Teachers - do you get to pick some of your students?

[Anonymous]

It varies from school to school, because the process depends completely on the administrators. But it's never random. If a teacher had the kid the year before and is moving up a grade, then there is always consideration of who should stay with the teacher, if the whole class should stay with the teacher, etc.

[Anonymous]

An elementary school teacher told me she specifically requested my child. I was very happy she did. She wasn't a "popular" teacher with parents, but understood my kid and was a great advocate for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It varies from school to school, because the process depends completely on the administrators. But it's never random. If a teacher had the kid the year before and is moving up a grade, then there is always consideration of who should stay with the teacher, if the whole class should stay with the teacher, etc.

This has happened at our ES a few times and the only time I felt it was okay was the virtual year and the year after because of extenuating circumstances, but the favoritism I've seen when they do it this way, especially when it's one of the "good teachers" is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the spring we meet to put together classes for the next grade level, but in 30 years I have never chosen students from the grade level below.

ES Teacher

If you could would you pick the cool kids? or the quite kids or the just okay kids?

What the F is a “cool kid” in elementary. You understand we the teachers don’t think that way about kids right? they’re kids, they’re not cool to us.

Seriously.....parents are ridiculous with the "Cool kid" nonsense. Parents engineer friendships to create the cool kid group and it starts in ES. Very sad.

Your kid is either cool or not, and it’s very evident even in early grades who is cool and who is not.

-not a cool kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the spring we meet to put together classes for the next grade level, but in 30 years I have never chosen students from the grade level below.

ES Teacher

If you could would you pick the cool kids? or the quite kids or the just okay kids?

What the F is a “cool kid” in elementary. You understand we the teachers don’t think that way about kids right? they’re kids, they’re not cool to us.

Seriously.....parents are ridiculous with the "Cool kid" nonsense. Parents engineer friendships to create the cool kid group and it starts in ES. Very sad.

Your kid is either cool or not, and it’s very evident even in early grades who is cool and who is not.

-not a cool kid

NP but I have second and 4th grade girls and I really don't think there are "cool kids" at my kids' large and diverse school. It's much larger than the school I went to as a child, so there are a lot of different groups, maybe that's the difference. All that matters to me is that my children have sweet, kind friends and they do.

[Anonymous]

A friend is a NoVa (but not FCPS) teacher and she described it like this -
1. Special Needs and English Language Learners are placed first to check for conflicts with the support staff that provides services to those populations.
2. Layer in the gifted cohorts.
3. Check for any native language or racial minorities. Try to make sure they have at least one kid who speaks their language or shares their culture - based on a form parents fill out.
4. Spread out the kids who are left to balance the gender ratio and avoid known personality conflicts.
5. Honor teacher preferences if it doesn’t mess up #1-3 in that order of priority.
6. Parent requests are last and only if the teacher agrees.
4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is when a difficult class group has been assigned to an experienced teacher, but over the summer that teacher moves, or changes grade level or whatever, and they hire a new teacher and still give her the tough class. I saw this happen where I taught and the new teacher had to leave at the end of the year, because they were going to fire her. She had some awfully hard kids.

They also put so many kids with IEPs in one elementary room that it is really no longer a gen ed room. The special ed teacher for the grade level, or an IA, is in there for most academic periods, but the kids with IEPs who need just a little support are often overlooked because there are so many who need more.

My child is in a class that has both special Ed and gifted cohorts and it has been a fantastic experience. His room has a teacher, special Ed teacher, and a full time aid. The gifted teacher visits them a few times a week. I think it has given my gifted kid an appreciation that different people learn differently.

[Anonymous]

Next year, at the school I recently left, there will be ONE main concern: How to split up all the many, many serious behavior issue kids. Problematically? Too many of these kids and not enough classrooms. It'll just be more of the same, with no one able to learn and more teachers leaving mid year because at some point, it's not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the spring we meet to put together classes for the next grade level, but in 30 years I have never chosen students from the grade level below.

ES Teacher

If you could would you pick the cool kids? or the quite kids or the just okay kids?

What the F is a “cool kid” in elementary. You understand we the teachers don’t think that way about kids right? they’re kids, they’re not cool to us.

Seriously.....parents are ridiculous with the "Cool kid" nonsense. Parents engineer friendships to create the cool kid group and it starts in ES. Very sad.

Your kid is either cool or not, and it’s very evident even in early grades who is cool and who is not.

-not a cool kid

The adults do not care. We do not look at the kids and go “wow aiden is so cool I want him in my class so I have the cool class.” Be for real. We don’t get any say about who ends up in our class or not but if we did I promise you it wouldn’t be done by ferreting out “cool” kids, it would be done by finding a balance between outgoing and shy, different strengths and personalities, etc.