Do people really request teachers?

[Anonymous]

I requested it at a MCPS before last school year. I wanted my DS to have the same teacher for 1st grade that he did for K (The teacher moved up a grade). The teacher was very good but my primary issue was familiarity.

The principal denied the request but she was nice enough to assure me that the teacher they assigned would be the perfect fit for my DS and his personality. She was absolutely right. He had a tremedous year and he adored the teacher - would run through a wall for her.

This told me 2 things. (1) that sometimes, despite what DCUM leads you to believe, some teachers and administrators DO know better than the parents. (2) That, at least at THIS school, the administrators do pay attention to the potential fit between kid and teacher. Rest assured, as long as he is at that school, I do not need to make the request.

[Anonymous]

Better than requesting a teacher is to request a teacher's attributes. Does your child have any special needs (ADD/ADHD, Learning Disability, etc.)? If not, your request really is not meaningful and I would not advise doing it. But if so, request a teacher with the right qualities you want. Be sure to explain why you are making the request also.

[Anonymous]

At previous MCPS ES, if you made any request re: placement (even if it was not a teacher request) the principal would do exactly the opposite for no other reason except to be spiteful.

Does your school start with the letter T?

[Anonymous]

I didn't the first several years b/c I didn't want to be a PITA, then I realized that everyone does. So I made a request last year and it was honored but apparently happened very last minute b/c my dd was on the list for a different teacher than the one I requested and she ended up with. I don't know if they made that change to be nice or because they had to do some last minute shuffling and decided that since I requested the other teacher, they might as well just move my dd.

[Anonymous]

Do not make the request to school.

Talk to your child's current homeroom teacher, and ask her to make the recommendation.

THAT is how it is done.

[Anonymous]

Face to face with Principal gets it done. Email requests not even read. We made it clear why we absolutely did not want a particular teacher rather than why we did want another. The Principal was receptive of that conversation.