I would definately go talk to the principal. Try to document things you find out are going on in class. Keep a journal. Talk to other parents and have them do the same. This is not a healthy situation for any of the kids. If things don't get better try to get your daughter out of her class. Being away from this negative person is much more important for your daughter than staying in class with her friends. Seeing as how it is getting close to the end of the year she may have to stay there though. Either way talk to your daughter about this adult's behavior and how it is not good to be like that. Some people are only good at being bad examples for others.
Ashley,
I am an elementary school teacher with 10 years of experience, and I have never heard of such a thing. The things you are describing are abuse and should not be tolerated. I would write a letter to the superintendant and call Childrens' Protective Services. Have other parents do the same. This is not good for your daughter or any of the other children this woman teachers. Children really internalize verbal abuse this could have lasting affects on some of them. Also, don't worry about your daughter being in a class without her friends. They are very adaptive and she will be able to play with them outside of class.
Hello, the first thing you should do is drop in at your daughters class unexpected. They teacher will be surprised. Sit and listen in on what is going on. Once there is a break such as recess then you should bring your issues to her attention. If she says she doesn't have time and that you have to schedule a time to talk with her then demand that it be the same day or very next day at the least. Then proceed with your complaint with the principal and really express your concern. If he/she does not respond to your satisfaction then you contact the district office for your daughters school. There are steps in filing a complaint and if you don't do them nobody listens....I worked for a school district and had to do the same thing regarding my child. After I followed all the steps, then people started listenening. (cont'd)
Ashley,
I would immediately speak to the teacher in a kind but firm way-- asking for her side of this then I would appeal to the administration. These comments made to the children are very damaging and extremely unprofessional. You may need to get in touch with other parents and go to the principal together. If the administrators will not do anything, I would demand that my child be moved to another classroom.
-Gerri K
Hi Ashley,
My daughter is only 2 so I haven't had to deal with teachers yet. But if I were in your situation I would definitely file a complaint. There is no way I would want that teacher as a role model for my child.
Are there other parents with the same concerns? Hopefully if enough parents come forward the new principal will do something about it. I would hope since the principal is new, he/she would want to do the right thing so it's not an on-going problem he/she will have to deal with.
Good luck!
First of all I'd go to the principal, new or not, and let him/her know what you believe is going on in the classroom. Then I would tell the principal that I will be sitting in the classroom (you pick how many days/hours) to observe the class. If you aren't already volunteering in the classroom (do they have parent aids?), I'd start that right away. My son had a teacher that would belittle some of the kids, or say (what I believed were) inappropriate things. I had no problem telling her what I thought (politely of course). When observing, you might want to keep track of things said so you can accurately report this to the principal. If he/she doesn't take care of it, I'd go to the school district and speak with them about it. You can also put your complaints in writing to the school principal and "cc" it to the head of the school district. When it's in writing they can't say they didn't know about it.
OMG, that is sooooo inappropriate! You need to speak to the principal, new or not! I would make it clear that my next stop will be to speak to people at the district level (superintendent, school board members, etc.) if the behavior isn't addressed and fixed immediately. Make sure you call this behavior what it is -- verbal abuse. I know this sounds inflamatory, but the label is correct, and the principal needs to hear it. If you deliver it in a calm manner, there's no reason the principal should not be able to handle this. Assume that the principal would be as horrified by this behavior as you are. He/she likely will be. Are there any child advocates in your school system? You could also see what resources are available to you in Santa Rosa/Marin County, such as a department of children, youth, and families. Should the principal not take immediate action, you should be able to find support through local government, whether it's the school board or some sort of social service agency. I'm so sorry you and your child are in such a tough situation.
I am a teacher and that behavior is completely and totally unacceptable! My advice would be to go to the teacher first. Make an appointment with her and give her an opportunity to reflect and correct the situation. I know how hard that is but I respect parents who come directly to me with any issues so I have the chance to fix it before they go over my head. I know it sounds silly but she may not realize the things she has said and how it's coming across to the students and the children. I strongly encourage you to go to her first.
If she doesn't stop, then I would NOT hesitate to make an appointment immediately with the principal. If she does not do anything to correct the issue, I agree with others, go to the district office and complain. I can't believe other parents that work in the class aren't complaining and raising a fit with the school. That teacher is a MAJOR role model for those children and should not be allowed to remain in that room if this continues. In this situation I would not hesitate to ruffle some feathers and complain. If needed, I'd get other parents involved as well. I know the impact I have on my students year after year and it should be a positive one!
If she is a new teacher (within 2 years) this could end her job and if she's tenured, a report should be started to document her behavior.
I wish you luck with that.
Speak up NOW before more harm is done to these childdren. There is no way that kind of behavior is acceptable from a teacher. After similar situations a couple of years ago, in hind site I would have pulled my son out of school completely and homeschooled until changes were made. Totally not acceptable!
Hi Ashley,
That sounds terrible! I can't even imagine. If you have already complained to the principal, you should go make a list of everything inappropriate that has been said, make an appointment, and go see the superintendent of the district (if it's public). If it's a private school, find out who the big kahuna is and speak to them. No child or parent should have to be "educated" by such a person, and generally those in charge are very sensitive to the possibility of negative publicity and lawsuits. You can also request an immediate classroom change; your child will quickly make other friends.
Good luck!
Laurie K
COMPLAIN to the new principal, immediately! Your daughters self-esteem and education is important. If you can talk to some other parents and meet with the principal as a group, that would help. The more parents who voice their complaints and concerns to the principal, the better. If the teacher's inappropriate behavior continues, complain to the principal's supervisor. To allow a teacher to degrade and humiliate any child is unacceptable.
Good luck!
Ashley,
You need to be a mama bear and protect your daughter from being abused by her teacher. Don't be silent, and don't be afraid.
This teacher needs to be fired in a public manner so she doesn't just go to another school and gets a new job there.
I would start with the principal, and would ask for time limits-- say 1 week to correct behavior; if that doesn't help, then the school board is next. I know how scary and intimidating it can be, and you are a very young mom. But, if somebody was physically hurting your daughter, I am sure you would not hesitate to act. This is no different. She is teaching them to be bullies, to be scared, and G-d know what else.
Masha.
Go to the new principal, go to the PTA, go to the school board.....BUT be careful. I am NOT defending this teacher, but are you sure she is saying these things? As a teacher myself, there have been times when one of my students went to the principal saying I said something, when either I never ever would have said such a thing, or another student had said it, not me. Now, if you are absolutely sure this teacher is doing these things, then take it higher than the principal if the principal wont listen. But start with the principal because if your daughter needs to be at that school for a few more years, you dont want to step on the principals toes...but in the end, if the teacher is treating you child like this, she needs to go. I know these days teachers have tenure, and it is very hard to fire them, but that is unacceptable, and as an elementary school teacher myself, I am disgusted by her behavior. Good luck. I hope this stops for your daughter.
Hi Ashley,
My daughter had a bad teacher in the 4th grade. I talked to the principal. Other parents had complained as well. I ended up taking my daughter out of the school because they could not accomodate her in another classroom. I later learned that the teacher was no longer at the school. I think he might have been "encouraged" to move on.
It is totally unacceptable for any child to be in a classroom where children are belittled and abused! I would recommend that you write down all the things that have happened, with names of other children and take it to the new principal. The principal will have to investigate, and hopefully the children won't be too afraid to tell the truth.
I can't remember who said this, but it certainly applies to this situation, "All it takes for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing." Each and every child in that classroom is being abused because they are seeing that it's ok to treat people in this disrespectful fashion.
I wish you well in your assignment!
Blessings,
Donna
Hi Ashley! You need to go directly to the teacher and tell her what you have heard. I understand that can be uncomfortable, so if that is the case go directly to the principal. The Principal will want to know about this ASAP and I personally don't think it matters if she/he is old or new, he/she needs to know. Let me know how everything works out.
Wow, this is very disturbing. I am a member of the School Board in our community. The first place you should take your complaint is the new principle...welcome to his position!! If that doesn't work, attend an open school board meeting and express your complaint there...the school board should be able to put the pressure on the principle to administer his duties. The principle will have to take certain steps, #1 being a warning, then if it continues, writing the teacher "up" may be necessary....If they get a certain amount of "write ups" it could result in a temporary suspension...this is serious as teachers have an important role in rearing our children!!!!
That is TOTALLY unacceptable behavior from any adult to any child, and especially someone in a school setting. The principal must be told.
Can you spend time in the classroom? To me, it would be worth taking some of my vaction time to visit the class for a couple of hours, maybe unannounced, several times during the course of a month, and let them know why.
Best wishes
That teacher sounds horrible. Maybe you can try to get enough people to sign a petition against her and bring it up at a board meeting. The more you get yourself involved in your daughter's school, the more power you'll have to make a difference. I don't think confronting her yourself will be a good idea, since you might lose your cool and come off looking as the "bad one". Well best of luck to you Ashley!
Jamie :)
When I was in only second grade myself (I'm 49 now), my father taught me an important life lesson. Teachers cannot become tyrants (as this one clearly has become) without first intimidating the parents. A strong parental presence that is reasonable and consistent puts a teacher back on the straight and narrow -- ESPECIALLY when there is a new principal involved. Just remember to stay completely professional in your presentation of the issue and do not allow insinuations about your child or your own motivations to set you off. My dad even brought some roses as a peace offering after (he was a florist and ofter brought flower gifts to faculty or administration for different occasions so it looked perfectly natural) to show there was no hard feelings. Your child's only advocate is you, and you have more power than you think.
First off, address this issue with the teacher. It is not about being "friends" it's about making sure your daughter is in an environment that supports the development of a positive self esteem!
You wouldn't let the teacher physically abuse her, yet this is verbal abuse for ALL of the kids in that classroom. The teacher is supposed to be a positive role model and if the kids think that being put down is normal, if will erode their self-confidence.
After you have the talk with the teacher, make sure you make an effort to observe in the classroom on a regular basis to see if she changes her behavior. If she doesn't, it's off to talk to the principle and maybe even a change of classrooms if needed. I doubt that the principle would condone this type of behavior at all! Speak up and you'll be doing all those kids (and their parents) a HUGE favor! Good luck!
Patti G.