Life as a teacher can be very difficult.

It’s not just the stress of trying to help hundreds of kids achieve their dreams – it’s the endless bureaucracy, the paperwork, the planning and marking… all for very little pay.

It’s no wonder that teachers are quitting in droves.

Then, as the teacher in this story explains, the parents can be an even bigger problem.

Read on to find out what happened here.

Admin says “Just Give Him a Multiple Choice Retake”

I’m a High School math teacher.

Earlier this year, I took over a Geometry class during my prep period, as the original teacher quit in late September.

In late November, I gave one of my last Unit Assessments. My assessments are about 25 questions, none multiple choice.

One of my students decided to answer any question he didn’t know with 67, resulting in a 17%.

Let’s see how this teacher dealt with the student.

I had a private conference with the student, who thought it was hilarious.

I did offer him the chance to come one day after school to do corrections on those problems for up to half credit.

The student refused.

The next step was contacting the parents.

I called his mom to inform her and let her know that, while he can still pass by doing well on the last test and course final, it is an uphill climb.

The mom demanded I give her son a retake with multiple choice options. Mom said that “making the test not multiple choice is inviting the students to do that!”

I refused, but did inform her that her son can stay after school to make corrections up to half credit.

She refused and went to admin.

Read on to find out what happened when the mom complained.

Admin caved, making me offer the student a multiple choice version of the test.

I decided to make one of the four answer choices in each question be 67. When the student finished the test, his score did improve to a 30%, selecting 67 as his answer on most questions (showing no work).

I informed the mom and admin.

The mom, again, went to admin demanding that I do not count any question he guessed 67 for.

Admin refused and said “we gave you what you wanted and your son another chance and he continued his bad choice, the 30% will stay”.

Uh-oh. Let’s see what happened with the student’s final grade.

The student did not pass the class.

But the student did email me right as Winter Break started, apologizing for his behavior (he was a behavior concern throughout the class with two discipline referrals) and his not taking the tests seriously.

He asked to change his grade from the 30% to a 70% and to round his final grade from a 52% to a 60%, so he would get a 60% and pass.

I do not enjoy failing students and I understand Geometry can be difficult for some. And many Geometry concepts may not apply to their careers after high school.

But this teacher was being more than fair.

My philosophy is simple: 1. Regularly attend class. 2. Have a good attitude. 3. Try your best. You do those three things and you will pass.

I try to focus on teaching important life skills like regular attendance, good work ethic, and asking questions, all of which will support you regardless of which career path you choose.

And to add to my decision of putting 67 as an answer choice for each question, I did not do it to set him up for failure – I was hoping he would learn his lesson, and give him a better chance to do better with one answer choice essentially being removed.

The student had one last request.

He chose not to use that opportunity.

He did, however, ask for both tests so he can show people how funny it is.

I did not give him the tests for test security.

Yikes! This boy really did not learn his lesson.

More than that, the teacher really tried to do their best by him – but simply ‘giving’ him a good grade is neither fair to anyone else, nor reflective of his abilities in the class.

Let’s see what the Reddit community made of this.

This person pointed out just how important math can be.

While others thought the school admin was doing the teachers – and the students – a disservice.

Meanwhile, others pointed out that the real problem here is the mom.

This kid has a lot to learn.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.