Being a parent today is very hard. With the world changing and society’s expectations getting harsher on kids, it’s hard keep up and also keep your kids afloat. Many children struggle with self-esteem and their confidence in school , especially when it comes to work and learning. Sometimes, students feel they are “behind” their peers, and this can impact their motivation to learn.
Many teachers have different styles of dealing with their students.
Some teachers prefer to teach with a soft hand, while others do with a bit firmer one.
When teachers are giving feedback, it can come off either too harsh, or too nice. Sometimes, being a teacher is incredibly hard, today, too.
Sometimes, parents don’t understand the struggls of being a teacher.
Many parents oftentimes neglect to realize how difficult it is to be a teacher. Aside from their own children, most teachers have anywhere from 30-130 other students on their rosters—depending on their grade level. This can make teaching a very stressful and chaotic career.
However, on the other side of it, some teachers don’t realize how students will interpret feedback.
Some teachers feel the need to be brutally honest with kids when it comes to feedback, but they neglect to think of how the student may take and internalize that feedback.
Brutal honesty can impact a child immensely, sometimes in a bad way.
Recently, one dad shared a worksheet that a teacher left feedback on for his son.
Chris Piland of Pennsylvania shared the photo on his Facebook page, clearly showcasing his son’s math work from school that day.
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Piland was less than amused with the feedback that was left for his son from the teacher. He felt it was far too harsh.
The worksheet showcased that Piland’s son only completed “13 problems.”
The feedback read: “Absolutely pathetic. He answered 13 in 3 min! Sad.”
The teacher had also drawn a small sad face next to the comment. While the feedback was for Kamdyn’s parents, it is clear that Kamdyn may read it himself and feel hurt and defeated.
The dad shared the photo online to showcase how “wrong” he felt the feedback was.
“My son Kamdyn’s teacher has been so rude to him and myself all year,” he wrote on the post.
He comes home with this and I am beyond frustrated that someone would write this on a child’s work. Such great motivation.”
While the post was shared back in 2019, it went viral quickly.
Many people online shared Piland’s belief that the teacher was far too harsh on his son.
A petition even popped up online to have this particular teacher, Alyssa Rupp Bohenk, fired from her position. Many said they wouldn’t want that teacher teaching their own children.
Some people said that anyone who supports that feedback is a “bad parent.”
One person commented that they have “teacher friends” who do pick on kids for no reason, simply because a kid “irks” them. However, there is never a reason to pick on a student who definitely showcases they need “to be uplifted.”
Although there were some who agreed, others disagreed with Piland.
Another Change.org petition also popped up online, trying to protect Alyssa Rupp Bohenk, the teacher who wrote the feedback to Piland’s son.
The petition collected over 1,000 signatures. Some said that the feedback was “warranted” because it was for the parents and not the child.
Piland shared that after his post went viral online, the school district was investigating.
“Thanks to all the efforts and support of the dedicated people who signed and shared this petition, I’m happy to announce that the teacher in question is currently being investigated by the Valley View school board,” he wrote online.
However, the school board said the outcomes of these investigations were private.
