Personal Dealing with Teacher Troubles: A Parent's Story (A First Grade Rant)

[vanscootin]

I know there are a few teacher/consultants out there so I feel ok ranting and looking for feedback on what I should do....

My daughter is 6 and in the first grade. We moved to this school district because the schools are supposed to be one of the best in the area. I am having such a hard time with her teacher that I don't even want to send her to school anymore. Little back story for you.... in October when they had parent teacher conferences I went in and was sideswiped by her teacher, the guidance counselor and the math teacher. They told me she was having behavior problems, not doing her work etc. and they wanted to implement this behavior notebook where she was to get 12 smiley faces a day. All the work I got home home had stars and was completed but I said ok, if she's having problems this will get her to try and acheive the goal and stay on track. I had to sign the book every day. Fine. Well she started coming home with like 9s or 10s... one day she had a 6. No notes as to why she was losing her smiley faces. In December I get a call from the school psychologist requesting a meeting with the principal, her teacher, the guidance counselor. They nitpicked at her and tore her apart. I told them they can't expect a 6 year old to stay on task for 8 hours. The teacher tells me "All my students are 6." Duh. I asked that there be notes put in her notebook so I know why she is losing her smiley faces. Ok. So I start getting notes and some of them are off the wall. For example, she lost a smiley face because she was concerned about another student not having a seat at the lunch table. She lost one because she "acted silly" in line. The teacher also told her that she wasn't allowed to wear sneakers that tie because she won't help her tie them if they come undone. My daughter can tie, but she doesn't always get them tight. These daily notes had become "tattle tales" on her with no indication of how the situation was rectified... nor was there ever a note on what she did right. Only focused on the negative. Her math papers started coming home with her name circled. I couldn't figure out why. She writes better than other 6 year olds. So we practiced writing her name. Then I realized she wasn't putting her home room teacher's letter after her name. When we started doing that the math teacher started nitpicking the way she makes the y in her name. Instead of a straight tail, she curves it. It's MATH CLASS!!!! So now I've had enough of the nitpicking on my child. I get her on the bus every morning with a smile. She's ready to go put her best foot forward and try again... but inevitabley she comes off the bus in tears. I wrote the teacher a strongly worded note. Took 3 days to get any type of response back from the teacher. They decided to take the notebook away. Great, less pressure. I'm at a loss as to what to do. My kid has personality...she's a tough cookie and has only been around adults. She marches to her own dummer. She knows she is 6 but she thinks like a little adult. I refuse to let the school to turn my vibrant beautiful child into a little lemming because she doesn't fit their so called mold. I'm pissed that the feedback I got from my note to the teacher was "thank you for your note, perhaps the behavior book is not the best way to keep you updated." I'm at a total loss as to what to do. I will defend my daughter as much as I have to, but in first grade I shouldn't have to.

 

[babywings76]

So sorry to hear you and your daughter are going through all this! I'd have a meeting with just the teacher and you. One on one to discuss your feelings. Is there any way to switch her to a different teacher? Some teachers are just different than others. My daughter is in 6th grade now and we were having a HORRIBLE year this year. I met with the teacher and we discussed my concerns and came to an understanding. I see the teachers view point, and she saw mine and we figured out how to get through this. In 3rd grade she had a horrible year with a teacher who came down hard on her and met with me at conference time and said all this bad stuff about my daughter. She'd come home in tears or visibly crushed and I could tell she was fighting back tears. It was rough. But the next 2 years she had amazing teachers who LOVED her, loved her personality, loved her artistic ability and had nothing but positive things to say about her. So I really do think a lot of it is in the teacher's personality and expectations and teaching style. See if they can switch her class if things don't improve. I'd really insist on it...pretend a new student moved in, it's possible to add a kid to a class if need be.Good luck!

 

[debbieskitchenhelper]

I can so relate you your concern. My one granddaughter is in kindergarden this year. She is a sweetheart but it takes her alittle while to catch on to things but when she gets it, she's got it. Anyway she was so excited to start kindergarden and had a fantastic teacher, sweet and loving towards the kids and bubbly. Well, the school decided that there were too many kids in the 4 kindergardens so they took (randomly they said) some kids from each of the 4 kindergardens and made a 5th class. Hired a new teacher and set them up in a room and made it a new kindergarden class. Now my granddaugher does not want to go to school anymore. Cries every morning when she has to go, always ask how many more days till I don't have to go? Her mom and I have had several conferences with the new teacher. She is not fuzzy, warm etc. she is brand new to teaching, no kids of her own and I feel she is to much by the book. I have had phone calls with her etc. She says she is having problems with Mckenna listening and not doing what she is told. We tried to get her switched back to the other class and we cannot get that to happen. My daughter is so tempted to take her out of school. It has been a real concern because kindergarden is suppose to be the foundation of your school years and she is so unhappy. I am going to get my backgound check done so I can go in and start helping with the class and I can see for myself what is happening. She is picked on my other students,, it is just a big mess and my heart is breaking for her. So yes I can definately relate to your situation. I hope some on here and really offer some good advice.

 

[chefsteph07]

Oh this breaks my heart!!! I think alot of times, teachers don't know how to deal with kids are not "cookie cut outs"...meaning, not every child is the same and they don't know what to do w them! I"m actually surprised that they haven't suggested testing yet for ADD and try to medicate her! I would be furious as well...I'd have a meeting w/ that teacher AND the principal. I'd have the principal in on ALL of this..maybe it's just the teacher and NOT your daughter! Is the teacher older, younger?

Nothing is going to be resolved until you have a little sit down w/ this teacher. I don't think your concerns are unwarranted. The last thing you want is for your daughter to start hating school, that could follow her all through her years! Let us know how it goes and keep us posted.

 

[lt1jane]

The last thing you want is for your daughter to start hating school, that could follow her all through her years!

That is exactly what happened to my sister! My parents made the mistake of movingin the middle of the school year. My sister was in Kindergarten and loving it. The new teacher was completely different from her old one and so was the curriculum. In the old school, they were about to start learning to read (this was 1974) in the new school, reading was taught in 1st grade. The teacher actually yelled at her and told her to quit asking when they were going to learn to read!

I can't believe that a school was actually dumb enough to break up students mid-year to create another class. It's extrememly disruptive to kids and their routines. It takes a few months for kids and teacher to get to know each other and get into a routine. Pulling some kids into another classroom starts that process all over... How horrible!

 

[Shawnna]

Sounds like a personality issue to me.

My son went thru that when we moved to a new school district when he started 2nd grade. His previous teachers had all raved about how well behaved he was, how smart and helpful he was and he loved school. When we moved he came home grumpy and moody...but when I talked to his teacher she would say he was doing well...all A's. When I finally got him to talk to me he said it was because she put him in what he called the "slow" reading group. He said he had already read the book before Christmas the previous year. So, I called his teacher and she told me she put him there because she didn't know where to put him...his previous school didn't give letter grades, they gave S's and she couldn't tell where he needed to be. But, she moved him to a different group and he did fine. She never called his previous school. At report card time my husband went to parent teacher conference and talked to the teacher who said Heath was doing so well...he had 98-100 in every class. My husband talked to her about whether he was doing well because it was too easy for him. Her reply was "well, I can make it hard on him". He explained that he didn't want her to make it hard on him, but he did want him to be challenged so he didn't get bored. I don't know what happened, but after that 1st nine weeks something "clicked" between them and he started to do much better in school. He wasn't bored anymore.


My youngest son didn't have problems with teachers, but he was...and still is...very mobile. I always had to make sure he was put with a teacher who would challenge him so he would stay focused on the task at hand...otherwise he could get into trouble. He is a sophomore now and taking AP classes and plans to take college classes next year.

If the problem is that she is bored with what she is learning then perhaps she needs to be challenged more. The teacher may not be equipped to do that for her. She may not know how to handle a child that needs "more". Ask the principal to observe the class. If you could observe without actually being in the classroom that would be good...but if you are in the classroom she won't behave as she usually does. And, the teacher may not behave as she normally does with the principal in the classroom.

Above all, do whatever it takes to stand up for your child. Don't just take their word for it. At that age they are very fragile. You don't want her to be labeled as a troubled child because it will follow her thru the rest of school and she will never like school.

 

[lkhartmann]

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG:
I have one daughter who is now 14. She excelled in pre school and it wasn't a day care rather they taught the kids. She gets to Kindergarten and I keep hearing how bad she was.. I am a Social Worker and I really believe there are no bad kids, just bad behaviors..She was with her friends and she talked. ... One day my daughter and her best friend came home crying because the teacher had read a story about two friends who fought all the time and then said to Drew.. You would be upset if something happened to Jenna. My daughter has a life threatening heart condition, and the teacher and Drew both knew it... I was furious called the principal and the Diocese and left the catholic church over it... How dare she. In public school I was given the behavior book as well. After the first month or so, Jenna would adjust and be fine... By third grade tho' I felt like I was being pecked to death by the school because I would get notes and emails about every little thing. One day I called my husband to pick up Jenna because I had a horrible day at work and needed transition time. The teacher refused to let her go with him until I came to the school. There were no custody issues etc. I got there to find out Jenna had pushed her math book into her best friends mathbook. Nothing else, no words, just disturbed her best friend. I am not condoning, Jenna's behavior, but really you wouldn't let my child and husband leave? When I got to the school, I blew up, swore at the teacher quite loudly (did I say I was heading for transition time) and it damaged the relationship between me and the district. Plus I had a child coming home every day crying she hated school. In 2007, I walked away from Pampered Chef (directorship, over $200,000 in sales and a great business) because I felt like the school issues were a full time job, in addition to my regular job and managing Jenna's medical issues. I say this because.... I am going to talk in hindsight.. I would have NOT agreed to a behavior book, because IMO it became something they were looking for.... I would have said... evaluate her or leave me and her alone... I finally said that in 4th grade and it became another battle because they didn't want to evaluate her, rather wanted me to ensure she behaved in class and didn't disturb others. I asked them to separate the desks so she wasn't always in a group setting they refused. They said she had ADHD, I took her to a psychiatrist who said no way.. I finally took her for my own evaluations after the cardiologist said lots of time, kids who have had heart surgeries have anoxia brain injury... which causes impulse issues... After many battles, and taking her for my own evaluations, I know now that Jenna does have Traumatic Brain Injury and Auditory PRocessing Disorder, NOT A behavior problem..... rather a learning disabilities. I fought back and now I have an 8th grader who is an honor student, in the band, in drama, and the supports she needs to make this happen... (sits by herself no more group work it is to distracting)
Believe you know your daughter and you are her advocate.... stop the behavior book and ask for something else if it is that much of an issue. They are focusing on the negative, rather than the positive... (ie showing compassion for the child who didn't have a seat) IF it continues... ask them to evaluate her or SHUT UP!!! Seriously I said that to the head of the Child Study TEam. I am in no way saying your child has a Learning Disability, however, make them evaluate her to show if nothing else she is fine, and it is the teacher not her. Be the advocate for her and don't assume the educators know best.. Read any of the Wrights Law books. Take someone with you anytime you meet with anyone from the school. It is amazing how they treat someone by themselve, or when they have support... Most of all.. believe your daughter, and tell her you think she is great... it took over a year of therapy and many nights of holding my daughter to undo the damage done to her because she didn't fit in the box.... I wish I had fought harder sooner...... PS... Now I really piss them off..... I am on the school board as well.... :!)

 

[Sheila]

School is supposed to be a positive experience for ALL the children. I'm sorry that so many of you have had or are currently having issues. My 2 aren't old enough to be in school yet. When my 3 nephews lived with me (18 months), we didn't have any issues like this with the school. But my best friend had some issues when her daughter was in 6th grade with how the daughter was back talking the teachers. I'm like a 2nd mom to her, so I wasn't overstepping my bounds with the family when I threatened the child that I could (and WOULD) go to school with her every single day, stand her up & give her an attitude adjustment in class in front of every single classmate every time she was rude to a teacher until she learned to talk nicely to them. (I worked nights & could do this, both her parents worked days.) She believed me & didn't test the theory. But it was HER issue, not a teacher issue at that age. So it was easier to solve. She changed her attitude drastically between 8th & 9th grade (after she & I had another long talk), learning to LOVE school. She was a teacher's pet all 4 years of High School and on the A Honor Roll her entire 4 years in High School. I've also done some time working as a substitute teacher on the military base in Okinawa. Mostly 2nd grade, with some K, 1st & 3rd mixed in too. I've been unfortunate enough to witness teachers who are just mean. I don't understand why someone would stay in a job that they hate so much. They certainly weren't doing the children any good. I often wondered why she didn't go for an older age or just retire if the 2nd graders stressed her out so much. I have to agree with you Dezi. Loosing a smiley for having compassion about another child who doesn't have a seat for lunch? That's absurd on the teacher's part! And all kids act silly at some point. It's their job! The teacher should be warning them once, that NOW is not the appropriate time & then implement the punishment if they don't comply with the request. And what 1st grade teacher doesn't expect to tie shoes all day? Seriously??? Here's my 2 cents, I know you said they quit the book, but if they are going to implement a book they need to list ONE thing that can be improved upon AND one thing that they saw that was impressive. Heck, I'd consider the compassion for the child a lunch as a positive, not a negative! My guess is she's either really new at this or should have retired 5 years ago. In my experience, the ones who are usually the roughest on the kids fall in one of those categories. Not that there's never good teachers who are brand new or nearing retirement ... just seems like that's where most of the crappy ones fall.

 

[jendill]

I would definitely have a sit down with the teacher and principal. Also, save all of the "notes" they are sending home so you have them for the meeting. I would also suggest that at the meeting you work out a behavior plan that you can follow through with at home. (for example: having the same consequence for talking back, calling her back to attention the same way, etc.) I would suggest that together you find 3 behavior issues that you or the teacher wants to change and work on those 3 only. If she is not following the these top three rules, then make a list of consequences together. Be clear that these are the 3 things you and the school will work on and other less important things will have to be over looked for now. I would also make a positive reinforcement plan. It is easier for a teacher to say no news is good news. So work with them on this. When your daughter doesn't come home with a note, she gets a marble in the jar and when it is full, she wins the reward. The teacher should also do the same thing - there should be a reward jar for her at school and when it is full, she will get a special prize. Remember that it will have to be something that the other kids don't know about or you will have lots of other issues. it sounds like nit-picky things, but establishing the 3 things that you will all work on together should help with that. I hope it gets better! P.S. I taught Kindergarten for 5 years and 2nd for you before becoming a Stay at home mom. There is a fine line when dealing with parents and teachers don't always appreciate the uniqueness of each child. As a teacher, your focus is on creating a classroom environment for all students and as a parent, you focus on creating a world for just your child. Have the meeting and see if you can compromise on making the classroom a place where YOUR child can make mistakes, but learn from them.

 

[beckyjsmith]

Dezi-
Wow! I am a teacher and the mother of a 1st grader and 2 kindergartners as well as my high school sophomore. My heart absolutely broke reading your post. No 1st grader should be treated that way. They are clearly nitpicking. Oh my goodness. She is 6 years old.
While some things seem to remain universal ( my kids' teachers won't tie their shoes either,) and they are very consistent with the rules, they go out of their way to praise any type of positive anything. My girls are excellent students- really really- they just "get" school. My oldest son was always a good student- still is. My youngest student is a good student as well- but nowhere near his twin sister. He works SO hard for milestone he achieves, and I love his teacher because she recognizes his hard work on every single report. His handwriting- which was rough in the beginning- has just now reached "s" level. But even when he was making "n"'s- she would always write a note about how much he improved each week. Teachers in all grades should always be doing this. You have to celebrate the small stuff. This teacher is not doing that with your daughter at all.
My best advice? Document, document, document and then meet with the teacher AND the principal. Clearly your first meetings with the teacher did not help. And Why on earth are first graders switching academic teachers?

 

[ChefZee]

I was having problems with my daughter. She is now 5, but missed the cut-off for Kindergarten and since we moved overseas and I'm no longer working, she's not in school. When she was 4 and in school with her BFF, EVERY SINGLE DAY I would dread picking her up cause it was always something negative (like tattle telling sort of) One day it went too far. She and her BFF tag-team and the teacher explained to me that it's better for her to wrangle in 18 students in story time than to chase after our two. During that time, our girls cut each other's hair (IDK why the OTHER teacher felt setting up art supplies was more important than wrangling the 2 "problem children" We (MY BFF and my daughter's BFF's mom) had them separated at school, but after dealing with the issue and speaking with other friends who were more experienced and taught, they said that there isn't supposed to be so much negativity. Even if they had a bad day, they need to high light all the positives and focus on that. Then the child will eventually start living up to all the praise. ALWAYS having bad reports feels like an attack to me and my child and helps no one.

 

[wadesgirl]

I was having problems with my daughter. She is now 5, but missed the cut-off for Kindergarten and since we moved overseas and I'm no longer working, she's not in school. When she was 4 and in school with her BFF, EVERY SINGLE DAY I would dread picking her up cause it was always something negative (like tattle telling sort of) One day it went too far. She and her BFF tag-team and the teacher explained to me that it's better for her to wrangle in 18 students in story time than to chase after our two. During that time, our girls cut each other's hair (IDK why the OTHER teacher felt setting up art supplies was more important than wrangling the 2 "problem children" We (MY BFF and my daughter's BFF's mom) had them separated at school, but after dealing with the issue and speaking with other friends who were more experienced and taught, they said that there isn't supposed to be so much negativity. Even if they had a bad day, they need to high light all the positives and focus on that. Then the child will eventually start living up to all the praise. ALWAYS having bad reports feels like an attack to me and my child and helps no one.

Sounds like my sister's youngest and her BFF. They are 6 and just started kindergarten this year. Both mom's requested that they not be in the same class because they knew that it would cause more problems than good!

 

[otisbg]

I presented this case scenario to my daughter who is finshing up her PHD in educational administration and also a reading intervention instructor in the district. This is her response:

There is more to this story than Mom is being told...
She needs to request a full day visit in the classroom and see her child in action. If given 24 hours notice, schools (public) have to allow you to observe the classroom and daily routine. Rough scenario all the way around, from every angle, at this point in time!

 

[naekelsey]

I agree with otisbg. Since her teacher, the guidance counselor and the math teacher already "met" with you, I would set up a conference with the teacher and the principal. I would also call the head district person to let him or her know what is going on and include this person in the conference. At the conference I would bring all the "notes" that have been sent to you about the "behaviors".Good luck..My heart goes out to your family...

 

[keril]

Wow Vanscootin, I am a teacher and I cannot believe your child's teachers are treating her this way! To ambush you like that at conferences without any kind of prior warning is so unprofessional. And no wonder you were freaked out--I would be too! Unfortunately there are so many teachers and administrators and schools that want "robot" type students who have no personality, do perfect work, and no behavioral problems. Yes, like some have suggested here, you need to DOCUMENT everything: calls, talks, notes, etc. and you need to go above to district if principal is not advocating for you. Good luck, please keep us posted!

 

[heather223]

I agree that you need to document, document, document and set up a meeting with the teacher and the principal. I also agree that you may need to make a visit to classroom. Just be aware that your child and the teacher may act differently than normal because you are there. Let us know how it goes!

 

[ChefZee]

Did you ever have a meeting with the teacher and principal? Whatever came of this?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I know there are a few teacher/consultants out there so I feel ok ranting and looking for feedback on what I should do....

My daughter is 6 and in the first grade. We moved to this school district because the schools are supposed to be one of the best in the area. I am having such a hard time with her teacher that I don't even want to send her to school anymore. Little back story for you.... in October when they had parent teacher conferences I went in and was sideswiped by her teacher, the guidance counselor and the math teacher. They told me she was having behavior problems, not doing her work etc. and they wanted to implement this behavior notebook where she was to get 12 smiley faces a day. All the work I got home home had stars and was completed but I said ok, if she's having problems this will get her to try and acheive the goal and stay on track. I had to sign the book every day. Fine. Well she started coming home with like 9s or 10s... one day she had a 6. No notes as to why she was losing her smiley faces. In December I get a call from the school psychologist requesting a meeting with the principal, her teacher, the guidance counselor. They nitpicked at her and tore her apart. I told them they can't expect a 6 year old to stay on task for 8 hours. The teacher tells me "All my students are 6." Duh. I asked that there be notes put in her notebook so I know why she is losing her smiley faces. Ok. So I start getting notes and some of them are off the wall. For example, she lost a smiley face because she was concerned about another student not having a seat at the lunch table. She lost one because she "acted silly" in line. The teacher also told her that she wasn't allowed to wear sneakers that tie because she won't help her tie them if they come undone. My daughter can tie, but she doesn't always get them tight. These daily notes had become "tattle tales" on her with no indication of how the situation was rectified... nor was there ever a note on what she did right. Only focused on the negative. Her math papers started coming home with her name circled. I couldn't figure out why. She writes better than other 6 year olds. So we practiced writing her name. Then I realized she wasn't putting her home room teacher's letter after her name. When we started doing that the math teacher started nitpicking the way she makes the y in her name. Instead of a straight tail, she curves it. It's MATH CLASS!!!! So now I've had enough of the nitpicking on my child. I get her on the bus every morning with a smile. She's ready to go put her best foot forward and try again... but inevitabley she comes off the bus in tears. I wrote the teacher a strongly worded note. Took 3 days to get any type of response back from the teacher. They decided to take the notebook away. Great, less pressure. I'm at a loss as to what to do. My kid has personality...she's a tough cookie and has only been around adults. She marches to her own dummer. She knows she is 6 but she thinks like a little adult. I refuse to let the school to turn my vibrant beautiful child into a little lemming because she doesn't fit their so called mold. I'm pissed that the feedback I got from my note to the teacher was "thank you for your note, perhaps the behavior book is not the best way to keep you updated." I'm at a total loss as to what to do. I will defend my daughter as much as I have to, but in first grade I shouldn't have to.

I could have written all of this about my son. We had almost the same scenario when he was in Kindergarten. Basically - his teacher just didn't like him, and there was drama all year. I wish I'd been smarter about it, because I should have insisted he be removed from her class. And because she was a long time teacher, the principal and the school social worker both just went along with her explanation for everything that was happening. She wanted my son medicated and also in our very first parent-teacher conference (after 6 weeks of school!) she hijacked us with the statement that she was sure my son was "on the spectrum" (for Autism) and needed to be tested. We were completely shocked by this. I couldn't see it, but I went ahead and made an appointment with our Dr. to have him tested. Our Dr. did some testing and pretty much LAUGHED at the teacher in his office. His observations were pretty much the same as ours. We have a very smart kid, who is an only child, used to doing his own thing, and used to communicating with adults. She just didn't know how to handle him, and she pretty much admitted that. It ended up being a miserable year for all of us.
He is in 2nd grade now, and still has challenges with school - but all of them stem from not being challenged enough academically, and because of his intelligence, having a problem fitting in socially sometimes. When he is with a group of intellectual peers (As opposed to age-group peers) he does wonderfully better. But - his teacher is much better and I don't have to dread the every day litany of wrongs done by him that he had in K-garten.

 

[rchamelin]

Thus is why we homeschool. I do not like how schools focus cookie cutting education. When you have a child that is great at math, you shouldnt hold them back because they are advance because other children are and when you have a child who needs a little more help, you should punish their recess because they need an extra boost, nor should you just pass them to keep up. You shouldnt punish other kids for them needing extra help too. We are liking the ACE program, they could be in 3rd grade math, 2 grade reading, and 5th grade language. Its all on the child. You can ruin potential of children doing the cookie cutter system
Im sorry you have to do this. Have you thought about homeschooling for a year, just to try it out, maybe it will either give you the understanding of the teacher or it will prove that it will allow your child grow more than you thought. There are so many curriculums out there

 

[vanscootin]

Did you ever have a meeting with the teacher and principal? Whatever came of this?

Thanks everyone for all your posts... I've still been stewing over her teacher and the whole school, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only parent out there with these issues.

I emailed the principal and her teacher requesting a meeting. Never got a response back. This was after 2 notes came home in the same day from 2 different teachers. They were so off the wall that I wrote back crazy responses.

 

[esavvymom]

My neighbor friend is dealing with something very similar with her 5yr DS in preschool. She said they have a green/yellow/red system. He is probably ADD, but he is VERY smart. His teacher seems to always be tattling on him for stupid things. He never gets a. "green". But my ds who is now 10 was very much like her son is now when he was that age. We have talked to them alot over the past year over various behavior issues we had and how we handled them with HIM. Wth ADD, you cant do the same things as non-ADD kids. Just doesnt work as well.

Anyway, I had already made thebobservation with her that her son was BORED probably in school. Sure enough....as he has gotten older this year, he has started telling her that. The class is doing simple ABCs and he already can do some reading and writing, yeah, he is not going to sit around for that. This week she and I were talking and I was thinking about you and your daughter as my friend was telling me how her son never gets gree, but she praises him if he comes home without getting a red! I asked her why the teacher doesnt look for a POSITIVE in the kids instead of always looking for the negatives! She apparently said the same thing to the teacher. He goes into Kindergarten next year and she found a pricate school with small classrooms thatnsounds perfect for him. The teacher acknowledged her and her concern and simply stated that this little boy is God's design for who he is, they treat each child individually.


I homeschool....this is a huge reason because I know my son would have gotten lost, for a variety of reason. We have other reasons, but I realize this option is nont for everyone. There is no reason this teacher has to be essentially a grown up bully. Keep close to your sweet baby and heap her with praise. Tlk to her about her day. If the teacher tattles to you, shrug it off, and then get your daughter's side of the story and deal with it that way. If it is no big deal, like the instance of showing concern for another student, praise her or talk about the situation. If she knows YOU are on her side, the teacher will hopefully not dampen her spirit. She has a few more months of school, I pray things improve for you!

 

[CookinWithLynda]

You never received a response back from the principal?!?! Oh, no - NOT acceptable. Even if the principal e-mailed she/he would check their schedule, whatever, it would have been better than NO response. Contact your school board and request a meeting with the liaison (or similar). And...(again) make sure you have all your documentation - especially the e-mail the principal hasn't responded to. Good luck to you and your daughter!!

 

[naekelsey]

Then I would go straight to the District Office with all my notes in hand and see what they will do about it...

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[chefsteph07]

I'd just go up to the school and sit in the office until I met w/ the prinicpal. With the notes of course.

 

[Jean DeVries]

NOT GETTING BACK WITH YOU?????

Unacceptable. Utterly unacceptable.

Go up there. Show up. Or better yet, write a fact-filled and unemotional letter to the Director of Personnel in the district, and CC: the principal and teacher. Lay out the facts, including dates, what you have done, what they have done, and what you are requesting. Then, end with, "If you cannot or will not help me, please direct me to the individual in the district who is willing to keep my money (child) in your district."

In Michigan, school districts are VERY competitive because each child is money in the bank for the districts. They can't afford to lose even one kid because of craptastic teachers. And, your child, my dear, has a craptastic teacher.