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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Have you tried to address any of this with the principal or school counselor? We had some social concerns & recess roughness issues at our public & the school counselor was very helpful. It's part of their job. I would try diligently to seek change in current environment before making such a big change. Much easier on the child. What does DH think?[/quote]

OP, I agree with this. I'd dig into what was going on at the school before pulling a child out.

There was a thread on DCUM fairly recently where an elementary school required kids to have silent lunch. One thing that came up in that thread was that in some schools, the school has found that having the start of lunch period be quiet means that kids actually eat their food, whereas if kids chat the entire time they aren't eating, and they (and the teachers) pay a price for that all afternoon in class. You said above that the start of your child's lunch period is silent but doesn't that mean that after the start, they ARE allowed to talk? I would absolutely go ask at school why the silent start is used, and you might find that it's because of issues of which you are just not aware, such as ongoing problems with kids not eating during lunch. You won't know unless you ask.

OP, have you been involved in the school, volunteered in the classroom (in first grade is the time to do that -- in a couple more years teachers need less parent help)? Are you participating when there are events, or even just volunteering to help out in the front office if needed, etc.? I always found that volunteering a lot put me inside the school, and teachers, secretaries, etc. became more familiar with me, and I could pick up a lot of the school's "vibe" and know more about why certain things were done in certain ways. If you have not been doing that this past year, I would really jump in now for these last few months if you can.

Maybe you're doing that already and that's how you formed your opinion-- fair enough! But if you feel the whole school's mediocre based just on recess, lunch and one teacher -- that seems like too little information to go on.

Even if you don't want to or cannot volunteer, have you just asked at school about the things you mention in the post? How do you know the other school, which your child doesn't attend so you don't have first-hand experience there, is also not up to snuff?

It does sound as if your child's current teacher expects a level of classroom quiet that might not be great for first grade, when teachers should be able to engage kids more actively and get them to like learning more. But a teacher who is a disappointment does not mean the whole school should be ditched, especially as your child is nearly done with this teacher. Do you know parents who have had older kids go through this same school? Those parents can be a great resource for a reality check on things like "Second grade's much better here" or "Everyone knows the fourth grade teaching team is tough" or whatever.[/quote]

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