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St Thomas the Apostle

Teacher: Vanessa Filosa

Principal and Teacher Retailation-Trying to prevent student from getting accepted to private HS

Teacher Complaint About: St Thomas The Apostle - Vanessa Filosa

Teacher Complaint: Vanessa Filosa - St Thomas The Apostle

This is my child's last year at his school. I went to a meeting with his teacher and the principal C. Teisch. The teacher (not a certified teacher yet who has an internship certificate until she completes her degree and certification exams) failed my son on his report card with an F stating he did not hand in assignments and failed all the tests in science.

The Principal and I have a history already(not good). I had a problem with the school a few years ago because of bullying by students and the school not following his educational plan. I made a complaint when the 4th grade teacher was verbally abusive to him and my son was getting bullied verbally and physically by other students (he came home with bruises on him) and the teachers and school did nothing. They would punish my son when he reacted to the bullying and the other children would not be reprimanded. This went on for several months.
When I spoke up and said I would take legal action there has been some form of retaliation such as in report card grades of the major subject areas or claims that assignments were never handed in or claims that they were handed in late and not accepted.
Back to the present issue. I do all the assignements with my child so I know he did them and I put them in his schoolbag each night. I am being told by this teacher that the assignments were never done or handed in which is untrue. I am concerned because Filosa is stating untruths.
My child was at the meeting and insisted that they were given to the teacher and described what she was doing when he handed the papers to her. Today when he attempted to state his position. The Principal started talking over him not allowing him to finish his sentence and began twisting what he was saying and intimadating him until he just stopped talking. Then after he shut down she said to him "Didn't you say you were not sure you handed them in." My son got upset and said "I don't know and shut down." When the teacher began to talk she said she collects the assignments one at a time and then a few sentences later she slipped out stating she does not collect the assignments, that she walks around the room. When I questioned her the principal would not allow her to continue her statement.

I am a teacher (over 10 years) in the same area as this uncertified (student) teacher. I stated before, I help him each night with the work etc... I know the work was completed. My son told me weeks ago that the assignments were handed in.

I emailed her several times without a response back when she accused him of not handing stuff in and then I forwarded the last email to the principal. That is how I finally was able to get a meeting.

As for the issue with the tests, I looked at the exams and notes that were given to the class and had some concerns. When I voiced my concerns at the meeting today, the principal, not the teacher was very accusatory stating that I have no right to challange the test content.

I believe I have every right as a parent and a teacher in that subject area to voice my opinion about the subject content and how the test was designed. This teacher is not even a teacher yet she is a student who is going for her degree.

I asked the teacher "Do you use your notes or the textbook for the test"? and when she said her notes are from the book I stated that I went over the chapter with my child and I have issue with the test.

She was not testing them on what the chapters main content and ideas are. The chapter focuses on 3 main ideas she was asking questions on stuff that was breifly mentioned in less than a sentence without clear explainations. I told her how I would have approached the chapter as a teacher in that subject. I said I would not have tested information that is breifly mentioned and not explained in the chapter. I would have focused on the key main ideas just like the state questions do in the back of each chapter. This is what this teacher does with all the test and I cannot believe that the students are grasping the information. I said even my high school students would be confused becausing your bringing in too many topics. I said some of these were barely mentioned in the chapter being tested and are defined several chapters later. I asked how that was fair to the students.
The Principal stated in an adversary manner that "I see nothing wrong with this test." She added in a condesending manner "Maybe we expect more from our students. You have no right to question the content"

I started to point out wht I was concerned with some of the questions I felt were issues and the principal began speaking over me and interupting.

Everytime Ms. Filosa spoke and tried to hear what my concerns were the
principal would cut her off that she could not speak to me and the principal was changing the issue and then she states "Your son has issues with his writing doesn't he? How about I have Ms. Filosa change the rest of the tests this year to all writing and make the test harder then we will see if there is an issue with you."

For her to make a statement like that it is very unprofessional and she has no reguard for parents or other professionals.
She is a disgrace to the title of Principal.

I have learned from past experience to live with the fact that my chidren will never get a fair grade from this school because of the past history over the bullying and verbal abuse. Their average was always calculated lower than what their performance was. We learned to live with the spitfulness. Grades would be calculated wrong and when we pointed out that there was an error in the teacher's calculations the teacher would always say "She (the principal) won't
allow me to change the grade."

However, in the past they never blantly failed him like what is happening now.

My son's opinion is it is to prevent him from being accepted to the high schools he applied to.

When my daughter graduated a few years ago, the comment at graduation from the teacher who was making math errors when grading the tests was "I can't believe you were accepted to those schools. I never thought they would take you."
My daughter's answer to her was "I did it on my own, no thanks to you."

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