Teacher issues (long) UPDATED

Let me start by saying I get hot-headed quickly and go into mama bear mode in seconds, BUT my DH is very level headed and ALWAYS the voice of reason and even he agrees!

We found out DS's teacher on the first day of school (too late to change) and quickly found out parents have been having trouble with her for years. She has tenure and has been in this school for 14 years.

first week of school- DS gets in trouble, teacher yells at him. I ask why, he said he was talking because a friend was lost with an assignment and he was trying to explain to him what to do. I explain we do not talk in class and always listen to the teacher but i also don't want to reprimand him for helping others.
2 days later is "meet the teacher night" It is a 45 minute session. She spends 55 minutes explaining how she is not a bad person, it is normal for kids to cry for the first few weeks because the adjustment from K to 1st grade is so hard, and look at what she has to work with- unprepared, undisciplined children! (all the parents were in shock!) I try approaching her about the incident from 4 day before and she blows me off tell me" i don't remember why he was in trouble so it obviously wasn't important" and turns away to talk to another parent.

Last week DS loses his math notebook in class. He looks in his desk and his bookbag, can't find it. Tells the teacher. her answer to my 6 year old "that's not my problem"

Monday they had a social studies test. There were two grades on it. I attached a note asking about the grades an a question DS got -12 on.
she leaves a voicemail for my DH basically saying there were two test grades (the two parts of the test were counted separately) she then proceeds to tell us that Ds did not "follow directions" and doodled all over his scantron (first one he has ever seen)

I email her back and ask about the -12 (which she did not address). She says the second test was 4 questions worth 25 pts each! she also says Ds only got half the answer. When i argue that the question did not specify to give 2 answers and DSs answer is correct, she tells me Houghton Mifflin (the book manufacturer) says to teach it that way and it's wrong! (the kicker is, they have no text books for social studies so she uses notes and handouts)

In a previous email, she called my son by another boy's name (6 weeks into school) so i'm not sure she knows who he actually is.

Her emails are antagonistic and belittling. She consistently yells at the children (raises her voice according to DS) and the kids are so frightened some cry daily and a little boy actually stresses out so much he makes himself physically sick. I was also told by other parents that if you dare to question her, she takes it out on your kid.

My kid is a menace at home. But he has had 8 teachers between daycare and school, and each one of them has said that he is their perfect student who follows rules and keeps other in line and they wish they could keep him for the following year.

I don't know how to deal with her. I don't want my son to suffer, but I also feel she is unfair and not capable of handling 6 year olds. I don't want my kid to learn to hate school. He has always been excited about learning, even taking tests. Now here is a teacher who is only there for the salary and waiting for retirement.

If you got this far, thank you!

Any suggestions would be welcome.





UPDATE: We got the progress report. IT was hand-made, and had all the subjects and then three choices: meets grade standards, below grade standards, need improvement.

DS has all Meets grade standards. (highest he could get) And then there was his behavior grade: Needs improvement

that's it. no explanation, no examples of bad behavior nothing.
It really has me . How can a kid who is misbehaving in first grade be a good student?

I asked DS, he says sometimes he gets in trouble for talking. So i asked why he is talking in class. He said, "well mommy, sometimes we're doing group projects and D does not know what to do, so I talk to him to explain it"
my kid's behavior needs improvement because he's helping out another student?

then again this is the teacher who suggested that maybe the kids should not drink water during class because then they ask to go to the bathroom and disrupt her teaching/miss important parts of the lesson!

Wrote her a not asking for specifics, but still nothing. We'll see what Monday brings.

Message edited 10/28/2016 1:35:43 PM.

Teacher issues (long)

She sounds like my DS's teacher. I am a big fan of teachers and believe the GOOD ones get shafted. However, I really hate this tenure crap where awful people who have no business working with little children are allowed to stay working.

I get that 20 plus, 6 year olds are challenging, but there still needs to be some caring and soft approaches taken at this age. Especially when the work that is expected of them is drastically different and new than what they are use to from Kindergarten.

My DS's teacher is new to the school. 6 weeks in and all I am hearing from other parents is how their kid does not want to go to school, or that they are crying before school, or acting out at home. She is awful at communicating - every night a group of us are on a group text deciphering what they should be doing for homework that night or studying for an upcoming test. Its madness!


She is a BIG yeller according to most of the children in the class. She is constantly yelling at someone or about something. They are 6!!! How do you not have control of your class that you need to yell this much for kids to be mentioning it to their parents?????

We are still on the fence about taking this to the principal - some want to give her a bit more time to get use to being in a new school. Although, their time limit with this is being pushed up because everyday it is something new.

Re: Teacher issues (long)

ugh as an unemployed teacher... hearing this stuff just KILLS me...

Re: Teacher issues (long)

Talk to the principal. Please! My sister had a teacher just like this in kindergarten. Believe me my sister was not an easy kid, but was so good in nursery school. Teachers always said she was an angel.

This mean teacher caused my sister so much anxiety. My family didn't even know. After a month into school, she started wetting the bed at night and waking up having nightmares. She had never done this! I'm 9 years old than her so she would usually come to my room and get me first. She finally told us she was scared of her teacher and she yells at them and everyone cries but the teacher doesn't like "babies that cry".

Well that next morning my mom marched right into the principal's office and said my daughter's class gets changed now. The principal tried to blow her off and say he'll look into it and get back to her. My mom said nope, look into it now. My daughter will not go into that room and be mentally abused by that woman for one more day. Nope, not gonna happen. My mom said she will take her home if needed but she better have a new teacher tomorrow or my mom could just go to the district herself and explain the anxiety issue.

Principal said no need and she got a new teacher right then! She had a great rest of the year. Was so happy to go to school.

Do you know my sister is 28 and still remembers that teacher that made their life hell?

Re: Teacher issues (long)

I am so sorry! It shouldn't have to be that way. I am not one to make waves, but maybe you should discuss with the principal. Can you find out if the other moms feel the same?

Re: Teacher issues (long)

Posted by Dolphinsbaby

Talk to the principal. Please! My sister had a teacher just like this in kindergarten. Believe me my sister was not an easy kid, but was so good in nursery school. Teachers always said she was an angel.

This mean teacher caused my sister so much anxiety. My family didn't even know. After a month into school, she started wetting the bed at night and waking up having nightmares. She had never done this! I'm 9 years old than her so she would usually come to my room and get me first. She finally told us she was scared of her teacher and she yells at them and everyone cries but the teacher doesn't like "babies that cry".

Well that next morning my mom marched right into the principal's office and said my daughter's class gets changed now. The principal tried to blow her off and say he'll look into it and get back to her. My mom said nope, look into it now. My daughter will not go into that room and be mentally abused by that woman for one more day. Nope, not gonna happen. My mom said she will take her home if needed but she better have a new teacher tomorrow or my mom could just go to the district herself and explain the anxiety issue.

Principal said no need and she got a new teacher right then! She had a great rest of the year. Was so happy to go to school.

Do you know my sister is 28 and still remembers that teacher that made their life hell?

Re: Teacher issues (long)

Re: Teacher issues (long)