So I got kicked out of a summerschool class....

Ok, I go to regular summerschool from 8 in the morning to 1, then I go to another class sort of thiing from 3 to 6 on tuesdays to thursdays. I have biology on tues, essay writing on wed, and math on thurs. All this is in preparation for the SATs. (im only going into 9th grade, wtf?) these classes are ones that my parents actually paid for. Its one of those prep classes that I take during the summer. Anyway, I no longer take essay writing on wed. Heres why.

Class commences, and we are writing essays. We are told to make something up. We were given a plot to follow, but to improve the sample essay written based on that plot. We have to make stuff up, because thats what the teacher says we have to be good at to adapt to any essay subject that the SAT people throw at us. So Im sitting in there, thinking. Im not a good person at making up stuff and writing about all these fancy things that i thought up of on the spot. the teacher says
"cmon write somethinig"
"Im not good at making up stuff"
"Stop complaining, stop whining, just write something"
"But Im trying to think here"
"ok Ive had it, get out. Im sick of your complaining. Ill make sure ur parents receive a refund, just get out. Good luck in life" (yea like ill mess up in life just cuz I couldnt make up some stuff about my cousin being a rich guy who has no heart and blah blah blah...)

From this point on, lets call this teacher, ahole.

So the next day, I am about to go to my math class (that I have on thursdays)
Coincidentally, this class is in the exact classroom that the ahole was teaching in before we used the room. So when that class ended, I sat in that classroom, waiting for my teacher. The ahole was still in that room, cleaning up and preparing to leave. He told me to sit up front, because I had taken a seat in the back. So I did. I already could tell that he stayed behind so that he could crap out some stupid speech at me... And I was right. the ahole began to call me a schmuck, said some bull about me being an 85 student, how I got into Bronx science (thats my highschool) by luck, and how Ill be a failure in life and how Ill graduate from some SUNY or community college. He went on with something like "and you know what," at that point I could tell he had prepared this speech for like hours the night before so I just said
"shut up. your not my teacher anymore, just shut up. dont talk crap about MY future, and just get out." The dude was just like, ok.... He was obviously dissapointed that he wasnt allowed to let out the whole speech. So thats the last I saw of him.... Ill probably see him again this tuesday.

Why did I write this? Well... I had to vent. Also, what the heck did I do wrong? What I wrote is pretty much all that happened. I think hes an ahole, but if I did something to deserve this, please tell me....

Mags - I understand you're emotional/upset - but you need to edit the "language" out of your post or we will and the thread will be closed.

Yes, "some language" slips by us here and there - we don't always catch it and "maybe" at times a little is acceptable by some folks...however we do try and keep the CPF hallways a family environment.

Thanks for helping us to keep the CPF hallways "swept up"...believe me it takes all of us!

Were you disrespectful to him in your tone of voice during that first episode (or anytime before)? That can account for a lot...

If someone were disrespectful to me in my class, I'd kick them out in a heartbeat. I'm really surprised they'd kick you out of a paid course though. That's strange...I wouldn't have imagined a place like that doing that.

Maybe your parents can contact the manager of that facility?

JM-99

Err, what are they supposed to say to the manager? Its not like I want to go back to that class anyway. The guys a total jerk. He has mood swings. Hes bald. Hes mean. Hes 30 years old. He reminisces about his old basketball days at his old highschool. Im not going back to that class....

Sigman, sorry, post edited.

Just cool down. He's probably just frustrated at himself for not being inspiring enough as a teacher. Maybe he thinks he's a failure and is unfairly venting on you. Maybe he just had a bad day. Or maybe he's singling you out. Point is, sometimes you just have to deal with these kind of people. Sometimes you don't. But if you keep a cool head it is a lot harder for someone to place blame on you.

You should tell him that SUNY schools are not nearly as bad as he thinks. He might have even gone to one. Just because they lack the prestige that places like Princeton and Harvard has does not mean they are any less good... it just means he knows squat. There are SUNY schools that rank right up there with the Ivy Leagues. We only look down on SUNY's here because we're jaded New Yorkers. Go anywhere else in the country and someone will say, "oh, you went to a SUNY? wow!" We here in NY go to places like UMass and UMich or UCLA. I bet you locals think the same about their colleges.

Oh, and you should chill out. Last time I got angry the only thing that came of it was my hand started bleeding.

Judging from your post, your writing is pretty good! That teacher is not into teaching, but having students do what he wants. I was taught that writing is 90% thinking and 10% actual pencil pushing. I think you were doing the right thing.

Aw, heck, I was taught writing is done best by putting your pen on the page. Write what you're thinking, edit it down later.

I'll bet you were doing that just now, today. Keep at it.

Mags said:

Hes bald. . . Hes 30 years old. He reminisces about his old basketball days at his old highschool.

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What does that have to do with his teaching ability??? You didn't answer my original question...were you disrespectful to him before?

I'm not taking his side...just trying to find out what happened...

I know nisshin said your writing is ok, but I noticed a couple of things about your grammar need some help. I'm not normally the grammar/spelling police, but you should seek tutoring (somewhere) on that before taking the SAT. I know you have a couple of years, so it's not a big deal...

Good luck, whatever happens...if you don't want to be in the class, that's 90% of the problem. If you don't want to be there and got kicked out..and don't care...I don't see what the problem is. You say he's a jerk and you're not in his class anymore. Problem solved, right?

JM-99

No I was not disrespectful to him. I cant ever even think of a way to say "Im not good at making stuff up" in a disrespectful way...

Mags said:

No I was not disrespectful to him. I cant ever even think of a way to say "Im not good at making stuff up" in a disrespectful way...

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Oh, I CAN!!!

...but I have seen some pretty disrespectful little pukes before... (I'm sure you're not one of them...)

But...ok, so how does his being bald, 30 years old, and reminiscing about high school make him a bad teacher?

JM-99

I personally don't think you did anything severe enough to warrant a response like that followed by a lecture. In fact, the lecture was uncalled for, period. If I were teaching a class, and for whatever reason wanted to kick one of my students out, I would just unceremoniously tell them you're out and be done with it. If they asked why then I would take the time to explain after class, but I would never lecture them on how they'll be a failure in life or any other nonsense. Truth be told many students teachers thought were headed nowhere turned out to be some of our best leaders today. Others whom they heaped praise on no end turned out to have less than steller careers. You really don't know how a person is going to do in life when they're your age. Even at my age (43), the die isn't cast. There will be plenty of time in life for your successes and failures.

Although the teacher did go overboard in his response, I do if fact think you were wrong to question the teacher's instructions in the way you did. There is a time and place for everything. I used to question my teachers' instructions all the time, point out grading errors, let them know when they made mistakes, and so forth. However, I did this after class or otherwise in a discreet manner. If discretion didn't present itself in a timely manner I just held my tongue. I know many times I've felt like kicking my teachers in the backside, but remember that even though a particular teacher may be an a$$hole, they are in charge. This situation will also present itself many times in the working world where you'll be under bosses either dumber than you or just on ego trips. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it (and laugh about it afterwards).

Let's face it-teachers are human beings with egos to bruise, and they don't take any more kindly to having their authority or expertise questioned than anyone else. In fact, it's been my experience that most teachers are very poor at accepting criticism, constructive or otherwise, perhaps since they mostly live in the ivory tower of academia. In all honesty, this teacher definitely has issues like most I've met. Since he's 30 and teaching that means he probably went straight from school to teaching without having any exposure to the real world. Yes, career teachers who have never done anything else are generally the most narrow-minded. The greatest teachers are those who have spent a few decades in other careers, and then go on to teach. For whatever reason this teacher feels inadequate (the premature baldness could be a big reason why), and he found you as a ready target to take it out on.

As for this teacher's poor opinion of CUNY and SUNY, a school is what you make of it. You don't have to go to an Ivy League school to be a success, nor does going to one guarantee such success. I went to Princeton and in all honesty found it lacking in many areas even compared to Bronx Science. And success has different meanings to different people anyway. For some it's earning a big salary, for others it's a career they love or raising a family. For still others it's merely having a lifestyle they enjoy even if they don't earn money or set the world on fire.

Anyway, best of luck in your future endeavors and try to keep this incident in perspective. In the scheme of things it's not even a little bump on the road of life.

P.S. I think you write just fine. Making things up will become easier later on as you have more life experiences to draw on.

I totally agree with you. In fact, if an employee did something like that to a customer and the customer complained to management, the employee would probably get fired. A teacher blew up at me when I was little, and the story went from me to my parents to the school's higher-ups. The teacher apologized.

If you write this well in an online forum, your academic writing is probably excellent. If you tried as hard as you could to make your posts (emails, etc.) flawless (like I do), you might get some strange responses (or, from your email correspondents, strange looks).

I completely understand about having trouble with creativity. I've never been good with batteryless toys (i.e. LEGOs, etc.) and the hardest part of writing is, for me, thinking of subject matter. In fact, I'm in a junior college right now getting an Associate degree in technical writing. This way, the subject can be complex but still plainly visible.

By the way, if you're already studying for the SATs in 9th grade, that's a heck of a head start. I studied for my SATs for all of 15 minutes, and I did all right. I think you'll do how you do - no better, no worse. In fact, studying is a pretty strange concept, if you think about it. You'd think that if one has learned something, one would remember. If one has to relearn everything before each test, did learning happen in the first place?

Anyhow, if you think this teacher should be disciplined, talk to management (or your parents, who will then probably talk to management whether you like it or not). If you don't, try your best to shake it off.

teachers are like that... they always expect you to be up to their standards but not your OWN standards and timing. i know that becuae i am 16 this year and in the best class in my school. my teachers are like pressing on you to work HARD. hmwk everyday blah blah blah. the only subject i can pass with some nice flying colours is science(sub phy and chem). english,maths,humanities(geo and social studies) are killers.

man... my most of my class hates the geography teacher but not becuase of hmwk; she talks in a very funny way and teaches moral values instead of geography.

Mags said:

The guys a total jerk.

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That's obviously a subjective comment. I'm sure he would have some things to say about you were he able to defend himself here.

Mags said:

He has mood swings.

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Don't we all at some point or another.

Mags said:

Hes bald.

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That's an insult whis is irrelevant and shows your lack of maturity (maybe we're seeing a bit of what the teacher saw in the initial exchange). It has nothing to do with his teaching ability (or lack thereof)

Mags said:

Hes mean.

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Again, a subjective statement.

Mags said:

Hes 30 years old.

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So. Do you want your teacher to be 20 years old or 60 years old? Would that make any difference?

Mags said:

He reminisces about his old basketball days at his old highschool.

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OK. What does that have to do with your interaction or problem with him.

Mags said:

Im not going back to that class....

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Why not? It's what we do in the face of adversity that makes us stronger. If you run away from every tough situation (disagreement with a teacher, or personality conflict) life is going to be cruel to you.

Don't think I'm being hard on you it's just that I (we) have the luxury of an objective perspective, whereas, you are directly involved and therefore your perspective of this situation/teacher is skewed in your favour. You're not going to tell us if he was polite to begin with and you gave him some attitude to precipitate some type of dicipline against yourself.

Try and look at it from an outsider's perspective and look at the whole picture not just one isolated incident. Are you going to throw away the time and effort you've already put in just because you can't get along with the teacher. Does that affect the content of the class? What would the cost be for leaving the class permanently? Do your parents have anything to say/offer in this situation? If they're paying for the class they should have a large part in deciding whether you stay in the class or not?

Good luck and hope this turns out for the best whatever the outcome.

Mags,

I am unsure of your conduct prior to the events described above. I have no reason to doubt the truth of your post. The following is based on the assumption that what you said above is true. There are two sides to every story, and someone who is a professional teacher would be unlikely to exhibit said behaviour if not somehow provoked.

I do not believe that the kind of outburst you posted about above is appropriate for a teacher.

Reasons:

1. The teacher's a) outburtst and b) subsequent harrassment constitute unprofessional conduct. If a teacher displayed this type of behaviour towards me, he/she could expect a written complaint and verbal notification of his/her supervisor. My school days, however, are over. Perhaps students are treated differently in the United States than they are in Australia.
2. Teachers are held to be role models; the incidents described are hardly "role model" material.
3. As I understand it, encouragement and positive feedback is the accepted "gold standard" in secondary teaching. Hard love and discipline has no place in a modern education system. This is, for better or worse, a sign of the times.

JM-99 I agree with you that disrespect, etc in an educational setting must be dealt with, sometimes harshly; however I believe there are more positive ways to deal with the situation than immediately kicking a student out of a class.

Grox gets an A.

I was too angry to post when I read this yesterday..
That 'teacher' sounds like one the sicker ones. Really, those comments he made to you are beyond the pale. There are more sadistic teachers like him out there than people think.. He shouldn't have the job.
Are there a lot like him at BHS? If so you'd probably be better off somewhere else.

(how about Fieldston? )

TigerhawkT3 said:

If you tried as hard as you could to make your posts (emails, etc.) flawless (like I do), you might get some strange responses (or, from your email correspondents, strange looks).

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That simply isn't true...on the vast majority of the forums I'm on, use of improper grammar and spelling is actively discouraged...especially when it's because they're too lazy to use an apostrophe when appropriate, for example.

Many times, people that do not write well are not taken seriously. This is especially true in a professional environment, but I have seen it happen in forums as well. It is important to be able to communicate effectively and use of proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling should be encouraged...not seen as being an oddity.

Grox: Sorry -- I just don't have much tolerance for disrespect. I probably wouldn't kick someone out of my class if they were disrespectful once unless it was really blatant. Course, I was a TA in a college setting so a little more was expected of students there.

JM-99
(Ditto Blazer's post also...)

there were some good points made (most of which i didnt read due to them being TOO DARN LONG).... anyway, i really cant decide if he did the right thing by throwing you out, because i wasnt there, however... coming to you the next day in another class and trying to make you feel bad is way overboard... if i were him, i would just drop it [like its hot]

-David

cheapo said:

coming to you the next day in another class and trying to make you feel bad is way overboard...

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I agree with that...I wouldn't have gone to the trouble to seek him out the next day for a speech like that...

JM-99

Tell your teacher one of the best scientists in the world graduated from SUNY (I know, I worked for him). No shame in that.

Oh, and I have no tolerance for disrespectful attitude but, like JM, I'm used to college level interaction with students.

Always be respectful, and mind your manners - you'll do fine.