Can you justify this one?? Hey teach!

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Actually, Mom's first assumption was that he had cheated somehow. She's been working with teens for years (mostly pregnant unwed ones but I digress) so she is not the type to assume that her son was innocent! More the contrary, but when she spoke to the teacher the teacher herself said he had not done anything else to warrant the expulsion from the test. Simply that he had as horsejody said - not followed directions.

To wreck the kid's GPA seems pretty harsh for that kind of lesson.

I think Mom is planning on a meeting with the principle on Monday because the discussion with the teacher went no where. The teacher refused to even consider a make up exam. He got an F. I just couldn't help wonder if there wasn't some kind of lesson she was trying to teach other than follow directions y'know? Like, ever read Frindle?? By being so rigid the teacher was actually helping the kid. What could be the corollary?

 

[DuckLady]

If the teacher was trying to teach a lesson, she should have started this at the beginning of the school year, not at a final. That way it would have not been a surprise.

 

[ChickBond 007]

I would find the chain of command: principal, supt, then school board. The goal is to "leave no child behind" not eliminate the need to teach with technicalities.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

 

[buckbeak]

The goal of the final is to measure the kid's knowledge of calculus, not grade his behavior. The behavior is important but the test MUST measure the content knowledge learned and taught in the course. Mom's argument should be to point out that the grade doesn't reflect the curriculum objectives.
This kind of thing drives me nuts! I do teacher prep as an educational psychologist. The teacher should know better.

 

[teach1rusl]

I LOVED Frindle, and so did my kids!! Nick is probably one of those kids I was talking about who pushes the envelope...lol! But he was a respectful kid. Whether that teen's teacher was trying to pull a Ms. Granger...well...I would need to "read" the whole story to get a feel for her character...

I don't think there are many Ms. Grangers out there....

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I'm a teacher as well. I can't think of any truly good reason to go to this extreme. Talk with the administrator.

 

[key west chick]

The more I think about it, the madder I get. Not only did it wreck his GPA, but he probably failed the course for the whole year and now will have to take summer school to make up for it. Here, you need 4 math credits to pass high school. Thats 1 every year. Fail 1, and you do summer school or dont graduate. Opps, just re read it was his mid term. But do you know how hard it will be to bring up an "F"?

 

[OutInTheStiks]

Copied from the College Board website:

"Exam Day
What to Bring
Several sharpened No. 2 pencils (with erasers) for all multiple-choice answer sheets.
Black or dark-blue ballpoint pens for free-response questions in most exams.
Your school code. (If you are a homeschooled student, you will be given a code at the time of the exam.)
A watch (in case your exam room does not have a clock that you can see easily).
Your social security number for identification purposes. (If you provide it, the number will appear on your AP Grade Reports.)
An AP-authorized calculator if you're taking an AP Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Physics, or Statistics Exam.
A ruler or straightedge if you're taking an AP Physics Exam.
A photo I.D. if you do not attend the school where you are taking the exam.

What Not to Bring
Books, compasses, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes.
Rulers and straightedges (except as noted above).
Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets).
Typewriting equipment, computers (except as noted for students with disabilities), or calculators (except as noted above).
Watches that beep or have an alarm.
Portable listening or recording devices -- even with headphones -- or photographic equipment.
Beepers, cellular phones, MP3 players, or personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Clothing (t-shirts, for example) with subject-related information."


I can somewhat understand why the teacher would want to replicate the AP exam testing conditions as closely as possible. AP, ACT, SAT and state exams have rules and regs that make no sense but still must be carried out to the letter for the students' scores to count. I understand that some will say it was "only" a midterm, but it was also likely a dress rehersal for the AP exam.

An eraser may seem like a trivial thing, but to the teacher it may be a "give an inch, take a mile" situation.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

If a kid had thier supplies in my class I would faint!