sad boy with head down on school desk
Jade Small
Jade Small
May 3, 2022 ·  3 min read

Teacher wrote ‘absolutely pathetic’ on 7-year-old’s math paper

Being a teacher is a difficult job. Besides educating children, checking homework, and giving tests, they are also mentors. However, not every parent is always pleased with the teachers their children get, or with their teaching methods. This is why it’s so important for both teachers and parents to keep open lines of communication.

We know parents are busy people, and so are teachers. Sometimes being so focused on a task at hand makes us forget who we are there to help. Children pay attention to everything, even if we don’t think that is the case. So, even if we are busy or overworked, we need to remember to be considerate and patient with them. Because they will always remember the way someone treated them.

Teachers in the Classroom

When I was in school, teachers had as many as 20 to 30 students in a single classroom. According to The Hun School Of Princton, the average student-teacher ratio in US public schools is around 12:1. This means that teachers are able to spend more time focused on each child individually. Homework, test results, and studies across multiple subjects improve when the student-to-teacher ratio is lower. However, just because a teacher has a smaller-sized class, that doesn’t mean things are easier for them.

child drawing
Pexels

Parent-teacher conferences are becoming less and less frequent. Just as parents are working harder to provide a stable income, teachers are working just as hard to keep them informed about their kids at school. It’s a difficult task to manage. Without making phone calls every single day, or holding physical meetings, it’s hard to stay on top of things. This is why most teachers leave notes on their student’s papers and homework. Some of these notes are not meant for the students directly but are meant for the parents to read. It really depends on the individual teacher and their methods.

Read: Teacher Gets Fired for Giving Zeroes to Students Who Didn’t Turn in Their Work

Teacher’s Note on Student’s Homework – Does it Cross the Line?

Chris Piland says the note he received on his child’s homework was ‘sickening,’ and he was confused why anyone would write such a thing. When Chris shared a picture of the note on his son Kamdyn’s worksheet to his Facebook page, the shocking image went viral instantly. The note from the teacher reads “Absolutely pathetic. He answered 13 in 3 min! Sad.” There was also a sad face drawn next to the note.

teaching writes "pathetic" on Chris Piland's child's test
Credit: Facebook/Chris Piland

He comes home with this and I am beyond frustrated that someone would write this on a child’s work. Such great motivation.” Chris told LadBible. He was so shocked by the note that he confronted the teacher Alyssa Rupp Bohenek and told her that her words “broke Kamdyn’s heart.

Chris says he told Alyssa, “I believe what you wrote on his paper was extremely unprofessional and just very rude and she messaged me back and said she was sorry I felt that way.” Clearly upset about the situation, Chris asked others if he was overreacting, but most people supported his outrage. Someone even started a petition to have the teacher who left the note fired. However, not everyone felt that way, and eventually, a counter-petition was started to save the teacher’s job.

Update

Chris shared an update via social media when the event took place in 2019, saying

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.”

The superintendent of that school district gave the following response: “As always with everything, we’re going to try to do what’s best for the students and what we need to do for the employee under investigation.

Keep Reading: ‘Heartless’ Teacher Mocked Student Day by Day, Boy Had Enough and Secretly Recorded Every Insult

Sources

  1. Dad Calls Out Son’s Teacher Following ‘Rude’ Feedback On Homework.” LadBible. Claire Reid. August 13, 2021.
  2. Teacher writes awfully cruel comment on 7-year-old’s math quiz.” Parenting Isn’t Easy. Jamie Maraña

This article originally appeared on TIffy Taffy in September 2021 and has been republished here with permission.