Am I Turning into One of THOSE Mothers???

Well I guess I must be one of 'those moms' since I do my research and try to find the best match for my son and ask that he be placed in a certain class. Notice I didn't say best teacher, nor did I make demands, rather I think my son responds better to some personalities and styles and want that to be considered by the administrator, whom I completely respect and trust by the way (otherwise I wouldn't have my son there :-). One time I had doubts about a teacher and after talking to the program director I did believe that she made the right decision by placing him in her class. But at the end of the day, I'm the mom and I truly am the only one who has his best interests in mind and have no problems advocating strongly for my son.

You're judging before you even have given the 'newbie' a chance.

I always say, 'don't fix it if it's not broken'. You may end up loving the new teacher. If not, THEN go to the school with a specific request for class change.

Yes, you are being one of THOSE Moms. Sorry. :)

I am a teacher and work in a school where there are 6-8 teachers at each grade level.

I can't stand when parents come to me and ask...is so and so a good teacher? Will my child be ok with so and so? In my opinion, all of the teachers in our school are good. Are they all different? Yes, but aren't we all?

Sounds to me like all of the teachers are good, and you just didn't get the one you wanted. The new teacher hasn't even had a chance to prove herself. Give her a chance, I bet she will be wonderful. With the economy and so many teachers with no job, I am sure she is thrilled to be where she is at.

Although I have been teaching for 8 years, I was that newbie and had parents just like you. Yes, those conversations and concerns prior to school starting got back to me. (So watch what you say.) I showed them what kind of teacher I am, and now they are praying and begging that the little siblings be put in my class.

Your daughter will be just fine, and as far as not being with her friends...that may be a good thing! Kids (girls more so than boys) are so clicky these days, and as a teacher I request that those CLICKS not be in the same class the following year. They need to learn to get along with others and be themselves. Can they still be friends? Of course and they will still see each other in school.

Relax! I hope I did not offend you. Your little girl will be just fine. Being on the other side, all I can ask is that you give that new teacher a fair chance. Good luck!

Here is my deal.. I want my child to be happy, to be taught by the best and to love school..

I know there is a lot that goes into putting a classroom together.. I also have a child that is an excellent student that no matter what teacher she has every had, she did great. But she is very introvert.

When she was in 1st grade, I was bummed she was not with a certain teacher.. Really bummed. This other teacher was and still is THE teacher everyone wants on that campus.

Then when I found out our daughter was the ONLY child in the class from her kinder class, I was really upset.. Our daughter said she did not have any friends.. She said she felt lonely..

But at the end of the second week, I realized why she had been placed with this teacher and in this class. The teacher had been an only child.. She had always been a bookworm.. The teacher was a late in life mom.. And the teacher had a wicked dry sense of humor.. She was PERFECT!

The other children in the class also had some of the same traits and were independent thinkers and workers,.

The teacher told all of us, "this class was her all time favorite group of kids".. And when our children had finished their junior year of high school, we got them all together with this teacher!!! She was thrilled! The kids were now in different schools, but almost every one of them attended.

From that day on in 1st grade.. I learned to trust the placement and also to realize, our daughter was going to have all sorts of people as teachers and she was going to have to learn to adapt. It never hurt her to have excellent teachers, ok teachers and a few bad apples. If anything she was armed from her experiences to handle all sorts of situations..

So I never asked to switch teachers again.. I did have some conversations along with our daughter about some teachers that were not very good.. But that is real life..

If you ask for a favor this time, what are you willing to do if another year they need YOUR child to be switched for another parent that wants her child swapped out? Keep it in mind..

I can see both sides of this (as a mom and as a teacher with 11 years of classroom experience). Where I taught, the teachers at each grade level worked very closely together, and supported new teachers to make sure they were on the same page with the rest of the "team". Hopefully the other great teachers will help the new one with curriculum, etc. I would wait and see how it goes. Give her a few weeks to get to know the kids. Then you can schedule a meeting with her and share some of your concerns about your daughter and her learning needs. I always appreciate it when parents approach me as a partner, rather than making me feel under attack. A nice way to make suggestions about helping your daughter would be "We find that it works well when..." or "In the past, she has had success with..." Good luck and I hope your kids have a great school year!

Sometimes a new teacher straight out of school comes in with brand new ideas and lots more energy and imagination. You may see that it's the best place for your daughter. Definately give her a chance. Talk up the new teacher to your daughter and go to meet her together- before school starts- the visit may alleviate your concerns and get your daughter so excited she forgets to be so bummed about not being in the same class. She'll see her friends at recess anyway. Hope this helps.

I understand your feelings.

BUT..yep here is the but. I am always surprised what my kids learn from the teacher I personally did not want. Sometimes we as parents don't really get along the greatest with a teacher, but the child adores the teacher. Sometimes we like a teacher really well, and the child does not. We learn in our school years to get along with different people and their teaching style, organizational skills or lack of, disciplining methods etc. Just keep your finger on what your child needs some extra help in and do it at home.

Don't worry. Be positive and it will rub off on your daughter. Sometimes all it takes is a change in attitude to make the year the best yet. Get in the classroom to volunteer so you can see how it is going.

This year there was a teacher I really wanted for my child because I knew all the special educational activities she does that other teachers don't, and she is very strict but fun and loving. Well, the teacher ended up moving to a different grade so there is no chance my daughter will get her. I am sad for the loss. Sooo, we are down to whatever fate brings us. And, I know she will be in the right place for her.

I hope you have a great school year!!

I think it's a good time to remind yourself & your DD of the "we don't always get what we want" lesson in life.

Your daughter is happy, and for now that needs to be enough for you. Give the new teacher a chance, she may surprise you.

If you feel THAT strongly about it, go ahead & try to get the teacher changed. I'd be very careful about that, though, because you could definitely get labeled as "that mom" who thinks her little snowflake is more special than the others.

Good luck, I know it's hard.

I agree that there comes a time when you have to let things happen--who knows--this "newbie" could be the best thing that ever happened to your daughter, right? Let it go.

Im not estatic with our teacher either. This is her first year, shes 24 and her letter she sent home to introduce herself, all she talked about was how much of a great dancer she is......Cool. We will see how this goes. Maybe she has a fresh perspective. I can only hope....

Who wouldn't want the best teacher for their kids?

You are normal BUT keep your reservations and attitude in check until the year progresses and you'll be able to see how the teacher handles her class.

I say let it play out. We got a teacher that no one had heard of and it turned out to be one of the best years for my son. I've gotten the 'popular..everyone wants her' teacher and it turned out to be a nightmare, too. Have faith in the process. Good luck.

I think I'd feel the same as you, but why not give this "newbie" a chance? Request a parent conference after about 2 weeks of school (to let the dust settle of school starting back) and voice your concerns to her directly. Ask her to work with you and help you keep your daughter on track. My bet is that as a "newbie" she is totally excited and in parent pleasing mode. She doesn't have 25 years under her belt and an attitude to go with it. (not that all teachers who have been teaching for that long are like that, I just happen to know one.) Be available to volunteer in her class. Make your self open to her advice/opinions from the start. Basically open the lines of communication with this teacher and KEEP it open. Give her a chance. If after the first 9 weeks you aren't pleased, voice your concerns with her and/or the principal. In my kids's school, you cannot request a transfer until after the first 9 weeks, unless something is truly problematic. (and that's not just being disappointed you didn't get the teacher you wanted.) Good luck and hope all 3 of you have a great school year!

I find that the new teachers have the new fun ideas! Everything is fresh in their mind and they haven't started a routine that can get boring for kids.

I wish you all the best and hope this turns out well for you and your daughter.

We all have our opinions about teachers.

You have a right to ask once for a specific teacher, and then if you don't get it, let it go. That's life. Not everyone can get the great teacher.

Yes you are becoming one of those moms. Your child is not always going to get the best teacher in her grade. Some years she'll have the worse. with a 12 and 15 yr old we've seen both ends of the spectrum and you are right a good teacher can make a year amazing! A bad one can make it dreadful. I hate knowing that they 're dealing with a poor teacher who's going to make them miserable - or let them have fun but no learn anything.

Last year my son who is a math & science genius had an old teacher (who jsut retired after the school year) who didn't seem to like boys and my son had horrible, barely passing math & science grades. meanwhile his english and social studies grade which are normally tough for him were very very good. The math and science teacher was really a bad thing for my child last year. The year before my daughter had a very young english teacher who had a problem with my outspoken daughter. She barely passed English that year but this last year got A's and is now in Honors English. These situations teach our kids stuff that they need to learn that they could not learn any other way - I am a firm believer in that. Should your child always get "the best" teahcers and soemone else's kids get "the bad" teachers?

These are all life lessons. Sometimes things that happen in life are great and positive - and many times in life things that happen around us are not great and can even be awful. This is how our children learn. You cannot fix everything.

Recently I read something about parenting that went like this: A good parent does not prepare the road for the child, but prepares the child for the road.

Your job is to give your child the tools to handle challenging situations - and that's what you'll do mama. You go girl!

Try not to short change the new teacher. You may be surprised!

You aren't hovering. You just want the best for your child. We all do.

How old is your daughter? And what kind of "extra help" are we talking about? Does she have a diagnosed learning disability? It may help to know more, because then I could say "well, talk to the school and explain she has ADD, or what have you".

Can you try the new teacher and give it all the enthusiasm and help you can muster, and see how it goes? If your daughter is still young, I don't know if it will make a HUGE difference.

Good luck!

Just because the teacher is new to your school does not mean that she does not have experience. Teachers have a great deal of experience working with children and teaching before they graduate. Give her a chance and you may find that this is the best teacher for your child. Do not try to make them change just because you think there might be a problem. Let it all alone. Volunteer at your child's school and see how it goes.
My daughter has been teaching for 8 years and by the time she got her first job she had lots of experience.
Good luck and calm down.

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New teachers are great!! They are just out of school with great ideas and tons of enthusiasm. They are also being watched like crazy, so they are giving everything they've got to impress those people checking on them.

Give her a chance, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

M.

i don't know about being "one of those" moms, because this is all internal debate right now, right? i think it's good that you're asking for outside opinions BEFORE you act.

i think you should give the unknown teacher a chance. i don't know how old your daughter is, but let's face it, you can't go through her entire life helping her at every turn. teach her to do the best she can with what she is given, give her the help at home that you already plan to, and let that be it. we can't go through our kids' lives trying to make every year a "great" year rather than a "so-so" year (to use your words). she will be okay mom. and you may end up loving this "new" teacher. don't judge her before you know her. good luck and i hope you have a great year! (remember, commuincation is the key - keep an open door with this new teacher and let her know that you want to HELP - not helicopter.)

We did not get the teacher I wanted for my daughter. Actually we are in the class of th teacher I really don't like at all...

I could have called and requested a different teacher. However, after speaking with a few of the other moms I found out she may be not as friendly as I would have hoped...but she is an excellent teacher.

So I am gonig with it. I have lots of teacher friends and family and some of them know her well.
Personally I don't think you are being a "helicopter" mom...this is your child's education and you should have a say in how it is educated to her.

Last year we were the parents asked to have our daughter switch...I was so bummed about it...but it turned out to be the best "Sure" answer we ever gave. So I'm going with my gut again...and saying we can make this work. I mulled over this year for a few days.

But I don't care if teachers find out I was snooping around about them...it's my job to care who is teaching my children. Not all teachers are there for the kids...