First Impression of Both Kids Teachers a Disappoinment.

The new teacher will catch up... but as for your son's teacher... I wouldn't stand for it. Nope. Huh-uh. Check please. At the VERY least, it's time for a trip to the principal, but switching classes would not be negotiable. 7yos very well have to learn to deal with mean KIDS, but he has no power and no authority over mean ADULTS.

I think Riley's right. New teachers are often abysmally unprepared – the training they get just isn't enough to cover all the organizational details of any particular school arrangement. She was probably also terribly rattled by being on the spot without good answers. Consider how you'd feel….

The crabby teacher I would hold out less hope for. She may have been trying to establish herself as an authority figure, but being mean, impolite, or impatient is just a lazy shortcut, for teacher or parent. And if she wasn't even making nice while parents were present, she's not likely to be much better when alone with the children. I withdrew my traumatized daughter after a week or so of public (optional) kindergarten when she was assigned such a teacher.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you and your children.

Just make sure she is not a "bully" teacher.

Most schools have a "Zero Tolerance" policy against Bullying... which INCLUDES faulty and staff. Not just kids.

Ditto Riley.

Keep an eye on it... and what your son says and his demeanor and well being. A parent, has to advocate for their child. Especially when this young and with wrong doing. YOU are his example... about what is right and wrong.
Do NOT.... 'justify' the Teacher's behavior to your son. Say that it was inappropriate... he needs to learn... what is wrong and right behavior and what a "Bully" is...
That is what I do with my kids.

I would, not.have.put.up with that and the gripping of my child.
I would have, spoken to her, asked her "Why did you grip my child... was he doing something wrong? What are your discipline rules for kids and parents???" and then I would have looked DIRECTLY at her like a Deer in headlights....
If her answer was not appropriately satisfactory, I would have, spoken to the Principal.

Your son, did NOTHING wrong.

all the best,
Susan

My son had a new preschool teacher his first year. She did talk to the parents but was so nervous her face turned bright red and her voice was shaking. I was worried that she was going to pass out having to talk in front of all of us. She didn't know the answers to any of the parents questions and just seemed completely overwhelmed and unprepared. Turned out to be one of my son's favorite teachers ever! He is 8 now and he still remembers her name and says I wonder if Miss Tully is there when we drive passed the preschool.

As for your daughter's teacher being short with your son. I'm not going to make excuses for it, I can't for the life of me figure out what she was thinking but you might want to just see how things go with your daughter this year. It's terrible but there are some teachers that just do better with girls than boys in their classrooms. Your daughter might have a great year with her but just remember when your son is in that grade to request that he NOT have that teacher.

Good luck,
K.

There are many times in the past where I haven't had a pleasant first impression of a teacher, but I have learned to try to reserve judgement and see how my kids react to them. Many times I didn't really care for them at first and by the end I ended up really liking them, or I could care less about them but my child ended up either liking them or at the very least feeling okay about them. cut the new teacher some slack. In time she will have everything set up and will learn how to answer parents questions. My daughter had a first time teacher last year while her teacher was on maternity leave and she was wonderful. she couldn't always answer my questions, but she was very enthusiastic and helped my daughter learn. As for the nasty teacher, maybe she was having a bad day. this is where you have to be silent and see how your child reacts. Personally, I had a really nasty teacher for first grade that should have retired years before, but I got through it. Unfortunately, we don't always get the teachers we want but hopefully they have something to teach us.

Updated

There are many times in the past where I haven't had a pleasant first impression of a teacher, but I have learned to try to reserve judgement and see how my kids react to them. Many times I didn't really care for them at first and by the end I ended up really liking them, or I could care less about them but my child ended up either liking them or at the very least feeling okay about them. cut the new teacher some slack. In time she will have everything set up and will learn how to answer parents questions. My daughter had a first time teacher last year while her teacher was on maternity leave and she was wonderful. she couldn't always answer my questions, but she was very enthusiastic and helped my daughter learn. As for the nasty teacher, maybe she was having a bad day. this is where you have to be silent and see how your child reacts. Personally, I had a really nasty teacher for first grade that should have retired years before, but I got through it. Unfortunately, we don't always get the teachers we want but hopefully they have something to teach us.

Your pre-school teacher -- cut her some slack. She's new. I would bet that she will be phenomenal and that your son will enjoy her very much. Did the administration tell her that she would need to give a speech? Did the administration tell her about paperwork? Did the administration tell her about pick up and drop off??

The second grade teacher - Don't sweat it. Your son is not in her class. Your daughter is. You MUST present a positive attitude about both teachers. I would remind your son that he doesn't have your daughter's teacher. He has Miss X. I would also remind him that Mrs. Y teaches second grade and that when he gets to second grade she will be perfect for him, too.

Your son is a pre-schooler. He is not a second grader. The teacher may have spent her own money for many of the books and supplies in the classroom. She does not know that your son is well behaved. She just knows that if something happens to those books, she can't replace them.

So - in effect, cut them both some slack.
LBC

I think you may have gone in there with to high of expitations, as for the teacher who gripped at your son, she was in the right, children should be taught not to touch other peoples things, If this was an evening meeting the class was already cleaned up and organized for the next day. When ever i took one of my children to an open house or something for the sibling they were taught to sit down next to me, and sit quietly, until we were done. I think the teachers will work out fine. I don't know why you were or are so nervous about your kids going to school, you'll miss them like crazy, but hopefully you put them in a school that you feel very good about. J.

I hope it all turns out OK for your kids, you just never know with some first meetings, especially with a new teacher. I wonder though, since you are so nervous about sending them in the first place, could that fear have been a little self fulfilling? Sometimes when I go somewhere with a negative attitude, I miss the encouraging things.

If your son is now really afraid of this teacher, you could speak with the principal and ask if he could be moved. If you start out by saying that you think that she may have just had a bad night, but he is now afraid of her, maybe they won't be defensive about it and will help you.

M.

I can understand where both teachers are coming from. As a new teacher you're not prepared for things like pick up time, drop off time, uniforms, etc. Perhaps the administration just assumed that she knew the into and she assumed that the parents already knew. She's first year teacher and I bet she's going to be extremely enthusiastic and loving of the children in her class. They're her first class and I have no doubt she'll be great.
As far as your son...well....Did he have permission to touch the books? Keep in mind this teacher doesn't know your son. She doesn't know if he's going to rip the book apart or what. She doesn't know if he's going to take all the books out or just one. YOU know how your son behaves, but she doesn't. Not to mention, if she lets him take out a book, she has to let everyone. Your son might be well behaved, but the next kid might not be. I don't know exactly what you mean by "griped" at him. If she yelled, then that might not be the best way to handle the situation. However, if she corrected him in a firm tone, that's not so bad.
Plus, parent night can be really overwhelming for teachers (especially the new teacher). Give it time and keep an open mind.

With the Pre-K teacher, I would cut her some slack. Some new teachers are hired only days before the meet the teacher night and pre-k generally has teachers aides as well.
But the 1st grade teacher, you need to think how your daughter will respond to a teacher like that. When I met our son's Kinder teacher I had a gut instinct telling me she was not right for him, but didn't trust myself enough to speak up. Unfortunately I was right and he had a very rough year. My daughter had the same teacher the next year, but their personalities worked well together and she had a great year. Trust your instincts and speak up now rather than later if this teacher is not the right one for her.

Sorry to hear you didn't have a good first impression of the teachers. Of course you want a good teacher for your child, and you want to trust that they are being well cared for and educated when they leave your side. It is a privilege and a responsibility being a teacher, and hopefully, most teachers know this.

I remember my first year of lead teaching, I was very green to it, and didn't know a lot of things, either. I had one incident with a parent who yelled at me for not giving clear directions for parents to attend a school festival off-site, and I was in tears. But this parent apologize for being harsh, and we later became friends... so, I echo the sentiments of others to give the new teacher a chance.

Your daughter's teacher sounds a bit out of line, though. I would see how your daughter reacts to being at school, and make sure you have clear communication with her. Maybe see if you can sit in on the class one day. Mother's intuition is a great thing, and it is good to listen to it. At the same time, first impressions can be misleading, or you can change someone's attitude towards you when you yourself are kind. I had to do this with one of my son's previous teachers, who was rather mean. I tried to understand her point of view, and even asked her advice on some issues, and I gave her much respect as an older teacher, and she softened, and became much kinder to my son as well. We didn't stay at the school, but my son benefited from my compassion towards his teacher.

Definitely continue to identify your feelings about your children's education, both positive and negative, and be proactive about advocating for them. Education is vital to your children's future, so keep participating as you are. Best wishes.

well, first days are hectic for everyone, especially if the teacher is new, meaning been doing it for a couple of years at the most.
my first impression of my kids kindy teacher was wow she's young, and wow she doesn't say much and wow she's very quiet.
she turned out to be a gem. still very quiet, not very talkative but smart, wise, and kind beyond her years. that taught me that first impressions are sometimes wrong.
i now pray their 1st grade teacher is half as good as she was.
so wait a few weeks until things calm down and school year is on the way. you may be surprised.
if you're not surprised and things are still a bit off request a meeting with the teacher. talk it through with her. meaning bring up the issues and work with her. sometimes you need to give them direction as to how they should handle/behave towards your child.
the first day we met the teacher, even though she didn't have a speech for us, she asked us to write something she needs to know about your child.
i wrote an essay hahaha, no really, i wrote down everything.
i told her they needed more time to eat as everything is a distraction to them.
i told them they need to be told to concentrate quite frequently
i told her they do not appreciate being yelled at, they respond much better to 'conversations.' and i also told her they're not your typical 5 year old, as they had not had much socialization until then (we moved every time my husband sneezed thus unable to create friendships) and that she should pay attention to them to make sure they're not left out by other kids and that she should try foster relationships between my kids and other kids.
months later when we had gotten to know each other she told me my note to her helped her so much to get to know my kids and that she took everything to heart.
and she did. my kids had the best kindergarten ever. they were so happy, successful and made friends.
so give it a shot. work with them.