Those interested in an update on the Teacher Saga...

[graygables]

We homeschool. I was a public school teacher and older DDs did time in a public school.

The thing that jumps out most to me is the near-frenetic "gotta do something for my poor baby NOW" sense that I'm getting from both OP's posts. People do children a disservice by trying to micromanage every moment of their day and trying to come up with "coping strategies" to teach them. Back off and let them learn to cope on their own. Give a kid a strategy, he survives for a day, teach a kid to get his own strategy and he'll survive for a lifetime (much better when parents aren't around anymore).

The 2 DDs that are still at home both have issues very similar to what you refer to. One has Asperger's and the other is ADHD. They both have all kinds of sensory issues. One is very schedule-rigid, the other is very fly-by-the-seat-of-her pants. They learn to deal with one another and with me and as such, have developed some coping skills.

It sounds to me as though the OP is not happy with the move and is looking to find something wrong to justify that unhappiness. As an Army brat, I know all about moving, sometimes to places you aren't excited about, but the one thing I learned was to do the best with what you have where you are. If you think your DD isn't picking up on some of your anxiety, you are mistaken. You need to relax, realize that this is your situation and just do your best. If you don't like the public school, find a private school or homeschool. Believe me, the latter is the easier option.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

ITA with everything you said! I feel so sorry for that poor teacher.

Me too. It is not very often that people are united on this board when it comes to teaching and school but really you are way over the edge. I am a teacher and what people say is true. You will develop a reputation. I have dealt with many parents who have a reputation but had no problem. That is because I tell it like it is to them. In fact, I am always stuck with the "WORST" parents for just that reason. I can handle them.

So I reiterate the advice from many of the previous posters...to put it simply get over it. You are tormenting the teacher and your daughter. If she likes her teacher and you begin to give off vibes that you do not it will turn into the same type of situation in an unhappy divorce. You child will feel the guilt for liking the teacher and not being loyal to you. If this is how you begin your school career in the public school then maybe a private school where you can call the shots to some extent will be the place for you. Just remember in many states, private school teachers do NOT have to be certified. If you think you are advocating for your child how about waiting till she has some real issues to be advocated. As to the social worker, maybe the school is using the social worker most likely it is an adjustment counselor and she is not only helping with the child she is observing YOU!!!!

 

[Spinning]

I would like to ask a question.
How many times have you been in the class room? And what reason were you in the room?
over the years I have been in my kids classes at different times and for different reasons. Some times the room was so crazy I thought how in the world do they even funtion in here. Other times I was amazed at the control and structure the teacher had.

I guess you may feel everyone is jumping all over you but truthfully, it just doesn't seem like you have given it enough time. Also does it mean anything to you that your DD likes the class and friends. This may be exactly what she needs. If she is as smart as you say, you can balance out the missing parts. But can you give her the confidence in the class room? the bonding she is making? The possiblity she may come out of her shy self?
Kindergarten has so many components to it. Socialization, sharing, learning, indepenance, time management etc.....

I feel for you and your concerns but I think you need to look at the entire learning aspect. Not just the academic area.

 

[DisneyDotty]

This is my point exactly. It definitely contributes to the problem. So, why NOT try to provide what we know works... a structured environment, when she obviously needs it the most?

Somebody tell exactly what I am doing wrong here? Am I caring TOO much about the quality of education my child is receiving. Or am I caring TOO much about her self-esteem and well-being? Am I really just to go on my merry way and turn a blind-eye to what seems like such an obvious problem to me? How do I make it NOT be a problem in that way? I just don't get it.

You're facing a tough problem. On the one hand, your daughter needs structure (what kid doesn't?) and isn't getting it in her current classroom. On the other, she's already had the major upheaval of moving across the country and likes her class, so do you really want to add another stress to her life by switching classrooms?
I guess the question to ask yourself is which is easier for you to deal with:
A) Giving her structure/enriching her education as much as possible in the rest of her life outside of school or
B) Helping her cope with the stress of switching classrooms?
I agree with you that we ought not be content with mediocrity in education. Unfortunately, it's a HUGE problem because our society in general does not appreciate quality education. --Am anticipating getting flamed here, but will don the fireproof suit.-- (Look how we compensate our teachers. Look how we fight hard against referenda. Look how we complain when our taxes go up to fund our schools. Frankly, look at the inequity in our school funding. Look at how scientific knowledge is being "pooh poohed" by our President, for gosh sakes! But don't get me started.)
I know from experience that many parents do not complain about teachers because of fear of reprisal. Others (as you've seen on the boards here) attack parents who do question the system/curriculum etc. because they think "those parents" don't think anything is good enough for their children.
I wish you much luck in wrestling with this problem.

 

[Ratpack]

I just have to step in (being a mom and a teacher in the public schools- so both sides of the desk, sort of speak...). We moved here last year when DD was in 1st grade. She placed out of Kindergarten testing and was put into a K/1 at our previous school. So, needless to say, years of preschool and daycare was a benefit in our case. However, once we moved, she continued on the regular pace of going into 1st grade. She was above in the class and needed less attention for academics than others. However, being new, adjusting to a smaller community, moving into an apartment, 3 hours away from family, etc. She really needed 'social' time. Sure, she struggled with wanting to go to school at the beginning- HATED IT! The teacher and the guidance counselor worked with her on connecting with others (who had been together through Kindergarten, neighborhoods, community sports and church. She had to adjust! This took time. Was I fond of her teacher for her lack of strong structure like her K/1 class? NO, but I was so appreciative of her understanding for helping her make friends, and to be included in the classroom. She even became the "HELPER" to others that needed a peer buddy. That seemed to be more important. Without this social period, DD would have regressed and shut down academically all together!
As far as "crazy schedules"...Oh, my! The beginning of the year is CRAZY in general. You need to be flexible as they see how timed schedules fall into place and are readjusted. It is now our second quarter and we are just falling into a structured setting.
Your child will pick up on your stress level, your negative emotions and depressed feelings about moving. Mine did! I know that this is NOT where I want to spend the rest of my life, but for now you "must hang your hat and your heart will follow." Give it time- it is all fresh and new.
Chill out and let it ride- switching teachers without giving it a chance is not fair. You will always have people to deal with in school and out, that are NOT your cup of tea. It will just teach your child how to make good decisions, build character and to be understanding of others. She may surprise you yet!

 

[Wishing on a star]

To the OP....
Did you get my message that I had sent when your PM box was full???
I will send you another PM!

Okay, I see that their are TWO sides to this issue. And, I feel that the ones critisizing the OP are guilty of being JUST as rabid as they are claiming the OP to be.

The issue here is NOT to flame the OP, but to help her to see how to do what is right for her child in a VERY difficult situation. Sure, she may have crossed some lines... But that seems to be behind now, with the Principal and the School Counselor offering to step in and evaluate the situation with the DD's issues.

Everyone here now seems to say "She is happy, she likes her teacher, leave her where she is....." I have a strongly dissenting opinion.

You simply cannot expect a Kindergartener to be able to make that kind of a judgement!!! She does not want to rock the boat.... Obviously, while she trys to 'be nice' and say everything is Okay, it has NOT been. She has been having breakdowns!!!! To me, this is NOT acceptable. School should NOT be causing a child to have breakdowns, even if they happen to have a few issues!!! A child at this age does not often have the ability to identify and verbalize these kinds of problems and concerns. I would NOT go by those comments from the DD.

Also, from my own personal experience here, kids ARE adaptable. Even kids like the OP's daughter. I have had my DS's class changed from unnacceptable situations... And because I have been his strongest 'advocate' the difference has been night-and-day!!!! My DS adjusted wonderfully. He is now experiencing a 'positive' school year!!!
This is all because I stood up and was not afraid to be 'one of THOSE moms'.

That label, 'those moms' is truly disturbing to me. It has become a huge negative catch-phrase which is applied to ALL moms who may have this kind of a valid problem. I know... I have had all these labels and false accusations thrown at me. All because my DS had similar problems to the OP's DD.

Like the OP, I did NOT need that!!! (I needed help and answers!!!!) I especially did not need that kind of attitute from these 'professionals' who are supposed to care. This kind of negativity is NOT professional and it is NOT 'caring'.

I would bet that an hour or so observing the other classroom would immediately let the OP know if a change into this class would be beneficial for her DD, and might help her to be able to cope with school, and to actually LEARN something. I would definately not discount the opportunity that the school has been gracious enough to offer!!! Keep looking for answers!!!

And, as I said before. There are some very obvious systemic problems, and it is possible that no matter WHICH teacher, that the Kindergarten program, as it is set up, will simply NOT be a good situation for the OP's daughter.

I hope for the best for the OP and her daughter.

 

[mickeyboat]

I don't know what to say, minimate. It sounds like the school is trying to be responsive to your concerns with your daughter. But it also sounds like the teacher and principal have washed their hands of you by assigning a social worker to your "case."

I don't think switching classes will be a good move for your daughter, especially since she has been through so much upheaval already.

I can't remember if I asked this before, but does your daughter take a nap after school? Does that seem to help with her behavior at home on school days? What is she eating for lunch? Do the kids get a snack during the day? My DD's - who don't have sensory issues - tend to have many more and difficult melt downs when they are hungry or tired.

This isn't a school or teacher issue, it is a problem specific to your daughter. You and she need to learn how to deal with it, not expect the world to change for her. Here is my suggestion - speak to your child's counselor / doctor / whoever is treating her for her sensory issues, and ask them to teach you and her some coping mechanisms for this particular type of situation. Ask him to be specific. Your job is to teach your child to how to cope and handle a variety of situations, not to swoop in and make everything better for her.

Denae

 

[minmate]

Here is my suggestion - speak to your child's counselor / doctor / whoever is treating her for her sensory issues, and ask them to teach you and her some coping mechanisms for this particular type of situation. Ask him to be specific. Your job is to teach your child to how to cope and handle a variety of situations, not to swoop in and make everything better for her.

Denae

Yes, I do pay attention to what and how much dd eats and how much rest she gets. If anything, we've been more conscious of those things and our routine at home. I agree with this and of course, this is something we're working on.

I have acknowledged my appreciation of the principal trying to work things out. The social worker is not really involved any further at this point. Besides, she was really just repeatedly asking me what I'd like to do in the situation and wanted to help me advocate for whatever that was. My biggest concern is I don't (and haven't) been sure of what the next step should be. She was the one offering the idea of observing and switching classes and then said she'd have to go back and check with the principal to see if that was a valid option.

The principal and I actually spoke today and while he didn't get a chance to discuss observing the other teacher's class with that teacher, he said he'd talk to her on Monday (school is out for the rest of the week for state teacher conferences). I was totally fine with that and just told him to let me know whenever. He then proceeded to tell me all about his family's long-weekend plans and visited with me and then complimented me on my work with the PTO newsletter and other projects I'm doing affiliated w/the school (whereas if he'd washed his hands of me, I doubt this would be occurring????)... likewise with dd's teacher. At the end of the day, she told me all about how she's getting larynigitis and how she's not going to go to many of the conferences this weekend (why she would tell ME that is beyond me... specifically making mention of NOT participating in teacher training?!!!)... and she also talked about her dh and how he crashed their truck... they need a new one, etc., etc....

These, to me, do not sound like people who are adamant on avoiding me! A simple, "hi, fine, see ya later... have a nice day" type attitude would leave me more suspicious. So, I do think they want to work together for the best outcome. I do give them credit for that.

I don't think I'm trying to be overly swift in my decision. If I was pre-judging the situation, I would have walked into the principal's office right away and requested a transfer for my dd. I really do want to make an educated decision that I can live with in the end... regardless of the outcome. If I can say, "I looked at all the options, weighed all the pros and cons and made the decision I truly felt and thought was best for dd at the time," then I will have done my due diligence with a much freer conscience. And by the way, NO, I do not expect my dd to go to Harvard, nor do I particularly hope for that to happen.

 

[grlpwrd]

If you do move her to the other class I sure hope this works out and that you and your dd won't have problems.

 

[DWDreams]

I've tried to stay out of replying to any of this because it had all really been said by the time I got to it, but I feel I want to add my 2 cents now because you mentioned concern over your daughter's anxiety and adjustment issues and I really see this as two separate issues.

In regard to education itself, I think you're overreacting. You mentioned coming from MA to MN and now being worried that you've made a terrible decision for education reasons. I live in MA and other than what sounds like odd and difficult scheduling of school days, the rest sounds fairly similar to what kindergarten is supposed to be about, including here in MA. I've always understood the goals of kindergarten to be more about socialization and responsibility rather than actual learning, and truth is those things are truly the foundation of any child's academic future -- self-esteem and good peer relationships are just as important for future success in both learning and in life. Let her kindergarten be that, if you want to supplement it with some academics more to your suiting at home, by all means do so since there isn't anything wrong with that either.

In terms of her anxiety, I'm sorry I know how difficult that can be. I have a few friends whose kids went through similar, some worse than others, but I can assure you they've all adjusted in time. You seem to be focused on lack of structure, and I realize that is a huge deal for the younger child because they need to feel secure in their world, but a great deal is learned and taught in unstructured situations as well. School is a great place for a child to be in unstructured settings because although it is supervised to some degree, it's not as enforced and I really feel it empowers a child to feel as if they have some control, which is so important by the kindergarten age. Unstructured settings are also going to be more the norm as they progress academically year to year, so every child needs to prepare for that anyhow. To me, it means they're learning they are the masters of their own destinies so to speak -- to make the right choices, the right decisions and actions, stand on their own socially, without the obvious control of an adult authority. I really can't stress that enough. This is something that I've noticed does cause anxiety and stress for children that are less socially inclined because it's difficult for them to assert themselves in an unstructured environment without an adult intervening on their behalf. They do learn, though, and it sounds like your daughter is making friends so that is progress and half the battle IMO.

Lastly, kids are smart, as your daughter no doubt is, and they pick up on so much more than we give them credit for. She no doubt knows and senses your displeasure and your own anxiety with her current schooling and that can only exacerbate her feelings -- she wants to like school and she likes her teacher, but she doesn't want to disappoint or discount your feelings. Such a heavy weight to bear for one so young. Not intentional I know, but real nonetheless. My advice is to take a deep breath, realize your options, make a decision, then do it and be done with it never to be mentioned again. It's the only way to pave a path to less anxiety and better adjustment for your child. Good luck.

 

[Daxx]

This is not a criticism of you at all.

With your strict criteria, would any school make you happy? B/c, somewhere down the line (1st grade, 5th grade, 10th grade, etc.), your child is going to be in a class w/a teacher who might not be the best or who is there b/c although they might suck they have tenure, or whose curriculum/agenda/teaching techniques you might not be thrilled with.

I'm wondering why you're not homeschooling? If you have certain standards and curriculum that you want met, why not do it yourself if you're dissatisfied w/what the school has to offer?! With homeschooling, you'd be in control of how your child learns.

Just wondering what you've done w/re. to looking for another school? It sounds like you're concentrating all of your efforts on this school and its "problems" rather than looking for a school more suitable to you.

 

[daddydisneyworld]

It's a saga because of you. What a nightmare.

 

[paigevz]

I know from reading your first post that your daughter likes the class and the teacher.

I know how you feel about the teacher.

I know how the teacher probably feels about you.

I would like to know how the teacher feels about your daughter. Has the teacher given you any negatives about your daughter? Or any positives? What does the teacher say about your child?

I want to say leave her there, because she has forged relationships. I also want to say, move her to the other class IF it's more structured, as it's only been 16 school days, and she will make new friends.

I do also want to point out, that I have heard principals say before that when a parent requests a move, they like to move the child because then if the parent has any other complaints, they can simply say that they already gave you what you wanted and that's it. You can't have EVERYTHING you want, and since they already gave you your request, well, it's just too bad if you don't like it.......you ust be a troublemaker (still saying what the principals have said).

I had a parent request to move a child, and we actually talked her out of it and are trying other things with the child. The 7 year old had misconstrued a comment (WAY out of whack), and instead of asking me about it, she had jumped completely off the truck and pulled him out, requested a meeting, called administration, and probably the licensing board for all I know. In the meeting, I explained the circumstances at the urging of my prinicipal........though she said she wouldn't listen and didn't look at me while I explained, she did calm down after and realize what had happened there. The fact is, I could've done the easy thing when she asked to have him moved and told the principal to go ahead and just do it. She would've if I'd asked. But she knew, and I knew, that my room WAS the best place for this child. I won't go into why, but the point of the story is that sometimes moving the child is the "easy way out" for the administration and the teacher.

You may find yourself in a worse position by moving her. The same may happen if you pull her out and bring her back next year. Unfortunately, when you are seen in a bad light, so are your children. Some "poor misfortunate souls" will find every reason to jump on your child. It may even extend to your other child. That is what you would like to avoid, of course.

I would say, given that possibility, and that your child enjoys the class and has made friends, and has the off days to recover from her hyper-sensory reactions in the class, and especially if the teacher has made positive comments about her, you should leave her where she is. BUT.........then you should truly back off. Stop telling the teacher how she can improve with anything that doesn't have the possibility of direct, physical harm to your child. If you have decided that she is better off psychologically and socially staying there, then do not consider things in that light anymore.

That's my opinion. I hope it helps. Best of luck.

 

[daisyduck123]

I, too, am wondering why you just do not homeschool. I've been teaching public school for 15 years but do think homeschooling is the perfect fit for some families. It's been awhile since I've done extensive research on homeschooling (this was the topic of my Master's thesis in the late 1980s) but I think you need to seriously begin considering it.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

First of all I know this must be difficult.... That said I think as others have said this is a very pivotal year for your little one. That can be taken 2 ways first.. that why set her up for failure if she really is at risk in this classroom?
However it sounds like she is comfortable with this class? It seems if you ar ehaving difficulty. Is she your first one to go off to public Kindergarten? Thats a very hard thing for mom to let go of your baby ( Which she is still) and combined with the move I am sure it is making it alot harder for you to deal with.


That said.. a family member of mine...Here in MA by the way.. Is having alot of anxiety about the adjustment to Kindergarten. She is having issues with the school setting the schedule. Again her issue. Its a normal school day.
She is having issues with the snack/lunch schedule and is claiming her DD has come home dehydrated because she needs to eat and drink frequently during the day. ( Again not true the kid never eats and has never had an issue other than Mom trying to control the situation)
third the child is being ( FRESH not behaving very well) Guidance has been called in to evaulate. When they approached Mom with thier plan of action, She said NO she wanted them to only talk to the child one on one not with the teacher and with Mom present.
LAstly out of 21 days in school she has been late more than 10 times, very late an hour or more. Because the schedule is too early dd need sto sleep.

From Mom's point of view everything is wrong with the school. They can not do anything correctly. From the schools point of view this is a Mom who is having trouble adjusting. And by the way Mom has been removed from the school several times. Because she pops in at lunchtime to make sure her dd is situated properly. IE Juice box opened etc...Sounds Nuts, But I can assure you from this side of the fence it looks pretty bad from an educators view point.

I am a bigger advocate for my kids than anyone.. But, If your little one is happy with the teacher leave her be and sit back a bit. Volunteer in the classroom (AFTER) she has had time to settle in. A crazy schedule in Kindergarten will not make or break her education. I hated my DD's Kindergarten teacher from day one!!!!! DD liked her so that was that... She is now a very successful student top ten percent of her class so I can assure you it really is ok.
ds's teacher last year was a his fave. I love her but, disagreed fully with some of her behavior outside of the classroom. and fealt it did not reflect well upon her. Ds was never aware of it and had a very successful year!!

 

[Disney Doll]

Well, agaion you've posted and then become defensive because you are not getting the answers you want to hear.

So here's the answer you want to hear:

You are absolutely right. The teacher stinks. It's a miracle she has been teaching for 22 years. And the 3 other parents who also don't want their kid to have her...well they are right too, and the 5000 other parents whose kids have had this teacher over the past 22 years are just idiots who obviously didn't care for thier kids as much as you do or advocate for them.

Do yourself and this teacher a favor...put your kid in the other class. You don't like her teacher. Whether or not you think you are saying anything in front of your daughter, she's not stupid. Kids are very perceptive. I remember being a kid and when "something" was going on, I knew it, even if my parents tried to hide it.

So now here's what's happened:
1. You feel guilty about moving
2. The teaching methoids in MN are different than what you are used to on the East Coast
3. You imply that the teaching methods are "inferior"...no you didn't say it, but if your "tone" at school is anything like your tone on these boards, believe me, the message is coming through loud and clear!
4. The teacher is now on the defensive, which is going to color her interactions with your daughter. She's human. As an example, I am a nurse. If I have a patient who is going to b**** & moan every time I go into the room, I am not going to go into that room any more often than I absolutely have to. The teacher is now in the same boat. I guarantee you she wakes up every day thinking "what is minmate going to do today?" She probably walks on eggshells around your DD because she is thinking that if your DD goes home and says anything...boom! There you are back at school, calling the Principal, the social worker, the school board.
5. Your DD likes the teacher and her classmates, but she gets upset about going to school. The classroom doesn't function to her specificiations or special needs based on her sensory issues. Does she need special ed?? I assume the classroom she is in is not a special ed. environment. Perhaps she needs a totally different environment...one that plays to her special needs. Being ina "regular" classroom may be "too much" for her. Or, maybe school in general is too much for her, since I believe you said she gets "overloaded" quickly. Consider home-schooling...you have control over her environment, the amount of stimulation she receives, the amount of sensory stuff she is bombarded with, you can teach her the way you feel she should be taught....sounds like more fo a win/win than all this tempest that is happening right now, which your DD is picking up on and probably increasing her anxiety levels.
6. The school folks are being nice to your face...believe me, behind closed doors they aren't lovin' you!!!

We've hashed this over ad nauseum, you don't sound any closer to a decision than you were last time, and I am not sure what else we DISers can offer that you'd want to hear.

I wish your DD well.

 

[Marseeya]

So here's the answer you want to hear:

3. You imply that the teaching methods are "inferior"...no you didn't say it, but if your "tone" at school is anything like your tone on these boards, believe me, the message is coming through loud and clear!

Oh no, she did say it in her first post in this thread! Unless you mean she didn't say it to the teacher.

Anyway, bravo for this post!

One thing I wanted to question from a couple of other posts, someone mentioned that the OP go in and observe the new teacher before making a decision.

Oh come on!

Let's get real here. If everybody in that school wanted to pick and choose what teacher their precious little child was going to have, how on earth would these teachers be able to get anything done?

Let them do their jobs!

How would you feel having someone breathing down your neck like that where you work?

I think this whole thing is ridiculous and this is coming from one of "those" mothers too! And I'm one of the first people who would ever encourage parents to be advocates for their kids.

 

[justhat]

Okay, here's my take on it at this point. For me it seems like 2 separate issues.

Your daughter is smart and since the academics in her class aren't challenging enough you're supplementing at home. That's great and takes care of the issue of academics.

Your daughter has problems with anxiety/change/sensory issues and relies on a very structured atmosphere to make it through the day but you're working on helping her adjust to these issues. Well ya know what, that's exactly what being in this chaotic kindergarten class will help her with. It's teaching her to deal with change, lack of order/structure, and adapt to different teaching styles (but more importantly than just teaching styles, different people's styles/personalities in general which is a ver essential skill). Personally I think this is a great thing for your daughter and even though it's rough on her now, I'm sure as the year goes on she'll have less severe and less frequent meltdowns because she'll learn to adapt to being in the class. Long term I think this will help your daughter in life way more than any academics would since she's a smart child and should thrive with your supplementation and the stuff she will learn in school (and yes, she will learn some new things there).

IMO, switching your daughter to the other class conveys a message to her that if you don't like the way something is being done then you can just up and leave without dealing with it. For a child who has issues with these areas to begin with I think that would be detrimental to teach her. Think about the future-what will you do if she ends up with a bad 2nd grade teacher? Are you going to switch her again? If you don't, she might bring up how she switched in K so why can't she do it now (and yes, she will know she switched classes and remember that). But then if you do switch her again, when will it stop? When will she learn that sometimes situations aren't ideal but you have to make the best of them? I truly think that pulling her out of her current class will do more harm than good in terms of dealing with her social issues so if she were my daughter I'd leave her where she is, work on developing coping mechanisms for the feelings she gets from school, and teach her that sometimes we have to make adjustments in life. Good luck.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

This is my point exactly. It definitely contributes to the problem. So, why NOT try to provide what we know works... a structured environment, when she obviously needs it the most?

I wasn't going to jump in here since I showed support on the last thread, but it did no good. But that's a different matter.

I do think it's important to speak up for the environment that your DD does best in. I've done that in the past for my kids, writing a letter to the school explaining the type of teacher and/or environment that particular child would do best with. I do not request a particular teacher and it's usually after discussing the matter with the current teacher about the type of environment/teacher he or she would do best with for the following year.

What I don't understand is why you didn't do this before the placement was made? When enrolling her would have been the time to have spelled out that she needed a very structured classroom with a very organized teacher.

 

[LMC]

I just went through something similar with my dd. She is in 2nd grade and for the 3rd year in a ROW, she got the new teacher. I'm not talking new as in new to the school with experience, I am talking new as in fresh out of school. THREE years in a row!!! Anyway, after a horrendous 1st grade year, I was not going through the same stuff again. The first month of school she was bringing home more D's and F's on tests than anything else. So, after talking with the teacher and seeing no improvements, I went to the principal. I expressed my concerns of having yet another new teacher and how our grades were already in the toilet, how my dd is not stupid (she is reading WAY above grade level), and the fact that we actually do study every night for a couple of hours. If we did not have study habits then I could accept the grades but we were working our rear-ends off.
Anyway, the principal agreed to move her to a teacher with more experience; not the teacher I wanted with many many years of experience but one with about 6 years, so it was better. DD has not had any grade lower than a B since moving. I can not tell you how happy I am. She adjusted quite well after about 3 days. Her new teacher "can't explain" why she is doing so well now either but I say it's just different teaching styles and she understands the way this teacher teaches better.
All I can say is I don't regret having her moved and IF they would not have worked with us (rather it was moving her or giving her extra help from the old teacher, something) then I was going to homeschool her. I h.s. my special needs son so I can do her too and it looked much better than what we were facing.
Good luck!