Successful Student, Nit-picky Teacher

As a teacher, you should know there are two sides to every story. As a teacher, you also know that kids are different at home then they are at school. Until you meet with the teacher and set out a plan you need to stop blaming the teacher - even though, unless you are in a year round school, it's kind of a day late and dollar short to be bringing this up this late in the school year. You stated this doesn't make sense that she would do that - that's b/c teachers don't have time to pick on kids the way you are describing.

I am a teacher, with my experience, the truth is somewhere in the middle and the student has a lot more blame on them then the parent wants to hear. Stop meeting with the principal and meet with the teacher and get a game plan going. As a teacher, you should already know to do this...

She will not change - his reaction to her needs to change.

Assignments need to be written down - she needs to confirm he wrote it down correctly and initial it, EVERY TIME.

I am going to assume she has an email as each teacher does - email her to confirm due dates for projects and create open communication as a parent.

There are teachers that resent their student's success and do what they can to pull them down in an effort to "teach them the real world" and life lessons.

In real life will due dates change? Yes.
In real life will late work go unapreciated and effect him negatively? Yes
... will his extra cirriculars be an excuse for poor work on the job? No.
... will difficult work and extra tasks bring him anxiety? Yes

So - to be real these are life lessons he can be learning and understanding. Should it be to a point where it is effecting him in all areas no? Again, he needs to change HIS reaction to her because hers will NEVER change.

I haven't had this issue but I think you need to talk directly to the teacher. If you think the Principle needs to sit in on the conversation than do that but you need to have a face to face with her to see exactly what she wants. Tell her you want to work with her in order to help you son. Good luck!!

What works:
- Meeting with the teacher, not the principal. The principal really isn't going to do anything because the teacher isn't doing anything wrong.
- Talking with your son about what he needs to get done vs. what he wants to get done. Being student body president is wonderful, but only if it doesn't interfere with being a student.

What doesn't work:
- Assuming that every teacher values extra curricular activities b/c I have found that they don't.

My guess is that this is the first time that your son is getting the message that he isn't "wonderful" and it's hurting you both, but it's also a little reality check. Being a good kid and very active in the school is great! I'm sure that the other teachers are willing to flex for him when they know that he's focused on something else. This one isn't. At some point (not sure how old he is), he needs to realize that each class is a separate entity with different expectations, course requirements and rules. He needs to adjust his behavior accordingly to be successful in each class.

When he gets to college it will be an essential skill to have. Some professors want things in pencil only; some will want assignments emailed; some will flex on due dates for extenuating circumstances and some won't; some will care if you skip class and others won't. Point being... he should learn how to meet the demands of an individual teacher while he's young because in a few years he will be the "big fish in the ocean" without you there to call the Academic Dean and "fix it".

Have you tried talking to the teacher? I think you should talk to her and tell her what you told us -- that your son is starting to feel anxiety and not enjoy school, and that you would like her to go a little easier on him.

I rarely back parents over teachers, but I can tell that you're not one of those hovering, micromanaging parents, and that your son really is suffering from this.

Other than that, tell your son that the year is almost over, and not to worry, that if he gets one so-so grade it doesn't matter.

He is going to have more teachers like that, especially in college so why not make it a learning moment. I mean you are not going to be able to run to the dean every time he doesn't get along with a professor. He needs to learn how to deal.

My older kids had a few teachers like that, the teacher felt they were pushing the kid to be all they can. Most of the time when my kids sat down with their teachers and explained that they are having trouble organizing when things are changed or hey, this lesson plan isn't clear, the teacher met them in the middle.

Really a good skill to have in college.

Your son's teacher is not causing him the anxiety, his inability to cope is causing his anxiety. So teach him how to handle it because how he reacts to stress is well within his control.

If you haven't talked directly with the teacher you need to do that. Have specific examples to discuss. I suggest that you should've been doing this all along if you weren't. You didn't mention talking with the teacher.

You need to not only know her side of the situation but also her attitude. There could be something going on that you're not privy to. As to late work, my granddaughter is in middle school and it seems that her teachers frequently change due dates. It's up to her to keep track and meet those deadlines. Seems reasonable to me. You say he's late turning in assignments because "he's doing other school related stuff." That is not a reasonable excuse. It is his responsibility to turn his work in on time.

I also agree with the first poster (I can't even begin to type her name. lol). The teacher needs to know how this is affecting your son and should work with you to try a different approach. The teacher may not even be aware of how stressed your son is feeling.

Sorry, I don't understand why the teacher is automatically wrong and "picking" on your son, and based on the other responses you have gotten I must have completely missed something in your post.

I do agree that changing due dates is an issue if she is making the due date sooner than originally instructed to the class and the project has already been started. If she is extending the due date then that would not be an issue. You did not specify how the due dates were being changed.

If he is turning in his work late he should be penalized. Doesn't matter what the reason is unless there was some type of family emergency. Your son is obviously a high achiever (honestly I have one of those too) however that does not mean that he should get special treatment. If the teacher allows your son to turn in work late with no penalty then she would have to allow that for the entire class.

Your son stayed up until midnight finishing an assignment that he then fail because it was not complete and he followed the instructions that were given on a "previous" assignment. Obviously there was poor time management involved here if he waited until the last day to complete the assignment. Also why was he following the instructions from a "previous" assignment instead of the instructions for "this" assignment. You are a teacher, do you use the same instructions on every similiar assignment that you do???

I definitly think that you need to talk to the teacher but I think you need to go into that conversation with an open mind. Obviously science is you and your son's passion but other school subjects are just as important.

It honestly sounds to me like your son is trying to do too much and is not managing his time well, and possibly not listening in this class very well as to what the instructions and requirements are.

I do think that you are completely wrong to automatically be blaming the teacher if you have not even sat down and talked to her yet.

I have stepkids with a mother like this... continually changes the rules so they are always "wrong". Makes them crazy. Makes me furious.

I don't think you can change how this teacher is treating your son. If you complain too much, it could get worse. But, I would still talk with the principal, in case it could help other students.

In the meantime, I would try to use this as a learning experience for your son. He may likely meet this type of person again, in a college professor, or a boss. Work with him to devise ways to feel at least partially successful in dealing with this experience.

Let him barely pass. I assume he's in middle school or lower - where grades really only matter to determine if you get promoted.

So teach him an important life lesson. Life's not fair. And be practical about which windmills you tilt at. It's currently April 25. Not much time left in the school year. So what is the healthy decision to keep this boy interested in school, not burned out and de-stressed.

Ignore the teacher. I don't mean literally, but keep his eye on the goal - next year. Let him slide through the last couple months. Teach him that slacking isn't acceptable, but between a choice of stress out and still not an A, and relaxing with a C - sometimes we have to choose the best of two unpleasant choices.

But I wouldn't (in your shoes) get involved. This isn't a hill to die on, or to get a reputation that will follow him. It's April. It's almost May. If this was a problem earlier, then that was the time. Now I'm afraid you'll just stir up a hornets nest without the benefit of a good outcome.

it would help to know what age your son is. this may be something he should handle himself. it's really hard for me to fathom that there are many teachers who WANT kids to fail, or to be anxious about taking their classes. i'm sure they exist, but i tend to believe they're rare.
one thing that stands out for me is that you've already gone to the principal and nothing has changed. principals too don't like bad teachers. if nothing has changed, it may well be that the teacher and principal's perspectives are very different from yours. (and when you say 'we' have spoken to the principal, do you mean you and your son? has he expressed how this is affecting him to the school authorities and to the teacher herself?)
if he's a little fellow, he may need you to help him be heard. but if he's a high schooler, this is a brilliant opportunity for him to take a big maturity step and handle this situation personally. i know almost no teachers who would not respond positively to a student coming to them and saying 'i would love to succeed in your class, and respect you as a teacher. i'm really struggling with some of your expectations, and wonder if i'm not understanding them correctly. can you please take a few minutes and help me outline precisely what i need to do for you in order to get the most out of your instruction?'
i know my situation is somewhat unique, but i DO have differing expectations for different students. some are semi-literate, and if i can get a couple of poorly-spelled sentences from them i'm thrilled. but i'll also expect those kids to participate more in discussion, and let me know verbally how much they understand the material. others are writing college-level essays, and i'm much more likely to challenge them on a poorly expressed thought or undeveloped concept. it may well be that your son's high achievement has created unduly high expectations. if the teacher knows how stressed your son is, she may well work with you on ways of keeping the expectations high but easing off on the anxiety-producing standards.
so my first choice would be for your son to talk to her. if that's too much for him, you do it. but don't accuse and challenge her. remember that she almost certainly wants her instruction to be positive for your son, and for him to succeed. enlist her help.
khairete
S.

I'd tell him that there's only a month or so left of school and he can deal. He will always run into people like this... He needs to learn how to negotiate that. Just give him lots of support and encouragement.

It really would help if we knew the age of your son, but I'm going to guess that he's in 8th or 9th grade.

I am also a teacher (AP English, 11th grade), and my oldest son sounds very similar to yours. He had a rough experience with a teacher in the 8th grade. She wasn't quite as bad as what you describe, but it wasn't a fun year. We went through all of the proper channels, but nothing changed. My son spoke to her, she and I emailed a few times, and then we met face to face a few times. I told my son I was willing to meet with the principal to see about switching him to a different teacher, but it would have changed his whole schedule, and he didn't want his other classes to change.

My son adopted an attitude of survival that year. He learned all that he could in her class despite her rather than because of her. He learned that he isn't always going to get along with everyone, but that he will still do his very best anyway. It was extremely disappointing to all of us because he had had such wonderful teachers before, and had thrived under their care, but he made it through the year even with this teacher. All in all, it was a disappointing year (in that class) because he wasn't challenged academically at all, and he didn't enjoy the class at all either, but he learned a life lesson.

At this point in the year with summer just around the corner, I would encourage your son to also adopt the survival attitude. Continue to encourage him, and point out his strengths in his other classes. Don't let this one teacher beat down his spirit. Really, some people just shouldn't teach. Next year hopefully he will have someone wonderful to take her place.

Good luck!

What grade is your son in?
My Mom taught 6th grade for 30 years.
I know that teachers are quite human.
And like every other group of humans - there are good ones, and bad ones, and some are down right crazy.
In high school I had an English teacher that almost jumped out a 3rd story window during our class.
Half the class was too afraid to blink while the other half wished he'd just jump already and get it over with.

With this teacher your son is having trouble with - is he the only student who is having issues with this teacher?
Is she singling him out or is the whole class being jerked around?
If due dates and assignment parameters are moving targets my guess is he's not the only one having problems in her class.

This is difficult for your son and for you.
On the one hand, she might really be unstable, but on the other hand we've all heard of parents that complain about a teacher over nothing.
My Mom actually received a letter from a parent who DEMANDED my Mom NOT TEACH FRACTIONS to their child because it was 'stressing them out'.
(A teacher just can't ignore or skip a part of the curriculum but the parent was outraged anyway.)

With this teacher, your son needs to ask questions when an assignment is given - try to get her to nail down some specifics.
Jump on the assignment soon as it is given and get it done.
If done early, see if she is willing to look it over before he officially hands it in - if she is willing to say what needs more work or correcting - he should have time to fix it if he's early enough.
(Also ask about extra credit - is there a way for him to make up points another way.)
See if that makes a difference.

And if it doesn't - your son has to learn that there is no pleasing some people - he tried his level best - and if his best isn't good enough there's a point where he just has to let it go.
He pleases plenty of other people and he should feel confident that what ever the problem is with this particular teacher - the problem is not HIS problem.

I don't know how old your son is. Perhaps he is not as engaged in this class as others and she sees that. Of course he is going to get penalized if he misses deadlines even if it has to do with school related activities. That is life. She might be like this because she sees so much potential and she is trying to stretch him. I would schedule a parent/teacher conference and get her take on the situation. He may be over doing his schedule. He might need to cut something out.

However, we are at the end of April. I would suspect he gets out in June. So, he just has a month 1/2 left. Just have him repeat, "I can do this". Talk to the teacher!

I can see both sides. It sounds like your son is over-scheduled for one. If he is up until midnight working on an assignment, then he exercised poor time management. That isn't the teacher's fault. The only way that is possibly the teacher's fault is if the assignment was due two weeks from now, and yesterday, she said, "Nope. Changed my mind. It is now due tomorrow." That's it. Otherwise, he planned poorly.

I get the over achieving kid who has never run into a situation where he couldn't handle it. I have one of those. And so far, she hasn't run into anything she couldn't handle/manage on her own. Still. I do wonder what will happen when she does...because eventually, she will.

It also may not be that this teacher is out to "get him" as you put it... but that she thinks too highly of herself and likes being the demanding or challenging teacher. Who knows... some people seem to get off on that sort of thing. My son had one of those in 6th grade. Every student who has ever come through that school hates her class and says she is mean and hard. As a parent, I don't like her either... because she does not post grades or assignments on the online gradebook in a timely fashion. And yes, I have emailed her in the past (multiple times about it) and I even contacted the front office and had the information passed along to the vice principal (and I' not the only one, apparently)... but nothing changes. Having spoken to a close friend of mine at a different school, in guidance, the administration knows full well about her habits and just isn't going to do anything about. My son struggled mightily in her class. Her explanation was: "When they hit high school, if they can't do this, they will fail." Well... great. They aren't IN high school, they are in 6th grade. Why do you expect them to perform like a high schooler NOW? For my son, he ended up failing the last 9 weeks in her class (generally a B-ish student who never had failed a class and scores well on all intelligence and standardized tests). He hated her. He told me outright she lied about him not turning in assignments. yeah.. I could be naive about it, but this is the ONLY teacher he has EVER said anything like that about.
Now my younger child is in the same class. Same problems. She has had an A all year... normally carries a 99 average. But then, the last 2 weeks of the class, every 9 weeks, a bunch of grades magically appear in the online gradebook from 4 weeks ago that bring her down to just barely an A (91 or 92). Too late to adjust study habits or work ethic or anything. Just a done deal. I complained to the administration (on behalf of all the other students who may be barely passing and having this happen to them) but nothing changes. Every delayed response to contact from he is couched with excuses about not having had a recent planning day or whatever. It is awful.

I used it to teach my son that there will be people in life (and sometimes those people will be your boss) that are impossible to deal with rationally. You just do the best you can. You figure out ways to work with difficult people. You stay respectful. And then you move on.

Son has another teacher this year (AP World History) who is similar--- the first 6 weeks of the semester he constantly told the class that they "should" not be doing well b/c it's an AP course. What kind of encouragement is that? Son had a difficult time at first, but is turning it around and now, after struggling to keep a passing grade is bringing in A's on assignments.

I would say, as a parent, talk directly with the teacher and try to get her side, and try to work with what you have. Then be glad the year is almost over and move on. If she is really the one that is the problem, then you aren't the first to notice and complain, and the school isn't going to do anything.

My daughter had a similar teacher this year and I have to say that there were times that I had to step back and ask myself 'Is this nit picking or is she making her a better student?' To be honest there were times when I felt her expectations made my daughter a better student and there were other times that I felt it was flat out nit picking. I could see where the teacher was coming from in some instances but I must tell you that her approach with the students just sucked!

I have had several meetings with all of my daughter's teachers and the principal this year. I laid it all out there and they laid it out for me. There was not always a consensus but we came to a few understandings.

There was one concept that eluded my daughter and when I brought it up with this teacher she told me that it was a problem with a lot of students in her class. I gave her a month and a half and things still weren't better so I asked the teacher to send home resources so I could teach her the concept. That did not go over well so another meeting was called. After our meeting she obliged and I helped my daughter. Apparently she now gets "it" and the teacher agrees because she has been awarding full credit on her responses.

From things my daughter tells me it honestly sounds like their relationship has come full circle. In recent months the teacher has been showing her a respect that wasn't there before. The teacher will have light hearted conversations that just weren't present before. I can tell you that my daughter is not a problem student either. I may have been a problem parent to this teacher but maybe through our meetings she learned that my intentions were good. Or maybe it is just because she is retiring at the end of this school year :-) I honestly don't know what the turning point was but she now seems to appreciate my daughter and I hear all good things when she comes home from school.

It almost seems a little later in the school year now to address your son's issues. I'm not sure if you want to take the 'better late than never' approach or let it ride and help him to adjust because throughout our life we need to make adjustments to meet the demands of our supervisors, clients, etc.

If something like this happens again, I think you'll want to nip it in the bud early in the year so that you and the teacher can be on the same page.

I am glad that you are a teacher. You have been in the lounge and have been privvy to honest dialogue. Most mothers on this board feel that teachers are not allowed to be human and cannot fathom what actually happens in the acts and minds of teachers. They do not even want to hear the truth on these posts. But, you are a teacher and have seen us in our true beings.

This teacher either does not like you or does not like your son. There is nothing that can fix that. Change his class!

How old is he? That makes a big difference. It sounds as if he's...middle school?

First, this teacher (especially if he's in middle school or heading there) may feel that she is teaching kids the hard fact that once they are in high school, there is a lot more pressure and a lot more responsibility on the students to get things right and get directions correct the first time. She may view her "nitpicking" ways as "This is how it will be in the tougher 'real world' of middle school/high school so they need to learn to deal with the pressure and get every detail right NOW because when they're in HS it really will count a lot." This isn't an excuse for her if she changes her directions in midstream or is a lousy communicator or fails to tell kids things she should tell them; but it may be how she is thinking. Can you stand back from your son's issues (and your own experience as a teacher -- did you teach the same school levels or grades as this?) and see that maybe she's intentionally being tough -- especially if these kids are in the last grade before some big change like moving to middle school or moving to high school?

Also, this sounds like a perfect time to have talked to other parents long ago -- it's pretty late in the school year now. I have to ask, why didn't you network with his classmates' parents earlier to ask, "Hey, do you find that Mrs. Smith does so and so? Does your kid do the assignment then get told, the directions aren't what you used? Does Mrs. Smith seem to you to be nitpicking?" This is when it's valuable to talk with other parents and get a reality check on whether it's your one kid with whom she has issues, or whether all the kids in the class have the same issues with this same teacher -- it is easy to say "She's out to get my kid" but every kid in the class may feel that way, and if that's the case, she's tough to them all equally, they're all having this experience, and frankly that would make me feel better about it. (You don't ever want your child to feel like "it's her, not me, and I'm being picked on" if the case is that a teacher is like this with everyone. At times, yes, a teacher does pick on a particular child, but do some checking first to see if the reality is that the teacher is tough, period, or a bad communicator, period.)

Also, is it possible that since your son is bright -- science fair kudos, national competition invitation, etc. -- she is being especially hard on him because she wants to push him even further? She may be the type who believes that if he is pushed he will do even better and be readier for great things. Again, not fun and not always fair, but just something to consider: She might actually be tough on him because she she knows what he can achieve. It seems to be undermining his confidence, though, so that is a reason to talk to her....

And this doesn't sound like a conversation for the principal. Unless your son is actually being bullied -- really bullied, harassed by the teacher -- and unless her treatment is causing grades to tank in ways you feel are unfair, this is a conversation for you to have with the teacher (and without your son there). You mention that you have talked with the principal but you don't say if you sat down with the teacher about it. She may indeed have a style that is not suited for your son or for many other kids as well, and she may need to hear that. But a principal is not very likely to intervene if the principal views the situation as a clash of teaching style and parental style -- it's just not where principals are willing to go, and they'll side with the teacher unless things are abusive.

I do feel for your son -- I can see why this brings him down because when a kid is motivated and smart, being told that small things are constantly wrong can really eat their confidence. Has HE gone to the teacher with a list of written questions (to help him remember what to ask, and to keep him calm) and said, "Mrs. Smith, I'd like to work out how I can improve in these specific areas?"

One last thing -- You write that "she penalizes him for late work (even though he is doing a whole bunch of other school-related stuff)." That won't fly in higher grades; kids do a ton of school-related stuff but still have to meet their deadlines. Please don't let him get the impression that if an activity is related to academics and sponsored by school, it's OK to treat that as if it is a factor in getting schoolwork done; it just isn't. (I wish--my child spends many hours each week on a school-sponsored science competition but still has to do everything else on time.IWe pray that teachers won't assign homework on weeks when she has competiitons. But if they do, it has to get done even if we're traveling hours away to compete.)

Unless she is shifting due dates so they are earlier, then he still has to meet them even if what he's doing is school-related. If she moves due dates so they are earlier -- THAT would be an issue to address for sure and it's patently wrong. But if you find yourself thinking, and him saying, "That assignment's one day late but I was working on the science competiition," that isnt' going to work, especially later in school.

Your son sounds like an excellent conscientious student.
Maybe he is reading a lot more into what she is actually saying to him.
Maybe he is projecting his own feelings.

Why would this teacher not want him to succeed?
Why would she want him to feel like a failure?

Consider
Maybe he is doing too many other things?
If he cannot complete his work he is doing too much.

or, Maybe he does not understand her instructions?

What grade /how old is your son?

In elementary school, you need to speak with her.

Middle school, you and your son should speak with her.

High school, he needs to speak with her.

Then if you or your son is not happy with her answers you take it to the next level. Asst. Principal.. or Principal.

He needs to take exact examples of what he is concerned about.

Example.. That he writes down the instructions and follows them, but she changes the dates or expectations. - This will need to be documented with proof. Her hand outs, her online instructions...

The basic school work should always be his priority.

If he is exhausted he is doing too much.

Our daughter was a student like your son.. Also not bragging, just giving you our example.

Took all classes all Pre AP and Ap classes.. all the way through high school. No early leaving campus her senior year. . Took extra classes in subjects she was interested in, physics, economics, etc.

She even decided not to take PE at school, but take it after school, on her own time.. even when she had fulfilled her requirements. She also graduated with a special study from the fine arts academy. As well as working 100's of hours volunteering. Was in academic competitions as well as art and music competitions. Traveled with the Rowing team around the country.

She was even published twice while in High School. She did this on her own time.

So I know exactly what you are talking about. I worried all of the time. I also reminded our daughter, I was not able to remind her or help her with her homework, all I could do was give her the supplies..

Our daughter learned to be extremely organized with her work. Just because a project was not due for 3 weeks, she knew that sometimes, she was going to be too busy to work on it in the future, so she would begin it early, maybe do a rough draft.. and then complete it when possible.

She might go ahead and read a book assigned, even though the teacher said to follow along in class.

And sometimes, she was just exhausted, so she would have to adjust her fun time and just stay home some whole weekends.

I know you want to step in, but if he is in high school, it is expected that he handle this with the teacher first. If this is not working he can ask the teacher to meet with him and either his academic counselor or the asst, Principal.

And then if he still does not feel they are hearing him, you go in with him..

I bet he will be fine in the end and this is some sort of communication deal..

One question I have, that doesn't appear to have been addressed yet. Do you have any idea whether your son is the only student in her class who is experiencing this? If others are having the same problems, I would definitely think that the school should be willing to evaluate the teacher and see if they can't either help her improve her teaching skills... or, if necessary, replace her.
On the other hand, if your son is the only one experiencing the problem, I wonder if she has gotten some vibes from you, your son, or both that have her feeling like she has to prove something. Not saying this to put you or your son down, but you talk about how good a student he is, and keep on emphasizing that you understand a lot of this because you are a teacher. While all of this is true, she may have taken it as a threat to her in some way. Perhaps she lacks confidence in her teaching ability, and feels like she has to prove herself. I would agree that she apparently isn't doing that very well, but it's something to think about as you are dealing with her. Maybe you just need to step back, take a look at where she may be coming from and adjust your approach in order to try to help not only your son to cope with the class, but perhaps even be able to help a fellow teacher become a better teacher. Goodness knows we need all the good teachers we can get and if this one can be helped to improve, that would be terrific!

Sounds like you can't change her, but you can change him by allowing him to relax. School is for him to learn. It sounds like he is getting the most out of it that he can. Congratulations to him! I am very proud of him! And you can tell him I said that. : ) Let him know that this is a learning experience. Some people in life will never be happy. He needs to learn that when he puts in his best effort, he can be happy with that, even if someone else is not. For instance, the painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch. Some people think it is absolutely wonderful and are willing to pay huge amounts of money for it. I think it is awful and would care to never look at it again. Different people have different viewpoints.
I would attend your son's parent/teacher conference and ask the teacher what she is trying to accomplish by what she is doing. Is she trying to be constructive and push him to find in himself more than what he thought he could do? Or what? Because he is losing his love of learning in her class, and you as a parent are concerned for the well-being of your son.
If she is a good teacher, she'll consider changing her attitude and letting your son know that she thinks he is doing a remarkably good job and is trying to get him to do even better. If she isn't, she will let you know in her own special way. I would then tell your son that she has a mental problem and do not allow her problem to affect him. He is fabulous. Tell him I said he's fabulous too. : )
Being me, I would have a tape recorder turned on in my bag for this conversation. I wouldn't tell her I had it. That way, if she is inappropriate, you could play it for the principal. (A former co-worker of mine tape recorded a bizarre phone call from our former manager. She called him at home. He played it for the administration. She was removed from her job.)
Good luck!!!

It's time for a parent/teacher conference asap. I'd want to hear from HER why she is so hard on him, and if she does all other students this way. I'd ask her flat out - what are your expectations for my son? Tell her the way she makes him feel - anxious, starting to hate school, etc... She needs to be told this stuff.

How do you truly know if he principal talked to her about this? If you're not there during this discussion, you have no clue if he did it or what was said. If the teacher won't meet with you, call the principal immediately and demand a conference with the 3 of you and your son. Good luck!

One of several things is causing this:
1. She may feel that BECAUSE he is student body President she is more sticky about his stuff. Maybe she was picked on by the popular crowd when she was in school and is having her 'revenge' if you will on him. Is she overly picky on just him or others as well.

2. Maybe it's because this class isn't his favorite she is pushing more. Just because he does well in other classes doesn't mean that he puts on a good, 'I care' attitude in this class.

3. Maybe she is trying show him to pay attention to the small stuff.

4. Maybe the TEACHER has OCD, or such and since these little things bug her, they should bug the students.