elementary school teacher issue (public school, grade, profession, classroom)

[lexingtongal]

Our 10 year old son is in an accelerated cluster magnet program. His teacher last year, while G/T certified, was not a good personality match with our son. We thought it would be a good life lesson for him to learn that you don't have to like your teacher but you must respect them. He learned what he needed to learn but by the end of the year his enthusiasm for school was gone.
This year we have a teacher that is new to the school and seems to not have good classroom management skills. Within 1 week of school starting our son had pulled more tickets than he had in his other years combined. I gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt and met with her to see if our son's behavior had actually changed that drastically. I came away from the meeting feeling like she just didn't know how to get the class under control. Her latest "solution" is to allow the children to chew gum in hopes that it will keep them from talking! I find this ludicrous. Our son commented that he didn't think chewing gum in school was a very good concept. The kids are bartering gum for other things and it seems more disruptive than ever.
I am at my wit's end and am considering asking for him to be moved to the other G/T class. I think he learned his life lesson last year and want him to be able to have an enjoyable, and productive, last year in elementary school.
Under these circumstances do you think it is appropriate for us to request he be switched? I'm particularly interested in feedback from those in the teaching profession.

[nkosiek]

Though I have no idea what tickets are, I can lend some advice. Schools love active parents. If you really think that the teacher doesn't have control, I'd start documenting what your son has told you and go in with it. The school may or may not have room in the other G/T class, which may be an issue, but having a list of documented difficulties will make asking for such a switch easier.
If the school says they'll send someone in to observe, I can almost guarantee it won't work out the way you think it will. Whenever an administrator walks in my class my kids are always church mice for however long they are there. Good luck.

[FarNorthDallas]

When we were in public school and had a teacher issue, the school would not change any student to another class (and believe me, LOTS of parents were demanding it). Ultimately the only one who got the teacher change was the family who withdrew their straight A gifted student until a change was made (or else they would seek out a different school even though 2 siblings remained in the public school). Two weeks later a spot in another class "opened up" and the child was re-enrolled in the new class.

A couple of months later the school finally fired the teacher and brought in a new one.

We headed off to a private school with really excellent teachers - across the board - who provide great inspired instruction because I just couldn't deal with that crap shoot every year with teacher quality.

My point is - it can be really tough getting a teacher change. Have you asked if it's even possible?

[raising3boys]

I am a 5th grade teacher and a parent. Coming from the parent side of it, YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S best advocate. If you do not advocate for your child, then who will?

I am sure you are only hearing your child's side of what is going on in the classroom. Usually, in the first weeks of school, teachers must set the tone for how the year will go.You stated that your son pulled lots of tickets. What were the tickets pulled for? If it was talking and such, I am sure the teacher is having many kids pull tickets to set an example.

As far as the gum chewing, in my opinion, the teacher is trying to find something that will work with this group of students. Not every group of is the same. You said the gum bartering is disruptive. Have you actually witnessed this in the classroom? Is it your opinion that it is disruptive? If you have not seen it first hand, it seems it would be hard to comment upon.

What I would do is tell your child's principal and teacher that you will be observing what is going on in your child's classroom.You could go in some days unannounced and other days make an appointment. If your child switches classes you see if how your child is behaving and the other teachers' teaching styles. All teachers have their own style. I would suggest that you go in a few times. I wouldn't stay more than thirty minutes each time. After a few times, you should get a good sense of what is going on. Honestly, it could be the teacher or your child.

After you get a picture of what is happening, set up a meeting with the teacher. Make sure if you have questions about what you saw-ask. Maybe, as a parent you did not understand why the teacher did something and you could ask for clarification.

You could suggest to the teacher that you all are on the same team and you want the lines of communication open.

After ALL other avenues have been explored, I would suggest you set up a meeting with the principal and the teacher. EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.

Good luck!

[charz]

I'm a teacher and a parent of a first grader. A principal will not typically do a classroom change if that is your first response. If you've tried everything else and nothing has worked, then a principal may entertain the idea. My daughter reported a couple weeks ago that she was sitting at her desk while others were in a reading group (her reading is advanced). I was on the verge of dropping in to visit (without calling ahead to notify); fortunately, the teacher agreed to meet with me, the principal agreed to have her reading tested, and she has been moved into a second grade reading class (stays in first grade for rest of the day).
I would "drop in" unannounced. The kids probably won't behave differently with you in the room because you aren't a principal. Since you've already had a parent conference, I would take your concerns to the principal if your visit proves that she hasn't gained control of the class. State specifically that you want a class change. You may want to ask how many students the other teacher already has and if the class has a quota. If there is no room for another student, there may be no point in asking (although I would still voice my concerns with the principal).

[bluebelt1234]

Originally Posted by lexingtongal

Our 10 year old son is in an accelerated cluster magnet program. His teacher last year, while G/T certified, was not a good personality match with our son. We thought it would be a good life lesson for him to learn that you don't have to like your teacher but you must respect them. He learned what he needed to learn but by the end of the year his enthusiasm for school was gone.
This year we have a teacher that is new to the school and seems to not have good classroom management skills. Within 1 week of school starting our son had pulled more tickets than he had in his other years combined. I gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt and met with her to see if our son's behavior had actually changed that drastically. I came away from the meeting feeling like she just didn't know how to get the class under control. Her latest "solution" is to allow the children to chew gum in hopes that it will keep them from talking! I find this ludicrous. Our son commented that he didn't think chewing gum in school was a very good concept. The kids are bartering gum for other things and it seems more disruptive than ever.
I am at my wit's end and am considering asking for him to be moved to the other G/T class. I think he learned his life lesson last year and want him to be able to have an enjoyable, and productive, last year in elementary school.
Under these circumstances do you think it is appropriate for us to request he be switched? I'm particularly interested in feedback from those in the teaching profession.

I am a teacher. It sounds like the teacher may need help with her classroom management. The teacher needs to ask for help to get things under control soon or otherwise it will never happen. As a teacher, I don't allow students to chew gum in my class. They miss a recess if they are caught with it. Gum is just too messy and usually ends up on the floor. It would also be a good idea to observe in your son's classroom to see if what he is saying is really happening.

[lexingtongal]

I've volunteered in the class room and observed that the kids do not respond to her. She ends up saying things like "bad class". She has the entire class pull tickets instead of the individual child. Once that happens if the child does something else they are already on the second discipline level even if they weren't involved with the first incident. To me this seems like a lazy way of disciplining. I have been a business manager for years and I can't imagine disciplining all employees for something one or two of them did.
I have talked to a few other parents and they have the same impression. She is very nice but just doesn't seem to have the children's respect.
I am meeting with the principal next week.

[raising3boys]

Originally Posted by lexingtongal

I've volunteered in the class room and observed that the kids do not respond to her. She ends up saying things like "bad class". She has the entire class pull tickets instead of the individual child. Once that happens if the child does something else they are already on the second discipline level even if they weren't involved with the first incident. To me this seems like a lazy way of disciplining. I have been a business manager for years and I can't imagine disciplining all employees for something one or two of them did.
I have talked to a few other parents and they have the same impression. She is very nice but just doesn't seem to have the children's respect.
I am meeting with the principal next week.

This is jmo, but it sounds like the bottom line is you want your child out of the class. You have already made up your mind. Be prepared that your child might not be able to be pulled out of the class unless you pull them out of the magnet program. Often times, the class size limit is regulated. You state that the teacher doesn't have the children's respect. It doesn't sound like she has the parents respect either.

Have you volunteered in the classroom on a daily/weekly basis at different times of the day?

Good luck getting what you want from the situation.

[NJmmadude]

It sounds to me like the teacher has no clue how to manage a classroom. The fact that she is giving them gum to chew so they don't talk (!?)

Gum is a reinforcer, shouldn't be used to redirect behavior. The fact that she is giving them a reinforcer before the desired behavior tells me that she isn't reinforcing them, she's bribing them. Any time you have to resort to bribing your students to behave, you're doomed.

Especially with a G/T class-yikes!

[tarheelcoach]

Doesn't anyone else find it odd that this parent has had trouble with her son's teacher two years in a row? I see parents like this all the time. Her kid is never the one struggling - it is always the teacher's fault. The teacher may have a challenging class, but so what? If your child is pulling tickets everyday, he is doing something wrong! How about fixing that? Asking for a class switch is telling your child that the teacher was the problem, NOT his behavior.

BTW - G/T classes can be the hardest to manage. They have just as much, sometimes more, behavior problems then the 'regular' classes.