riddlemethis wrote:
She ate 7 year olds for lunch & nobody seemed to care much because she had tenure and would be too hard to move.

Frankly that is my experience of the public system whenever your standards are even slightly higher than settling for average for your kid & it's why we, with great disillusion, left it. The last thing you need is what we experienced & that was having our childs love of school extinguishing before our eyes.

Miss Schoening. My 3rd grade teacher. Oldest person in the school and still went by “Miss”. That’s probably the year I learned what tenure was. It wasn’t till the 6th grade that a teacher made me interested in learning again. But then came junior high and it was all over. One bad teacher set me on a path that would effect my life for many years to come.

If you don’t do it already, I’d make sure Claire tells you about her day at school, every day. If things don’t change quick, I’d start talking to other parents, even if she does change classes, or pods as you apparently call them. Sounds kind of cute while also sounding kind of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” creepy.

OK so now i have actually read the thread. When you mentioned that all you got to talk to was a 'cut-out' (ie not the principal, but some go between) i started to despair. That is a mechanism of these large bureaucracies to protect themselves from the consumer (you).

I thought the letter you got said nothing but covered somebodies ass in some future hypothetical court case. (Sorry if that sounds dramatic but been there done that.)

If your school system is anything like ours then the few people who are poor teachers cannot be fired easily, only, with great difficulty, moved around with everyone knowing everything unofficially but unable to discuss it in the open, and often unable to keep poor teachers out of their school. The unions have a vested interest in keeping everyone employed with seniority, not skill, being the over riding criterion.

Face to face meetings with the principal would be my next move, with all your paperwork, (can't imagine you would miss that.)

If there is no movement then I would be very quickly bringing up the necessity of moving my child to an appropriate class for her.

(Just for reference I have an 8 year old in grade three Montessori class within the Canadian public school system, and that has it's own problems, (and benefits))

Good luck.

We weren't directed to a cut out or deflected from the Principal. We actually sought out a particular senior administration officer we knew was well aware of Claire's record and supported her in the past, as well as someone we have a good parental/staff relationship with. She was the Junior School's Head of Curriculum, the next in authority down from the Principal and Deputy Principal. She went and had a sit down meeting with the Principal within a few business hours of meeting with us and the e-mail we received was a consequence of that 2nd meeting.

We're cautiously optimistic that things may improve, but won't hesitate to move Claire to a completely different pod if she starts being victimised by the teacher in response to any disciplinary action taken against the teacher, assuming that she stays in her position.

Durro

I've been tracking this thread and it seems quite an uplifting feeling. Knowing there are some parents out there willing ot go so far to give their child any advantage they can get.

Durro, whether this all works out or not, you have my kudos. A job very well done. Congratulations.

Oh boy, Durro, that brings up so many memories. What you have expressed is so like the usual bullying - the kids that gang up on your kid on the way home from school. Do you speak to the kids, speak to the parents, or will this simply put your kid into greater danger as they find ways and means to bully even worse as pay-back? It is a nightmare and I can imagine your distress.

I am a firm believer that there are doctors that should never be let loose near people, and teachers who should never be allowed near children (it is a very long time since I took qualifications as guaranteed authority or wisdom). I once spent many months fighting the authorities over my daughter because of a teacher's mishandling of a specific situation and a headmaster who, as I later found out, had a file so full of complaints they didn't know where to store it.

But what can you do? I backed my daughter 100%, took her out of that school, fought every person who stood in my way, and eventually found her a free school where she blossomed. This year she completes her PhD in Education and she will eventually teach teachers how to help build self-esteem and resiliance in students - heavens be praised!!!!

Having been bullied by at least two horrible ogres at school, if I were you I'd go into the class room whilst she is shouting, grab the back of her head, drag her over to the sink and drown her. And with shocked, but probably some what happy, little faces, I'd proclaim "Free ice cream and no more Miss Smelly!"

The best solution I have seen in my days at school is to find other unhappy parents, which won't be too difficult, and submit a joint letter of complaint to the principle and herself. And no need to be overly polite, after all, she is the one exploiting the vulnerability of your daughter.

And don't for one second think it could be your daughter. Let's connect the dots up! She was a grade A student, and then a new teacher came and within weeks she started having difficulties. That says nothing about your daughter other than that she is being bullied by a bitch.

If it doesn't resolve itself soon I'd seriously consider setting up a meeting with the teacher and beating the teacher down until she cries. I know it sounds mean, but if I were you I'd be out for making the teacher more miserable than all of the children in the class put together.

Durro wrote:We weren't directed to a cut out or deflected from the Principal. We actually sought out a particular senior administration officer we knew was well aware of Claire's record and supported her in the past, as well as someone we have a good parental/staff relationship with. She was the Junior School's Head of Curriculum, the next in authority down from the Principal and Deputy Principal. She went and had a sit down meeting with the Principal within a few business hours of meeting with us and the e-mail we received was a consequence of that 2nd meeting.

We're cautiously optimistic that things may improve, but won't hesitate to move Claire to a completely different pod if she starts being victimised by the teacher in response to any disciplinary action taken against the teacher, assuming that she stays in her position.

Durro

Fair enough, you are the one on the ground.

bookmarking thread

A teacher makes all the difference. The only thing you can do, really, is be there to support her - unless you're willing to move schools. If the teacher is particularly horrible you may get lucky and see them shown the door.

User wrote:A teacher makes all the difference. The only thing you can do, really, is be there to support her - unless you're willing to move schools. If the teacher is particularly horrible you may get lucky and see them shown the door.

Well no. What Durro has quite accurately shown here, you can do so much mroe than simply 'support' your child. By doing all she has done she may have not only saved her own child from a horrible fate, but saved the other 29 children in that class too!

The best thing a parent can do for their child, in regards to education or similar aspects of their life is

A lot of schools are becoming incredibly defensive as a result of the political and public encroachment on classroom teaching methods by unqualified individuals.
This new 'Education Revolution" Gillard is trouting out has come from the man who has what is considered the worst educational system in the United States. Understandably teachers are a little anxious.
Durro was lucky in that he had a system that was willing to listen. Seems to me that far few teachers are there for the kids anymore.

Durro,

As a father with daughters, I would like to encourage you to follow your instincts of protection. A seven year old child, no matter how bright, is not emotionally capable of absorbing such coping strategies as would be necessary in this case--to a point perhaps, but not well enough to overcome the strangling influence upon her enthusiasm. The “lesson” she most needs right now is, “Daddy will do something about this.” It’s time for dad to growl, roar, wave a fiery branch, and protect the cave entrance from scary things.

The brightest women I know, those with the most self-respect, are often heard saying, "My dad would tell me not to put up with this."

Scorch the earth. Your daughter will never forget it.

Scorch the earth. Your daughter will never forget it.

Why the hell not?

As far as I'm concerned, if you see an opportunity to give a bad teacher a kick up the ass, do it. Do it with all the fury and vengence of a honey badger.

User wrote:A lot of schools are becoming incredibly defensive as a result of the political and public encroachment on classroom teaching methods by unqualified individuals.
This new 'Education Revolution" Gillard is trouting out has come from the man who has what is considered the worst educational system in the United States. Understandably teachers are a little anxious.
Durro was lucky in that he had a system that was willing to listen. Seems to me that far few teachers are there for the kids anymore.

You're making a point that is unrelated to the point I debunked. You said "You can't do anything except support your child and be lucky" I said "You can do more than just support your child and be lucky"

Now you're saying "Yes you can but there's a chance they might not listen"

So I'm going to say, in the case they don't listen, you can still change schools. Meaning there are still things you can do beyond supporting your child. This is not a perfect tactic as you may find a similar problem in the other school or you may not have any other schools near you or otehr reasons... The list is quite long really...

My only point I am trying to make is that there are things parents can do. Support is a key factor, as is luck to some degree. They are not the only factors though. That's all I'm saying.

As a high school teacher and the mother of a 9 and 6 year old, this type of situation hits close to home. Knowing "the system" from an insiders perspective and seeing colleagues behaving in an inappropriate manner, even extremely so, I have a professional obligation to first speak to the teacher themselves before I speak to someone in a supervisory role, like department head, assistant principal etc. Rarely is this productive or done. It is very hard to get a "bad" teacher removed from the classroom - at least here in Alberta. Knowing of several cases and department heads that have firmly decided to do whatever it is they have to do to remove the teacher - the key has always been documentation. LOTS and LOTS of documentation.

Here are some of my suggestions: have as many parents who have had children in this person's classroom write a letter of serious concern. Site as many specific examples of irrational, unreasonable behaviour by the teacher. Constantly bring every incident back to whether the teacher is A) addressing the legal curriculum and B)providing an environment of respect and trust that facilitates effective learning. Especially with the legal curriculum, get any state, county, provincial curriculum that states the learning objectives for the stage or year of education. Use the homework your child brings home as evidence; this would be the case for the concern you have with the level of diffculty of the spelling words. The difficulty of the words you provided as examples are WAY below, Alberta's provincial standards of language and word spelling and recognition for grade 3. The department heads I know have had to accumulate at least 1.5 years of observations of the teacher teaching, by professional colleagues and administration. If you feel strongly about having a teacher no longer teaching, not just your child but any children, document in detail the teacher's transgressions. In a letter addressed to the teacher and their direct supervisor, list specific incidents of concern; clearly state what your expect the teacher to have done and why, if you can site any curriculum documents, school board philosophy, mission statements or teaching standards do so and provide a copy. It is against the law to not teach the curriculum.

That said, if change isn't happening fast enough - get your daughter out of the class! Any disruption in learning by switching schools for a year or changing teachers at this point in the year is far out weighed by the benefit of ensuring a quality learning environment for your daughter. Be protective and proactive - no one else will move to protect your child from a bad teacher. Good luck!

DavidNewman wrote:

User wrote:A lot of schools are becoming incredibly defensive as a result of the political and public encroachment on classroom teaching methods by unqualified individuals.
This new 'Education Revolution" Gillard is trouting out has come from the man who has what is considered the worst educational system in the United States. Understandably teachers are a little anxious.
Durro was lucky in that he had a system that was willing to listen. Seems to me that far few teachers are there for the kids anymore.

You're making a point that is unrelated to the point I debunked. You said "You can't do anything except support your child and be lucky" I said "You can do more than just support your child and be lucky"

Now you're saying "Yes you can but there's a chance they might not listen"

So I'm going to say, in the case they don't listen, you can still change schools. Meaning there are still things you can do beyond supporting your child. This is not a perfect tactic as you may find a similar problem in the other school or you may not have any other schools near you or otehr reasons... The list is quite long really...

My only point I am trying to make is that there are things parents can do. Support is a key factor, as is luck to some degree. They are not the only factors though. That's all I'm saying.

Actually, my three points were
a) Stand by and support your childA
b) Move schools
or
c) Complain and if you're lucky the teacher will be shown the door

So... I don't understand what your problem with my post was?

Get your daughter out of there and do what you can to expose this teacher's behavior so she'll be dismissed. You and other parents and their children will benefit, and future children will be spared this horrific experience. 3rd grade is FAR TOO young to cope with this garbage. It can do nothing but harm. Save your daughter AND OTHERS from this harm.

EDIT -- Let me add that anyone who needs to be *sarcastic* to eight-year-olds has gone off the rails. I have two words for this situation: --- video surveillance --- If video with sound (or even audio alone) can be recorded in this classroom for a week, you may be shocked at what's revealed. Failing in that, install those video camera "bubbles" so it at least LOOKS LIKE there are video cameras in every classroom, and maybe this monster will straighten up. But she'd still BE THERE. Nope. Best to get this information in a situation where she thinks she's not being watched. Only then will she behave as she normally does and possibly get caught in the act. People do this when they suspect a nanny is mistreating their children, or when they suspect a hired caregiver is mistreating an elderly person. NOTHING taking place in that classroom from minute to minute should be anything that another teacher, a parent, an administrator, or a school official couldn't simply walk in and observe. If the teacher's up to anything, surveillance (at minimum audio) should turn it up.

User wrote:

DavidNewman wrote:

User wrote:A lot of schools are becoming incredibly defensive as a result of the political and public encroachment on classroom teaching methods by unqualified individuals.
This new 'Education Revolution" Gillard is trouting out has come from the man who has what is considered the worst educational system in the United States. Understandably teachers are a little anxious.
Durro was lucky in that he had a system that was willing to listen. Seems to me that far few teachers are there for the kids anymore.

You're making a point that is unrelated to the point I debunked. You said "You can't do anything except support your child and be lucky" I said "You can do more than just support your child and be lucky"

Now you're saying "Yes you can but there's a chance they might not listen"

So I'm going to say, in the case they don't listen, you can still change schools. Meaning there are still things you can do beyond supporting your child. This is not a perfect tactic as you may find a similar problem in the other school or you may not have any other schools near you or otehr reasons... The list is quite long really...

My only point I am trying to make is that there are things parents can do. Support is a key factor, as is luck to some degree. They are not the only factors though. That's all I'm saying.

Actually, my three points were
a) Stand by and support your childA
b) Move schools
or
c) Complain and if you're lucky the teacher will be shown the door

So... I don't understand what your problem with my post was?

My problem is, they are not the points highlighted in your original post

The only thing you can do, really, is be there to support her - unless you're willing to move schools.

I said you can do more than that.

Something worth emphasising:

The class is the immovable feature in all this. They are the grade 3. The teacher comes to them - not the other way around. If she isn't up to the job then she must go - the children stay where they belong.

DavidNewman wrote:*sip*

Read it again.

"Unless you're willing to move schools, or you're lucky and the teacher gets shown the door".
Your inability to see them does not correlate to me having not said them.