My 4th grader's teacher seems to have it in for him personally. He is by all accounts a compliant, sensitive child. He does not seem capable (at home) of sassing back or being sarcastic. It's just not how he's wired, unlike my other children. He's the type that is uncomfortable when rules are broken. Since he started pre-k, we have been at 4 schools (moved so much with work). He has also played on 4 different soccer teams. All his coaches and teachers have stated how compliant and cheerful he is.

Hi teacher this year regularly requests meetings with me to discuss his behavior. There are never concrete transgressions. Yesterday, for example, she said his body language was disrespectful. Another time she said his facial expression was disrespectful. I asked her if he made a face, and she said no he did not, but that she is very good at reading body language and subtle facial expressions, and that he was not respectful in these.

There are rarely complaints of direct words or actions or disobediance, just this vague descriptions of attitude.

The thing is, he is not the bad attitude type. At home when I ask him to do something, he does it immediately and without attitude. I ask him if he's mad at his teacher and he seems genuinely confused and says "no".

Another time she said he finished his work early and twirled his ruler on his pencil. She requested a sit down meeting over this!! I asked her if she asked him to stop, and she said she did and that he did immediately. WTF is the problem? My son said that she scolded him for a long time in front of the class for twirling his ruler. In fact he cried about that one.

At home, if my son does something annoying, I say, "please stop that", and he does, and we move on.

Anyway, my curious, cheerful kid is starting to hate and dread school.

Good for your son. WTF was that "teacher" thinking?

Anonymous wrote:My dyslexic son volunteer to talk at a school wide assembly and the teacher said, "Honey, nobody in your reading group will ever speak at an assembly".

My son (3rd grader) said, "Oh yes I will." ... and he did. It's a long story after that but he told the reading specialist and to stop a shit storm from happening he was given a small part.

Anonymous wrote:My dyslexic son volunteer to talk at a school wide assembly and the teacher said, "Honey, nobody in your reading group will ever speak at an assembly".

My son (3rd grader) said, "Oh yes I will." ... and he did. It's a long story after that but he told the reading specialist and to stop a shit storm from happening he was given a small part.

My dyslexic son volunteer to talk at a school wide assembly and the teacher said, "Honey, nobody in your reading group will ever speak at an assembly".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten at MCPS with 26 kids, no aide, no rotating aide and my child learning nothing but things they learned in preschool. Hanging out with kids that don't speak English. Good times!

Oh, the absolute horror!

Says the person whose kids do not go to school with 2/3 of the class Spanish speaking and 50% FARMS.

Actually my kid does go to a school with many non-native speakers & a high FARMS population. Some of us don't mind diversity.

My child goes to a private school with more diversity and culture than I have ever seen. Indian, Korean, Chinese, Hispanic, AA, Japanese, Iranian, Australian, African, Russian etc...

We love it but they speak English. I can't imagine going to an American school where 60%+ of a school's population can not speak English. Ridiculous [/quote

I think this poster has a problem when over 50% speak the same language that is all the same i.e. 66% Spanish. The English speakers are left out.
I have to agree, too!

The way the first PP phrased her complaint ("hanging out with kids that don't speak English") implies that s/he was unhappy that her kids was socializing with kids from different backgrounds/cultures. I'm guessing that's what the second PP found objectionable about his or her comment -- & I have to agree.

The fact that the first PP then brought up FARM rates also indicated that it wasn't just the communication barrier that high ESOL rates might have caused for her child that the he or she had a problem with. Did his or her kid also feel "left out" because half the kids in the class were poor?