Teacher hits back at parent who complained about child who got zero in maths test

[rooster59]

Teacher hits back at parent who complained about child who got zero in maths test

 

Image: Daily News

 

A teacher in Chiang Mai has hit back at a parent who criticized his school for give a grade of 0 students in a multiplication test.

The parent called it demeaning saying that a child should be encouraged by giving them at least one. The parent also complained that teachers were acting like they were perfect and had never failed anything.

There was even the suggestion that students should be allowed to pass so their feelings found not be hurt.

But teacher Watanasak Atsajan said that teachers were determined to get the best out of their students and develop their capabilities. They had to be fair and if students didn't make any effort in class they deserved to get zero.

It was simple and fair to everyone, including other children in the class who were making the required effort to improve.

He also said the idea that students should pass regardless of ability or effort was counter productive and set the wrong example. Hard work should be rewarded and laziness and lack of effort condemned.

The subject caused a great deal of comment online. The practice of passing students in order to make schools and teachers appear good has
been endemic in Thailand for years and many posters want change to see quality rewarded.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-05-20

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

Important details are missing in this story. How many questions were there? Did the child get every answer wrong? Were calculators allowed? Did the teacher use a calculator to add up to the final test score?

[Thaiwrath]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

He also said the idea that students should pass regardless of ability or effort was counter productive and set the wrong example

But has gone on for years, no only in mathematics.

[darksidedog]

What an amazingly stupid idea. Give the kids a pass when they can't get a single question right. And what exactly then happens when the kid leaves school?

Is he going to feel good about himself when he is hopelessly unemployable?

The parent who complained should probably spend more time with his kid, helping him to understand how to do the work and less time whingeing.

[ezzra]

Between shooting and killing each other in school rivalries  or getting zero in math, the

latter is much preferred.... now days mind set of youngsters is like

why should we invest the time to

learn, if we can simply punch and electronic device and get

all the answers they need?.....

[YetAnother]

parents of the stupid kid publicly asking for falsified scores and passing on to the next grade 'just because';

amazing; i hope they do not become my neighbors

[George Bowman]

In 99’ I held the position as an ‘ajarn’ at a prestigious Bangkok university.Class attendance for students was a possible option. If a student was a TV star or the latest monthly model then class was not necessary. Other occasional or no-show students included the football team, other sport teams, the seemingly daily special university activity to celebrate something, rich kids, not feeling well, didn’t have a car excuse, traffic jams and the list goes on. Had a student show up for the final exam. Which was fantastic, I finally got to meet him. He got a zero.

 

But not for the course. There was a committee (that I was not on) to determine the final grade for each class. No idea why. In the end, this one day student received an A for the course. 

 

I also taught a few graduate classes at a large Thailand university. Same, same…

[jollyhangmon]

> ... There was even the suggestion that students should be allowed to pass so their feelings found not be hurt.<

 

 ... Jesses, you just can't fix stupid (as far as such parents are concerned; can't rely on Darwinism unfortunately ...).

 

Not good for the kids either - nor their future employers etc. ... heck, 2017, last time i checked! 

 

[Machiavelli]

3 hours ago, Dobredin Ghusputin said:

Important details are missing in this story. How many questions were there? Did the child get every answer wrong? Were calculators allowed? Did the teacher use a calculator to add up to the final test score?

It was multiple choice. 

[jollyhangmon]

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

parents of the stupid kid publicly asking for falsified scores and passing on to the next grade 'just because';

amazing; i hope they do not become my neighbors

, true!

Unfortunately your chances are pretty high, maybe not them in particular but ... well you know ... 

[Chang_paarp]

Someone give the teacher an award for giving actual results rather than some work of fiction that will save the feelings of the child and the parents. If the parents want to do something how about spending time with the kid to find out how to improve their maths ability.

[worgeordie]

The parents would have maybe gotten a zero to in a maths test,

they hand the kid over to a teacher thinking its their job to teach

the kid everything,without any input from them the  parents.

 

Buy 5 items @ 8 THB,in a shop.out comes a calculator,to figure out

what 5x8 are,then again to calculate the change required out of 100 THB.

but they would be a lot better than me navigating Facebook or playing

Candy Crush, 

regards worgeordie

[dinsdale]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He also said the idea that students should pass regardless of ability or effort was counter productive and set the wrong example. Hard work should be rewarded and laziness and lack of effort condemned.

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

There was even the suggestion that students should be allowed to pass so their feelings found not be hurt.

No, no, no and no. Disruptive, lazy students should be rewarded so the little darlings don't get their feelings hurt. Utter nonsense.

Around 5-10% of my students fail but I have to pass them. Most of these are disruptive and lazy and fail in all subjects not just mine.

[remobb]

I am with the teacher. Well done sir.

[Jack Mountain]

A 0 for the student also says something about the teacher/school. Want to know the scores of the other students of his/her class. Does he/she understand the difference between 0 and 1 anyway?

[Rob13]

Another Thai news article leaving the reader with more questions than answers.  

[KKr]

2 hours ago, missoura said:

In 99’ I held the position as an ‘ajarn’ at a prestigious Bangkok university.Class attendance for students was a possible option. If a student was a TV star or the latest monthly model then class was not necessary. Other occasional or no-show students included the football team, other sport teams, the seemingly daily special university activity to celebrate something, rich kids, not feeling well, didn’t have a car excuse, traffic jams and the list goes on. Had a student show up for the final exam. Which was fantastic, I finally got to meet him. He got a zero.

 

But not for the course. There was a committee (that I was not on) to determine the final grade for each class. No idea why. In the end, this one day student received an A for the course. 

 

I also taught a few graduate classes at a large Thailand university. Same, same…

imagine maybe your dentist, medical doctor, architect, civil engineer or even vet comes from such ""university"". , would explain a lot of absolutely hilarious diagnoses .... p.e. broken shoulder (which was a dislocated joint) or "I need to be treated for this disease"  (a chronicle ailment for years already) answered by the good doctor with a: "no you don't have such disease, here is some paracetamol"

[rkidlad]

I got into an argument with some d******* farang who runs a TEFL mill here, and also runs an agency, about the virtues of constantly testing children. Also, the need to pass everyone all the time. I said that there's no reason to be testing the kids all the time, and why bother anyway when everyone passes anyway. He said by giving a low mark the kid will feel bad and lose motivation. I said there should be no testing anyway, to which he replied, "well how will we know how they're progressing?" He was too far entrenched into the educational corruption here.

 

I wasn't much of a grafter at school, but I knew how failing and passing worked. If I had known that I could have done absolutely nothing and still passed all my exams, I would have done absolutely nothing. Thank god the adults around me took the lead and didn't let me dictate. 

 

Finland is the number 1 country in the world for education. They focus on the individual being individual and not being part of some machine. It's amazing how good you can be at something if you enjoy it and are interested in it. If the kid got 0, he got 0. Maybe he's special needs, maybe he's lazy, maybe he needs motivating. Find out what he needs and go from there. Don't just have him sitting in a classroom learning nothing and wasting his time. 

 

 

[manhood]

Teachers should make a statistic of all pupils in their class and have all the notes they got: so it is clear also if something goes wrong with either the teacher or and the pupils....The statistic should be open for the pupils in the class and the parents if needed!

[yardrunner]

4 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

But has gone on for years, no only in mathematics.

 and now they are changing the rules to reflect the correct exam results and about time

[CNXBKKMAN]

This happens in in many countries not just Thailand and the school will pressurise the teachers to up the grades and scores. Basically the schools priority is getting tuition fees in. The parents are the paying customers and they need to be kept happy. 

        I lived in Melbourne once with students from Hong Kong and Thailand . They were from well off backgrounds and were paying big bucks for a western university degree. Sometimes I was asked for help with assignments and the written English was shocking, often I could make no sense out it. Everyone graduated though. It's a lucrative business. 

[gp2002]

There's a future Prime Minister of Thailand. 

[Lemonltr]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

The parents would have maybe gotten a zero to in a maths test,

they hand the kid over to a teacher thinking its their job to teach

the kid everything,without any input from them the  parents.

 

Buy 5 items @ 8 THB,in a shop.out comes a calculator,to figure out

what 5x8 are,then again to calculate the change required out of 100 THB.

but they would be a lot better than me navigating Facebook or playing

Candy Crush, 

regards worgeordie

"Gotten" are you an American Geordie?

[Mickmouse1]

How about students who only write their names & exam IDs and the paper empty??

[Penicillin]

It's not just in Thailand . A friend of mine is an elementary school teacher in the USA tasked with trying to educate the kids of illegal immigrants from Mexico. She related her deep frustrations that they wouldn't even do a 5 minute homework assignment, nor did the parents care. 

 

 

[worgeordie]

9 minutes ago, Lemonltr said:

"Gotten" are you an American Geordie?

Only if you are a language teacher

regards worgeordie

[Penicillin]

The importants of an education is lost on some people , but on the other hand ... and to quote Judge Smales from the movie Caddyshack... "Well, the world needs ditch diggers too"

[Regyai]

Seems the complainant is geographically retarded as much as his/her offspring are numerically stunted. Needs to understand that their location is in Thailand not the UK where this type of PC mollycoddling nonsense is endemic.

[owl sees all]

10 minutes ago, Mickmouse1 said:

How about students who only write their names & exam IDs and the paper empty?

I actually did this at school in East London, England, out of protest at being made to sit an test/exam on RI (religious instruction). What I actually protested about was a couple of Jewish kids were exempt from the test.

 

Anyway I scored 3 out of 100. I told my dad how I did. He went to the school and asked how I got 3% for not attempting any questions.

 

One for the correct date; one for spelling name correctly and one for writing RI in the subject box. He was not best amused!!

 

He wrote a letter to the school asking if I could be exempt from any RI and tests in future.

[Oxx]

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Give the kids a pass when they can't get a single question right. And what exactly then happens when the kid leaves school?

Is he going to feel good about himself when he is hopelessly unemployable?

 

It all rather depends upon what the family name is.

 

There are plenty of thick, spoilt rich kids across the globe who are hopelessly unemployable but feel extremely good about themselves and live lives of luxury unimaginable for the ordinary kids who studied hard and got good results.