Parents always know when something is wrong with their child. This was the case when Kamdyn Piland’s parents saw him when he came home from school one day. They immediately asked the 2nd grader what had happened. At first, he ignored it but eventually, he cracked. He pulled out his homework and showed them a note he had received from his teacher.
Non-Constructive Criticism
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Kamdyn’s father, Chris, read the note and could not believe what he saw. The note was harsh and seemed like a personal attack on Kamdyn. Chris could not let this go. The response that Chris made quickly went viral.
A Normal Boy
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Kamdyn wasn’t hyperactive, he wasn’t hooked on video games, TV shows, or sugary foods. In all respects, he was a regular boy. This is why it was such a surprise to Kamdyn’s family when they saw the harsh criticism on his homework. Then they discovered that there were many more comments, and they all came from one teacher.
A Serious Issue
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Once he read the note Chris started to look into the situation. He quickly discovered the matter was much more serious than he had imagined before. The evidence he found was truly alarming.
A Normal School
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Kamdyn attends the second grade at Valley View Elementary School. To all intents and purposes, Valley View is a normal school. Kamdyn, however, was not a child that would be called an overachiever.
Multiple Complaints
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While he may not have been the most outstanding student, his parents had never had a reason to suspect that he wasn’t doing well at school. No serious problems had caught their attention. However, it turned out that there had been more and more complaints since the start of the year.
Good Student
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Kamdyn may have been a regular boy but he was a good student. Unlike most normal children, Kamdyn didn’t have a problem doing his homework. He was always quite happy to do his work and had no problems finishing assignments.
Not Taking It Lying Down
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Chris loves his children and as such he couldn’t simply stand by and allow this to happen. It had begun to affect Kamdyn and he was starting to fail at school. He had to find out what was going on and what he could do to help.
Battling
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Kamdyn was by no means stupid, however, Chris could tell that his son was having a hard time at school. Kamdyn’s grades started to fall and Chris knew that it was out of character for his son to do so poorly.
Unnecessarily Harsh
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When Kamdyn showed his parents the note from Aly\ssa Rupp Bohenek, his teacher, they knew that the problem lay with his teacher. The note she had written on his work read: “Absolutely pathetic! He answered 13 in 3 minutes! Sad!” Chris thought that this was unduly heavyhanded.
Miss Alyssa
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Alyssa Bohenek had been teaching for some time already. She had written the note in question but as it turned out, she had a reputation. She is known for being a very difficult teacher to please. Kamdyn had ended up in her class and it was clear they did not get along. .
His Teacher
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No matter what Kamdyn did, it inevitably brought her wrath down upon him. Every little mistake would be met with a harsh written warning. This relentlessly negative feedback had clearly started taking its toll on Kamdyn’s self-esteem.
Dealing With Bad Grades
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Parents don’t like to hear anything bad about their children or that they are not doing well at school. No matter the case, it is important to take action as quickly as possible. How to deal with bad grades, however, has always been a hot debate.
Tough Love
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Some cases require children to get extra lessons, other cases might require that extra time and attention gets paid to the child. The “tough love” method, however, very rarely works on such young children.
Constructive Criticism
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Just like children, even adults don’t respond well to negative reinforcement. Negative feedback is a reality and we all need to deal with it at some time but constructive criticism is always a more positive experience and a better way to give feedback.