Poll: Teacher assignments..when do you know?

[the kabuki]

Parents with school age children, when are you told who your child's teacher for the year is? Just found out today from the school that we won't know until the first day of school. The explanation given is that classroom sizes change daily.

I just wish they'd let us know a bit sooner. We have friends in another district who not only find out who next year's teacher will be a month in advance, but are also sent a list with supplies that will be needed. We typically will not get our required supply list until after Labor Day, which by then everything is almost gone.

I just can't imagine that there's so many new students coming in that haven't registered before the first day of school that they wouldn't be able to post assignments. Plus I know for a fact that 99% of the classes were assigned back in April

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

They tell us at 5 PM the day before school starts. The office staff places the classroom listings in the library windows and then at exactly at 5 PM opens the curtains so we can view them. They open them and then they leave immediately so parents can't complain. School starts the next morning at 8:15 and parents can't complain until at least 2 weeks into school about wanting to receive a new teacher. I personally don't like the system becasue it is a mad house so I go around 8 PM and miss the corwds. There is nothing I can do if my kids don't get the teacher we want. We just haed to school on the first day with a good attitude and hope all goes well.

From Sunny Ca...... and starting school on August 31st

 

[disykat]

The day or so before school starts here. You think it's bad for the parents? Waiting to put students names on everything is torture for the teachers. You can't set up your gradebook, nametags, etc. In our area, I don't think there's any doubt that class lists fluxuate up until the last minute. We live in a highly mobile community. It is not unusual at my kids school to have 20 kids show up the first day and also to have a lot of noshows.

Even though they make assignments in the Spring, you can't post them because then if you have to move students around you get very upset parents and students. We have about 3 teachers at my kid's school still waiting to find out what grade level they will teach - dependent upon last minute enrollments. If they have to cut, add, or split a grade level it will move everyone around!

 

[ckckc2000]

We had made a special request to not have a really nasty teacher-she really needs to retire-and is very close to that time-anyway-we have always found out which teacher the kids are assigned to by 2nd week of August-Thankfully they honored our request and my DD will now have the better of the 2 -5th grade teachers

 

[Barb D]

High schooler: They sent out the schedule with teacher names last week (on the 15th), and school starts the 29th.

Middle schooler: She gets her schedule and teacher names in homeroom on the first day of school.

Kindergartner: We go to orientation a few days before school starts, and I'm assuming we'll find out then.

 

[delilah]

My son attends a small, Catholic school. There is only one classroom per grade. We know all the teachers for all the grades, and if there are changes, it will be in the Sunday bulletin at church.

 

[lewdyan1]

We always find out the first day of school. They have list posted outside when you first walk up.

 

[shortbun]

We know a few weeks before the previous school year ends. That way, the kids can get a look at their teachers AND their new rooms before they go home. This eliminates the worry. It's great!

 

[golfgal]

I voted for June, but it is actually May, they send home the kids' teacher for the next year on the last report card of the previous year.

For public schools, it might not be a matter of having a lot of kids register at the end of the summer, but they might have a situation where 5 girls register for the same grade, so they need to balance out the classrooms. A lot of people DO wait until the last minute to get their kids signed up for school. Also, by waiting to the last minute, they don't have to deal with parents calling to get their child into a different class. I don't agree with this, I think parents should be able to request certain teachers. Not all requests may be honored, but if say 1/3 of the families don't get their first choice this year, they should automatically get their first choice the next year. I think it would also be a way to monitor teachers. If no one requests a certain teacher, maybe there is a good reason and the administration needs to address that.

 

[Lars624]

I just got my 4th graders teacher assignment yesterday so I voted 1-2 weeks

 

[aprilgail2]

The last day of school it is normally on their report cards who their teacher will be. This year they had some budget troubles so we don't know until this week, which is 2 weeks before school starts..thats nuts! But the supply list for the following year you get the beginning of June (our school ends the last week of June here)

 

[floridaminnie]

We find the day of Open House which is the Friday before school starts. We do get a supply list in July though. Even if you don't have a supply list, the staple school supplies will always be on it and then you'd just have to pick up the misc. stuff later.

 

[froglady]

When my children were in elementary school (private) the rosters were posted outside the classroom. They very, very rarely changed assignments, as the teachers, headmaster, resource teachers, etc get together in small groups at the end of school and decide which class would be best for each student. ie, the kindergarten teachers would meet with the 1st grade teachers, and so on.

Now that my youngest is in Jr/Sr high, he got his class schedule at registration, along with books, locker lock, etc, the day before school started.(last Wed.) He must wait 2 weeks before making any changes in his schedule.

DD did have problems with a few HS teachers because they actually challenged her (she was used to sailing through) but in the end she rose to the challenge and is a better student, and person, because of it. I was sorry to find out that one of them (AP English) is in a purely adminstrative position now; DD is sailing through college because of her.

 

[Val]

Our younger three kids attend parochial school. Normally, they would find out about their teachers during registration the Sunday before school starts on Friday. This year our state teacher's retirement system has changed, resulting in lots of public school teachers retiring. Add to this some major issues with the pastor, and we lost 6 of 24 teachers. One teacher left the NIGHT BEFORE school started. I walked my youngest into her class, only to find out the teacher paired with her (they co-teach the two classes, sharing subjects) had resigned the night before. They had hired a new teacher- and she walked in, signed her contract, picked up her roster and started the first day!!! School is in a bit of chaos, to say the least. Given the power the pastor has started to take in the school, this very well may be our last year- too many "bad" changes, and this not knowing teachers until the morning of because there isn't a teacher is intolerable....

....our oldest chose to go to public high school. She found out her teachers last Monday, and she starts school this coming Wednesday.

 

[Piglet's Pal]

My elementary DS & DD find out who their teachers will be for the following year when they get their report cards at the end of the year. They also get their supply lists at that time.
My middle school DS gets his schedule and teachers at the end of July along with his supply list.
My kids start school on August 29th.
PP

 

[Allie322]

Do I win a prize for the worst system yet? DDs elementary school is a madhouse the first day of school. The kids go to their school yard (hopefully they know which one to go to) and wait for the bell to ring. The teachers then come out and the kids surge forward. The teachers try to maintain order and they then stand there and call out the names on their class list. Inveitably there are a few kids who couldn't hear the teachers and are confused about where to go. DD will be in the 6th grade this year and there hasn't been a year yet that I haven't seen some kid in tears because they missed their name being called. It's nuts and what makes me crazy is that the lists are finalized in May so there's no reason that they couldn't put their assignment on their report cards in June. I think it adds to the kids' anxiety levels. Thankfully this is our last year there.

 

[Tantor]

Ours are on their last report card in June.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

My school district varies widely among the different buildings or levels. My son's final report card for 1st grade had his 2nd grade teacher's name on it, so we knew his teacher and had his supply list in June.

My daughter enters Middle School this year (my building!). I cheated and went to the Guidance Dept. to find out her team ahead of time, so I knew her teachers in June; however, the official letter with the teachers, schedule, and supply list did not arrive until late July. High School students receive a schedule in the mail in July as well.

The problem with early notification is that parents start calling the school asking to switch teams or schedule different lunch periods and such - sometimes for a good reason, but more often than not, for no other reason than to keep their children happy. While the school does a great job sifting to accommodate those who truly need the change (e.g., a diabetic needing a different lunch period as opposed to a child wanting lunch with his or her best friend), it is a tremendous hassle to make the changes and to deal with irate parents who call over and over, not understanding why the school can't just give in to Tommy's whining and give him what he wants.

As a result, as a teacher I do not receive a final schedule and class list until the day before school - and even then, I can expect at least 5-10 students' schedules to change after that, wreaking havoc on my planning and group activities. As a parent, I appreciate knowing and being able to buy only the supplies my children will need, but as a teacher I sometimes think it only adds to the stress and confusion for the administrators and guidance staff - I wish there were some happy medium!

Hmmm... can you tell it's getting close to the first day of school here (and the stress may be starting to wear on me)?

 

[the kabuki]

Do I win a prize for the worst system yet? DDs elementary school is a madhouse the first day of school. The kids go to their school yard (hopefully they know which one to go to) and wait for the bell to ring. The teachers then come out and the kids surge forward. The teachers try to maintain order and they then stand there and call out the names on their class list. Inveitably there are a few kids who couldn't hear the teachers and are confused about where to go. DD will be in the 6th grade this year and there hasn't been a year yet that I haven't seen some kid in tears because they missed their name being called. It's nuts and what makes me crazy is that the lists are finalized in May so there's no reason that they couldn't put their assignment on their report cards in June. I think it adds to the kids' anxiety levels. Thankfully this is our last year there.

You'll be in a tie for 1st place with our school if there is a prize.
Morning of the first day...400 students plus parents on the back playground, teachers standing with signs of their grade, shouting off their classroom list.

I guess I can understand about not wanting the parents to know too far in advance, so they can't call and complain about the assignments.

Maybe they could post teacher assignments early, and also include something to the effect that absolutely no teacher assignments will be changed until the 2nd week of school ?

 

[shelby_36]

Well I teach middle school and the TEACHERS get their lists at 7:30 the first day of school. The reasoning I've always gotten is if they tell the teachers or kids then they will be bombarded with requests for kids to move to a class with a friend. I guess they think the teachers will share this info even if they are asked not to.

I've got a child is HS. He got his last week- 2 weeks early and they assign a day they can change anything if they want.

I've got a child in Middle school and he'll get his schedule and teachers names in homeroom the first day of school.

I've got one in elementary(K) and she will find out 6pm the night before the first day of school. (from what I've been told)

Personally I don't see the harm in letting people know early, ease some of the stress on the kids some (and the teaachers) but they just need to know what their procedure for changes will be prior to handing them out. Either forbid changes or have a certain time period for changes or criteria for changes.