New Teacher Concerns

[mcppalmbeach]

I will probably DD.

My upcoming second grader has had a shaky start to school. He changed schools last year and he came in to 1st grade behind in reading (scoring like 20% on state tests). The first quarter of the year his teacher had a significant health event and they had rotating substitutes. She was replaced with a long term sub. His new teacher was fine, but she had not planned on staying long term and they didn’t really click. He has made huge improvements with testing, but he hates reading and still struggles with decoding and will cry and give up when he doesn’t get a word immediately. At the end of the year, I sent the principal an email asking that when teacher selections be made he be matched with someone who can help make reading fun and be kind and understanding. The principal responded positively, but I obviously have no idea if my email was remembered when class selections were actually made.

We received teacher notifications for next year. The mom of DS’s best friend (who I am not close to) texted me and said she wasn’t sure if she should tell me, but when she was talking to a friend who is a teacher at the school about who her son got she out of the blue said “oh I’m glad he didn’t get my ds teacher’s name. Her test scores are low and she’s not great.” Before she told me, she asked her other son who is now in middle school what he knew about her and he said she was very strict. That’s not a bad thing by any means, but these comments taken together are making me feel very nervous. She gave me names of a few other teachers who were “good.” I do know this teacher was the school’s teacher of the year several years ago so idk.

Do I say something to the principal, making sure my email was taken into consideration and if I do what do I say? I never make waves. I don’t want to be that mom, but I want this boy to have a good year.

[waverly]

This depends on the school district and school. For primary grades we are told that it is taken into consideration but you get what you get and don’t try to request teachers etc. so I’ve never asked for a change. In middle school it’s more of a schedule issue rather than a teacher issue so if there are errors we have a form we can fill out.

Does he need a 504 or IEP? Something to formally address the reading challenges? Might be a target for classroom pullouts.

[jaycee]

She earned teacher of the year for a reason.

I would not email and ask for a change if I were in your situation.

[abs]

Let it play out.

Everytime we’ve had the “strict” teacher that “no one likes” DD has thrived. If it turns out that it’s a bad fit you can reassess later.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I would probably let it go and see how the year starts off since you don't have any first-hand knowledge that this teacher is doing anything that would be not good for your ds. The one person you heard from that didn't like them may have had a kid who didn't click with that teacher for a specific reason, and there's a chance what she did that 'wasn't good for test scores' for that kid will actually be what your kid needs.

If there are red flags or major issues early on, I would revisit. I know it's harder to change classes after school has started than to request a change before the beginning of the year, but I would still wait and see and hope for the best. If you ds does continue to struggle, I would look into having him evaluated, because if he needs more support than any regular classroom teacher can provide, then having an IEP in place would allow you to request those changes without having to stress about it.

[joy]

I would not be stressed about his teacher and instead be focused on his reading; his test scores, inability to decode and crying when reading are flags. These could be signs of a struggle within himself and not due to a teacher at all. Don’t put the blame in the wrong place. Be open-minded and consider all possibilities at this point.

EDIT: My daughter cried when trying to read in K and 1st. She could not decode. She’s still rather awful at it. Her test scores were 10-20%. The school kept telling me she was fine and average (as average is 25 - 75%). It did not sit right with me so I had her evaluated. She’s dyslexic and now gets proper intervention both inside and outside of school to support her reading.

[charlatti]

Ditto abs — we’ve had great experiences with the so-called strict teachers. I wouldn’t ask for a change based on rumors.

[mcppalmbeach]

Aug 7, 2024 7:49:25 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

I would probably let it go and see how the year starts off since you don't have any first-hand knowledge that this teacher is doing anything that would be not good for your ds. The one person you heard from that didn't like them may have had a kid who didn't click with that teacher for a specific reason, and there's a chance what she did that 'wasn't good for test scores' for that kid will actually be what your kid needs.

If there are red flags or major issues early on, I would revisit. I know it's harder to change classes after school has started than to request a change before the beginning of the year, but I would still wait and see and hope for the best. If you ds does continue to struggle, I would look into having him evaluated, because if he needs more support than any regular classroom teacher can provide, then having an IEP in place would allow you to request those changes without having to stress about it.

It was a teacher at the school (who is not a parent) who made the comment which is why I’m in a little bit of freak out mode. And she made the comment completely off the cuff and not prompted at all like oh I’m glad you got so and so as his teacher. You’re lucky you got her and not mykidsteacher because she’s not good

ETA - his teacher last year absolutely did her job. By the end of the year testing he was in the 80th percentile. His teacher was also strict and that clearly worked for him academically but she would also get frustrated with him being frustrated and that upset him and school became a not as happy place. I will absolutely watch his reading closely, he’s a summer birthday also so he may have needed time for it to click.

[macmars45]

At my school/DS' school we have reading intervention for more than just kids with IEPs/504s. Part of my job as a reading intervention para is to test all the kids in the school on reading. All kids in each grade are in skill level reading groups. They are all re-tested every month to make sure they're in the best group for their skill level. If we see a kid really excelling and or really struggling we can & have moved them as needed outside of the the monthly reshuffle.

mcppalmbeach I'd ask if your DS' school has something like that.

[hermione]

It's possible her test scores are low because she gets the struggling readers. Those low scores may be leaps and bounds ahead of where the kid started with her.

[noodleoo]

Ugh, this would stress me out too. But in our elementary school, they tell us multiple times that you cannot make specific teacher requests, so I wouldn't have much confidence that they will change it before the year starts.

Also anecdote: my neighbor is a teacher in our elementary school and she told me DD1's 1st grade teacher was THE WORST. Called her a dinosaur, said she should have retired years ago. It was really catty and I was disappointed she would even say stuff like that, but also it totally stressed me out. Turns out DD1 LOVED HER. She is still her favorite teacher ever, she used to go visit her after school because she missed her. She retired at the end of last year and DD1 cried because she was going to miss her.

So you never know. And knowing she won teacher of the year, I would trust the school until you have a reason (other than gossip) not to.

[niq]

I would let it play out. You could email the teacher & cc the principal with your concerns about reading. Maybe there are other supports or interventions available during the day, or things you can try to do at home. Locally I think students who are below 40th percentile are offered summer school.

O's first grade teacher was not her first choice and I had heard some grumbling about her style. O definitely had some hard days throughout the year, but overall really liked her.

[IndiaInk]

We had a very similar situation with my daughter when she was going into 2nd grade. At the time, she was struggling with behavior due to ADHD and not so much academics, but she was assigned a teacher (Mrs. B) that I'd heard was really hard on kids. In fact, my friend who was my daughter's Kinder teacher, told me confidentially, that she'd never want her own children in Mrs. B's class and that she was strict and that she'd seen her being outright mean to kids who didn't comply. I was horrified and met with the principal before school started to request a transfer. I was really concerned about my daughter being seen as a "bad kid" and treated as such. He was sympathetic but suggested we meet with Mrs. B ahead of time and discuss my daughter's needs and review her 504 plan and see how things went.

So, we did and I felt quite a bit better after that. And it turns out, this teacher was WONDERFUL! She sets clear expectations for the class behavior and it turns out that's exactly what my kids need. I've had both children in her class now and they have absolutely thrived with her and love her dearly. They often say, "Everyone says Mrs. B is strict or mean, but she's NOT. She just has high expectations."

As I've learned more about the dynamics at the school, I can clearly see how my friend, the Kinder teacher, and Mrs. B are just extremely different personalities and classroom management styles. So, as well intentioned as my friend was in giving me a heads up, it really seems to have been more of a personal conflict that probably should have been kept to herself.

So, long story short, I'd recommend waiting and seeing how it plays out. You might be pleasantly surprised. And if not, you could request a transfer later.

[thebreakfastclub]

I would have 0% interest or concern in the opinion of a middle schooler on a teacher being strict. The other feedback from the friend of a not-friend also seems kind of shaky.

I would send an email a couple of weeks into the year and ask to talk about my child's reading struggles and ask to partner together to make it a successful year, and take it from there.

[secretagent]

Test scores are low is nonsense. Maybe she has all the lower readers. She didn't win teacher of the year by accident.

I agree with pushing for reading intervention. One of my kids started intervention in 1st and actually ended up with a dyslexia diagnosis (long story) in 4th and finally tested out of intervention at the end of 5th. It was the BEST THING for them - small group a 2x a week in place of the full class reading instruction, and in 5th it was daily.

[Deleted]

Let it play out.

Also, our son (going into 5th) has struggled with reading his whole time in school. K was 2020 so k, 1st, and 2nd were all affected by COVID and he lost a lot of learning. Starting in 3rd we got him a tutor. She’s a retired teacher in our neighborhood who is SO great with little kids, and she’s made a huge difference. We still plan to use her in 5th. At this point she does homework help and test prep, but she got his reading back to grade level which was a huge feat.

[sdlaura]

This is obviously totally anecdotal - My DS1 went into 2nd grade not really reading because Covid shutdowns/remote school. He got a 2nd grade teacher who was not super popular and was considered very old school. She ended up being super strong on teaching the basics of reading. My son just finished 4th grade and is now reading at an 8th grade level. I’m not sure his 2nd grade teacher is one I’d want my other kids to have, but she was perfect for his needs at the time.

[wanderingback]

No I would not do anything based on 1 person’s opinion.

[nicolewi]

I know how stressful it is when you are going into the school year worried about your kid and wanting everything to go well. In this case, though, I wouldn't change based on the random hearsay, especially with this teacher being "teacher of the year" a few years back.

I'd wait and see how things turn out. If there are really issues, you could look at changing.

But along with others, I would think about dyslexia. Is he getting pull-out help in reading? Are they tracking reading scores? Have you talked about doing an evaluation in school to see if he qualifies for services in reading? The school won't always do these things right away, but keep them in mind!!! As the parent, you can request an evaluation at any time and they have to comply.

[charteroakstate]

So this sounds like the ultimate way of gossiping while making it sound “helpful”. You don’t know her well, and thank goodness her son didn’t get this teacher who is so awful (so awful she was teacher of the year!) but is going to let you know what she’s heard, even asking her middle school son who also didn’t have the teacher. So she felt the need to contact you out of the blue about this and let you know your poor son wasn’t as lucky as hers? Wow- I’d stay away from this kind of “help” and see what happens in your own experience.

[Saudade]

All 3 of my kids struggled with reading to some degree or another and all received interventionist services at school. DS12 reads at a 10th grade level. DS10 HATED reading. It was a gd struggle every single day until this past fall. He refused anything other than graphic novels. Something clicked and now he's rapidly consuming books.

DS8 struggled more than those two. I wonder if part of this was having apraxia. I'm not sure. He's also very stubborn and would.not.do.it. I was super worried for this last year because he had a very strict, older teacher. She was absolutely amazing. Quite literally the best teacher we've ever had. I want to keep her for every year. She and DS bonded. She was stern but not mean. He was expected to do the reading. He went to intervention. And at some point this spring it all clicked for him as well. Now he is reading non-stop.

[UMaineTeach]

I’d let it start playing out and see how it goes 1st hand (kid’s experience) and 2nd hand (what kid or teacher tells you).

This reminds me of the court cases for controversial laws that get dismissed because no one had been harmed yet. Sure, you don’t want to have the relationship have to fail to create change, but also, your kid hasn’t been harmed yet.

There are plenty of teachers I wouldn’t want for my kid, but I don’t know as my kid would notice the things I do. I know one interjects too much Jesus in her class and at the same time lies and doesn’t like the students who are below grade level. But, I haven’t had any kids complaining to me about that teacher.

[lilac05]

I’d let it play out, but stay in good communication with the teacher and your child so if it’s not going well, you know sooner rather than later.

My boys both had the teacher “no one wanted” in early/mid elementary. Academically, she was fine. Maybe not THE best…but she loved my kids like no other teacher had up to that point. She really SAW them for who they were, encouraged them to be themselves, love learning, and be an active part of a community. That was years ago now, and whatever (small) academic impact it had is gone…they’re doing great in school. She remains their absolute favorite teacher and still keeps in touch with us. I’d choose her again and again for my kids.

[pittpurple]

My daughter got a teacher in P3 that had literally opposite reviews from parents of older kids - half raved about her, half complained about her. My daughter absolutely adored her and being in her class was life-changing. My son had her at the same age and doesn't particularly like her at all. It's all so subjective and there's nothing that would bother me about anything you heard. We can't actually request a different teacher anyway, but I wouldn't give any of those comments a second thought.

[formerlyak]

With the reading, find books about things he likes and read together. My youngest tests so poorly in reading that last year they assessed him to see if he needed interventions. It was a gift. The intervention teacher said that he in no way needed interventions. He just hates taking standardized tests. I’m exhausted after work but even 15 minutes reading together he has gotten stronger and was testing on grade level by the end of the year.

With the teacher, my youngest got the strict teacher this year for fifth over the fun teacher that everyone wants. People have mixed opinions about the strict teacher. My oldest had her for fourth and the fun teacher for fifth. People who don’t know I have an older kid (8 year age difference, different dads) have warned me about the strict teacher. I remind them I’ve had a kid in both classes and I love the strict teacher. She’s the teacher who made math fun for my older kid. He’s going to Berkeley next year as a math major because of it. The fun teacher told me not to put that same older kid in advanced math because he was slow at doing his math class work. He was slow because he was reteaching the lessons to his table group and the fun teacher had no idea those kids were lost. The strict teacher is the kindest and most aware teacher we had in elementary school. When we go to Open House with my youngest, my oldest always goes to her room to say hi.

Like someone said, this teacher you got was teacher of the year for a reason. Not all teacher match with all students. But I say give it a chance. She may be the perfect match like the strict teacher was for my son.

[somersault72]

I can tell you at my kids' schools no one has ever gotten teacher of the year that hasn't been absolutely fantastic. I have no idea what their test scores look like but they are phenomenal people/educators. I hope your son has a great year!

[kath16]

yeah, give it a shot. i wouldn't say anything based on other people's experiences.

also, am i reading correctly that a teacher was saying these things about a colleague? if so... wtf?

[konapoppy]

Another anecdote that we had friends with the stricter teacher. They had concerns going in, and continued to have concerns. But every other parent I talked to who had that teacher raved about her and hoped their younger child would get them. Going in with an open mind will help!

[kath16]

Aug 9, 2024 2:11:22 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Another anecdote that we had friends with the stricter teacher. They had concerns going in, and continued to have concerns. But every other parent I talked to who had that teacher raved about her and hoped their younger child would get them. Going in with an open mind will help!

and this is truly so, so kid dependent. 

my oldest needs the stricter teacher. he needs tight boundaries and high standards. i was the same way - I needed someone to hold me accountable and my favorite and best teachers were the "stricter" ones who really just had high standards and weren't buying my nonsense.

my younger kid doesn't necessarily need that kind of environment bc he is able to self regulate a bit more regarding like, playing at play time and paying attention during learning time if that makes sense. 

all that to say, kids are just different

[erbear]

I'm a strict teacher. I'm also the teacher you want your kid to have if they have academic struggles. Kids always tell me that they were terrified to have me when they were coming into 8th grade, but they love me once they do. You can't put a lot of stock into reputations, particularly coming from another teacher (huge WTF to this, btw...). I hope it's a good year.