Your opinion please? Did I over react?

Buying the book was mandatory as far as the situation is given. You did not over react and you have every right to question the authorities who have behaved irresponsibly. The rules cannot be stretched for the convenience of a few, that too at the cost of studies of others.

It seems to me there are three issues that are unclear: Who is making the rule that everyone must have the book on the first day? Who is choosing to enforce or not enforce this policy? And why do those students lacking the book lack it?

I think you’re on solid ground to be upset if the teacher is the one setting the policy, then the teacher is ignoring his/her own policy, and the students without the book just can’t be bothered to follow the rules. If that’s the situation, then things need shaking up since the problem is one of bad or inconsistent behavior that can be corrected.

However, if the teacher is saying that the students must have the books, but the administrators are saying “You can’t assign homework until every student has a book,” and some students lacking the book are still trying to come up with $30, then the situation is irritating and needs to be addressed, but it’s not as obviously a case of bad behavior that can easily be corrected. In that case, no one’s in the wrong, and it’s just a difficult situation that has to be worked around somehow.

In any case, I don’t think that it’s ever over-reacting to say, “Hey, this aspect of my child’s education seems broken, and I think it should be fixed!” The question is not whether you should make the phone call, but how cranky and irritated you should be. Incompetence calls for some crankiness to shake things up. A bad situation without easy solutions requires more tact. In any case, probably nothing is the fault of the person who answers the phone!

This is a the type of dilemma that has many variables to consider before jumping in to a judgment. As a parent I think you are absolutely right in expecting most students to have their books available and ready to go the first day of class. But guess what? That never happens. Even when the students get the books from the school library for free, have a locker close by on campus and a backpack big enough to hold a plasma TV, students still do not bring their books to class.

My other thought is that summer school is usually where a lot of students go who did not pass required courses during the year due to lack of effort, no accountability, family issues, socioeconomic reasons, etc. My experience is that it is usually lack of effort and caring, but I am certainly not making a judgment on your son because I do not know the whole situation, but the fact that you mentioned he has a problem turning in his homework made me think this may have something to do with having to take a summer school class in the first place.

Now, imagine a class filled with students who failed that same class the year prior who also had difficulty keeping up with the basics of class curriculum like turning in homework, showing up on time to class, bringing necessary supplies to class, showing up to class at all, and/or behaving appropriately in the classroom. The chance that these students will somehow magically become responsible from the time school lets out for the year and the time summer school begins is pretty low. You have a class full of irresponsible teens and that is very, very difficult to manage for a teacher. Now if they are there to get ahead that is a different story altogether. But if they are there to make up a class that they failed, just imagine what it is like for an instructor to have to meet the needs of all those students in such a short amount of time. Have you ever been in a room with thirty kids who absolutely do not want to be there? Yikes. Are parents also responsible for their children? Absolutely. But I have witnessed plenty of caring parents with no discipline skills whatsoever. I have also seen parents who discipline but can’t seem to help their child.

The other point is that you paid money for the class, and chances are high that in order to even offer the class in the first place the school has to have a certain number of students enrolled to continue the class. Go below that number the first two weeks of school and many schools can cancel the class due to low enrollment. Chances are the school would rather keep as many kids in the class to avoid all the headache that goes along with dropping it.

Education in many ways is a BUSINESS. And unfortunately, making enrollment quotas is more important than the actual quality of education. Just my thoughts.

is this a community college you’re dealing with?

I went to one and I work for one. Things are done differently at community colleges. No one has the book on the first day. (I do, I’m a nerd) and they college or the dean may have requirements that the professor has the right to waive because of how he/she will be running his/her classroom. That’s just what happens when you’re a professor, you take liberties like that. I know, it’s an adjustment, and when you’re used to parenting a child that’s in highschool, it’s just hard.

But I’ve bought books for classes before just to have the professor say “I don’t think we’re actually going to use that” . It’s not courteous, but it’s common practice.

Also, homework is handled differently in a community college classroom, depending on the instructor. Most of my classes didn’t really have “homework” per se, we had two papers a semester, and perhaps a prospectus to turn in, or a presentation, but not really homework. SOME classes DO have homework though.

These kids who didn’t buy their books are probably used to professors saying “we’re not going to use this” and they’re covering their bases. I know it sucks, but they might be working their own way through college and they’re trying not to pay more than they have to. You would have done the same thing.

I think you have a reasonable concern. Perhaps they can ease into the homework for the first week. After that, they need to make some books available in the library and the kids without books of their own would have to go there and sign up for times to study and do homework with the books they do have.

Reasonable concern and justified disappointment; you seem to care your kid learns what he needs to learn, like any good parent would, specially after taking $200 tution and book expense. I’d be upset at the teacher, she is not being firm and professional in what she is doing.

I would be mad at the teacher for not making the kids do the work, but I wouldn’t be mad about the money. He’s still learning in class, and he’s still going to need his book.

i dont really no. yes and no i guess. you should ask him if your paying alot of money for it. but then i guess you should have taken a different approach rather than phone the lady. try sitting doen with him and talking to him does he actually understand everything. is everything ok. is he actually bothered. is he happy. etc.

i think you’ll find it can help.