No you can't build your kid's project

I'm a retired teacher. When I taught 5th grade we did the "Invention Convention" as part of science fair. I had a student who the year before he and his family caused major problems. He didn't follow the instructions, did the project at home, and turned in a potato light kit project. He received the 50 he deserved and should have failed science. His parents protested that the long turn sub, the teacher was on maternity leave, had screwed up and got the grade changed to an A.

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So this year I was very clear that the project had to be done in class, but this Dad was having none of that. His son's group were doing it at his house. So they got bad daily grades for not doing anything but screwing around in class. Then the day the project was due - it wasn't an invention it was a replica of something that has existed for over 50 years. Part of the grade was the presentation. I videoed all the presentations with one of those flip cameras that were new and cool back then.

The kids failed and got 50's (lowest grade we were allowed to give.) Get called to the office and told to give them an A. I refused. So we have this big meeting with the parents all pretty smug because the project looked good - just did not meet any of the requirements that they had signed off on. District level science person was there because lead ED was high up in our IT department.

So I present the rubric - which the kids filled out themselves. ED's kid gave them 4s on each criteria. The other 3 kids gave themselves honest 1s and 2s. Head of the science department fills out the part about the project but not the presentation - and she gives them 1s and 2s. Then ED says now they will do their presentation for us. I say no need, I have the video of the original presentation. ED is furious he wants their "prepared presentation" I say fine but only after everyone here sees the original. He knows what is coming but the other parents don't.

The kids during their presentations admit

1. They have no idea what their invention does
2. They have no idea how it works
3. They have no idea how it was constructed
4. ED Dad built it
5. They played GTA while ED Dad built it
6. They admit that GTA is M rated and explain why (These are 10 - 11 yo)

At this point the other 3 kids parents are shooting lasers out their eyes. Head of Science orders me to take the kids to their specials (Art/music/PE/Computers) class. Principal is completely confused because her idea of a video game is Pac Man. Head of Science comes by later to tell me that 1. The grades stand and the boys fail that grading period of Science (this was equivalent to their final) 2. The board is already considering removing the 50 is the lowest grade you can "give" rule and that kids will receive the grades they deserve. This incident will help the department head's argument 3. She is going to use this as proof we need a all projects to be graded will be done in class rule (that passed)

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Then there was this gem. Seems ED's family doesn't watch TV for religious reasons. He insisted that the kids play at his house because his son might see TV at the other people's houses and they were all sinners. Now it comes out he was allowing the boys to play GTA an M rated game. (He was a savey IT person he knew what that game was) The other parents were spitting nails. Some wanted to press child abuse charges, they all wanted us to prevent the boys from playing together at recess and in PE. They were told that wasn't going to happen and Head of Science and the Counselor (who was called in to mediate the argument) pointed out their kids had lied to them if not actively by omission. They knew they weren't allowed to play an M rated game and hid what they were doing. 2 of the boys were supposed to be in the Middle School G&T program. They were still allowed in but started the year on probation for cheating. (Again they knew the rules and chose to disobey.)

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Edited for grammar I'm dyslexic.

Submitted February 25, 2019 at 07:50PM by TexasTeacher https://ift.tt/2BTWf92