Well, as wrong as this may be, it kind of makes me mad, so here goes.
There is a boy in my grade, he is in a wheelchair, he can't talk, or move. (Well he sorta talks but it is extremely hard to understand him, and it's usually just grunts). I understand that he has the learning/reading level of a third grade child. What bothers me, is that he is in the "P.O.D." (Problems of democracy) class before me, and today I walked in and they (Both he, is aid, and a girl that has been with him for years, I'm not sure of their relation), were still in the room. As I took a seat, I overheard (which was hard to ignore because we were the only ones in the room so I wasn't being overly-nosy), my teacher telling them what their grades were. The boy, "James", had a 99% in the class, and the girl, "Tammy", had a 98%. I have around the same, but what I don't understand is how a kid who obviously needs help in school is earning a higher grade then the other kids.
Maybe I shouldn't care, I should just leave him have the grade the teacher gives him, and be thankful that I have the opourtunity to excell in life with independence. I can't get over the fact that it just doesn't seem fair. I want to know your opinions on the matter, because it bothers me. I don't think I should discriminate at all, so if he just can't do it, is it "okay" to give him a good grade, or do his work for him, so that he can have a good grade as opposed to giving him the grade he deserves? I won't say anything to any authority at my school, but I do want to express my feelings to someone. So there ya go.
I would also like to say this is progressive, because, we, as a nation, may need to determine if we need to spend more money making schools specifically designed to help "these" people. Also, do we need to have more studies dedicated to whether it is better to have them intermingled with "regualr students", or is it harmful? (as opposed to having a school specifically with handicapped etc)
Problem in school #2
I am talking about the same class in this problem:
We recently had a test, I studied, because that's just something I do, and got a good grade. There were a few students, however, that were absent that day. When they got back, the boy, had to take the test that day, and he did poorly.
The next day, the girl came back for the first time since the test. She told the teacher that she spent the last few days in NY with her boyfriend and she didn't want to take the test. After "pleading" with the teacher, he told her that she could take it the next day. She did, and received a 100%.
I don't think there was any way she would have gotten a 100%, if the teacher hadn't let her take the test the next day. The boy who did poorly was livid, and I wasn't happy either. What will happen to students if this kind of thing continues to happen in the classroom? Students like the boy, will feel discriminated against, and the girl will learn that if they flirt with the teacher enough, and beg, she will get what she wants. And students like me, who studied, and didn't do perfectly, will be discouraged to even try, because students will continue to do things like this.
Has anybody ever felt like this?
I agree with you on both subjects. I think that if someone is handicapped, he or she should not be led to have false expectations or coddled along at something they cannot do. I think it is the government's responsibility to provide for people like "James", not to give him As in school. Similarly, if someone has a legitimate excuse for missing a test and tells the teacher a few days at least in advance, I can see an extension... but coming in the day of the test and getting an extension strikes me as absurd, especially if there is no legitimate excuse.
Anyway, good luck working everything out at your school... sounds very frustrating.
It is very frustrating. This just shows you why I am so ready to graduate an move on to college.
I could understand if the teacher gave the girl an extention because of a real reason, like being called in for an unexpected shift at work, or being very sick. What really makes me mad is that she didn't even lie, she told the teacher exactly where she was, and why she missed school: because she was "on vacation", with her boyfriend in New York. That makes me soooo mad. I have no idea how to deal with these sort of situations! I feel like there isn't anything I can do. The boy tried to bring it up with the teacher, and he ignored him!
I am almost thinking about talking to the guidence counslor, or even the principal about this, because it's just wrong for this type of thing to continue to happen.
Thanks for your support
About the boy...
The only point of grades in highschool is to, really, prove what you can do to colleges. Colleges will not "just" see the grades of this boy. For instance, if you get into Harvard, HE won't get in to Harvard because there is MUCH more to an application than just the grades. Is this making any sense? I'm trying to tell you that you should ignore if he has the same grades as you; in the end, if this boy has a severe learning disorder etc. as you say then this grade will serve no true purpose. Gah. I know I could say this more eloquently, but just not at the moment.
About the girl...
It isn't necessarily fair, no, but such is life. She obviously hadn't studied and instead of condemning her for this mistake, he gave her an extra day. If she got a 100%, she obviously KNEW the material. Is the girl usually one of the top students in the class? Teachers usually are slightly more lenient towards students who excel in their subject.
All in all, you will save yourself a lot of trouble if you ignore other students' grades and focus on your own.
I can understand what you are saying about the boy in my class. I sort of came to that conclusion as I was writing the blog, it isn't really anything to make a stink about, and eventually, it won't matter. I did get frustrated by it, because they are leading him along a bit.
And about the girl, no, she isn't one of the better kids in the class, not that it matters much. (Although it is true that teachers tend to help out better students) I do believe she texted another student during the test, and asked an answer or two. Sure, she may have studied this one time, but she usually comes to class late, calls people on her cell during class etc. The real point of this was to say that teachers are just treating other students differently, and although that may be life, that doesn't mean it's right!.
I guess I didn't explain the situation that well, or the reason why i was upset about it. But, I will say that that class is the most frustrating ones I've ever been in. I feel like I am in a class for juvinille delinquents. Most of the kids are late, don't do the work, don't study, talk on their phones during class, text, swear like sailors etc. The only thing the teacher does is yell a feeble, "stop it" as he looks up from his cell phone before he starts class. His phone's vibrator goes off all the time during class.
drives me crazy!!
Just because a person is ina wheelchair and can't speak doesn't mean they have a learning disability or the mind set of a third grader. If you think tyhatthen yoyu may be just reading the outside of people and thats not right, one perfect example of intelligent life with a discriminatory disabled body is stephen hawking and he's probably smarter then that boy in your class you and me combined. Anyway, handicapped people are not a "they" they're people too.
Glutenously yours,
Pasta Rasta
"Just because a person is ina wheelchair and can't speak doesn't mean they have a learning disability or the mind set of a third grader" I couldn't agree with you more! Although in this case, he really DOES have a mindset that is lower than "average", in fact, the school was talking about not allowing him to graduate on time because he hasn't done well, or something to that effect. (In other words, yes, handicapped people, aren't like that, but in this case, it's true, I was just describing him a little for alittle background info on why it seems weird to me)
"Anyway, handicapped people are not a "they" they're people too."
Yup, i agree with this as well. I used the quotation marks for lack of a better word. "These" people, basically ment to me as handicapped.....some people may called handicapped people a "they", just as they may call blacks, "them", but at the same time, I was using the word "these" people, because I was talking about one group of people. I didn't mean it as an insulting remark towards any group. (I would say the same thing if I was talking about any other group that didn't include myself, ex: "Those" people over there are a part of the french club" I didn't mean it like: "We don't need to associate with "those" people, because I am better than them"
Sorry for any miscommunication in my message, but I appriciate you saying what was on your mind, and giving me the chance to explain myself a little!
~Robin
I understand where you are coming from regarding both problems and I agree with you also. Do you feel that there is a lot of cheating at your school? I feel that this is a major problem at my school. It is sad really because we are a catholic school and the class in which I seem to find a lot of the cheating taking place is in my religion class. Ironic, huh? Some people get upset with me because I haven't spoken up to the principal, but why should I? Many of my friends have already done so and it has gotten them no where. One of my friends, in fact, came forward about cheating that was being done in one of her classes. The teacher some how found out there was cheating occurring in that class, yet did not know who. The vice principal asked for anyone that knew to come forward. When my friend came forward to confess what a lot of other people also saw, she ended up being accused of being the one who cheated. Her parents received a phone call and everything. The problem seems to be that those who are cheating are also those whose parents donate a lot of money to the school. This aggravates me more than I can even begin to express!!!!!
Yeah, there's a good deal of cheating at my school. It isn't over run with it, but that particular class is really driving me nuts. In fact, it's probably the main topic for almost all of my blogs! (Whether it's stated that way or not, it's a motivation)
I feel bad for your friend, it's certainly hard to stand up for something and then get mashed! Usually if someone asks me if they can cheat, I make sure I say louder than nessicary, "No, you can't look at my work!!!", and after a whole lot of "shhh!"es, I am usually left alone! it certainly doesn't make you the most popular person, BUT you do get to do your thing and stand out against cheating!
I hope your friends parents believed her!!
The boy may be physically handicapped, but that doesn't mean his mind isn't in perfect working order. Perhaps you'd best familiarize yourself with astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. His body is broken and severely handicapped, but he is, quite simply, a genius.
The girl is none of your concern. So what if she did well on a test? What sort of bearing will that instance have on the rest of your life?
No I totally understand what you are saying, but he really DOES have that mental capasity, it wasn't a generalized rule about handicapped people. I know that the school was talking about not allowing him to graduate with the rest of the class because he isn't at the same level as us, and he hasn't done the same work either. So, assuming that you assumed I was making a generalization, i wasn't.
The fact that the girl got a 100% isn't any of my concern. The point is that the teacher gave her the extra day, because he didn't want to listen to her bitch when he told her "no". I think that this is a terrible stand for a teacher to take. What he did says to the class, "Why study? I will give you another day to prepare, but ignore the rest of the class, even if they aren't ready either."
It's also saying that he will regard the any one person of the class differently than another.
Thanks for the input, i just wanted to explain that i wasn't being insensitive