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I once had a situation in which my son didn't get the teacher we requested. The policy of the school was that the decision was final, so do not bother to ask for a change.
If I were OP, I would give this experienced teacher a chance. I'd rather have an experienced teacher than a chirpy little newbie.
It is a benefit to your child that he learns to adapt to all the different teachers he will have over the years. I hope your son has not heard you being critical of this teacher. If OP is already wasting this much emotion on this issue, she will be burned out before he gets through grade school.
So you're implying this teacher is incompetent as yours was bc she was not enthusiastic? I knew a reacher who turned out to be very ill but she never let on until April or so. Maybe she is ill or something. Lack of enthusiasm does not equal incompetence. Goodness knows we've all known enthusiastic ppl who weren't worth a hill of beans in reality. Teachers included. There are lots of ppl in any type of job that are all personality and show...and that's about it. Give the lady a chance. Maybe she won't be incompetent after all. Maybe she is not "that" teacher. Maybe she is just really into teaching or who knows. Here's an idea: maybe she does not dog and pony for the parents but she's into the kids. I have heard some teachers that teach at schools in expensive neighborhoods say one thing they don't like is having to dog and pony for snobs, I mean, parents. You never know. She might be a good teacher. Let-s wait and see.
I'm not implying anything. Your fur is certainly ruffled over this. I clearly pointed out that although I wasn't thrilled, my son adored her. Hopefully the OP will have a similar outcome. Of course, it's also possible that this teacher is completely burned out, and just putting in her hours towards retirement. I have been to lots of open houses over the years, and never had a teacher fail to engage with the parents. I would not have been impressed either.
It must be because we are all terrible snobs up here in North Fulton.
My middle daughter did not get the kindergarten teacher she wanted so she locked herself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out for hours. We went to a private school that allowed the change and although we loved the teacher, the class mix was such that we wished we had stuck to the original teacher (who was admittedly not as enthusiastic or experienced).
After working at an elementary school I see that the process for determining class placement is not easy- it involves hours of back and forth trying to achieve the best mix of students.
We have had our share of good and bad teachers. It turns out that our most recent one, was going through a divorce at the time she taught our child (she seemed almost medicated when I spoke to her once), and quite a few kids had bad experiences that year. I hear that the following year she did much better. Life happens to teachers, and some deal with it better than others, I guess.
For what its worth, the postcard thing wouldn't bother me at all--if she showed a total lack of enthusiasm that would bother me, but maybe being disappointed with the lack of fluff, combined with her being a little off her game, may have overly colored your image of her. You probably can't get out of her class, so you are probably best off by being very positive around her, and following up with what is going on in class in the most positive way possible. Good luck, and try to stay open-minded for awhile.
I'm not implying anything. Your fur is certainly ruffled over this. I clearly pointed out that although I wasn't thrilled, my son adored her. Hopefully the OP will have a similar outcome. Of course, it's also possible that this teacher is completely burned out, and just putting in her hours towards retirement. I have been to lots of open houses over the years, and never had a teacher fail to engage with the parents. I would not have been impressed either.
It must be because we are all terrible snobs up here in North Fulton.
Actually, I don't have fur, Mattie.
I thought you were saying this teacher is "that" teacher - akin to the one your son had. Otherwise, I have no idea why you even brought it up.
In any case, I guess you have no idea that I live in North Fulton too. Buckhead to be exact. Who said anything about North Fulton snobs? I said parents in expensive neighborhoods who are snobs. What is that ppl say down south about a hit dog? A hit dog will holler I think. I guess you're one of those snobs? I have no idea.
The old North Fulton High (the current AIS) got its name when Fulton County did not go past Sandy Springs, and Buckhead was still outside the Atlanta city limits. So, the old North Fulton (Buckhead and Sandy Springs) was served by the former "North Fulton" High.
It seems you have already written her off at orientation. I would caution you to reserve judgement about what constitutes a "good" or "bad" kindergarten teacher (if you are asking about naps and upset she hasn't met her assistant yet, it is safe to assume you aren't versed in K curriculum delivery or common hiring practices in support/inclusion environments).
Your child will be taught to commit, no matter whether or not they "like" that authority figure. That is one of the most fundamental skills a child/teen will learn. This is not a playdate where you pick and choose all the players based on how you feel that morning.
Just be frank with your concerns if they continue.
My TA doesn't come to back to school night either. TAs are not paid for time outside of their normal contracted hours so why would she come for free?
As a parent you need to remember that teacher had most likely been at that school 7am to bedtime all week, what time were you there? Maybe she was tired? You seem to be worried about the wrong things. Would you rather a pretty classroom with an enthusiastic teacher or someone who knows what really needs done and has their stuff together but is tired from the long hours of the stress of preschool week (aka the week before school starts). Let me tell you that week is more meetings and other crap than time in your classroom. Now add that on top of moving to a new school and agh! So she didn't tell you about the bathrooms quick enough, boo. How many other parents were there? Maybe she was dealing with another parent/issue and you didn't know. Maybe she just learned one of her students is nonverbal, doesn't speak English, isn't potty trained, or a million other issues that may come up. My best advice is to relax for all you know she may be the best reading teacher in the school and that's more important than a speech to parents. I never give a speech. I let parents come in and look around to fill out forms as I answer questions and speak to them one on one. That doesn't make me a bad teacher and I have the test scores and data to back that up.
I work as a TA myself (including kindergarten) and let me say, after sitting in dozens of different classrooms, some of the best teachers were ones that could be misunderstood on a first impression.
I remember one where I was downright offended by a comment she made, only to spend weeks in her room realizing that she was absolute gold with her students. She must have put in 70+ hours a week, and all her kids were reading independently by the end of the second grade (including book selection, on chrome books, etc), with zero discipline required. It was incredible. But day one? I thought she was a youknowhat!
Some of these comments have been well-balanced and helpful. Thank you for your input. We are being very positive about this in front of our child. We will give it some time and see how it goes.
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