STAR testing is just around the corner for school children across California. My oldest is in second grade so this year she will take the test for the first time. I live in small town. Their are only fourteen kids in my little girls class, and it is a multi grade classroom. K-3 Theoretically this would be great. Can you imagine the one on one time? Can you imagine it being a part of the older kids curriculum to teach the younger ones? It seems like you retain information better when you have to teach it. Unfortunately this teacher sucks.
Ok I am being dramatic she doesn’t suck. She is mediocre, unimanginative, dislikes her job. My girl has been with her for three years, and loves her. I found out this winter that my girl is behind. Her reading and math are at the first grade level. The wierd thing about this was how I found out. I did not get a bad report card (all E’s and plus’s), I did not receive a telephone call, I was not asked for a parent teacher conference. I asked for harder work and was shown the work my girl was doing with the first graders. I understand the logic, the more kids are on the same level the less levels you have to teach. This teacher shows up for school after I do half of the time. She misses more days then most of her class. We are a necessary small school so no pink slips are coming our way. She has tenure so each infraction must be documented in order to be evaluated.
I took my girl out of school one day a week for some extreme one on one time. I have received many comments on how fast she is picking things up. I have to drive two hours a day for school. My success at home makes me want to take her out completely. My girl cries at the thought.
Notes have been coming home about extra homework because of testing. I was told to have her read the directions for her work herself as practice for testing. I have been all year why haven’t you? I don’t want it to bother me that she is behind but it does. I don’t want anything to be hard for her.
I think I liked school better when I was the one who had to go.
In Retaliation 