Catastrophe Award

81

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/8- ... ories.html

Do your homework :fp:

The mother of an 8-year-old Arizona girl who was presented with a "Catastrophe Award" for apparently having the most excuses for not having homework believes her child was humiliated by her teacher.

Christina Valdez said her daughter, Cassandra Garcia, came home one day from class at Desert Springs Academy in Tucson, Ariz., with the paper award.

The document, which looks like a colorful card, contained the following message: "You're Tops! Catastrophe Award. Awarded to Cassandra Garcia. For Most Excuses for Not Having Homework."

The teacher signed the card "Ms. Plowman," added the date - May 18, 2012 - and even included a smiley face.

The teacher announced the award in front of the entire class, and the other students laughed at her daughter, Valdez said in a Thursday interview with ABC TV affiliate KGUN-TV in Tucson.

When she contacted the school to complain, the principal "blew me off," Valdez added. "She said it was a joke that was played and that the teachers joke around with the children."

But Valdez told KGUN that she didn't find any of it funny.

"I think it's cruel and no child should be given an award like this. It's disturbing," she said, adding that she was not aware her daughter had a problem with homework, and that the girl had been enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program.

Desert Springs Academy's principal declined to comment to a KGUN reporter, the affiliate reported.

Nami

seen this today... so dumb.

DS1119

I blame the teachers.

Lizard

that was mean

ZiggyStar

Why doesn't the mum know her daughter doesn't do her homework? Obviously pays a lot of attention to her daughter's schooling.

Jason P

Anyone ever have to get to the mail before their parents and try to doctor up your report card?

And have success too?

Neil

well deserved... and mom blames someone else :fp:

voidofman

I would have won that award if I was in that class. I never did my homework.

And you can blame the parents!

"Did you do your homework?"

"Yes."

(Good enough for me.)

Ask them to see it!!!

DS1119

Jason P wrote:

Anyone ever have to get to the mail before their parents and try to doctor up your report card?

And have success too?

Never doctored my report card but I used to throw it out.

bionicamy

Was given an award by the Nuns in elementary school for "no demerits this 9 weeks "

It was the most positive thing they could say about me :fp:

no one was mad and we all laughed again when my mom found this not too long ago.

When did we become so sensitive?

Jason P

DS1119 wrote:

Jason P wrote:

Anyone ever have to get to the mail before their parents and try to doctor up your report card?

And have success too?

Never doctored my report card but I used to throw it out.

Yeah, I tried to turn a D into a B and a F into an A, figured it wouldn't pass, so I burned it. It helped postpone a whipping for a month or two.

comebackgirl

I think it's funny. Don't want to be humiliated? Do you freaking homework Probably should have given it to mom.

I work in a college counseling center and I have so many students (who I've never seen for therapy before) who come in and ask for a note to get out of an exam or a class or a paper because of anxiety or some stupid reason. Ummmm...no You're supposed to be anxious for an exam. If it's someone I've been working with and I know it's legit or if it's a new client with a documented crisis, that's one thing. Most of the time they were partying and didn't study. You can see their horror when they realize they're not getting a "get out of jail free" card. Dumbasses :roll:

stargirl69

comebackgirl wrote:

I think it's funny. Don't want to be humiliated? Do you freaking homework Probably should have given it to mom.

I work in a college counseling center and I have so many students (who I've never seen for therapy before) who come in and ask for a note to get out of an exam or a class or a paper because of anxiety or some stupid reason. Ummmm...no You're supposed to be anxious for an exam. If it's someone I've been working with and I know it's legit or if it's a new client with a documented crisis, that's one thing. Most of the time they were partying and didn't study. You can see their horror when they realize they're not getting a "get out of jail free" card. Dumbasses :roll:

I agree, reversed psychology she may well learn to do her homework in the future.

BinauralJam

guess it was too much for the teacher to e-mail the mom and explain there was a problem
humilate the 8 year old instead
good job teach

81

BinauralJam wrote:

guess it was too much for the teacher to e-mail the mom and explain there was a problem
humilate the 8 year old instead
good job teach

i'd be curious to hear the full story and see if the teacher tried to contact the parents or if there was any discussion at a parent teacher confrence earlier in the year. :corn:

Chief Broom

The kid was embarrassed if front of their class...Mom doesn't like it...So she goes public with it.
I'm sure the child feels better about it now. Good job mom. Makes a lot of sense.

rick1zoo2

haha, the mother should get the "stupid Parent" award for not making sure the daughter was doing her homework and have that presented somewhere that all the other parents could laugh at her.

disgraceful.

drivingrl

That's brilliant. If I ever teach again, I will use that.

At least the teacher's actions got her mom involved. Clearly her mother hasn't been involved up until this point. This is the problem educators are facing today: the parents will not hold their children accountable for their actions.

It used to be a three-tiered support system for students: Teachers, Parents, and School Admin. Parents have become so unresponsive that some schools have decided they should not count on parents anymore and take them out of the equation. Schools are now working on how to establish accountability amongst students knowing that the parents will not do their part. And listen, if giving the child an embarrassing "award" gets the child to understand what he/she is doing wrong, I'm all for it.

I'd be mortified if I were that child's mother - mortified that I hadn't taken action earlier.

Good for that teacher. Bravo!

pandora

Lizard wrote:

that was mean

exactly

comebackgirl

Chief Broom wrote:

The kid was embarrassed if front of their class...Mom doesn't like it...So she goes public with it.
I'm sure the child feels better about it now. Good job mom. Makes a lot of sense.

So true.

My guess is that there were maybe a number of "joke awards" given out. This one may have had some truth in it and hit too close to home. I don't think that's uncommon in clubs, classes etc. We did this in one of my grad classes one year. Granted, we were not 8 years old, but I don't remember anyone being offended.

Chief Broom

Sounds like "Mock" elections to me. I'm pretty sure I have a progress report from when I was a kid that says, "If Colin listened as well as he talked, he'd be much farther along". Or something to that effect.
This same mom probably didn't attend parent/teacher conferences (or else she would have known about the lack of homework being turned in).
I HIGHLY doubt the teacher was "picking" on the kid. Get over it! What a thankless profession.

I feel like I missed this coddling by a couple years. It really seems like it's across the board now.
If I had come home with that award my parents woulda been pissed too!
AT ME!