Need advice (long)

Some of my students have been complaining to me about one of their teachers- saying that he does not teach them enough, that they always do the same things, that they feel that my students are learning more.

It's a pull-out, so there are 8 kids who leave my class to be taught by this other teacher. I see these 8 kids 4 periods a week for a skills class, (he gets them for 10) and they often ask if they can be in my class instead.

I don't know what to do- I don't know if I should bring this up to the administration, but I don't want to look like a rat. I also had a similar situation with my other class's math teacher- she was treating them terribly and going off on huge tangents during the lesssons so they were upset that they weren't learning as much. So I don't want to look like a troublemaker, going again to talk about a colleague.

I actually worked with this other teacher last year when I was the literacy coach, so I knew he wasn't the greatest teacher then. I made suggestion upon suggestion to him about how to improve his lessons, and they went in one ear and out the other. So I don't think that approaching him privately will work either, because I don't think he thinks that there is anything wrong with how he teaches.

I just feel really bad for these kids. Half a year's been wasted.

Re: Need advice (long)

I personally would suggest that you not go to administration. You should never talk to administration about another teacher. It is just not good union practice. I think you should ask the students not to talk about other teachers in your presence because it isn't right. We all know that there are teachers who work harder than others but there is nothing you can do about it. You can only control what you do in your own classroom. Good luck!

Re: Need advice (long)

Honestly, I probably would not say anything. Whenever I hear students complaining about another teacher, I ask them to please not discuss it in my presence and then I secretly get happy that they like me better

Seriously, if parents were complaining to you, I would address it with administration, or ask them to have a talk with the principal. I would not want to create tension with the other teacher...but I am non-confrontational, to a fault!

Now, your situation is a bit different, since they're being pulled out of *your* class. I would most likely advise these students that in life one needs to be involved in a variety of different situations and that that includes being exposed to and learning their best from a variety of different teachers.

I know you probably have a million things going on in your day, but is small group tutoring afterwards--either before/after or during the school day--something you could do with them?

Re: Need advice (long)

Posted by Eireann

Honestly, I probably would not say anything. Whenever I hear students complaining about another teacher, I ask them to please not discuss it in my presence and then I secretly get happy that they like me better

Seriously, if parents were complaining to you, I would address it with administration, or ask them to have a talk with the principal. I would not want to create tension with the other teacher...but I am non-confrontational, to a fault!

Now, your situation is a bit different, since they're being pulled out of *your* class. I would most likely advise these students that in life one needs to be involved in a variety of different situations and that that includes being exposed to and learning their best from a variety of different teachers.

I know you probably have a million things going on in your day, but is small group tutoring afterwards--either before/after or during the school day--something you could do with them?