UPDATE AGAIN

As I dig deeper and deeper, I find more things I’m concerned about. For example: I was looking over Nate’s Social Studies notebook this morning. After a certain section, the teacher takes it and grades it. His grades listed were (paraphrasing and I don’t remember them all): Climate and Vegetation 0/10, Vegetation and the States 0/10, Longitude and Latitude 0/10.... I didn’t recall any of those assignments being sent home to be completed so I leafed back through the notebook. Two pages back was the Climate and Vegetation page marked 10/10. The next page back was Vegetation and the States marked 10/10. (I did remember him doing those after I saw them.) I didn’t go any further. Then I looked back to the graded page just to make sure what was written down. I read it right the first time. So, she graded his work as 10/10 on the page but when she figured his score she put 0/10. At least a full 20 points. That’s the difference between an E and a C. THAT’S A BIG DEAL! I pointed it out to Nate and asked if I was maybe missing something. He shrugged and said, "That’s just wrong, Mom. That’s just wrong." I told him that his dad and I would talk to her about it and he was not to say anything. I know its wrong and I hate to sound paranoid, but I have to wonder what else she’s "mis-graded." Is she sabotaging Nate’s work to justify not doing the 504 plan? What about the other papers he brings home that aren’t graded? Is he getting credit for those? Jeff feels as though she’s doing it purposefully and I’m not above wondering it myself, but I also realize that people make mistakes, but that’s an awful big mistake for a little guy who needs to see better grades for the work he does, not a fat E staring at him. What kind of encouragement is THAT? Further, Nate was featured on the News Show they have. For being on the news show, he got to pick a prize out of a prize bucket. He chose a little stamp that you can put on paper or, in our case, everyone’s hand, including his own (It’s a smiley face wearing a hat). He showed me the stamp again last night. He said, "Yeah, the teacher said (insert smart ass voice) that’s considered a tattoo, if you have it tomorrow, you’re OUT OF HERE!" Now, peeps, I’m telling you right now, THAT’S BULLSHIT! Its washable. Wouldn’t the better thing be to remind him that things like that aren’t allowed and could he please wash his hands and only use it on paper? What was the point in her threatening him over a less than one inch stamp on his hand? (And did you catch where the stamp came from to start with? IT CAME FROM THE SCHOOL! This was not something we bought him or gave him to take to school.) I’m still attempting to keep my cool. To write things down, to ask for explanations before jumping to conclusions, but I’ve just about had it.