elementary school teacher issue

[ggluvbug]

Originally Posted by 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.

For the first part of the comment, I can say that you can have issue with teachers two years in a row. That can happen. Who is to say that the teacher doesn't recognize gifted characteristics that can be misconstrued as behavioral issues? If that is the case, then she is fighting a losing battle.

As far as the second part of the comment, I would agree. I teach GT and it can be a very big challenge to keep everything moving along with way it needs to without stifling students creativity and self-directed learning. Putting a new teacher in that situation was a bad choice, IMO. I would suggest that you document things, have a conference with the teacher and the principal, and work through it that way. If, after conferences, etc, you see no improvement, then make the request. You know what your child needs, and I have had to do the same thing before with my own son. Be his advocate. If he needs a different environment, then get it for him.

[lexingtongal]

Trust me when I say I had the same thought. I stopped to consider if I had unrealistic expectations. However, I have had conversations with several other parents (they called me) with the same concerns/observations.
From k-4th grade our son pulled a total of 8 tickets. Within the first six days of school this year he had pulled nearly that many. I would think that if his behavior had changed that drastically that there would have been behavior changes at home as well. This has not been the case. Our son is very rules oriented and generally is very obedient. Obviously he isn't perfect but his ticket pulling was just not matching up with his behavior at home, church, and social events.
I always err on the side of giving the teacher the benefit of the doubt. However, after last year I am just not willing for this to be to the detriment of our son. I met with the teacher and discussed my concerns. She acknowledged that she was trying to set the tone for the year. I told her I was afraid that if the ticket pulling continued that he would just "check out" and lose interest in school. The ticket pulling has quickly lost its impact since it is overdone and not done on an individual basis. She agreed. She has stopped doing the corporate ticket pulling and is trying to address the kids that are actually causing the disruptions. When I have been in the classroom though she just doesn't have control over the class. Nothing she does seems to work. They just don't listen to her. She almost seems to be asking their permission rather than demanding their attention.
I am not an educator so I don't have the answer I just know that it isn't working for our son and all the distractions can not be helping him learn.
I am not willing for him to continue along in hopes that she gets it together.

[Leilani Vasquez]

Originally Posted by 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.

I agree with you. I have two high school children. IMO the teacher has more respect for you and your child if you make an extra effort to encourage an open line of communication and express your opinions.

[foma]

I went through the whole teacher certification process - classes, exams, all of it, taught for a year and realized teaching wasn't for me. Not a whole lot of experience under my belt, per say, but I can add some enlightenment to this conversation:

In all my classes (I had great instructors who were extremely passionate about their preofession) the most important thing I learned is to be a good teacher, it's 10% knowledge and 90% classroom management. What you have on your hands is a teacher with extremely poor classroom management skills.

With that said, maybe you need to cut her some slack. Depending on how long she's taught, classroom management does take time to master.

Now, in your defense, only you know your child and you need to make a decision that's best for your child. I'm sure you've already talked to your kid about his behavior and after assessing it, talked to him about it and you still think keeping him in her classroom will be a detriment to his learning, then by all means, transfer the poor fellow. Just keep in mind, the school may not see it as approriate and may possibly deny your request. I mean, if all parents thought what you thought (which is totally justifiable if you ask me) and requested their child to be moved, well, you can see how that would create a pretty awkward situation, to say the least.

You are right to be so concerned about your kid. Looking back, I wish my kids' parents were as involved as you, so stand your ground, do what you gotta do and good luck!