Anonymous wrote:Do schools assign students with less behavioral problems or fewer academic challenges to the first year teachers who may be fresh out of college? Do the more experienced, veteran teachers end up with kids who need remedial lessons or who may be more difficult to manage?

When my DD was in 4th grade (not DMV) there was some gossip that they gave the new teacher an “easy” class since he was inexperienced. At the time I didn’t believe it but now we are experiencing something similar here in our new school and I am starting to wonder.

In my experience, in U.S. public schools, new teachers are often given the toughest class assignments. Possibly to weed the weakest ones out. Possibly because veteran teachers exercise influence over course assignments.

In my first school, my assignment was really effed up. I had three preps spread across two grade levels and my neediest class had split lunch. It had previously been the assignment of the department head, who taught only four classes rather than three. After she retired, it was given to the most junior in the department, a second year teacher who had to teach five classes. She quit 3 weeks into the school year. They had a rotation of subs for nine months. I interviewed that June and was hired for a generically described position that I was told would be mostly advanced students. When I saw my final classes in August, I was stunned.

It’s gotten better over the years. I am no longer floating between classrooms five times a day. I have only two preps. However, I always get whatever parent is threatening to sue the district and usually the most gender imbalanced classes out of the entire school. Eighty percent boys in the last period of the day is a special hell. It’s still paradise compared to what I see the newest members of our staff contending with. At least put experienced paras with new teachers if you want to must assign them the class of 30 seventh graders reading 3 grades below level.

Schools don't try to set people up for success. They fire teacherswho report real data as shameful as it may be. They really don't want to know the truth and everything is a PR campaign to pretend the kids are great. They're not.

No they get the low illiterate impoverished gang crime classes and then are pressured to pass everyone as they come to school unprepared.

My daughter's teacher is not new but she is probably the least experienced in the grade. She had something personal happen over the summer (I don't know further details) and they definitely gave her an easy class this year. My daughter had many of the same kids in her clsss last year so we are familiar with a lot of them... many of these same kids are academic superstars, then all of the troublemakers from last year ended up in other classes. My daughter is over the moon.

My mother in law talks about back in her day, the new teacher always was given the hardest kids. But back then, the definition of "hard" meant the kids that talk to much or who can't sit still. Now, the hardest kids destroy classrooms, bite, hit, kick, throw furniture and sometimes bring weapons. So, yeah, the veteran teacher typically gets those we know are hard.
Someone above said something along the lines of this making sense because we don't want to burn the new people out too quick. If you look at most schools these days, especially elementary schools, there aren't too many people over the age of 40 or so. At least 50% are going to be under 30. Everyone is being burnt out or forced out due to unsafe working conditions.

I mean.. What alternative would you prefer?

No one benefits if a newly qualified teacher gets overwhelmed and leaves the profession too early.

Former teacher. Depends on the school, but in general, yes, I think most schools do try to ease the new teacher in. At the school I worked at, we would not put the heaviest hitters/"notorious" behavior concerns with an inexperienced teacher, but otherwise try to spread kids out evenly by personality, academic level, behavior concerns, etc.

depends on the school and depends on the year. schools will try to set everyone up for success - teachers and students alike. sometimes you don't have enough moving parts and sometimes you do.

It seems totally random at my kids’ ES. Maybe they make a small effort to not assign the craziest behavior cases to a totally new year one teacher, but ultimately it seems to be more about gender balancing and IEP balancing and who’s getting what in their IEP’s (big difference between the first grader who gets pulled 30 minutes once a week to see the speech therapist vs. a kid who is below grade level and pulled for multiple interventions but behavior is generally good vs. a kid who needs big time behavioral supports).

My kids went to various elementary schools and it seemed like all of them did this to a degree. Unless you get one of the new teachers and know all the kids in the class, it's hard to tell if a new teacher is getting a huge break or a light one. They still have to distribute the IEP kid burden evenly, but a brand new teacher might get the easier cases.

It's usually the opposite but new teachers are usually assigned mentors. Some are good and some are MIA.

I also vote for school dependent.

My kids' elementary school tried to make it easier on new to the school teachers hired new.

Long term sub teachers who were young were also looked out for. I know one got hired because she was an effective sub.

This may be school dependent. I worked at a school that gave classes by seniority, so the more challenging classes went to new teachers. I’ve also worked at a school that gave new teachers favorable schedules.

And I agree with the PP- the first year can break a teacher. Anything a school can do to keep them standing and coming back, the school should do it.

Anonymous wrote:Do schools assign students with less behavioral problems or fewer academic challenges to the first year teachers who may be fresh out of college? Do the more experienced, veteran teachers end up with kids who need remedial lessons or who may be more difficult to manage?

When my DD was in 4th grade (not DMV) there was some gossip that they gave the new teacher an “easy” class since he was inexperienced. At the time I didn’t believe it but now we are experiencing something similar here in our new school and I am starting to wonder.

I would say easier, not easy. They will still get academically challenged students but less likely to get the most intense behaviors. The first year mentally breaks some teachers, it is extremely difficult. There is no easy way.

Do schools assign students with less behavioral problems or fewer academic challenges to the first year teachers who may be fresh out of college? Do the more experienced, veteran teachers end up with kids who need remedial lessons or who may be more difficult to manage?

When my DD was in 4th grade (not DMV) there was some gossip that they gave the new teacher an “easy” class since he was inexperienced. At the time I didn’t believe it but now we are experiencing something similar here in our new school and I am starting to wonder.