12 yo is very upset about the grade she got in school today - I need some advice ?

Question

My daughter started school this week. One of the first assignments they received was a blank world map, with directions to draw certain geographical elements and label them. She labeled the Europe/Asia landmass as Eurasia and Australia as Oceania. Both were marked wrong My daughter is very upset about this, she asked the teacher why they were marked wrong and the teacher said that "It should be Europe, Asia and Australia".

My daughter loves to learn :) Instead of watching cartoons she's hooked on discovery and animal planet. School and grades are very important to her.

Should I take this up with the teacher?

Or try to explain to my daughter that the concept of Eurasia is not as widely recognized as separating them? And that Australia is a more popular term for Oceania?

How do I explain that her teacher doesn't know everything? Or is only looking for the answers that he teaches whether or not they are accurate?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Tell her that no one refers to them as Eurasia and Oceania because not everyone is as intelligent as she is. the teacher has to grade all of the papers the same and can't make exceptions because one student knows more technical terms that are different than the one's she taught in class. I once had a math teacher that made us show our work and we had to do it the way he taught us. I was pretty good at coming up with more clever ways to solve the problems and this upset him so I had to play along every once in awhile. More intelligent kids will often be attacked for it in school and most of the time it is smarter to play along than to stand your ground and risk losing the grade. It'll pay off when she gets to college! Good luck!

Answer 2

Have her bring her reference in to the teacher.  This would be a great opportunity to teach her that there can be multiple answers to one question, and that there isn't always a "right" and "wrong" answer.  It would also be a good opportunity to teach her about the answers teachers expect vs answers that are technically correct but obscure....  (Where did she find a map that says Oceania and Eurasia?  I haven't heard or seen those terms in years!)

If nothing else - point out to her that if she goes to the UN, or mails a letter, she would be using Europe, Asia, and Australia, whereas the other terms are good for quiz shows and history exams.

Answer 3

If I were you I would take it up with the teacher.

Answer 4

As a teacher I have from time to time come across problems such as these and I have explained to the student that even though she may be right the criteria I selected wasn't addressed.Part of any assessment is to answer specific criteria.Your daughter should brush this experience off and maybe learn from it.If it continues then you should certainly meet with her teacher and express your concerns.We as teachers don't want to demoralise our students,nor do we want to dampen their enthusiasm and we are not mind readers either.Your daughter is only 12 years old and I am quite worried that her or your expectations are higher than necessary.Education should be fun and educational at this age.Reinforce to your child that it's okay to be wrong sometimes and that way she is not setting herself up for failure.Best wishes to you and your daughter.I wish I had her in my class.  

Answer 5

hmm honestly i think i would be a little upset if i were her too. i mean, she wasnt wrong. i would take it up with him and show her to stand up for herself when shes right.

Answer 6

If the answers weren't wrong then you really should talk to the teacher about that. And maybe talk to her that teachers sometimes might be wrong and she should stand up for her self to boost for confidence up a bit more.

Answer 7

I think you should support your daughter and confront her teacher. (I didn't know Oceania = Australia)  If the teacher won't listen take up with the principle. Please show your daughter that you will stand up for her when she is right. You are blessed to have such a smart little girl.

Answer 8

Actually, I believe Oceania refers to the South Pacific islands like Tahiti.  While Australia might be involved in that I don't really think it is anyway that is sort of immaterial.  I was very concerned when I was that age that I got everything right and it was not healthy.  While school and grades need to be important, she also needs to realize that sometimes we make mistakes and that is ok to.  I don't think it would be a good idea to take it up with the teacher, rather perhaps it would be a learning experience for your daughter to clarify more what is required of the assigment so she can give answers the answers that are being asked for.  That is a life skill that is going to come in handy down the road unless you are thinking of supporting her for the rest of her life.  Much more important than the skill of proving her future boss wrong and she right.

Answer 9

I am on your side as to trying to make your daughter feel better but in a way the teacher was right..

the terms your daughter is using are not the names on the map..

Tho I am not very familial with Eurasia, Oceania is a way to describe about 14 different countries..

I would buy your daughter a really big map to hang in her room..maybe that will make her fell better...  

Answer 10

yeah i think you should try to go take it up with the teacher. they should understand that it is true and it may be a loop hole that they aren't aware of, but your daughter is not incorrect. you should also definitely explain to your daughter that teachers don't know everything because from how you describe her it seems like this isn't going to be the first time she says something that the teacher doesn't recognize. you have a very talented and gifted daughter. :)