It’s All Positive, the Way I See It

Standard

Academy Summer Progress Report

Student: Bob O.

Subject: English

Teacher: Bill

Comments: Bob is a very enthusiastic young man, filled with life and energy.  He has shown consistent progress this year.  You should be very proud as parents.  Bob is well liked by his peers and has a wonderful sense of humor.  He is upbeat and always smiling.

Academically, this semester has been one of growth for Bob O.  A review of testing data proves this.  On our semester’s first assessment, Bob received a score of 2/30.  However, on the second assessment, he doubled his score with 4/30!  On the third and final assessment, Bob continued to show improvement with a score of 5/30.  This empirical data indicates that Bob is making tremendous progress and will continue to improve with further studies.

Behaviorally, Bob is still adjusting to the classroom.  He typically talks through the entire lesson, but this is okay because it points to him being socially popular and accepted by his peers.  Bob has a difficult time listening and paying attention, which is probably because of his age (17).  Clearly his attention span will get better as he matures.  Finally, I feel a note should be made regarding the blinding incident: I apologize for initially over-reacting and would like to say that it was obviously just an accident.  In retrospect, it has become clear to me that Bob was simply waving his pencil in joy and did not intend in any way to stab his classmate in the eyeball.  Instead of being stern with him, I should have acknowledged his wonderful enthusiasm for learning.

In terms of skills, Bob has many.  He struggles with reading, but knows that words exist and that they are sometimes combined into sentences.  Writing is also an area where Bob can further develop his skills with more practice.  Currently, he cannot write words and is inconsistent in making letters.  He does, though, own a pencil (as we know from the incident mentioned earlier).  Often times, the importance of having the proper tools is overlooked when one gauges writing development.  It has been said by some – yes, including myself – that Bob’s effort appears to be lacking; going forward, I propose that instead of forcing him into curriculum based lessons that he seems to have little interest in, we can better teach him through the use of video games and television programs.  As a teacher, I need to incorporate an individualized approach to Bob’s education.  I apologize, and will be sure to spend the bulk of my evenings making educational games for him.

Overall, Bob is a tremendous student and has been a joy to have in class.  To be honest, I am considering leaving the school soon due to unbearable ulcer pain.  That said, I am sure the next teacher will love Bob O. just as much as I have!  : )

Parent Signature (Forgery Accepted):_____________________________

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25 thoughts on “It’s All Positive, the Way I See It”

  3. Yes indeed! Bob’s parents must be proud of him. But the credit goes to the ever patient, ever diligent and ever persistent teacher, Bill, of course! In behalf of Bob, I want to thank teacher Bill for all the nights he spend with his friends drinking until he isn’t able to go home and doesn’t remember much about what happened the night before; the times he encountered a brawl where his friend ended on the hospital and for the times he spend strolling at Sillim and the (I forgot the name of the park where he nearly got lost), all because he wants to be inspired to think of educational tools for Bob. Thank you teacher Bill for the encouragement all throughout the year. *wink wink*

  4. Hi topicless! I was kidding of course! Seriously, I admire your dedication to teach students like Bob and for having that patience in dealing with such students. Keep it up. Remember all the successful professionals/people in the world partly credit their teachers as to what they have achieved so far. 🙂

    • Hahaha – nicely done, Jep! I don’t mind not-so-good student behavior; what I was attempting to satirize is how teachers have to try and wrap students up in pretty paper even if the kid is doing very badly. At the risk of sounding like I’m trying to deflect criticism, the blame-the-teacher thing has gone a bit far. It just feels like now we have to deny all sorts of negative realities about a student (failing grades, bad behavior), because admitting it would lead to criticism of the teacher. He’s failing? Incompetence on the teacher’s part. He’s out of control? Teacher needs better classroom management skills. He’s disruptive? Teacher needs to make the class more interesting. So, even if things are in the tank, you find yourself creating rhetoric to make it sound as though everything is nice and rosy. Anyways, I guess that’s the point I was trying to go for, which I guess might be buried in what seems like a fun ripping of bad students. I just wish students carried some level of responsibility, and it’s rare to come across a parent or an administrator who agrees with that.

      Whew! I just rambled on big time! I’ll get off my soapbox now and go get in a drunken brawl (kidding, kidding!). : D

      • For what it’s worth – I agree wholeheartedly that the teachers get a bum rap for students failing. Are their bad teachers? Sure – but more often than not, it is the student and by extension, the parent that is allowing the lack of progress to happen.

        My husband and I never blame the school, teacher or principal for having to call us because our child(ren) misbehave or fall short of the mark while in their care. In fact, we support their efforts at teaching and discipline (it is a job we could never do). The first time we told them that it was okay to follow through on the discipline our child was to receive, it was met with disbelief and gratitude.

      • I can absolutely understand why that was met with disbelief! For some reason, when I first became a teacher, I thought a threat like, “You wanna keep this up? I’ll call your parents!” would have some sort of effect. It, um, typically gets this reaction: “Yeah, okay, fine. Call them. I’ll call them myself.” So it’s nice when a parent is willing to work with the teacher. I’m not saying I want the parent to whip the kid in the basement or something…just work with me.

        Keep on keeping on, Karaboo! Your kids are gonna turn out better for it. And even if that doesn’t happen…at least their teachers will love you. : )

  7. basangsisiw

    Hahaha! Bob must have been so lucky for having such a supportive teacher like you! Might as well reconsider leaving Bob O, I mean the school. You know, there could be a thousand more Bob Os in this planet.

    • True that! Really I was just lumping all my lousy students into one person. And yeah, there will always be kids that frustrate you. Adds some spice to the job. Really, nobody wants a class where all the kids act the same and don’t have individual personalities. At least I’ll keep telling myself that.

  8. Jennifer Worrell

    Now THAT is funny, and so true of the way we teachers have to be…enjoy summer and the break from all the Bobs!

  9. Jeanne

    Hilarious! My daughter sent this to me and I’m glad to be introduced to your blog. As exaggerated at this letter is, it also has a bit of truth to it, which is why it is so funny.

    • Hello Jeanne! Thanks, and I’m grateful that your daughter shared. She is a girl of exquisite taste. : )

      Yeah, I had to write 94 progress reports for my students a few weeks ago, and as I was writing them, I started becoming really aware of the goofy compliments I was using. Like for kids who can’t sit still and are hyperactive, I’d say the kid “has a lot of enthusiasm” or “is full of life” or “has a really positive attitude.” And no kids were doing badly – they were all “progressing.” So, anyways, it seemed like a fun thing to satirize.

      Anyways, I’m blathering now. Thanks again for reading and taking the time to leave the comment. : )

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