Requesting your childs classroom teacher?

[MAGICX2]

I really would like to request a certain teacher for my child this year. I am not a control freak , but his Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers were not that great and I want to make sure he gets a teacher that gets him involved and interested. He gets bored very easily and usually finishes his assignments before the rest of the class. Then he gets in trouble for goofing off and/or talking. There are two specific teachers I have been told by other moms, who we are close to, that would be great for my DS7.

Problem is our school has a "no requesting" policy. Its not a written policy that I can find anywhere, just kind of unspoken. You can, however, request that your child NOT be placed with certain teachers. I really don't want to go to the extreme of naming the other seven 2nd grade teachers stating I don't want him placed in their classrooms (unless I have to). Any suggestions?

 

[kbkids]

Our school had the "derequest policy" for years. I don't like it because I feel like it's a negative way of going about it, but you can bet I took advantage of it because it was the only way I had a say in who my child got.

This year, new principal, she's allowing us to choose 5 (you have to pick 5, no less) that we would want our child to be with, as well as derequesting who we don't want. I prefer this method much more.

But if derequesting is all you've got - go for it.

 

[debster812]

I really would like to request a certain teacher for my child this year. I am not a control freak , but his Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers were not that great and I want to make sure he gets a teacher that gets him involved and interested. He gets bored very easily and usually finishes his assignments before the rest of the class. Then he gets in trouble for goofing off and/or talking. There are two specific teachers I have been told by other moms, who we are close to, that would be great for my DS7.

Problem is our school has a "no requesting" policy. Its not a written policy that I can find anywhere, just kind of unspoken. You can, however, request that your child NOT be placed with certain teachers. I really don't want to go to the extreme of naming the other seven 2nd grade teachers stating I don't want him placed in their classrooms (unless I have to). Any suggestions?

Bolding mine.

You need to be really really careful here. DS will be going into 6th grade in the Fall. Well, in 4th grade, there was one teacher that had this 'reputation'. He was the only male teacher, and had a rep of being a yeller, and being very strict, and anytime you mentioned his name around town, you'd get a reactions, and the parent would go 'ewwww'. Guess who DS got? I had heard all the playground gossip, and moms talking on the ballfield, and TOTALLY bought into it. I was so disappointed. Called the school, and they would not consider changing DS's assignment without cause.

Fast forward, it was to date, his BEST year of school ever. DS and this teacher just clicked. It was a great year, and the kids in DS's class came out of 4th grade the best prepared for 5th grade. He still popped in to say Hi to Mr. N every chance he got. He was strict, he worked them hard, and demanded excellence. None of which are bad things. I personally think that somewhere down the line, there was a family who did not really jive with this particular teacher's style, and then the badmouthing took on a life of it's own.

I certainly think it's OK to request a certain 'style' of teacher, but not specific teachers, per se. Also, it's very likely that all the assignments are done already for the Fall.

Good Luck

 

[DisneyArk]

Our school has the same policy. I think you can request your child not be put in 1 teacher's class, but I don't think the principal would allow you to list several teachers (that would be the same as listing the 1 or 2 that you want).

Here are my suggestions
1. Write a letter telling about your child and what type of teacher your child needs. Ex. My child needs a teacher who will challenge him and allow him to do advanced work in certain subjects.

2. Talk to the school counsellor. You may have missed your opportunity to do this if your counsellor is out for the summer. My children's principal relies heavily on what the counsellor suggests for each child.

Good luck!

 

[luvmy3]

I'm not really sure what you can do now. Your school most likely has the classes figured out and your child has already been placed. I guess if you find out that they get the teacher you don't want, you can request a meeting with the principal and let them know your reasons.
Our school sends home letters in April, letting parents know that is the time to send in your teacher type requests, if you have any. We are not allowed to request specific teacher, but we are allowed to ask that our child not be placed in a specific teachers classroom. If in the past you have had a personal problem with a certain teacher you can do it. I don't think they will accept the I just don't like this teacher reason, it has to be something specific. I know I will be doing that in a couple years (if this teacher is still there) because of issues that my ds personally had with her. I do not want my other ds in her class.
Good luck.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

There's a good reason they have that policy. It would be an administrative nightmare to allow such requests, and if you open the door to one parent, then the rest will barge through. I understand you've been given recommendations, but unless you know the other teachers positively are unable to accommodate your child, then I don't think you have much leverage.

 

[java]

Yikes! Thankfully around here there are only 2 kindergarten teachers(and one only works the AM class) so I knew what my options were and was happy with either.

The only time I ever "requested" was with my daughter (who is now in 6th) I did not want her to have a specific 4th grade teacher- a total psycho that I had seen in action on several situations. I didn't name her specifically but said I wanted a teacher that was XYZ to further my daughters education and learning experience. *of course the offending teacher wasn't XY or Z.

Good luck and really I tried not to micromanage my kids educations and take every teacher with a grain of salt. One child's experience in the class can be totally different than my child's experience. If you feel very strongly though I don't think there is anything wrong in pointing out the specific qualitities in a teacher that would work best with your child.

Wow big districts eh? The largest class here requires 4 teachers. (80 kids) all other 2-3.

 

[ChrisAlli]

I have a neighbor who talked her son into the PERFECT K teacher's class. Well let me tell you by the end of the year, she wasn't that happy with what everyone said was th PERFECT teacher. My son had the other NEW teacher and we loved her. You child will not always get the best teacher, they need to learn to adapt as do you. Also, what someone else thinks is the BEST teacher, may not be best for your child. Having an open mind and open communication with your childs teachers is whats important.

A little story....At a birthday party I was talking to some moms. We were discussing teachers in the school. One mom said her daughter had so and so for 1st grade and loved her, another moms DD had the same teacher and hated her.

I collected money for the teachers gift this year, one mom came and handed me $5 and said she was being cheap because they didn't like Miss so and so. I thought she was kiding. She wasn't, then she went on to tell me all kinds of things. Again, we love her as a teacher my son had a fabulous year.

You never know, I say leave it be kids need to learn to deal with different personalities and if he isn't being challenged enough talk to the teacher, see if he can get extra work or tested to more challenging classes, the school may have more to offer him.

 

[lowie]

i don't think you need to pick and choose a teacher so much as you really need to meet with the guidance counselor and find out why your child is doing what he's doing. if he's finishing assignments quickly and doing well, he may be gifted and maybe the school can test him and place him in an advanced class (if they have one). but if he's finishing quickly, getting poor grades then talking and being disruptive, he may have something that a certain type of classroom can help him overcome.

i know my dd had an AWFUL 4th grade teacher, for the type of learner she is. knowing what i know now about my son... well, he'd LOVE this teacher. every kid is different, and really, every year a teacher is going to be slightly different.

good luck!

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

Ah! I am struggling w/this for my soon-to-be second grader also.

Kindergarten was a mess. It was her second year teaching and she didn't even get a class the next year (was fired I assume). Last year in 1st grade he got a teacher that was in her last year......she was about 20 years PAST the point where she should have retired and she had about as much patience as a 3 year old. DS would come home crying and upset about how she yelled at the kids all day. He really (honestly, I'm not just saying this---I promise!!) is a very good kid. Got in trouble (for talking of all things) once in 2 years. How he behaves so well at school and not at home is another story........
ANYWAY, I've found out one of the 2nd grade teachers at his school is a teacher that DS had for an elective last year and she is very loud, brash, and has an "in your face" sort of style about her. DS would cry every week when the elective day was up. It was so bad his teacher invited me into the class to be with him on those days, he was just terrified of her.
There's a 1 in 4 chance (4 classes of 2nd graders) that he'd be put in her class next month, and I can't have him go through that again. This would be his permanent teacher, she's no longer teaching the elective.
I talked to the principal about it once and she told me it's all computer generated as to what child gets what teacher.........but to send her an e-mail and she'd see what she could do, but there were no guarantee. I sent her a long, very professional e-mail last week, and will send her another follow up e-mail later this week (since she never responded to my first one).

Sorry to hijack your thread with my own complaining!!

My point was, there are situations when I feel requesting your childs teacher is more than acceptable, it should be granted.
You said you didn't have the best first two years, well I think then you deserve a good 3rd year. Go for it.

 

[mjkacmom]

Our school frowns upon it, but it is done - most ask for a particular teacher, and don't ask for a child NOT to have a particular teacher. I've done it twice (and you can see from the ages of my kids, that's a small percentage of the time), but it was actually because I did not want her to have certain teachers, who my older dd had.

The lists here have been made up since last May, and everyone is off for the summer - I don't think you can make any requests now.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I really would save special requests for when there's a teacher you absolutely don't want your child to get. If you request too many times or too early, they may ignore you later when it may be imperative.

Having said that, I would talk to the principal. I would tell him/her that your DS has had a rough couple of years and that you really want this year to be a success. Say that you're really concerned about his placement. Maybe you could refresh his/her memory about your child's learning style. I would also tell him exactly what some of the problems were in the past two years. Then I would say that you'll leave it up to her to decide which teacher is the best fit. I might say that I heard through the grapevine that teacher X would be great for my son, but that you would be fine with whomever they thought was best.

 

[MELSMICE]

I have never requested a specific teacher for any of my children, nor have I asked that they not get a specific teacher. I believe that ever teacher has their own strengths to pass on to children.

I also believe even if a child gets a teacher that may end up being not the greatest for that child they can still learn something - even if it's tolerance & learning to deal with an authority figure that they're not the fondest of.

My DD's have had teachers that I loved & that others have continually talked negative about. On the other hand, they've had teachers that weren't my favorite but others loved. They have learned something from all of them.

In 2nd grade my terribly "unorganized" DD got an anal teacher that was so organized it made me crazy (& I'm organized). It was a tough year for DD & I bit my tongue many times with notices that were sent home, but it did teach my DD that a little organization can help & if she wanted a "smiley" every day she better do what the teacher asked regardless of how difficult it was for her.

I, personally, don't like the practice of requesting teachers, but that's just me!

 

[Tink888]

I have a neighbor who talked her son into the PERFECT K teacher's class. Well let me tell you by the end of the year, she wasn't that happy with what everyone said was th PERFECT teacher. My son had the other NEW teacher and we loved her. You child will not always get the best teacher, they need to learn to adapt as do you. Also, what someone else thinks is the BEST teacher, may not be best for your child. Having an open mind and open communication with your childs teachers is whats important.

You never know, I say leave it be kids need to learn to deal with different personalities and if he isn't being challenged enough talk to the teacher, see if he can get extra work or tested to more challenging classes, the school may have more to offer him.

ITA

Our district doesn't allow requests - if one does it, then everyone starts doing it. And it's true that sometimes the teacher you think would be best actually isn't and it's the one you wouldn't have chosen that really connects with your kid.

I know it's hard to step back when it comes to your kids (I've been down that road) but they can't pick their teachers in jr or sr high or their bosses so the sooner they have the opportunity to learn how to adapt with different personalities and authority figures, the better off they are in the long run. I think the prior teacher also has some input as far as recommendations as far as next year.

I've been really lucky - both my kids have had great teachers with the exception of maybe one year each. Sometimes the teachers I wouldn't have chosen for them were their favorites and the best fits for their learning styles and personalities. I was glad that I took a step back and let things fall into place on their own.

If you feel like you have to get involved, maybe pick your worst two for the de-request so that the school still has options for your son. If you de-request every other teacher in the grade, there's a very good chance you'll still end up with one you didn't want. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[Luv'sTink]

I have a friend who was ALWAYS at the school doing something, working, volunteering, just chatting you get the idea. She got every teacher she wanted for EVERY one of her children. This people, is how it is done!

No really, DS had what was termed "the tough teacher" last year and did well with him and DS loved this guy, me not so much. Don't get me wrong he is a good teacher just a bit gruff with students and parents alike, but DS was the one that had to go to school every day and did every day, perfect attendance.

 

[JVL1018]

I requested my son's 1st grade teacher for next year-actually DD had her last year-and Mrs. M. kept saying to me this year "are you requesting me???"(I've known her since we were teenagers so she wasn;t being pushy and weird)-and I think she's the best teacher for reading, so I requested her, and I know it was honored.

My daughter's K teacher now teaches 3rd grade and Julia wanted to get her soooo badly for this upcoming year. I didn;t request her because I didn't really care who she got asnd I didn;t want to be "that" mom.

So a week or so before the end of school I was at a birthday party with the school secretary(she's our friend's mom) and as we were leaving I jokingly said "We want Mrs M and Mrs H, make it happen" and she said I thought that was a done deal and I said I only requested Mrs. M.
So she says ahhh-well I have the magic computer, I can do anything - I think that's the best teacher for Julia- I'll look on Monday.

So the last day of school I was talking to the 2nd grade teacher about how Julia is going to be bummed if she doesn't get Mrs. H next year and she told me, she has her.
My friend's mom had gone to school on Monday, saw that Julia wasn't in her class and told the principal to change it--and he did.
Pays to know the secretary! LOL

She said why didn;t you request her?? I said I didn't want to request for both kids, she said just do it, they'll say it's not guaranteed and yada yada yada, but they honor all requests because they don't want to deal with annoyed parents come September.

ETA: I don't know if it matters, but we have a small school-2 K classes, 3 for every other grade. usually around 18 kids per class.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

We only had two or three classrooms per grade in our elementary school. I made two requests in the years my 3 kids attended. When my oldest DD was going into first grade, I requested she not get a certain teacher with a reputation for "giving" A's. If DD was going to get A's, I wanted her to earn them. (Also, that teacher discussed her private life too much with FIRST GRADERS, like about her ex-husband and current husband, and how she'd spend the night at the the ex's house if the weather was bad. )

The other time was to avoid my DS (my youngest of 3) having a teacher who I'd seen in action many times over the years being a total *****...to the students, to the parents, to other teachers. No way was *I* going to deal with her.

We were told we could make requests, but they weren't guaranteed. But I did a lot of volunteering back then, and that helps, I'm sure, even tho I only made those two requests.

When DS was going into 8th grade, a teacher who had had both of my DDs called me and asked me to request her team. She loved my kids, and they loved her. Turns out he WAS on the other team, so they switched him.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

My youngest had a not-great teacher in grade one, and then in grade two the teacher was away much of the time so he had a series of substitutes. I really wanted him to have a better experience in grade three. He was assigned a teacher that one of his older brothers had had a couple years earlier, and while I knew that his brother had been fine in the class, I also knew this teacher would be horrible for my youngest. So I went to the school and asked to have it changed.

The principal asked me to give it a chance and see how it went. Three weeks later, my son was miserable and not wanting to go to school. I went back to the principal and he said it was now too late in the year to make the change! I was pretty mad, and said that I would take my son out and home school him, and would write to the school board, etc. about why. He was unhappy, but he made the switch.

I am SO glad I insisted. My son thrived in that class, had a wonderful year, and even better, that teacher decided to teach grade four the next year so he got to have him two years in a row. Best teacher he ever had, actually.

Teresa

 

[DevilDuckie]

If the school has a policy against it, requesting anyway in inappropriate unless there are extenuating circumstances. If your kid is disabled or special needs and there is a strong reason for it, get the appropriate resource teacher involved and talk to the principal. If not, ignoring the "no request" policy and making a request anyway will kind of make you "that parent" and I don't think you really want to be.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

When I was student teaching, one of the things I noticed was that it is not necessarily a bad thing to be "that parent." The teachers did actually tend to bend over backwards to be careful with the children of "that parent" because they knew they'd hear about it otherwise!

Teresa