daughter-teacher "problem"

[roo_ster]

i have found folks who record sometimes get a rude awakening.  have seen them record the evidence used against them and get that funny look on their face

"Honest men and dishonest fools fear not to be recorded."

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i got gigged at virginia theological seminary for setting my vid cam up to do time lapse.  caught the whackenhut security guards doing an all you can eat and carry away in the kitchen there. i was in trouble since the lady biz manager had brought them in and was highly invested in their success.   she was quite miffed since just 24 hours before she had assured us all at a big meeting that those guards never entered the kitchen just checked the doors from the outside.  she attempted to tell me i broke the law recording and was very upset with the letter i had from the commonwealths attorney outlining what i could legally do.  was quite the good time

[HankB]

i have found folks who record sometimes get a rude awakening.  have seen them record the evidence used against them and get that funny look on their face

Some yahoos broke into a local rich guy's estate (guy made millions on video games) and had a party. They took pix of themselves living it up - nice, clear pix. Forgot the camera when they left. Made TV news. Promptly identified and taken into custody. Much laughter. (from everyone else.)

Unless someone's in a state that requires consent of both people to make a recording, there's not much of a parallel with recording normal interactions with a government employee . . .

i got gigged at virginia theological seminary for setting my vid cam up to do time lapse. 

Coffee fund at work was being pilfered, so some folks did the same. Caught the custodian. Corporate security showed him the tape and "encouraged" him to resign. (he did.) Good result, attaboys all around.

Today, we no longer have regular corporate security - it's been outsourced.

To Wackenhut. 

[erictank]

I am less than sympathetic to claims of privacy made by a gov't employee going about their duties in a public building, all of which (employment, building, upkeep, operations) are paid for by taxpayers.

Unless the duty being recorded is that of the gov't employee popping a squat in the restroom or identifying and speaking about other children's' (or other persons') confidential data, those who are paid with taxpayers' dollars ought to be subject to observation, audit, and recording whilst performing their duties.

Don't like taxpayer supervision?  Don't take taxpayer dollars.

Key words and tricky phrases: "legitimate expectation of privacy".

There are times when a government employee has such, including on the job (bathroom and discussion of confidential info certainly qualify).  Most times, however...

[MillCreek]

"Honest men and dishonest fools fear not to be recorded."

Or you have people who believe strongly in privacy rights who choose to opt out of recording.  I would think that Rugged Individualists/libertarians would be counted amongst those.

[KD5NRH]

Or you have people who believe strongly in privacy rights who choose to opt out of recording.  I would think that Rugged Individualists/libertarians would be counted amongst those.

Only the ones who can't comprehend the difference between a private activity and a voluntary interaction.

[MillCreek]

Only the ones who can't comprehend the difference between a private activity and a voluntary interaction.

Voluntary interaction presupposes that both parties agree, not so?  If one party chooses to not participate, or the second party does something without consent of the first party, it is not particularly voluntary, now is it?

Where is John Galt when you need him to explain these things?

Fixed typo.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

 

i'm liking this

[MillCreek]

I am actually still hoping to hear how things go with the OP and the teacher.  I could always hit up Ms. MillCreek for some advice or ideas as requested.

[gunsmith]

When I was a kid, they often told me how "smart" I was.
 I always ignored the teacher and read Sci Fi in class.
I only graduated because I read all the text books, never did homework.
The teachers were sure I was cheating, I would often have to take a test over with them watching me ( I had read all the text books in the first few weeks of school )
The only classes I liked were science and history.

 I love reading, it however has gotten me nowhere. I am a lot smarter in the things that interested me but know zilch about many important things. A lot of people that can't hold a candle to my I.Q are way, way better off than I am.

 What I'm getting at, is tell that kid to get good grades and a good job.
Its better in the long run to be a stealth rebel than a real one.

[MicroBalrog]

The smart thing would be to direct the child's reading in the right direction... my father had done me a lot of good by pointing me towards the classics at an early age.

[taurusowner]

You could always get her a copy of Atlas Shrugged

[HankB]

You could always get her a copy of Atlas Shrugged  

Better still, Glen Beck's book: Arguing with Idiots

The title alone should make the teacher's head explode . . .     

[roo_ster]

Voluntary interaction presupposes that both parties agree, not so?  If one party chooses to not participate, or the second party does something without consent of the first party, it is not particularly voluntary, now is it?

Where is John Galt when you need him to explain these things?

Fixed typo.

He's in Galt's Gulch and assiduously not working a gov't job and taking a salary from taxpayers.

Don't like taxpayer supervision?  Don't take taxpayer dollars.

[MillCreek]

Do Your Homework
I found this list of ideas to maximize the utility of a parent-teacher conference.  I thought it may be of use to the OP and other people here with elementary-age children.  Ms. MillCreek thinks this is a pretty good list.


How parents can get the most out of their 10 minutes:

Ask your child to share concerns before you go.
Bring written notes and questions.
Tell the teacher about at-home issues that might be impacting your child's academics.
Don't be antagonistic. View the teacher as your partner.
If teacher uses jargon, ask for simple explanations and specifics about your child's work.
Keep the conversation focused on your child—not your childhood, the teacher's workload or views on the curriculum.
Discuss strategies you and the teacher can use to help your child. Write out common goals.
Ask for follow-up emails and conversations.

[Strings]

>Tell the teacher about at-home issues that might be impacting your child's academics.<

I can agree with all but this. If you have a crusader for a teacher, that could be a REALLY good way to get social services climbing up your backside. And once there, they NEVER go away...

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

>Tell the teacher about at-home issues that might be impacting your child's academics.<

I can agree with all but this. If you have a crusader for a teacher, that could be a REALLY good way to get social services climbing up your backside. And once there, they NEVER go away...

seems like a presumption of an adversarial relationship   can be a self fulfilling prophecy
i can say i entered into the whole school thing with a chip on my shoulder  was pretty sure i was gonna be THAT parent  the one raising heck.  i was mistaken. those i've encountered in 5 years have been uniformly part of a team i wanna play on with the same goals if not higher ones , that we hold for our lil heathens.

i might tell a teacher if the wife escaped  or if a spouse was deployed or any of a dozen things that might impact her life at school.  for example when her pony died i went to school with her and told the teacher.  i let them know when we were expecting her sister.
i can't see not availing myself of a team approach to raising my kid.  and to exclude or start of with an adversarial approach with someone who will spend more time with my kid than i will would seem at best "ill advised"

i never bought into the whole atlas shrugged thing  it was read right after dune and before shogun and all three have equal weight in my life, they were after all novels

[MillCreek]

i might tell a teacher if the wife escaped

Especially if there was a bounty! 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

on escaped wives bounty is usually for dead only

[MillCreek]

on escaped wives bounty is usually for dead only

Or you could pay a bounty to make sure they stayed escaped.  I would have paid to have Ms. MillCreek 2.0 hauled away.  Fortunately, last time I heard, she was down in Dallas, which is sufficiently far away.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

my ex is in va beach  i'm miffed that she feels safe that close  i'm losing my touch

[seeker_two]

Fortunately, last time I heard, she was down in Dallas, which is sufficiently far away.

Gee....thanks for making her OUR problem.... 

[geronimotwo]

I am actually still hoping to hear how things go with the OP and the teacher.  I could always hit up Ms. MillCreek for some advice or ideas as requested.

we had a fairly civil discussion.  the teachers main concern is that my daughter is finishing her work too quickly!  evidently she hands out the assignments at the begining of class and then gives a brief lecture on the task at hand, with the understanding that if you finish early you may use the remainder of your time as you wish, as long as you are at your desk and being quiet.  miss g2 is finishing the work before the teacher completes her lecture which has two unwanted results.  1)  the teacher feels it is rude to pull a book out when she is still talking.   2)  the rushed work is rather sloppy. 

the "personality quiz"  is on a portion of each childs artwork being displayed in the hall.  i really don't understand why she was made to redo the answer other than the teacher didn't like it.

we went with the idea of gathering as much information as we could and chose to think on it before making judgement/suggestions.  miss g2 has always needed to work on her neatness as she does rush through her assignments.  we welcome suggestions to help with her improvement.

as far as recording the meeting... i called the county DA's office and the assistant DA told me that in NY it is fine to record conversations as long as one of the parties is aware of it.

[MillCreek]

Ms. MillCreek is not home yet.  I know that in order to give the best advice, she would like to know the age/grade of the child.  Please let me know.   

Also, it sounds like you had a productive meeting.  I really do feel that parents and teachers working together for the common good of the child produces the best results.  I can already tell that you care about your child, and that is more than half the battle in Ms. MillCreek's eyes.  I just about weep sometimes when she comes home and tells stories about neglected children and disengaged and disinterested parents.  I have often thought that you have to pass a test and get a license to drive a car; perhaps you should have to do the same to have kids.

[KD5NRH]

miss g2 has always needed to work on her neatness as she does rush through her assignments.  we welcome suggestions to help with her improvement.

http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Better-Handwriting-New/dp/0071636382/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1286413446&sr=8-9

My handwriting is still awful, but it's at least legible after a bit of work with this book.

If you really want to push her, try something classic:
http://www.amazon.com/Spencerian-Penmanship-Theory-Book-copybooks/dp/088062096X/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1286413446&sr=8-12

A fountain pen will force a light touch, which will slow down a too-fast hand, and these guys can teach a lot: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/

Very reasonably priced fountain pens (and other pens): http://www.jetpens.com/