1st year on exec pta and my child got assigned the "worst" teacher in grad

[Anonymous]

I really don't want to do the wrong thing here. There are two teachers in my school that every parent seems to have words about. My child got one of those two teachers for this year. I am really upset because we are in the midst of diagnosing potential ADD, and I wrote a whole long letter explaining my child's issues, and describing the right fit for her. From what I hear, this teacher is the opposite of what i wrote down. I am also upset that I am giving away my time almost full time to support the school on the exec board of the PTA. I am "friendly" with the principal, but not very close.

I don't really want to go in and ruffle feathers, but am not happy about her placement. I don't know what to do. The advice I'm being given is running the gamut of "there is nothing you can do", to "go in there and ask for her to be switched". I feel sick to my stomach about it. Especially because all four of the other grade level teachers are supposed to be good. I feel like this is some thanks for all my time I'm giving.

Thoughts???

[Anonymous]

That you are on PTA has absolutely nothing to do with this. Nothing. Less than nothing.

That you think your daughter won't get a good education because of this placement is a valid issue.

Why not ask for a short meeting with the principal and ask about the placement. "DD has ADD and I think would benefit from X. I've heard that teacher A is really more of a Y teacher than an X teacher. Can you explain the reasoning behind putting DD in Teacher A's class?" Then listen to the answer and go from there.

[Anonymous]

ok thx

[Anonymous]

Ugh, referencing your devotion to the PTA would count against you HUGELY in my book. It sounds incredibly entitled and obnoxious.

Secondly, I'd avoid asking for justification for why your chidl was put in a particular class. No principal or administrator can offer this kind of input to parents - there are a host of factors, most of which have nothing to do with your child personally (gender balance etc.) And surely some of it is just fate. So if you go in demanding to know why your child was put in a particular class, I suspect you'll get stonewalled.

Finally, if you really want to change your child's assignment, I would strongly urge waiting it out. Protesting a teacher assignment based on rumor/hearsay is only going to get you cited as a PITA. No school can move every child whose parent has heard something negative about their teacher! Wait until you have amassed real evidence of a conflict between the teacher's approach/personality and your child's educational needs, and then petition for a change. Your chances of success are much higher.

PS - waiting it out also leaves open another possibility: you may be pleasantly surprised. The rumor mill isn't foolproof after all, and your understanding of what your child MUST HAVE in a teacher may not be either.

[Anonymous]

Im not specialist, but since I have ADD amd so does a lot of my family, I can tell you that maybe your dc will work well with this teacher. All hope is not lost, maybe this teacher will really click with your dc
You said you are in the midst of diagnosing potential ADD, maybe your child was bored with the prior teachers and was acting out? Again, I'm no specialist but since yu don't actually have the diagnosis yet you may just be surprised to see how your child acts in a different class setting
Good luck

[Anonymous]

If the teacher your child has is incompetent or abusive, etc., then you should be advocating having her removed regardless of whether your child was assigned to her class. On the other hand, if you believe that she is good enough to teach other kids at the school, then she is good enough to teach yours. If your child needs special services that aren't offered at this school, then you should be looking into having her transferred. Signing up for the PTA isn't a golden ticket to sticking other people's kids with the "worst" teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don't want to do the wrong thing here. There are two teachers in my school that every parent seems to have words about. My child got one of those two teachers for this year. I am really upset because we are in the midst of diagnosing potential ADD, and I wrote a whole long letter explaining my child's issues, and describing the right fit for her. From what I hear, this teacher is the opposite of what i wrote down. I am also upset that I am giving away my time almost full time to support the school on the exec board of the PTA. I am "friendly" with the principal, but not very close.

I don't really want to go in and ruffle feathers, but am not happy about her placement. I don't know what to do. The advice I'm being given is running the gamut of "there is nothing you can do", to "go in there and ask for her to be switched". I feel sick to my stomach about it. Especially because all four of the other grade level teachers are supposed to be good. I feel like this is some thanks for all my time I'm giving.

Thoughts???

Translation... Children of PTA members should be rewarded in some way....

[Anonymous]

OP, you said "from what I have heard..." with reference to this teacher. Please give the teacher a chance, and don't judge this teacher based on what other people say. I had a neighbor who had nothing but negative things to say about one teacher, but my DS ended up loving that class, as I. Everyone has their own particular reasons for liking/not liking teachers, but wait and see how things go before even thinking about asking for a class transfer.

The whole PTA thing has nothing to do with it all. When I was active in the PTA I formed friendly relationships with a lot of the teachers and the administrators, but I never tried to use that to get favors for my children. It is a sure way to earn yourself a negative reputation.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, what is up with not one but TWO threads in this forum today suggesting that there is some kind of connection between PTA and classroom assignments. As a PTA person who HATES when people try to micromanage this kind of thing, I really hate people trying to make some kinds of connection when there isn't any.

[Anonymous]

I also would separate the PTA service from the issue you are having.

And I would be inclined to give the teacher a chance. Schools actually put a lot of time/thought into student placement. I would trust their judgement - at least until you have evidence that this is not a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Not to be obnoxious, but lets be honest: there are some bad teachers at schools, unfortunately. At my children's school, there are a couple of teachers that are just really bad and universally disliked. One in particlarly, parents dread and kids take a good year or two to recover from the fear this teacher instilled.

If you work nearly fulltime volunteering to help the school, wouldnt you be really disappointed if your kid got that teacher? MIght you feel less inclined to volunteer in the future if your kid is miserable at school?

Agree though that you cant cite that at all in a request for a change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to be obnoxious, but lets be honest: there are some bad teachers at schools, unfortunately. At my children's school, there are a couple of teachers that are just really bad and universally disliked. One in particlarly, parents dread and kids take a good year or two to recover from the fear this teacher instilled.

If you work nearly fulltime volunteering to help the school, wouldnt you be really disappointed if your kid got that teacher? MIght you feel less inclined to volunteer in the future if your kid is miserable at school?

Agree though that you cant cite that at all in a request for a change.

Might you be really disappointed if your kid got that teacher, even if you aren't on the PTA?

[Anonymous]

If you are going to pursue this, please do it now, before the school year starts. It's virtually impossible to switch a child once the class lists are posted, because of the trickle effect. You have a better chance of getting something done if you handle this before everyone knows that your child was moved.

[Anonymous]

I agree. Be very nice, attentive and understanding, but I absolutely wouldn't wait till later. It will just never happen unless there is a problem that forces the change.

[Anonymous]

OP is trolling