Parent Teacher Conference

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm the other poster who is pretty sure I know which school and which teacher you are writing about. You guys need to put pressure on the principal. Everyone loves the school and loves the principal, but the principal needs to put pressure on that teacher to change or leave. She needs to allow parent volunteers in the classroom at the very least. She doesn't want adults to see how she treats the kids and that's a huge problem. I have a preschool kid at a much less popular hill school and I wouldn't stand for this and neither would our principal. Your principal needs to show leadership rather than waiting out a crappy teacher.

[Anonymous]

How has this teacher not been IMPACTED out? Wasn't that the purpose of the whole program?

[Anonymous]

No. The problem with IMPACT is that it only weeds our the worst but does not really eliminate mediocre or build up teachers.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that IMPACT isn't working very well in early childhood yet because principals and evaluators aren't always familiar what "good teaching" looks like. They may walk into an early childhood classroom and find that there is unruly chaos because a messy expeditionary learning project is taking place. Or they see all children playing at different centers and conclude that the teacher is not teaching or doesn't have high expectations, etc.
Also, I'm not sure to what extent the criticisms here would be well captured through IMPACT, which may not place a great emphasis on bonding (and, although I do, not everyone agrees it matters for learning btw), and much less of course on what parents feel. It's emphasis is on effective learning, and I suppose it should. That doesn't mean this situation couldn't be addressed and rectified though, just not using IMPACT. (And let's not abuse and overuse IMPACT. It's one among many tools with its own flaws.)

[Anonymous]

Here's a nice resource--although written for parents of kids with special needs, it's great advice for communicating with the school:
http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/pdf/Steps to Success.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Finally, when my parents brought her home later on that day, my mother asked how the PT conference went, and since DD was right there, I lied and said, "It was great. She said that she's really enjoyed having DD in her class, and that she shows a lot of promise." To that my 4 year old kind of chuckled incredulously and said, "No, she doesn't really like me. She was just joking with you."

No way your four year old has the ability to recognize and understand this alleged wrong.

We get it. You don't like the teacher. You'd like our sympathy in the teacher bashing. Fine, except this is not the way to get it.

I have to disagree, you have no idea what that teacher has said to OP's daughter and you have no idea how perceptive she is. Under the right circumstances I could completely see my DD saying that at 4.

[Anonymous]

As a mother of a child in kindergarten at another wonderful DCPS school, I can tell you that I'd be shocked and worried if we experienced even half of what the OP describes. Both of our daughter's pre-k and k teachers have been nothing but open, warm, caring, communicative, and deeply interested in their students' happiness, sense of well being, fun, and learning. And it showed in everything they did. I think OP should follow her instincts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a mother of a child in kindergarten at another wonderful DCPS school, I can tell you that I'd be shocked and worried if we experienced even half of what the OP describes. Both of our daughter's pre-k and k teachers have been nothing but open, I, caring, communicative, and deeply interested in their students' happiness, sense of well being, fun, and learning. And it showed in everything they did. I think OP should follow her instincts.

I agree. I think it's worth it to talk to the principal....If that does not work, I would be tempted to start considering other options for the rest of the school year. I know you want to invest in the school, OP. But as the parent of a somewhat older child, I do not think it is good that your son thinks his teacher does not like him; so much of PK4 is social and emotional development, and part of that is building healthy relationships and self confidence. I am concerned about the fact that parents are not allowed in the classroom...what's actually going on behind that closed door? I do not mean to be alarmist. I know you are more than capable of making the right decision for your child, OP, if you follow your instincts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that IMPACT isn't working very well in early childhood yet because principals and evaluators aren't always familiar what "good teaching" looks like. They may walk into an early childhood classroom and find that there is unruly chaos because a messy expeditionary learning project is taking place. Or they see all children playing at different centers and conclude that the teacher is not teaching or doesn't have high expectations, etc.
Also, I'm not sure to what extent the criticisms here would be well captured through IMPACT, which may not place a great emphasis on bonding (and, although I do, not everyone agrees it matters for learning btw), and much less of course on what parents feel. It's emphasis is on effective learning, and I suppose it should. That doesn't mean this situation couldn't be addressed and rectified though, just not using IMPACT. (And let's not abuse and overuse IMPACT. It's one among many tools with its own flaws.)

FWIW, here's a link to the IMPACT guidebooks that spell out how teachers are evaluated. Scroll through to the part about the Teaching and Learning Framework to see what administrators and master educators are looking for in the classroom. The Teach 9 component, for example, is all about the classroom environment created by the teacher and deals somewhat with the "bonding" issue.

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/In+the+Classroom/Ensuring+Teacher+Success/IMPACT+(Performance+Assessment)/IMPACT+Guidebooks

[Anonymous]

OP, best of luck and hope it works out w the principal.