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Mr. Turner's Religion Classes |
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FAQFrequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions by parents and students.
All students receive their assignments, quizzes and tests back in a timely fashion and are provided a chart on which they are encouraged to track their own grade. At anytime parents should be able to ask their son to show them their papers and/or the grade chart and to determine what grade their son has LONG BEFORE I HAVE EVEN POSTED THE GRADES IN MY RECORDS. By asking to see this sheet parents can have up-to-the-minute grades from their son. I should have been notified by a progress report my son was doing poorly. At the time interim/progress reports were turned into the office, the student had a "C-" or higher grade, however, since that date he may have scored very low on a major test, or did not submit a report on an issue of faith or morals. Either of these occurances is usually sifficient to cause a grade to drop significantly. Because the classes meet only every other day, there was not enough time to notify the parents about this turn of events since it happened so close to the time of the report card. We go to Mass regularly, how can my son be failing Religion? Contrary to popular opinion, one has nothing to do with the other. Going to Mass is putting faith into practice. Studying Religion is learning about the faith one is practicing. Studying for tests and quizzes, doing reports and turning homework in on time are part of the responibilities of going to school. Many students, and many parents see Religion as a "Blow-off" class requiring no work. As long as Religion is considered an academic subject, it is necessary to test students on their grasp of knowledge and give them assignments which will enrich their knowledge of Catholicism. The reports I assign, if all are completed correctly, should provide an easy way to "minimally" pass Religion even if the test scores are low. Why are there two classes in the Junior year? De La Salle is constantly trying to upgrade the Religion credits offered to our students. As a consequence, Freshman year has now achieved full credit status by being offered 5 days out of 6. Sophomore and Senior years are still both 1/2 credit courses and rotate with other required or elective semester courses. Junior Religion is now a full credit. To accomplish this both course 131 and course 132 are semester courses, which when combined will equal 1 full credit for Junior year. Hence students meet for either 131 or 132 one semester then switch at the break. Religion is now 3 full credits instead of the previous 2 credits of years past. Why do I have to do all these reports? Junior students are required to do 1 report per marking period which should approximately total 30 - 40 percent of the total points for a marking period. This provides a simple way to balance poor tests with an easy report grade. A good quality report would help to maintain a "C" grade in the event tests and quizzes are very low. In addition to this, the reports offer an opportunity to learn about the issues of faith and morals now facing the Church. Students often fail to realize they are learning skills such as reading and analysis, writing proper grammar and spelling, all of which they will need in college; plus they learn facts about faith or moral issues while all the while saving or improving their grade. Why do I need to take Religion for all four years at DLS? High school is usually the last time students will have the opportunity to learn about their faith and moral behavior. These faith and moral issues will be the ones which last them a lifetime and which they will pass on to their children. Seldom do people take formal training in the Scriptures, the sacraments, morality, or the History of their Church after completing their high school career. Why is the develpment of faith so important? Faith in God is the only thing in life which can be passed on to our children which can provide a source of strength to help us get through tough times such as a diagnosis of cancer, a failing marriage, a tragic unexpected death of a loved one, etc. Without faith what else is there for us to hold on to and give us some hope? Why do I need to memorize prayers? Can't I just say what I want to God? Most definitely, informal, personal prayer to God is wonderful. But there are times when we pray as a group. It is at this time we need to have some standard prayers that everyone knows. Also, these prayers, especially the rosary are the traditional prayers of the Church. Stories within the Church's traditions tell us that the rosary was given to us by the Blessed Mother herself. She made promises of a holy death and a preservation of our freedoms if we would only say the rosary regularly. Also, memorization is a skill often found to be useful in college... but is becoming a lost art. I am trying to help you develop a skill you will need later in college. Mr. Turner's grades often seem to be delayed in being posted. Why? I do not post grades daily as some teachers. I have been spending more time in preparing lessons for new classes I am teaching and also I take deliberate time correcting written reports. I think it is necessary to try to correct as many spelling and grammar errors as possible so that in the future, the student will be superior to those who are careless with their spelling and grammar and presentation style. This will lead to better chances in college, and a far better chance at employment of choice. As to posting grades, usually parents can expect to see anything done during the previous week will be posted on Sunday. So by Monday, with the exception of written reports, [which take about 21 days to check a full set] all quiz or test scores should be entered and posted for viewing. As time goes on, I will make every effort to post as soon as possible. BUT FOR NOW BE SURE TO CHECK ON MONDAYS FOR THE MOST CURRENT GRADES [except for reports]. The best way to contact me is by e-mail. I check that daily and respond as soon as possible to e-mails. Phone calls [school number and extension 438] are returned but I often only check phone calls once or twice per week, usually on Thursdays. Where should I go to get the best first hand information of my son's progress? The very best source of what is happening in class, what was the most recent quiz scores (often checked in class), etc., is to ASK YOUR SON. He knows what is going on. I ALSO PROVIDE A GRADE SHEET THAT STUDENTS CAN UPDATE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY SO THEY HAVE THEIR SCORES LONG BEFORE I HAVE POSTED THEM. They know, OR SHOULD KNOW, where they stand anytime you want to ask them. I will always be willing to VERIFY what they have told you. |
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