Teacher Professor

Teachers: If you had a student who's mark dropped 72% from one term to the next, would you want to know why?

If this was a fairly good student, would you be concerned? And on top of a huge drop in marks, she was also missing most classes and the ones she made it to she was always late... If her reason were that she'd gone through a really tough time in her personal life and was having family issues which lead to drug use and addiction which she was fighting and trying to quit, would you be more willing to help her and see her as a student in need searching for help or see her as trying to take the easy way out by getting your sympathy and pitty? I have the same english teacher this year as last year, and last year is when i dropped 72%... this year i skipped one of her classes and got caught and i dont think she should nor do i expect her to treat me better than anyone else by excusing that, but i would like it if she could at least understand that i am trying and my struggles out side of school are now interfering with school... (which is why its 5:20am and I've been awake since yesturday morning at 8am and I have school in 3hrs) I'm concerned if i mention to her that im struggling with drug addictions and family issues she'll think all I want is to get special treatment, and thats not what I want... by the way, I'm in grade 12 this year and am trying to get an A in my english class so I can go to the college I want to...

Public Comments

1. If she asks for makeup work or extra credit work, or you offer her such, then she's not after your sympathy or pity. If she's willing to try and bring her grades up - talk to her and see if there is some way to help her, even if its only to refer her to someone or someplace. Good Luck!
2. Definitely send the student to either a counselor or school psychologist. It sounds like more is going on than something a teacher should handle. If one of my students dropped that low, I would take a look at the curriculum, see if the drop was due to harder material. Or maybe due to my teaching style (the teaching/learning style may not match.) Good luck!
3. Me personally, as a teacher... My first priority is to teach the child not the content. In this case it means you can't possibly teach someone that, for whatever reason, doesn't have their head in the game. And if there is something I can do to help the child (and yes, a 12th grader is a child) to do that, then I will. Asking for an easy way out is asking to be excused from doing the work and still getting a pass on the class. Asking to be let off the hook for your behavior. What you want is help so that you CAN do the work up to the level that you were able to do before. There is no crime or shame in asking for help when you are in a situation over your head.
4. I am an English teacher and I would prefer if you would talk to me. Your teacher sounds old because if I saw that you were doing bad we would certainly have a talk. If you know that you have a drug problem you need to fix it before you go to college and waste your money being wasted. The hardest part is recognizing the problem and the second is asking for help. If not her someone else, but talk to her, tell her your goign through a lot and you would like if she could hear you out and help you to do good this semester. it's not called special treatment its about helping a student that actually gives a damn. there are a lot of them thattake their 60's and 70's and don't care. I would be more than happy to help a student that wanted it. good luck and kick the habit. you're old enough to know it's wrong. :0)
5. Don't listen to wisegirl84; there's no way she's an English teacher with such atrocious grammar and spelling.