Now I have heard it all......

Suzie

Suzie

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
159
My son was kicked off the track team for missing practice:

1. He went to the USMMA Open House in March and missed, the HS Principal signed off on the college visit excuse, but according to the principal it only covers the "academic day".

2. The best one....He missed because he had his wisdom teeth taken out, had an excuse, but was told he should have not had them out during track season even though he had to for the USMMA.

Had a discussion with the principal and because HE chose to go to the Open House and he chose to have his wisdom teeth out, then he has to suffer the consequences of missing track practice which is 3 absences and you are out, whether or not you have excuses.....Because HE chose to do these things instead of track PRACTICE!!!:eek:

And no there is Not anything else to this story...is this unbelieveable!!

Another unbelieveable part is the coach told the team he was kicked off and could someone please tell him to return his uniform......Would not tell my son directly. Coach is known to be tough, but DS always joked it would get him ready for KP......

I have contacted the School Superintendent's Office, they were not happy, but no word as of yet.....

What would you do if you were the parent??? I am shocked, stunned, and this just does not make common sense....
 
Suzie,
It's a shame, but your story doesn't really surprise me at all. First, I want to say that there were many teachers and administrators at my son's school that were very helpful as he applied to USCGA, USMMA and USNA. Some bent over backwards to assist him; however, there were some that just didn't get the picture. Example, his principal wasn't going to excuse his absence for the day he had to travel for his nomination interview with our congressman, because we didn't give three weeks' notice...we didn't even receive three weeks notice from the congressman's office!
Now, it's my daughter's turn and her school dance teacher was very unhappy that she was missing rehearsal to fly halfway across the country to visit two of her prospective college choices.
It's a shame that an educator doesn't realize that the student's future is what is important--not a high school dance show or track practice?
 
LineInTheSand said:
Was he already accepted to USMMA?
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I'm with this line of thinking. If he's a senior who has been accepted to USMMA, who cares about the track team in May of the last year of high school (unless he is a state champion or something...and even then, I'd probably still say "who cares?")? I mean, if he is a valued relay member or something, I can understand not wanting to let the teammates down, but the coach is the one with the problem here. Indeed, sounds like the track coach is an a-hole...I'll bet your son is glad not to have to be around him anymore.

As long as he runs on his own to prepare for the summer, I can't think of this as a big deal. It might even be a blessing in disguise.
 
fairwinds said:
Suzie,
It's a shame, but your story doesn't really surprise me at all. First, I want to say that there were many teachers and administrators at my son's school that were very helpful as he applied to USCGA, USMMA and USNA. Some bent over backwards to assist him; however, there were some that just didn't get the picture. Example, his principal wasn't going to excuse his absence for the day he had to travel for his nomination interview with our congressman, because we didn't give three weeks' notice...we didn't even receive three weeks notice from the congressman's office!
Now, it's my daughter's turn and her school dance teacher was very unhappy that she was missing rehearsal to fly halfway across the country to visit two of her prospective college choices.
It's a shame that an educator doesn't realize that the student's future is what is important--not a high school dance show or track practice?
Click to expand...

Wow.....I just never heard of anything like that.....DS is my oldest and I guess I am totally naive when it comes to this kind of thing.....I would think they (the school, the dance coach, etc) would think their job is everything about the kids. and ask themselves....Who is it benefiting the kid or ????

Thanks for letting me know it happens.....
 
was your son a recruited athlete for the track team?
 
Lot of truths already:

Tough choices must be made.

It is hard to balance everything.

Usually, something has to be sacrificed to reach a goal.

So many people want to justify their policies and show their toughness.

Many educators have an agenda and are willing to use their position in order to force their opinions into being your choices.

Most do a tough job and go way out of their way to help in any way.

So, we must ask...

Do you really want to run for a coach that puts his agenda above your future?

Is it really a team or a puppet show?

Seems the coach owes him a conversation, man to man, not coach to athlete.

Can we remain calm and professional as we influence our educators to do what is best for each student in each case?

Best of luck as you stand firm.

Hopefully, your children can remain a positive force in their schools and communities for years to come.

Hopefully, their schools can continue to produce students that meet the standard.
 
sprog said:
I'm with this line of thinking. If he's a senior who has been accepted to USMMA, who cares about the track team in May of the last year of high school (unless he is a state champion or something...and even then, I'd probably still say "who cares?")? I mean, if he is a valued relay member or something, I can understand not wanting to let the teammates down, but the coach is the one with the problem here. Indeed, sounds like the track coach is an a-hole...I'll bet your son is glad not to have to be around him anymore.

As long as he runs on his own to prepare for the summer, I can't think of this as a big deal. It might even be a blessing in disguise.
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You are absolutely right....and DS is really done with the whole thing.

I'm just mad at the whole process, the coach, the principal's actions and remarks etc. I have 2 younger sons that wanted to do track and I'm sure this coach will treat them differently...... and just to deal with the principal in the future when he is not supporting my son on this issue will be tough.....ugh!!
 
No Worries: Extremely well said, Thank you, I really needed to read those words.....
 
Suzie said:
I don't really understand why this matters, but yes.:confused:
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If he's in....I wouldn't lose any sleep over this. If he's a good runner, the team loses out, if not, focus on having some fun, because fun will suddenly be much harder to come by.

Your son is going to have some great great sea stories, and that's only in the next few years. I doubt he will be sitting in a bar 35 years from now with a group of old salts around him talking about his track experience his senior year of high school.

Does it "suck" for him now" Sure. Was the coach's handling of the situation great? No. But really, in a very short time, all of this high school stuff won't matter at all. A year into CGA and I would think "high school where?" I was a big fish in my high school. I was nothing in my CGA class.

Upward and onward! He'll be fine! :thumb:
 
My daughter was a recruited athlete for the USAFA. Over the past several months we had contacted her high school periodically to make sure that her local liasion officer could make the appointment presentation at the senior awards assembly. We received a call from her school last week and were told that the awards assembly is for LOCAL awards only such as the Kiwanis or Lions Clubs or the $200 from the local car wash. (you know what I mean) We were told that a service academy appointment could not be recognized. Sorry about that! Truly amazing.

So, yes I believe it that your son was kicked off a team for trying to secure his appointment. Pretty narrow minded thinking on the part of your son's coach and principal.
 
Almost the same

My DS missed the state water polo turney during MMA open house. He got a line of crap from the coach as well. He was told not to bother showing up for practice prior because it would effect the teams plans if DS practiced plays and didnt compete.

DS shrugged his shoulders and made the decision to select MMA while his water polo team went on to state.

Congrats to your DS on his appointment/selection to USMMA. As far as the track team, who gives a hill of beans.
 
Suzie - Yeah, it's stupid and short-sighted on the school's part. Our DS loved his high school track team. Holds a school record. He now loves KP's track team. Shares a KP school record with the other members of his event team. It's a great group, and what DS really enjoys is that when they're together, they're "the team." The regimental stuff goes out the window.

Of course, as much as he enjoys it, DS also realizes that he didn't enroll at KP to run track....:thumb:
 
DEJA VU! This thread reminded me of my morning--on the phone with the counselor that berated my daughter because she didn't attend the awards ceremony last week (husband sent a scathing email last night). Never mind that we were NEVER notified by mail like all the other attendees. Yes, we were sad to not see her recognized for all her hard work in High School, but we were not upset with the fact that we never received our invitation to attend--it was a mistake, human error, we understand that. Our issue was with how it was handled by the counselor and other members of the staff. They brought my daughter into the counselor's office, handed her the awards and medals, and then basically accused her of not showing up for the ceremony intentionally. An apology for her not getting the invitation was never offered--only accusations and innuendos.:unhappy:

I'm just mad at the whole process, the coach, the principal's actions and remarks etc. I have 2 younger sons that wanted to do track and I'm sure this coach will treat them differently...... and just to deal with the principal in the future when he is not supporting my son on this issue will be tough.....ugh!!
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We too have another child to get through the district (jeez, I thought we were the only ones who put up with this stuff). So I understand your concern. Our district is known for bullying kids whose parents dare to defend and advocate for their child. Don't ever stop advocating for your children.:wink:
 
JMC0759 said:
My daughter was a recruited athlete for the USAFA. Over the past several months we had contacted her high school periodically to make sure that her local liasion officer could make the appointment presentation at the senior awards assembly. We received a call from her school last week and were told that the awards assembly is for LOCAL awards only such as the Kiwanis or Lions Clubs or the $200 from the local car wash. (you know what I mean) We were told that a service academy appointment could not be recognized. Sorry about that! Truly amazing.
Click to expand...

This is really heartbreaking....I just don't understand school administrations....but you know they will take credit for the total scholarship amount that their school will receive for 2015 grads, adding in your daughters academy appointment!! Truly unbelieveable!!

Congrats to your daughter!:thumb:!
 
Bugsy & Lee2015.........
I can't believe that y'all have had trouble too!! I really thought our school was the only one that couldn't use "Common Sense" and treat people with respect.

What kills me is if I would do this in a job, treat people/clients like this it would not be tolerated, but in a school setting they get away with this type of action/attitude.....
 
Thanks for all the responses.......I'm going to get a little more "tough skinned" and revel in the fact that my DS has an appointment to USMMA and is on his way to a wonderful future:thumb:

Thanks again,
Suzie
 
For those whose schools are not acting as a partner in this all that is sad. Our small school ( 200 in our graduating class )was very accommodating for time away as in excused college visits, both days, of each one. Faxing and records help during the application process and a general attitude of "hey this is good for us too". We also have a young principal. I wonder if his youth helps his attitude towards DS's efforts. We had our awards ceremony last night and ( as posted elsewhere) was very gratifying.
Thanks for posting these not so good experiences. It will give future parents a heads up to maybe head off some of these issues.
 
I had some trouble with my Band Director in my visits. He wasn't happy that I was going to be away during a parade and a competition so I could visit USMMA and USCGA. He did let me go on my trips in the end after I told him that my career in High School Band was almost over and I wanted a real future. My Economics teacher also had trouble with me having to get my TWIC, teeth, and April Open House appointments done. While the principal and guidance office was all for my dreams of attending USMMA, they sure had problems too. For instance, my guidance office refused to APPROXIMATE my class rank for Part III of the application until the second trimester. It took some difficult persuasion before they finally did it so I could turn it in by September. They also put white out on the application so I had to request a new Part III. Yeah, you'd think schools would love to help you out no questions asked. School bureaucrats.
 
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