Has anyone requested a specific teacher for their child?

[Christine]

Exactly how are you supposed to know which is a good teacher and which is not a good teacher if you don't ask the other parents?

No one said that you shouldn't ask other parents, but you have to be very careful about basing what is right for your child on another child's experiences. There are a lot of parents who don't like *stern* teachers and will sit there and bash a certain teacher because, possibly, their child was reprimanded. Another child might work very well with a stern teacher.

My son had a 4th grade teacher last year that I just felt was over the top, gave way too much work, was way to structured, and basically I thought she was weird. My best friend's DD got this same teacher this school year and I told my friend "oh, watch out, she's something else." Well, her DD is doing wonderfully with this teacher, absolutely LOVES the structure, and is basically the teacher's little helper.

That's all I was trying to say. Now if you are really friendly with some of the other parents, you trust their judgement very well, and know how their children are, I don't think it's wrong to pay attention to what they say. But I do agree with the "playground gossip" stuff that someone referenced. You have to look out for that kind of stuff.

 

[momof1princess]

i was fortunate enough to be able to pick my dd's kindergarten teacher; however, as a result of the "no child left behind" act, my dd's school no longer allows this (yes, they told us it was the reason why we were no longer allowed to choose teachers). my daughter will be in 3rd grade next year, and she's been blessed the past 2 years with the same wonderful teacher (last year her teacher decided to move up to 2nd grade and take her class with her, which we enthusiastically agreed to). i'm going to miss Mrs. T next year

 

[Snow Brite]

We have had all three. Kids first school only had one teacher per grade, so you had no choice. Second school, they took requests but rarely honored them. That school had so many awesome teachers though, out of four kids we only ended up with one that I wasn't happy with. Not a bad teacher, just a dud.

This school takes requests and has a politically motivated principal that tries very hard to honor all the requests. My oldest is in a blended class and will most likely get to stay in it for next year as well. My middle will be the hard one, he is very ADHD with dysgraphia and needs a teacher that understands the boy has an IQ of 160+ and look past the rest. He is a very sweet and loving child and very sensitive. He needs someone that is encouraging not punitive. I will be auditing all the third grade teachers to find one that will work best for him. His current teacher will help me do this. My youngest will go to the teacher the middle one has now.

It helps to have three in a row. First, Second and Third Grade. I find that since I spend a lot of time in the classrooms as a volunteer, the teachers want to have my next child in their class the next year.

 

[Stitchfans]

I wish our schools allowed it but they don't. Last year DDs school year was a nightmare. She ended up with the teacher everyone dreads. This year was fine. Her teacher is very nice and fair. Good way to end your year at a school. Now off to middle school. bigger and more teachers to deal with. Don't want to think about high school.

 

[Brooknwdw]

I am glad I found this thread, because I've been thinking about this and I have a question. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to word a request letter? Or even just a "teaching style" request letter?

My kids are in a great school and I sub there. I have seen most of the teachers teaching styles but not all. I have two, one going in 2nd grade. He has a WONDERFUL 1st grade teacher and she has actually suggested I request one certain 2nd grade teacher for him (she says she thinks they would be a good fit for each other personality wise). So I will just flat out request her. (Our shool actually has a form to fill out).

Now my 3rd grader, soon to be 4th is in a little different situation.
I have not been around the 4th grade teachers that much, so I don't know them.
My son does NOT do good with loud yelling teachers!

Last year (when he was in 2nd) he had a mean loud teacher & he had a MISERABLE year! NOw this a well behaved, A/B student. This teacher was really something. This year has been a little better but still I feel he hasn't had a teacher who was a "good fit" for him since 1st grade.

I am hoping to Home School soon, but wanted them both to get in a few good years of "public" school & socialization first.

Sorry so long, but again, any suggestions on wording for a certain STYLE of teacher? He really needs one that is mild mannered and can control her class w/o all the threats & yelling all the time.

 

[Marseeya]

I requested teachers every year for DS! His first year, he had my best friend's mother for kindergarten and she helped me pick teachers for him every year after that. He definitely needed teachers who were very structured in nature. As a result, he went through most of his elementary years with very little trouble. Then he got to 5th grade where I didn't know which teacher to choose and all hell broke loose.

I don't request teachers with DD because she's so easy going. She'll be fine with whoever she gets, unless the teacher is a real authoritarian. There aren't any like that at her school, so it's all good.

 

[taximomfor4]

My middle will be the hard one, he is very ADHD with dysgraphia and needs a teacher that understands the boy has an IQ of 160+ and look past the rest. He is a very sweet and loving child and very sensitive. He needs someone that is encouraging not punitive.

Good luck. That describes my oldest dd12. Teachers either love her or hate her. It's a tossup which way it goes. Some years were altogether miserable, but were good opportunities for us to teach dd some things ourselves. Sometimes the teacher was ridiculously hard on dd. Those were good opportunites for us to teach her that "Grades are not everything. Especially on school projects. If you know you did your best and worked hard on it, and are proud of the project you put together, and you feel it is a quality representation of your skill, then we are proud of that project too."

I can honestly say I have NEVER requested a specific teacher. And I would not, although I might be tempted now and again. We coach our kids to work it out. DD7 has a teacher that lets another child verbally abuse her. DD7 then cries. We did talk to the teacher on the phone, but we had dd playact with us, practicing how to get the nastiness to stop. She fixed it on her own (but with teacher made aware.)

DD12 has a teacher that made her upset, even made her cry, when they would disagree. We worked with her on deep-breathing for stress-relief, and worked hard on simply saying "Yes, ma'am" (without sounding sarcastic) and letting the argument go. Her big lesson this year has been to pick her battles.

DS got a brand new K teacher. You would think she would be dynamic and energetic, right? Nope. I have watched her class. She's pretty much a dud. No personality at all. Really very dry and boring, with under-developed classroom management skills (meaning she doesn't get much done with her kids). We show ds how to do his daily homework, and he is keeping up fine.

IF your school is one that encourages teacher-picking, go ahead and pick one if it makes you feel better. But sometimes the teachers that the kids learn most from are the harder, sterner teachers. I'll coddle my kids, the teachers just need to teach them. On the plus side, the really strict teachers are not putting up with the sometimes-harmful or hurtful shenanigans from the class bullies!

 

[golfgal]

I have only done that once when the twins were going into 4th grade. I found out they were moving one of the 5th grade teachers to 4th grade and we had so many problems with her with our oldest that we didn't want the twins in her class. I talked with their 3rd grade teachers and basically said that they are both in the other 4th grade class or we will leave the school. She was a HUGE reason why we pulled our oldest out of the school already (DS had her in 3rd 5th and 6th grade-she was moved around a lot-it wasn't happening again). They were both placed in the other class for the year and we were all happy.

 

[ItsonlyExperiment626]

Our school doesn't allow it.

 

[RitaZ.]

I've never written a letter requesting a specific teacher. However, I've written letters asking that my child NOT be placed with a specific teacher. In fact, I wrote one this morning for next year. Parents talk and you get to confirm the rumors when you volunteer in school. Like everything in life, there are teachers with good and bad reputations. I know that at our school, some of the older teachers really need to retire. There is no convincing them that a specifc method isn't working for your child. They know better because as many of them put it, "I've been doing this for a long time". Which translates into, "I know everything and you don't."

 

[minniecarousel]

Wait 'til High School! My older DS had the geometry teacher noboby liked! Parents were constantly writing letters to the administration outlining his ridiculous policies and his treatment of students. I went to the Principal one time regarding a grade that my son got on a progress report - we talked (I was very active in Academic Boosters, so she knew me.) She promised me that DS would never have to have this particular teacher in the future. I said fine, but I don't want to have to ever deal with him again - what about my younger DS, 2 years behind my older. She said he'd never have to have him either. Great!....Then she retired! The new Principal set a policy of not allowing ANY requests for specific teachers. I went to him and told him how the previous Principal had said that my younger DS wouldn't have to have this particular teacher. Since he had been an Assistant Principal at the HS I work at, I was one of the few parents he knew. He granted my request, but then DS had to change his schedule once school started in the Fall, and he ended up having this jerk at his teacher! He actually did fine with him - my sons are very different learners. Go figure!

 

[hydster]

As others have posted sometimes it's really hard to rely solely on other parents and their perspective. My sil told me that a particular teacher in the elementary school was horrible and that my niece had had her and had come home in tears all school year. She taught my DN in 5th grade and she had switched to 1st grade and my dd was assigned her class. All summer I was so freaked out about how my dd and my first child to go to school was going to deal with her. It turned out that my dd thrived under her teaching and she was the best teacher my dd could have ever had. This was family who told me that and still my dd had a great time with her, then my ds got the same teacher for 1st and my soon to be 2nd grader will have her as well next year.

If you have very strong reservations about a particular teacher I think I'd make an appt to talk to the principal about it and write the letter of who you think your child would thrive with. In our school it's encouraged to talk to the principal about any issues. Also since I volunteer there every so often and worked in Kindergarten last year I feel comfortable enough with my kids current teachers to talk to them about who I wish they would recommend for each child for the next year and tell them why.

 

[Nana Annie]

 

[Snowysmom]

When my kids were in elementary school, I did request teachers sometimes but for a reason. The first time I did was because older DS had an absolutely horrible 2nd grade teacher. One day he refused to go back to school! DH talked with the principal who understood. He actually told us he was going to put DS in a great 3rd grade classroom and he did. DS had the best year of elementary school! Younger DS had separation issues in K so the K teachers asked if I had a preference for him for 1st grade. I did and it worked out wonderfully. They did not allow requests for no reason, but if you had a legitimate reason to make a request, the school listened. Now in high school, younger DS has to take what he gets! At least my son in college can pick his classes and professors within reason.

 

[cwnhokie]

Thank you for all your responses. As a former teacher myself, I've had mixed feelings about the issue, but at the same time you don't want your child to suffer if there is something you can do about it. It seems to be a common practice at this school. At the school where I taught you could not request a specific teacher but had to word your request in such a way as to lead towards one or away from one. It probably had a lot to do with us only having two teachers per grade level also. The school DS will attend will have 8 Kindergarten's next year. I spoke with several people to decide if it was necessary, neighbors, some of which are former teachers as well, and teachers in the same school system. Finally I decided to go ahead and write the letter and I turned it in today. I just don't want to come off as an irritating parent right of the bat, oh well, I'll try to make up for it with volunteer time next year. Thanks again.

 

[Daxx]

At DS's school, you are not allowed to request teachers.

At my school, each grade has one teacher, so you get who you get. It's rare, but parents have pulled their child out of school for a year b/c they don't like that particular teacher.

When DS was going into Kdg., his pal's mom had 2 kids in the school DS was enrolled in and I told her how excited I was that "Jane" would be in the same school as DS,. She said that she wasn't sending "Jane" to that school, b/c she didn't like the 2nd grade teacher. Funny thing -- by the time 2nd grade rolled around, there were two new, wonderful teachers. The parent was sooo mad!!!!

 

[MoniqueU]

I requested a teacher once because she was nice and my older daughter had had her. Not a mistake. I almost requested that my son not be placed in a teachers class because of chatter among the other parents that she was a witch, should of retired long ago etc. Well I ended up not doing that and my son and she got along fine. My daughter has her this year. Again no problems. She does it her way, my kids know who is boss and they get their work done and are learning ALOT, that is all that matters. Sometimes life isn't always the warm fuzzies. This teacher is retiring this year and I am sad my youngest daughter won't have her because with all her experience teaching she has alot to still pass on.
In my experience the ones you hear the worst things about often end up being the best for your kids and the ones you hear the best things about end up being the pushovers and have classes running wild. JMHO. But I have been to some 5th grade parties and it was a zoo and then in the same day gone to the 1st grader parites and it was all manners and you would be shocked at which age group was allowed to run wild.
So now I take the mommy gossip with a grain of salt. Sometimes some people have nothing to do but complain about others.

 

[jsmith]

ive never requested a specific teacher-i have however twice TOLD the principle that my child WOULD not be placed in a specific teachers class-it both cases the child had already spent at least a semester with that teacher with disasterous results despite every effort to remedy the problem. In one case the principle was accommodating-in the other the princple told me that was no my decision to make-i looked at her and said yes it was-did we need the superindentant involved?

 

[rbuzzotta]

My girls school do not allow you to request a specific teacher. Everyone has the opportunity to fill out a form describing your child's needs, strengths and weaknesses. I usually just tell the present teacher of my elementary school children to place my child in a classroom with a teacher that he/she feels will best make a compatible situation and with a teacher that is educated (or specializes) to my children's specific learning and physical disablities and those particular needs that go along with them. I then just hope it all works out.............so far I have not been disappointed!! In middle and high school, I just go with who my DD gets. Sometimes good/great, others not so. She has learned to adjust to the teachers style of teaching and I do hope that that will benefit her in the long run.

 

[Val]

For my older three kids I never requested a teacher. I have made requests that my DS NOT be placed in a class with a particular child (the two boys get in way too much trouble together, and it is best that they be separated). This request has been honored both years that I requested it.

My youngest DD8 is hard of hearing and wears aids. She is in Catholic school, and receives some district support (an FM unit, some speech services, and the itinerant deaf teacher stops by now and again). The district would provide these services either way, or would have to send her to the university lab school if she were not in Catholic school. I DO request a particular teacher for her, and this is done at her IEP/504 plan meeting each spring. We actually sit down as a team (speech teacher, teacher of the deaf, resource teacher, classroom teacher, social worker, psychologist, parents, principal.....boy what a big team for a little girl). We work it out and develop a strategy for the next year. So far, so good. I am dreading third grade, as this is the year when the kids start to switch teachers. Thank goodness BOTH third grade teachers are wonderful, although it looks like one is a little more visual than the other, so we will have the visual teacher as her primary teacher.

As a former administrator, I understood parent requests, but also realized that I had to divide kids up somehow. SO many things come into play- balancing genders, balancing and evening out abilities, personality requests, etc. I try to avoid making requests without a specific reason- such as hearing loss. I am fortunate that my kids go to a small school, and I have faith in the teachers at the school. I might have a different viewpoint under other circumstances!

Good luck to everyone. A good teacher can influence the rest of your life, and a bad teacher can turn you off to education. If there was only a "good teacher" test that fit all! And God Bless all the teachers (especially those junior high ones)....I guess teachers might advocate for "good kid" and "good parent" tests as well!!!!!