Teacher won't let me drop a subject

A7XGirl

I spoke to my chemistry teacher and year-head about dropping Chemistry and they told me that it's impossible. I'm being made attend class and do the Chemistry work.They're not allowing me to study during the subject! I told them I was doing an extra subject outside of school, but still they won't let me.
I'm thinking of playing along in school, but when the Leaving Cert comes around. I won't sit Chemistry.

ahmdoda

what course are you looking for? chemistry could possibly be a requirment

A7XGirl

ahmdoda wrote: »

what course are you looking for? chemistry could possibly be a requirment

I'm not sure yet, but it will DEFINITELY not be science related.

spurious

A7XGirl wrote: »

I'm thinking of playing along in school, but when the Leaving Cert comes around. I won't sit Chemistry.

This is a good plan. Causes less hassle for you and Chemistry will not appear on your results sheet.

GT_TDI_150

I dropped chemestry when i did my LC but i had to take another subject that was timetabled along side it. It is entirely up to you whether you sit the paper or not. Same as you can chose to do the higher or pass paper on the day of the exam on any subject

Oregano_State

A7XGirl wrote: »

I spoke to my chemistry teacher and year-head about dropping Chemistry and they told me that it's impossible. I'm being made attend class and do the Chemistry work.They're not allowing me to study during the subject! I told them I was doing an extra subject outside of school, but still they won't let me.
I'm thinking of playing along in school, but when the Leaving Cert comes around. I won't sit Chemistry.

That's bull****. Get your parents on-side.

While I'd always advise having at least one of the sciences you should not be forced to study a non-compulsory subject.

Are you a 5th or 6th year?

A7XGirl

Oregano_State wrote: »

That's bull****. Get your parents on-side.

While I'd always advise having at least one of the sciences you should not be forced to study a non-compulsory subject.

Are you a 5th or 6th year?

My parents want me to do Chemistry, so they're really not much help. I'm in 6th year

Just Like Heaven

If you had a letter from your parents the school would probably let you sit in the back and study something else, but if you don't things will just get difficult.

If you're set on it though, then yeah nothing will happen if you don't turn up for your exam, no mention of chemistry will appear on your results so 'officially' withdrawing isn't really an issue.

Days 298

I had a similar thing in 5ft year but it was only the principal. I played along but gradually stopped doing homework and then classwork until the teacher told me one day to take out some other book.

teach88

Oregano_State wrote: »

That's bull****. Get your parents on-side.

While I'd always advise having at least one of the sciences you should not be forced to study a non-compulsory subject.

Are you a 5th or 6th year?

This is completely wrong and it is certainly not bull****. Nobody is being 'forced to study a non-compulsory subject'. You chose to study Chemistry for the Leaving Cert when you were in 4th/5th year and consequently the school provided you with a Chemistry class.

The fact of you have now decided that you don't like the subject or are finding it difficult is not the school's problem. Many schools accommodate students in cases such as this but they do not have to and should not be expected to.

A7XGirl

teach88 wrote: »

This is completely wrong and it is certainly not bull****. Nobody is being 'forced to study a non-compulsory subject'. You chose to study Chemistry for the Leaving Cert when you were in 4th/5th year and consequently the school provided you with a Chemistry class.

The fact of you have now decided that you don't like the subject or are finding it difficult is not the school's problem. Many schools accommodate students in cases such as this but they do not have to and should not be expected to.

No, I did not choose to study Chemistry. My school has limited subjects and the one I wanted was full.

happywithlife

Unfortunately this is what happens when cutbacks kick in
Schools often don't allow students to 'study down the back' as it can create a scenario whereby you could have several students wanting this and this in turn can lead to disruption. So on a practical level the school has a rule you must do the subject. As someone else said, whether you sit the exam is up to you.
If you've done a year without substantial quibble they won't change it now

Oregano_State

teach88 wrote: »

This is completely wrong and it is certainly not bull****. Nobody is being 'forced to study a non-compulsory subject'. You chose to study Chemistry for the Leaving Cert when you were in 4th/5th year and consequently the school provided you with a Chemistry class.

The fact of you have now decided that you don't like the subject or are finding it difficult is not the school's problem. Many schools accommodate students in cases such as this but they do not have to and should not be expected to.

Hold on a minute. There's no mention of having to provide the student with another class, just to leave them do something else during that class time. The school does not have to provide anything extra, so I don't see the problem.

In this case however, if both parents and school are in agreement, I'd recommend playing along.

teach88

Oregano_State wrote: »

Hold on a minute. There's no mention of having to provide the student with another class, just to leave them do something else during that class time.

I never mentioned providing another class. The word I used was 'accommodate'. I said that having signed up for Chemistry (whether the choice was limited or not) the student does not have the right to later decide that the school should allow them to not do it.

Letting someone sit at the back and do something other than Chemistry constitutes an accommodation and the school and the Chemistry teacher are not obliged to allow it.

Oregano_State

teach88 wrote: »

I never mentioned providing another class. The word I used was 'accommodate'. I said that having signed up for Chemistry (whether the choice was limited or not) the student does not have the right to later decide that the school should allow them to not do it.

Letting someone sit at the back and do something other than Chemistry constitutes an accommodation and the school and the Chemistry teacher are not obliged to allow it.

How nice.

teach88

Oregano_State wrote: »

How nice.

Why come on here if you're incapable of any constructive contribution?

I have provided some facts to clarify the situation as some previous posters felt that some right of theirs is being infringed, which it is not.

Your facetiousness is pathetic.

Oregano_State

teach88 wrote: »

Why come on here if you're incapable of any constructive contribution?

I have provided some facts to clarify the situation as some previous posters felt that some right of theirs is being infringed, which it is not.

Your facetiousness is pathetic.

You say facetious; I call it humour to illustrate a point.

If you recall, I made a contribution, i.e. that the student should not have to study a subject if they really don't want to, and to ask her parents to step in and help come to an agreement with the school. I still stand by that. It is not the student's fault that the school does not have the resources to provide her with the subject she wanted.

You took offence at my choice of words, accused me of being 'completely wrong', and wrote an angry response based on the incorrect assumption that the student had chosen to do chemistry.

Your opinion (stated as fact) was that the school was under no obligation to accommodate her. I can understand why this could be the school's position, given the scenario of multiple mutineers from a class. In reality, however, if both parties are being reasonable, there are ways to deal with situations such as these that don't involve a Nazi-esque abolition of the concept of accommodating people.

My last reply was an attempt to draw attention to your aggressive, inflammatory, and subsequently insulting posting style, although I now see that this may have been lost on you.

randylonghorn

Oregano_State wrote: »

It is not the student's fault that the school does not have the resources to provide her with the subject she wanted.

True, but it's most likely not the school's either.

As someone pointed out above, this is where that wonderful word "cutbacks" raises its head yet again.

Oregano_State wrote: »

Your opinion (stated as fact) was that the school was under no obligation to accommodate her.

I'm afraid that is fact, though.

Oregano_State wrote: »

In reality, however, if both parties are being reasonable, there are ways to deal with situations such as these ...

Absolutely, there is room for compromise, and I'm sure we all hope that the OP, the school and her parents can come to a compromise which works for all of them.

But there is a world of difference between "the school is obliged to accommodate students in this situation" (it's not) and "there is room for compromise".

I'm guessing, I admit, but I have a nagging suspicion that the school is well aware that the OP's parents do not support her in her wish to drop chemistry (see Post No. 7 above). Apart from any other considerations, that leaves them in an awkward position ... if they agree to "accommodate" her, they're very likely to have the parents on the doorstep raising hell.

Oregano_State wrote: »

... that don't involve a Nazi-esque abolition of the concept of accommodating people.

You've just Godwinned yourself btw.

Oregano_State wrote: »

My last reply was an attempt to draw attention to your aggressive, inflammatory, and subsequently insulting posting style, although I now see that this may have been lost on you.

Given that your own initial eruption into this thread strikes me as both aggressive and inflammatory, I would point you to the old adage re: people in glass houses.




Now ... can those involved in this little spat take deep and calming breaths before posting again, and type very gently, or (at a minimum) this thread will be closed.

thelad95

A7XGirl wrote: »

I'm thinking of playing along in school, but when the Leaving Cert comes around. I won't sit Chemistry.

Forms come around mid-January if I remember correctly which has a list of the subjects you will sit according to your schools records. If you place an X beside Chemistry you will not be registered for sitting the exam. This way there will be no potential fuss on the day if you don't turn up. Last year, one of my friends decided to drop Applied Maths after the mocks.This had been ok'd with both the teacher and the year head. However he had already registered for the exam and so at half 9 on the morning of the exam he received a frantic call from our principal reminding him that the exam was that day and to come in quickly. :rolleyes: You should be grand though.

A7XGirl

thelad95 wrote: »

Forms come around mid-January if I remember correctly which has a list of the subjects you will sit according to your schools records. If you place an X beside Chemistry you will not be registered for sitting the exam. This way there will be no potential fuss on the day if you don't turn up. Last year, one of my friends decided to drop Applied Maths after the mocks.This had been ok'd with both the teacher and the year head. However he had already registered for the exam and so at half 9 on the morning of the exam he received a frantic call from our principal reminding him that the exam was that day and to come in quickly. :rolleyes: You should be grand though.

I was told by my Chemistry teacher that the school signs the form for you? Is this true?

was.deevey

I was in a similar situation where after applying for (and being OK'd) for one technical subject, which I had done a year of in my old school (and was an A++ at it!) prior to Junior cert, but had not been available up until then in a new school, was informed that there was no places left and was "forced" into a biology class (only places remaining).

I simply refused to take part in the class, informed both the year head and teacher of my extreme lack of interest in the subject and how It was MY inconvienence, their problem and MY future they were putting on the table having put me in a class obviously not suited to me and which I was going to fail at through lack of interest. Ended up I just did my own thing in class.

When it came to Leaving Cert I just did not turn up for the Biology Exam and took another subject of my choosing (and passed).

Unfortunately the school is not obliged to accommodate you as is pointed out above

spurious

A7XGirl wrote: »

I was told by my Chemistry teacher that the school signs the form for you? Is this true?

Not in our school. The candidates check and sign their own form. Not sure how the school could sign for you.

Peregrine

Haven't done the Leaving yet but I remember for the Junior Cert, we all filled out our own forms and then the vice principal called each one of us to the office to double check everything.

A7XGirl

spurious wrote: »

Not in our school. The candidates check and sign their own form. Not sure how the school could sign for you.

If it does happen and I'm allowed sign off my own form, is it possible for me to write down a subject that I do outside of school and that the school has no knowledge of?

spurious

A7XGirl wrote: »

If it does happen and I'm allowed sign off my own form, is it possible for me to write down a subject that I do outside of school and that the school has no knowledge of?

You have to tell the school Examinations Secretary if you are doing an extra subject, especially if there is a practical/oral element to it as the arrangements for assessing them are made early by the SEC.

The school won't care what subjects you are putting down.