TEACHER’S REMARK ON A 2ND GRADER’S CLASSWORK MAKES HIS DAD REACT IN AN UNEXPECTED WAY

 

Parenting is the one job you never retire from. Parents guide their children to evolve into the people they were born to be. And education is a vital aspect of every child’s development. But what will a parent do if an educator, who is supposed to help them with this job, acts as an obstacle in their child’s growth instead? While in general, people respect teachers for the work they do, sometimes a teacher’s actions or remarks might be questioned if they cross a line.

In this case, a teacher’s remark on a boy’s homework leaves him in tears. This incident devastated the child’s father, who did something to teach the teacher a lesson.

Meet Kamdyn

This story began when a 2nd grader named Kamdyn Piland came home from school with tears in his eyes. His parents asked him what was wrong, but he shrugged it off choosing not to say what happened. His father, Chris, decided to talk to him later when he has had a slight change of mind.

Not The First Time

Chris already had a feeling of what this might be about. Kamdyn has been disliking going to school lately. This began a few months ago when his grades started falling significantly and they started getting complaints about Kamdyn’s performance at school for the first time.

Where It Began

Kamdyn is a student at Valley View Elementary School. He was not an overachiever as far as studies go, but he always received good grades. This was up until he came into second grade, after which things went downhill and he seemed to be getting a lot of complaints.

Letting Things Go

Initially, Chris assumed Kamdyn might not have studied or done his homework but every time, the comment or the remark left by the teacher seemed a bit more personal than he would have liked it to be. As upsetting as it would feel, Chris would choose to let it go assuming the teacher meant no harm and only wanted Kamdyn to do better.

Reaching Out

Kamdyn didn’t come downstairs for dinner that night. Chris, who was now getting seriously worried, decided it was time to talk things out. He took Kamdyn’s dinner to his room and knocked twice before hearing a little mumbled “come in”, he opened the door to find his son curled up in his bed.

Talk It Out

Kamdyn and Chris have shared a friendship for as long as he could remember. He always ensured Kamdyn is open with him and knows that he is always available to talk. So Kamdyn was not used to hiding things from his father. As a result, he decided to tell him all about what happened, over dinner.

The Incident

Kamdyn slowly reached for his school bag and pulled out a piece of paper. His dad’s eyes scanned the paper briefly and everything began to make sense. The paper was Kamdyn’s schoolwork. It contained a bunch of math questions that Kamdyn had attempted to solve.

The Score

Chris came to know that Kamdyn was given three minutes to attempt as many questions as he could and his boy managed to do thirteen in three minutes, which was a good score by all standards, but his teacher, Alyssa, had a different opinion. 

The Remark

At the very top of the paper, Kamdyn’s teacher had left a remark which said, “Absolutely pathetic! He answered 13 in 3 minutes! Sad.” Chris frowned in confusion. He knows Kamdyn is good with numbers and always enjoyed doing his homework. He never cribs about studying, yet he keeps receiving complaints about his performance in school.

Good Student

His parents always received feedback from Kamdyn’s teachers claiming that he is a bright kid so to receive so many complaints about him all of a sudden was strange. Even more strange was the fact that all of these complaints came from the same teacher, Alyssa Rupp Bohenek. She always had something negative to say about Kamdyn and was extremely hard to please.

Damaged Confidence

As a result, Kamdyn had been quite doubtful of his capabilities and has been getting bad grades for a while now. His performance was going more and more down by the day. His parents were concerned about what is happening. They were worried these complaints and criticisms are slowly but surely taking a toll on his self-confidence.

Kind Words

Chris looked at Kamdyn and smiled. He told him his talent and intelligence cannot be defined based on a  test score or anyone’s opinion. He knew how talented his son is and didn’t want him to be discouraged by such comments. Besides, he knew Kamdyn’s score was not bad so this remark almost felt personal to him. 

Harsh Judgements

Once Kamdyn was asleep, Chris went downstairs. He didn’t act angry in front of Kamdyn because he didn’t want to upset him but he was angry with the teacher. Instead of providing constructive criticism she was simply being rude. He was just a kid and didn’t deserve to get his confidence crushed by this repeatedly targeted bashing.

The Teacher

Alyssa Bohenek has been a teacher at Valley View Elementary School for quite some time now. She had earned herself the reputation of a hard-to-please teacher. Unfortunately, she was Kamdyn’s teacher. They did not get along, everything he did was wrong for her and resulted in some sort of criticism. This constant criticism eventually took a toll on his confidence and that resulted in a teary-eyed Kamdyn reaching home that afternoon.

The Role Of A Mentor

It seemed like Bohenek was forgetting her responsibilities. Being a mentor to your students and setting the right example is a part of a teacher’s job. They have to ensure they are doing their best to help their students grow and prosper in life. They must have a positive influence on their students’ lives instead of hampering their confidence with sharp words. 

Harsh Not Helpful

Chris knew criticism is supposed to help us improve and act better but these kinds of bad words are not at all helpful to any kid. He wanted his kid to do better too but tough love rarely works on kids this young. Besides, he didn’t think Kamdyn’s teacher had the best intentions while writing those remarks.

Negative Attention

Chris believed such remarks result in bringing negative attention to a kid which doesn’t help anyone, especially judging the state his son was in when he got home from school, it was upsetting. He knew he would not have said anything if this was happening for the first time, but this was a recurring event. Over the past year, they had received several slightly personal remarks from the same teacher. Chris knew he can’t stay quiet anymore.

Standing Up For Your Kid

Chris believed the teacher went too far by calling his son “pathetic”. A teacher is supposed to help students strive to be better instead of calling them out like this. He wanted to speak to the teacher privately and ask her what her issue is and why is she targeting his son like this. Because her comments feel like personal attacks.

No Response

Chris tried to contact the teacher through various means, he tried to arrange a meeting in person even but there was dead silence from the other end. He received no response, she had no intention of hearing him out. He had been patient so far but now it was more than enough. He tried to give her a chance to talk it out with him but now he was done giving chances.

The School Board

Chris was determined to reach the school board and have a meeting with them. They need to know what kind of teachers their school has and how it is affecting students like Kamdyn who can’t speak for themselves. There might be so many parents who are not even aware of the treatment their kid gets at school. Chris wanted to talk to them about everything, but little did he know something else will click in place.

The Social Media Post

Chris didn’t settle, he decided to go public with this disappointing behavior on the teacher’s part and post it online on his Facebook. He posted a picture of the schoolwork Kamdyn showed him with the caption, “My son’s teacher has been so rude to him and myself. All year he comes home with this and I am beyond frustrated that someone will write this on a child’s work. Such great motivation.”

The Reaction

Chris was surprised at the reaction his post got online. It got likes and comments in huge numbers plus it was also shared across the platform by hundreds of people. The comments on the post went on and on about how rude the teacher was and how the teacher should not have sent such remarks on the kid’s work.

Ruining The Experience

People in the comments believed that she is ruining the learning experience for the kid by using such harsh criticism. It ends up demotivating the kids instead of helping them enjoy the learning process and understand the value of education.

Starting A Petition

Chris was satisfied that people saw what he had pointed out and his reaction was justified especially his decision about standing up for his son. But people were not over it yet. Chris came to know that someone had started a petition online calling for Alyssa Bohenek to be fired. Chris was taken aback by this kind of outrage.

Career On The Line

The petition created a serious outrage amongst everyone. If Alyssa did not speak up or defend herself, it would result in her losing her job for sure. Seeing the outrage, even Chris got carried away and decided this is the best option, her getting fired. It will be fair to his son as well as any other kid who has been a victim of the same thing.

Responding To The Hate

It had been a few days since the petition went online and by this point, already more than ten thousand people had signed it. As a result, a group of teachers decided to speak up and respond on Alyssa’s behalf. They agreed what she did must have been hurtful for the young boy and she should be reprimanded for it but she did not deserve to lose her job.  

A New Petition

A new petition was filed, this time in favor of Alyssa to keep her job. This petition was not signed by thousands of people but it did catch the necessary attention from the people in the community. People in favor kept arguing that the teacher should be warned but not fired.

Pointing Fingers

Some of the supporters of this new petition started pointing fingers on Chris as a parent, telling him to spend less time on social media and focus more on his kid. They said if he had spent more time with his kid getting him to study instead of spending time on social media, his kid would not have been in this position in the first place.

The Debate

Before we know it, a debate between two parties began one in favor of Chris and one in favor of the teacher. Those who were in favor of Chris believed she needs to be fired for her cold unnecessarily critical behavior. Those in favor of the teacher felt that firing her over this felt like a bit of an overreaction.

The Comments

The comments on Chris’ post were diverse, to say the least, some were angry, some felt sorry for the kid, some were critical of Chris, some were rude to the teacher, some favoring the teacher. Some even commented on Kamdyn’s math skills.

Teaching With No Heart

Ultimately, the majority of the people were in favor of the teacher facing consequences for her actions. This is the reason it is equally important to evaluate a teacher’s performance as they evaluate a student’s. While grades are a good way to show how successful they are as teachers, it is also necessary to observe their teaching style, and how they treat their students.

Becoming A Parent

It came to everyone’s attention that Alyssa Bohenek was expecting a child. As a result, a bunch of speculations came forward. Some said the pregnancy would have made her hormonal and short-tempered, which would have affected her patience level. While this explained her reasons, it also pointed to her guilt.

Getting A Response

After what felt like ages, Chris finally heard from the board of the school. Apparently, the social media storm had hit them hard and they couldn’t remain silent anymore. They wanted Chris to contact them as convenient and schedule a meeting together.

The Meeting

Chris was not nervous about the meeting because he had no doubts about his intentions. He knew the teacher was in the wrong here and he was tired of her targetting his son and breaking his confidence. She needed to explain herself and understand what she did and how it impacted the kids.

No Comment

Alyssa Bohenek was not present at the meeting. She chose to make no comments about what happened between her and Kamdyn, neither did she provide any explanation to Chris. But the board assured Chris that they will be investigating this situation thoroughly.

Out Of Her Hands

The board told Chris that the situation and the decision is in their hands now and whether she chooses to address the issue or not, they will be going forward with their investigation regardless of everything else. Chris did not want to accept it but this progress had made him satisfied with where this investigation was headed.

Superintendent

The superintendent of the school informed Chris that she will be the lead in this investigation. She stated that the investigation will not be taking into consideration any social media incidents as this is a personal matter. They will not be making their decisions based on online polls or comments on Chris’s post.

The Teacher’s Fate

The decision at the end of the investigation will be based upon the interviews, facts, and evidence they collect. The board ensured that Chris knew their intentions are clear and they have Kamdyn’s best interest in mind. So they will make sure whatever the outcome is, it will be fair to all.

Posting An Update

Chris decided to post an update on social media to thank everyone for their efforts because of which now there is an investigation happening. He wrote, “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”

No Further Update

As of now, there have been no further updates about how the investigation is going or if they passed a decision yet, but Chris was not anxious anymore. Because more than anything, he was proud of the fact that he stood up for what was wrong and did not stay quiet when his son was being mentally abused like that.

Finding A New Teacher

As a precaution, Kamdyn was shifted to a different teacher’s batch now and the results from this change were obvious. He was happy and attentive, just like his old self. His parents were proud of him. It was his time to shine and prove to everyone that he is the same bright and energetic kid who loved learning.

Nurturing Inspiration

It is obvious how much a teacher can influence their students. The best thing a teacher can do is support inspiration in their students but to do so, they need to be inspired themselves. Carrying the baggage of their troubles is not helpful to anyone but especially for a teacher, it can be destructive.

Encouraging Students

And as far as teaching goes, it does not end in textbooks. Teachers impart knowledge to their students beyond their ‘syllabus’. They encourage ideas and inspire students to fulfill their dreams. Such an approach motivates students and results in better interactions and communications.

Different Experience

Having a good teacher makes the learning experience a whole lot better and unique for students, just like we say in Kamdyn’s case. They look forward to their class and genuinely enjoy it. A little kindness goes a long way, just being a little more attentive to kids hugely helps them.

Lesson For All

Whatever the board ends up deciding, the fact remains that the teacher could have been more patient and gentle with her student. She was severely judged for it and it may cost her more than just a job. This incident set out an example for all, for parents to stand up for their kids and for teachers to care for their students.