Teachers....ggrrrrr.

**mommy4ever** · 04-29-2008, 08:09 AM

DD9 is in third grade and had to build a bridge. So we researched the types of bridges she had to chose from and she chose to build an under-truss style bridge(deck truss).

She built it 95% on her own. I helped her with how to lay it out and how to build the support beams, and then securing it all. But that was really very little. Most parents build the bridges completely.

So she brings it to school. The teacher goes to test it. DD9 puts it out, the teacher tells her it's wrong, that it's upside down. SO the teacher tests it UPSIDE DOWN, so the only thing supporting the weight of the water is GLUE. It passed. Then she moves the water some where else, and a student knocks it over when she's not looking. She then tells dd that she should have built it sturdier because it shouldn't just 'tip'. And that she should have used more popsicle sticks because a little car couldn't drive on that.

Well, last time I checked cars can't go on ALL bridges, there are trains, in farm use, they may be no surface until they are ready to cross with machinery, at that time they lay down planks as a way to prevent livestock from crossing whenever. Nor did the assignment say it had to be a driveable surface for a matchbox car. Frankly, I'm disappointed with this teacher. IF she felt dd built it upside down,she shouldn't have said it in front of the whole class. But the assignment said, suspended, arch or truss bridges. Must be no bigger than 30x45cm and must support 1L of water. It didn't say through-truss only or NO deck truss or NO under-truss. Or must be able to drive matchbox car accross. Dd came home so disheartened that she'd done it all wrong and was now going to get a bad mark on it.

I have written a letter, sent several pictures of undertruss bridges, both diagram and actual bridges.

**VanVivCam** · 04-29-2008, 09:02 AM

oh...sorry....teachers can be pretty tough when students don't do things the way teachers want them to. thinking outside the box can be very Foreign to some teachers.

**Jskell911** · 04-29-2008, 09:17 AM

Wow! Did she even ASK your DD for an explanation or just go off on her? Gee, it sounds like maybe the teacher should've done some homework of her own. If she wanted a certain type of bridge, then maybe she should have specified that. Sounds like this teacher was uneducated on the type of bridge your DD build. Too bad she took her ignorance out on your DD!

**mommy4ever** · 04-29-2008, 09:20 AM

Hehe... i pulled out all da stops and used lots of multi-syllabic words in my letter. I was direct, not rude. Though direct can be taken as rude. I did state I was disappointed in how it was dealt with. If she felt the project was completely built wrong, she should have taken dd aside and talked with her, not infront of the whole class.

There's a bit of mama bear in me..lol

**Jskell911** · 04-29-2008, 09:31 AM

You go girl! Exactly how I would have handled it.

**C@rol** · 04-29-2008, 09:35 AM

Good for you.
I could see myself taking the same action.

**cissylu** · 04-29-2008, 01:24 PM

you go girl! that teacher was wrong!
she should apoligize to your dd.

**Holly** · 04-29-2008, 01:26 PM

Go give her a dressing down in front of the class. (See how she likes it).

**Darlene** · 04-29-2008, 01:56 PM

It's hard sometimes but when I wrote my letters I tried to remember that the way my dd or ds presented an incident at school to me may not be the way it happened exactly. 2 sides to every story and all that. I'd hear from the teacher & go from there.
I hope you can get this resolved to your satisfaction.

**sixfreds** · 04-29-2008, 06:06 PM

In middle school here there is a project called "egg drop" the kids have to build a container for an egg so it can be dropped from the roof of the school and not break, you get graded on how well you did the project with a reason why you made it the way you did.
So even if the egg breaks you learn the lesson they are teaching you and you can still get a good grade even if the egg breaks.

I think you should talk to the teacher to find out the teachers side.
There are always 3 sides to a story, yourside, hisside and the truth which usually lies in the middle.
Eileen

**Rosebush3** · 04-30-2008, 07:57 AM

I don't know why some people choose to be teachers, really. The elementary school art teacher here is well known for taking the childrens' art work and crumpling it up and throwing it away, or tearing it up and throwing it away, if she feels it does not meet HER standards of what art should be. She will do this to Kindergarten children on up through the 8th grade kids, she isn't picky whose creativitiy she crushes. I am sorry for your daughter to have had this horrible experience, I hope this isn't something she carries with her.

**mommy4ever** · 04-30-2008, 08:48 AM

Well, I give credit to the teacher today. While she didn't call me back. She apologized to dd in fron tof the class, took a closer look at her bridge and said she hadn't thought of a train bridge, so had assumed it was upside down. She now sees that dd did a good job. She did point out to dd and the rest of the class that no one put abutments on teh bridge, but no one did much to support the bridge other than dd staggering her sticks to make it stronger.

I don't care if she calls, the important thing is she did right by dd, and built her self esteem back up.