and follow up with a phone call.
There should be a grading rubric. Our teachers go over this and hand it out on back to school night. It specifically spells out how grades are calculated (homework, classwork, tests/quizzes, participation/effort and projects.) So maybe he is turning in all of his work but not doing well on quizzes. Or maybe he's losing points for turning work in late.
I would just follow up via all channels - first e-mail, then a phone call. If she doesn't respond to either of those, "innocently" call the front office and ask what the procedure is for setting up a meeting with a teacher. Some teachers have modes of communication that are easiest for them. I've found that for many, it's e-mail - they can log in to their computer while the kids are doing quiet work and quietly and privately return messages. Then my kids have had other teachers who say "I don't check e-mail, send me a note or call the office and leave a message and I'll call you back."
I think it's unprofessional for teachers to not respond in a reasonable amount of time no matter what channel they prefer, but at least using the channel they are most comfortable with ups your chances of getting a quick response.
I would email her and copy the principal requesting a meeting about your son's performance. If a child is failing, I think the teacher should inform the parent long before the report card so the child has a chance to bring up the grade. It should never be a surprise.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect a call back in a timely manner. You should have heard back from her by now.
I'd like to know what the results were.....why were his grades so low and she hadn't called you in for a conference yet. She should have known he wasn't doing his work in school or what every is going on...I'd be very annoyed she didn't think it was important enough to call me in for a conference.
I can access my grandchildren's teachers email thru the school's web site. Calling on the phone and leaving a message is also good. When you send a letter you cannot be sure she received it. For example it could've gotten buried by papers before she read it. Something similar could've happened with the note on the report card. She's getting multiple cards and your son's may have gotten mixed back in with the others. Also consider that other parents likely wanted to talk about their child's grades especially since this is the first time with grades.
