The other day something happened to my youngest daughter Caitlin that just infuriated me. If you’re my Facebook friend, you already know about it.
Caitlin is in college and an ADD Student. She took a test in her sociology class last week and got the results back today. It seems that the class as a whole didn’t do that well on the test, and the teacher was taking questions in class.
Caitlin raised her hand to inquire about the teacher’s grading policy and was told “Obviously you have not been attending class.” When Caitlin started to correct her (she’s been to every class) the teacher interrupted her and went on to the next question. She never did answer the question about her grading system.
Up until today, Caitlin had high regards for this teacher. She liked her, and she said she made her lectures interesting and entertaining. Caitlin often spoke of her after class; it was clear she was learning a lot and liked the class.
The issues around the test have changed her opinion somewhat and made her apprehensive about her success in the class.
Like most ADD Students, Caitlin does much better when her teachers run a structured and organized class.
This particular teacher made everyone line up in alphabetical order to get their test so that she didn’t have to take attendance. This is a college class with about 75 students. It took those with names at the end of the alphabet longer to get started on their tests because they had to wait.
One question on the test was worded in a confusing manner, and in fact, the teacher said that almost everyone in the class got it wrong. No correction of any kind was made.
Teachers play a huge role in any student’s success, but especially when the student has ADHD or another learning disability. They are supposed to be aware of the kinds of disabilities that students may have and know how to address them. School is for everyone to learn. (I once had a high school tell me that a client of mine could not bring a laptop to school because it would give him an unfair advantage. What, he’s going to learn more than everyone else?)
As parents, we want the best for our children, and at the very least, we want what’s fair.
We expect teachers to be professional, organized, and able to impart what they know to the students they are entrusted with. Many times, the people who choose to go into the teaching profession do so because they had such a positive experience in school themselves. How can we expect them to understand and relate to our children?
I’m not bashing teachers – God bless them all. I’m not even bashing my daughter’s teacher – yet. Anyone can have a bad day.
But when you take on certain professions, you must live by a higher set of standards. After all, does anyone want surgery on the day that the surgeon’s having an “off” day? Not me.
I got some strong reactions when I posted my comments today. I was just a mom who was angry at a teacher. We’ve all had those days.
As one of my wise friends noted, this is a battle that is not mine to fight anymore, and another lesson for Caitlin.