Thankyou everyone. I am trying to think positive and hopefully my kid will come out strong.

Your daughter might be one of the more independent students and is able to follow directions, etc. She probably is able to turn around to watch her teacher during a lesson and focus and then turn back around to use her desk to do her work. Other students might have a harder time turning around to face the teacher, therefore their desks need to automatically face the teacher.

With that said, you can always email the teacher about it.

My kid complained that she could not see or hear last year when teacher continued to place her in the back. She never moved her assigned seat but let her come to the front at different points in class. I suspect the placing had to do with ieps/504 plans etc. I was the squeaky wheel but still could not get her a better seat. You are not over thinking email the teacher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with the traditional everyone-faces-the-front arrangement?

Ostensibly, it's to allow children to work together in small groups so they learn how to interact, debate and negotiate.

In reality, it's just that class sizes are too large in public school, and the teacher needs to occupy students by doing "group work" so she or he can walk around and help the ones who need it. There are too few aides and paraeducators.

Weird back when I was a kid most ES classes were between 31-35 but at my kid's school it's like 25.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with the traditional everyone-faces-the-front arrangement?

There is not enough space. The table approach makes the desks closer together.

I used to get marked down on my observations if my students were in traditional rows. Administrators wanted to see a creative and effective use of space. I always thought that rows COULD be effective, especially since it meant all my students were focused in one direction away from distractions, but I learned to give admin what they wanted. Students went into pods, U-shape configurations, etc.

I now work in a school where admin doesn’t define good use of space that way. My desks are in rows regularly now, and students seem more attentive. I can also monitor behaviors easier. I can see when students are using devices improperly, for example, when all devices are facing the same way.

Email the teacher.
Or have your child advocate and ask to sit on the rug and use a clipboard.

Schools with round tables (not desks) will likely always have someone facing away from the board. There is more flexibility with desks though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My son with an IEP and preferential seating always had a great seat with that stupid classroom arrangement, and my highly functional daughter never had a good seat. Indeed, throughout elementary, she was placed next to the most troublesome boys to be a calming influence! Yours might be in a similar situation, so keep an eye on it.

In middle and high school, it gets better, OP! Make sure your DD takes all the advanced classes - compacted math in 4th and 5th, to start her off on the right math track, foreign language starting in 6th (take the full 1AB course, not just 1A) and the "advanced" (regular) versions of social studies and English. For math they place based on MAP scores, so make sure she's well-rested and prepared for her MAP-M tests. Lots of reading for MAP-R.

Thanks for this! Is there any other way to affect maths in 4th and 5th placement, or is it solely based on MAP-M? My daughter takes language instruction in husband's language already, should we still do full 1AB in 6th?

Yes; raise a stink. Like call the counselor, the principal and the principal's boss (I forget the title) and the school board DAILY. Wear them down until they relent. You just have to be "pleasantly" persistent until they give in. Once they realize they are NEVER getting rid of you and are going to be talking to you for an hour every day until they give in, they will give in.

It the principal and/or counselor blow you off and try to not take your calls, why then you have an ACTIONABLE complaint with MCPS. Act on it.

A stink about what? This is just instructions on how to be annoying but it isn’t clear why/for what purpose. You think she should call the assoc superintendent over classroom seating??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My son with an IEP and preferential seating always had a great seat with that stupid classroom arrangement, and my highly functional daughter never had a good seat. Indeed, throughout elementary, she was placed next to the most troublesome boys to be a calming influence! Yours might be in a similar situation, so keep an eye on it.

In middle and high school, it gets better, OP! Make sure your DD takes all the advanced classes - compacted math in 4th and 5th, to start her off on the right math track, foreign language starting in 6th (take the full 1AB course, not just 1A) and the "advanced" (regular) versions of social studies and English. For math they place based on MAP scores, so make sure she's well-rested and prepared for her MAP-M tests. Lots of reading for MAP-R.

Thanks for this! Is there any other way to affect maths in 4th and 5th placement, or is it solely based on MAP-M? My daughter takes language instruction in husband's language already, should we still do full 1AB in 6th?

Yes; raise a stink. Like call the counselor, the principal and the principal's boss (I forget the title) and the school board DAILY. Wear them down until they relent. You just have to be "pleasantly" persistent until they give in. Once they realize they are NEVER getting rid of you and are going to be talking to you for an hour every day until they give in, they will give in.

It the principal and/or counselor blow you off and try to not take your calls, why then you have an ACTIONABLE complaint with MCPS. Act on it.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in elementary school. She was born here. But Indian origin.
She is smart kid and wants to learn.
However she is always put on table where her back is against the board. Every time the teacher changes their place. She always get her back facing the board. She tried to tell teacher but the teacher said she will try next time she changes again.
I feel that the teacher is only paying attention to white kids.
I spoke to my husband and he said to not think like that otherwise every time we will be thinking like that.
We just need to make our kids work twice harder.
So I asked my husband why? He said that how it is and in the long run she will come out to be the best and to ignore everything else.
Am I thinking too much?

You are overthinking.
My child always had the worst seat in elementary like always. Always with the seat facing away from the board or next to the disruptive child or at the table with the children struggling to read. Well behaved smart white child who does not create any trouble and gets along well with everyone. We once asked a teacher why this was the case and she explained that this is exactly the type of kid who gets the worst seats because they do not need the better ones. DD never really cared.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My son with an IEP and preferential seating always had a great seat with that stupid classroom arrangement, and my highly functional daughter never had a good seat. Indeed, throughout elementary, she was placed next to the most troublesome boys to be a calming influence! Yours might be in a similar situation, so keep an eye on it.

In middle and high school, it gets better, OP! Make sure your DD takes all the advanced classes - compacted math in 4th and 5th, to start her off on the right math track, foreign language starting in 6th (take the full 1AB course, not just 1A) and the "advanced" (regular) versions of social studies and English. For math they place based on MAP scores, so make sure she's well-rested and prepared for her MAP-M tests. Lots of reading for MAP-R.

Thanks for this! Is there any other way to affect maths in 4th and 5th placement, or is it solely based on MAP-M? My daughter takes language instruction in husband's language already, should we still do full 1AB in 6th?

For math placement, I was told they looked at all the criteria, so I assume grades in class and perhaps other standardized assessments are taken into account, but honestly at that age and barring learning issues, she's likely to have good grades and scores everywhere. I don't remember the cut-off for MAP, though. You can ask, it doesn't hurt.

For bilingual or near-bilingual kids, it's extraordinarily boring to sit in a beginner class for that language, so kids usually take up a new language in MCPS and study their native language on the side, and possibly take the AP exam for it separately in high school, which is what my kids have done/will do. It's OK, I suppose, if your child is already taking a language class on the side to just do 1A in 6th grade in a new language, but your husband is correct that East and South Asian students need to show higher proficiency than the rest to have the same consideration, particular during college admissions. So whether it's an additional language or a high level in a sport, instrument, robotics, National History Day award, or other activity, your kid must have something to distinguish herself. This is for the future, mind. But just something for you to think about. College trajectory starts in middle school, so that recognizable achievements can be garnered by high school.

I know. It's awful to have to think and strategize in this way!!!
But this is how you deal with the general competitive atmosphere of college admissions and also combat ethnic prejudice.

Anonymous wrote:
My son with an IEP and preferential seating always had a great seat with that stupid classroom arrangement, and my highly functional daughter never had a good seat. Indeed, throughout elementary, she was placed next to the most troublesome boys to be a calming influence! Yours might be in a similar situation, so keep an eye on it.

In middle and high school, it gets better, OP! Make sure your DD takes all the advanced classes - compacted math in 4th and 5th, to start her off on the right math track, foreign language starting in 6th (take the full 1AB course, not just 1A) and the "advanced" (regular) versions of social studies and English. For math they place based on MAP scores, so make sure she's well-rested and prepared for her MAP-M tests. Lots of reading for MAP-R.

Thanks for this! Is there any other way to affect maths in 4th and 5th placement, or is it solely based on MAP-M? My daughter takes language instruction in husband's language already, should we still do full 1AB in 6th?

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with the traditional everyone-faces-the-front arrangement?

There is not enough space. The table approach makes the desks closer together.

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with the traditional everyone-faces-the-front arrangement?

Ostensibly, it's to allow children to work together in small groups so they learn how to interact, debate and negotiate.

In reality, it's just that class sizes are too large in public school, and the teacher needs to occupy students by doing "group work" so she or he can walk around and help the ones who need it. There are too few aides and paraeducators.

What's wrong with the traditional everyone-faces-the-front arrangement?

The teacher is not very up to date on classroom configurations. Nobody should have their back to the board or to the teacher.