Pat Carman is not only a wonderful teacher but also a wonderful person who left lasting impression upon me. As a 1995 graduate of McIntosh, I remember Ms. Carman as one of the few teachers who actually cared for her students. She was reasonable while still making an effort to challenge her students. If your child can not handle her class and this is the manner in which choose to handle the situation, I sincerely hope that your child does not intend to pursue a college education. College is a whole new ball game and trust me that the professors do not care when mom and dad are upset.

I know these names will be edited out, and that's a shame, because Patricia Carman deserves the praised recognition here regardless of the motive behind the inciting post.
Mention Ms. Carman's name around any McIntosh student or alum, and you will witness a shudder with eyebrows raised and someone saying "Man. She is TOUGH." What you will also hear quickly following the first sentence is "but I have never learned more."

I could ride on the tails of these other posts about how the parent in question is doing their child a disservice by spoon-feeding them and on and on. The fact is, that mother isn't reading this anymore; she's probably humiliated (or at least ought to be).
Instead, I would like to take this opportunity to share from a student's point of view:

The beginning of my eleventh grade year, I walked into 3rd period AP English with no fear. I had been in gifted English for as long as I could remember and had always done well. I wrote my first paper feeling quite pleased with myself. AP English? No problem. Several days later when that same paper was returned to me with a 47 on it, I burst into tears. In all my years in school, I had never made a grade that low. I went to Ms. Carman the next day, and she said to me, "Ms. Kirkland, if a comma splice is the biggest mistake you ever make in your life, you'll be ok. We can work on this."
No other teacher in all my years of school, college, and grad school have ever put so much of themselves into teaching as Patricia Carman. She would answer every little question about the placement of every little comma. And, of course, she did it in that annoying teacher way: the kind where they make you think. Don't you just hate when teachers make you think? She won't spoon feed you. You have to work for it. And work I did. I may have cried myself to sleep many a night, but I was also richly rewarded. Ms. Carman, while quick to correct, is also quick to praise. She sent each student a post card at Christmas praising them for what they did well and again at the end of the year. I still have mine hanging on my fridge 8 years later.
The best thing about Ms. Carman, the most unique thing, is that she promoted mutual respect. She called us by our last names, because we called her by her last name. We didn't have to ask permission to go to the bathroom; she said we were 17 years old, that it was insulting to ask permission to relieve yourself. And we didn't abuse that privilege, because she had created a place of mutual respect. And she taught us that with respect comes responsibility, something that very few Peachtree City teens understand. No, Ms. Carman did not accept late work. But in turn, I would never dream of going to work tomorrow and telling my boss that a report isn't finished because I was too tired after soccer practice. Yes, Ms. Carman is tough. So is the real world. Why not begin adjusting now while you still have the support network of parents and a teacher that genuinely care about your success?

Did I go to college being able to write an A+ paper in less than 45 minutes? I did. Did I have college professors ask me "where I learned to use syntax like that"? I did. Did I remember, after many years, the kind eyes and patient smile of a loving teacher who sat with me for hours saying "Ms. Kirkland, if that subject verb agreement error is the biggest mistake you ever make in life, you'll be ok." I certainly did.

An acquaintance shared with me that her child was having great difficulty in a class - and could not understand the teacher or the teacher’s method of teaching. The child wanted her mother to help her get out of the class. The mother had the child write down her reasons for wanting to change classes, went with the child to the administration, and allowed the child to speak for herself - rather than the parent making complaints. The child's class was changed. Wise parent.

for finally taking down the name of the teacher in question on this thread. Hopefully this was over sight on your part and will never happen again. Questioning individual teacher's practices has no place in a public forum.

Now that you have received many posts regarding your request for information about your child's English teacher, let me summarize matters for you. It appears you are not very strong in the areas of logic and reasoning, so I thought you could use some assistance.

Regarding the teacher in question, she is tough and demanding (two common traits of superior teachers). She is very good, very dedicated, and very concerned that her students master the subject matter. This veteran teacher is well-respected by parents, teachers, and colleagues alike. There are some that may not like her, but there are always lazy people who prefer to follow the well-worn "path of least resistance." [Note: I know this teacher and I concur with the many, many favorable posts here].

Regarding you, the parent, you are whiny, you are an enabler, and you care much about your child's grade (but, far less about his/her education). As you have noted, you have gone to the teacher and her superiors (and then -- when you did not get your way -- to those superiors' superiors). But you have not been very interested in how your child can improve. You have merely wanted to pressure those involved to GIVE your child a better grade or GIVE your child a different teacher. "Earn" does not seem to be part of your vocabulary. Though you think you are helping your child, you are a negligent parent. You are refusing to allow your child to learn some very important life lessons. Now, though I do not expect that you will do this, you need to learn from your mistakes and insist that your child do the same.

She doesn’t give 2nd chances or ‘breaks’ and good for her!! Most of the children she teaches are 16-17 years old and on the verge of becoming adults and should not be spoon fed by the teachers or their parents. Are you PTCBernie the parent of one of her students who received an ‘F’ because your child failed to turn their paper when it was due? Maybe your child didn’t follow the teacher’s directions and failed to turn in ALL copies of a paper. Whatever your case may be, stop trying to bail your child out for his/her failure in this class. Let this be a lesson to both of you. Teach your child to get back up and try again instead of trying gain support for your child’s short comings in this class. The school year is still young and your child still has enough time to recover if you show them how.
CLOSING THOUGHT: If your child has a demanding boss later in life are you going to march into the boss’s office and tell them to take it easy on your child also?

Knowledge is the key to success

Both of my children have had the pleasure of taking her AP English class and both gained fantastic writing skills that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. She is tough but always fair. She makes her expectations of her students very clear. Students get out of the class exactly what they put in. She always insists that her students are fully engaged in her class and given the huge numbers of stoned-out "bench warmers" at McIntosh wasting classroom time I applaud her professionalism, skill, and steady hand under increasingly difficult conditions. In short...she is one of very few "grown-ups" in that school and I'm thankful she is there!

I am amused by the irony in these blogs. Many criticize, publicly, an English teacher for being too hard on her students. The irony is that those who slander the most are the ones that could benefit from a tough English teacher. Maybe she could offer a community course for adult bloggers.

Due to the lack of parenting, to many of you want a baby sitter at school for your brats. I volunteer at the schools, I see your brats every day. I would support boot camps for many of them. Now its a very small percentage of the kids that are morons like they are being taught at home. Most kids are very polite and enjoy the school day. When a teacher is tough and wants kids to learn instead of just get by some of our cry babies cant take it. I blame the parents again. Teachers deserve so much more for putting up with the crappy kids and their attitudes. Hope everyone went to the airport today for the dedication.

You are not asking people to comment on a car purchase or a movie for crying out loud. You are asking people to comment on the methods that a teacher uses in performing her job. What are you expecting to get here? As you can see from the postings so far, there are differing opinions, over-whelming positive. Which postings do you want to believe? Has this helped clarify the quandary you are facing as a parent? All you have successfully done is attempt to besmirch the reputation of one of the finest English educators in this county. Has anyone mentioned yet that she has been selected as a Star teacher?
You ask what is the difference about asking for comments about doctors, mechanics and plumbers....big difference! I believe that all of the above are involved in a commercial enterprise that they are selling to the public. Do you have a choice as to where you spend your money in exchange for a good or service? Would you have a legitimate need to know other people's experiences? I think so. How can you make the leap to equating this with public education and an individual teacher? The teachers who teach our children are not even remotely in the same category. They did not go to college to be trained as educators so they could “sell” their service for financial gain. They are educating our children and trying to, along with their parents, prepare them for life. Surely I hope you don’t think they are doing their job for the tremendous salaries that we as taxpayers are providing them! If you can not see the difference, I truly feel sorry for you. Teachers have devoted the better part of their adult lifetime instructing our children and each, in their own way, goes about that instruction in a different way. What gives you the right to questions those methods in a public forum like this? I think that if you ask your child if each of his/her teachers teach the same way, the answer would be "no". You are not doing your child any favors by questioning the methods of any teacher. Your time would be much better spent to tell your child that they will be facing many different methods of instruction as they further their education and each student must adapt to those methods. I would think you should be more concerned about if your child is learning!
I think you best find out how you can take this totally in appropriate thread "down"!!

I have read your note and the accompanying comments. I agree that it is inappropriate to post such a note in a public forum like this. EDITED for violation of terms of usage is not an elected offical that should be subject to such public scrunity.

However, since you have raised this issue, I would like to comment because I believe that EDITED for violation of terms of usage might be the single best teacher in Fayette County.

My daughter took her AP English class last year and she was a tough teacher. Tough, fair and more importantly taught my child how to be an excellent writer. There were nights my daughter cried with frustration thinking that every test and quiz should be an A. EDITED for violation of terms of usage students always expect As even when they are not deserved thats called "grade inflation" which is rampant!

As a student, I can remember 1 or 2 teachers who were "defining" teachers that changed my life andEDITED for violation of terms of usage falls into that category as a teacher who has changed my daughter's life.

She has not only turned my child into an outstanding writer which I can see as my daugther writes her college essays associated with her applications, but my daughter has dramaticaly matured as a result of her class because she now has a clear understanding of what will be expected when she enters college next year.

EDITED for violation of terms of usage is the most wonderful teacher and has had a dramatic impact on my daughter's life. I will always be indebited to her and I have expressed my feelings to her.

To you vitriolic posters, if I was asking about an aspect of someone's personal life I would probably agree that this kind of query is off base. But it is a request for information on someone acting in their professional capacity. In this case that means educating my child. Conceptually, how is this different than asking for comments on a local doctor, mechanic or plumber? Obviously, since it involves my child, my concerns are greater, but not that different, again in concept.

If this were a properly moderated forum, your off topic comments would have been removed, as they are inflammatory and add nothing to the discussion.

To respond directly to your point, I also don't see your name on your post.

To set you straight, I have been in contact with the teacher, registrar, principal and my child's advisor, plus a call to the BOE offices. (I think that pretty well covers all bases). I am currently working with them on this issue. My quandry is that what they are telling me differs greatly from input that I have had from parents whos children have, or have had, her.

To the parents who did comment, I sincerely appreciate your candor and input. You are the ones who my question was intended for and your replies are greatly appreciated. It's especially hard for a parent of a bright kid to see them do so poorly. With the pressure of appearances that prevails in this town, its difficult for a parent to admit that his or her child is doing poorly in school. I applaud your courage, and encourage you to continue to work with your student and the school on the situation.

I am not out to hang anyone, or dig up any dirt. I am simply trying to gather information and trying to reconcile what I am hearing from the school and what I am hearing from past students and parents. If you have constructive comments on how I might accomplish that, I welcome your input.

B

I can't believe how much of a loser you and anyone that contributes to this public mud slinging is. You should be ashamed of yourself. If you have a problem with the teacher, then grow the gonads needed to go and speak to her and the principal in person. Hiding behind a "B" tells us that you are spineless coward and I hope your kid can somehow grow up not to be like you. Also, a thread like this should never be allowed to stay on a community forum. So, shame on you Citizen if you do not delete this thread as soon as possible.

To the author of this thread . . .

Could you please identify yourself? I need to know your name so that I can start a thread asking people to comment on your work ethic, your parenting skills, and your personality. I will ask everyone to "please keep their comments civil and honest," but I would be interested in both positive and negative input about you.

Are you the type of parent that always blames others? Also, are you an enabler? Do you handle conflicts face to face or do you just resort to anonymous postings to protect yourself and your child's shortcomings?

Are your children well-adjusted? Are they good students? Are they lazy? Do they do their homework? Do they select their friends carefully?

In all due respect, what kind of moron would start a thread like this? Well, I guess I just answered my question.

Please identify yourself.

You'll probably hate it later. That said, it may possibly help your child if he/she learns to play politics. Have your Child go in early, ask for extra help, she likes the kids to make "appointments" for after school help with her. If your Child is struggling, get them to do these things.

Our Child had her for English last year, she gave grades that astounded even me, 10-20% or so, on papers that were supervised by a College Grad who was very good in English. In the end, our Child passed, barely, it is by FAR the lowest grade they had ever made aEDITED for violation of terms of usage teaches them a lot of skills, she seems to teach from a position of power/fear. Those who run from it, well, they will not do so well.

One of my children has her now. Our family had much discussion over the matter. We came to the conclusion our child, though it is and will continue to be tearfully tough at times, will rise to the occasion and will finish as a stronger student capable of handling any college English/Writing course with ease. Not only will our child learn from a writing stand point, an extremely valuable life skill is at hand. In the workplace we have all at one time or another had an employer who had the bar of expectations set much higher than we ever thought we could achieve. We coped and learned how to rise to those expectations without quitting. This life skill may be one of, if not the most important of all life skills.

We have sought outside help, spoke with successful students in her classes and our child has even sat down with EDITED for violation of terms of usage in order to figure out how to archive her expectations. Her door is always open and she is ready and willing to help as she wants all of her students to succeed.

P.S. Our child is failing her class presently but is headed in the right direction and improving which we are so proud.