Is this an absolute 'no no'?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:05 here.

And if you need to be PITA, so what?

I totally agree, and would add that in my experience, based on 8 years of having kids in MCPS, it's better to be a (selective) PITA than not. Squeaky wheels definitely get the grease, and quiet mice get the shaft.

Sad but true.

Quiet mice are the parents of the children who will grow up having learned from a variety of teachers with different teaching styles and will do well in their careers, where there are always a variety of bosses with different management styles. The children who have had their teachers hand-picked for them to suit their personalities will have a hard time in the real world.

10:09 here. I was speaking in a general way, not with regard to OP's situation in particular. Leaving aside the question of the teacher assignment process, it is true, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that in MCPS (or probably any public school system) you must advocate for your child's needs. If you don't, no one else will.

I do imagine it's too late for OP to have any success in influencing her DC's teacher this year, but it is worth a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Quiet mice are the parents of the children who will grow up having learned from a variety of teachers with different teaching styles and will do well in their careers, where there are always a variety of bosses with different management styles. The children who have had their teachers hand-picked for them to suit their personalities will have a hard time in the real world.

I think there's a middle ground here that some parents can successfully navigate. It would be wonderful if all the teachers in the local school systems were moderately competent, and if every classroom was conducive to learning. But that's not the case: some teachers are truly incompetent, but allowed to keep their jobs, and some administrators will only act when parents raise their voices. Young adults should indeed be able to navigate "different management styles," but the same isn't necessarily true for younger children.

So, count my voice among those who'd encourage the OP to send a letter that explains how her child learns best (which many teachers request in any event once the school year begins), and not to hesitate if her child's needs are not being met.

[Anonymous]

Speaking as a teacher who's been in this position, it makes things awkward among colleagues and causes friction - especially if certain teachers collaborate on a regular basis. (Don't think people won't talk.)

[Anonymous]

It is not uncommon for a parent to ask to have a child assigned to a teacher who taught a sibling or if the teacher moves grades and taught the child before. I didn't see anything in th OP that indicated the principal has a don't ask policy. And I fail to understand why pps think just asking would make a parent seem like a pain in the ass. It is possible to make a request without it seeming like a demand. I can't say I would refrain from trying to get my child into the best class for her because it might cause friction between the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its been done before and will be done again. The request should be made to the principal at the school.

That it's been done is no argument for doing it. Some schools explicitly state that requests for a specific teacher will not be considered.

What is the down side of asking? The principal says no? The principal thinks you are an over active pia parent? So what. OP, I would ask.

Where there is a stated school policy against teacher requests, the downside of your making such a request is that you reveal yourself to be a person who does not respect rules and policy, who believes that you are the exception to the rule, and who wastes the school administrators' time and resources. These negative inferences that can reasonably be drawn about you can affect the school's impression of your child as well.

But go ahead: be the PITA parent. Someone has to be on the bottom rung.

I think that you are not giving teachers enough credit. I doubt a professional educator would treat a child poorly because of the sins of a parent. Good grief, teachers are adults not children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a teacher who's been in this position, it makes things awkward among colleagues and causes friction - especially if certain teachers collaborate on a regular basis. (Don't think people won't talk.)

Also speaking as teacher, I know that there are more incompetent teachers in our school than I would like to admit. I would not blame parents in the least for trying to get their dc moved to classroom where actually learning was happening in an organized and interesting fashion. Unfortunate is the child that tries to learn from some of these other. There are great teachers in some grades and not so great. Who do want teaching your child? And if it happens to be private school, even more so.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the posters who have argued for *selective* intervention.

Squeaky wheels do get the grease. If you are silent, you may get the short end of the stick (piling metaphor on metaphor). We have seen kids with math test scores in the high 90s get excluded from advanced math because the school wanted to put other kids in the class for whatever reason, including other families who pushed harder.

On the downside, we also know parents who micromanage every aspect of their kids' careers - to the point of getting the school to send out previews of the quarterly math placement tests. While these kids have done well in terms of magnet placement, you have to wonder how capable they will be after they leave the nest. The kids must be aware that mommy is making everything happen for them, and how good is that for self-confidence? You don't want your kids to be these kids.