teacher requests

[houseelf]

Have you ever made a teacher request? Have you ever attempted to change a schedule after it was issued. This is yet another issue that I'm starting to change my tune. For my first born, I was definitively against any type of teacher choosing. 18 years later and being on the inside, I'm finding myself more conservatively more open to both requesting and asking for a change of teachers. I've been burned before. What are your thoughts and criteria? Has it worked out for you? How do you go about it successfully?

[MrsK]

Our school allows us to request certain teacher characteristics but not specific teachers. We may also ask that certain needs for our children be taken into consideration. I have submitted forms for my children since K1 was in 1st grade. We had a horrible teacher for his kindergarten year who refused to comply with his IEP or accept any outside assistance in the classroom.

For 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, I have noted his extra needs in my submission and have requested teachers who work well with his IEP team and/or are recommended for him by his IEP team. I have also noted that communication with me and others on his team, including our private occupational therapist and other outside providers is essential. We have been very happy with the 1st and 2nd grade teachers.

When K2 started kindergarten, I submitted a request as well noting that we were dissatisfied with our prior kindergarten experience and indicating that we were very happy with K1’s 1st grade experience. We stated that we would be very happy with teachers who exhibited a similar teaching style. We ended up with a kindergarten teacher who was new to the school but who had previously been a co-teacher with the 1st grade teacher. She was terrific.

In our district, it is not uncommon for parents to advocate for their children. I have a friend who works in a very impoverished school district. She says that they would be giddy if any parent got involved enough to submit a teacher request and they would do anything possible to accommodate it.

I think it’s fine to note your child’s specific educational needs, strengths, weaknesses, and environment in which he learns best. I also think it is important to consider your relationship with the teacher and how the teacher fits into the “team” you have created for your child. K1 happens to have a big team. K2’s team is smaller but still includes myself, my husband, and a few other adults who we trust. As long as you are not requesting something like “my child needs to be in class with his best friend” and you are reasonable, I think it’s fine.


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[Phoebe]

Our school allows us to request certain teacher characteristics but not specific teachers. We may also ask that certain needs for our children be taken into consideration.


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Our old school district has the same format. I filled the forms out every year due to my kids needing certain accommodations. I got burned once because since a teacher had a certification, kids that fell in that category were placed in her class. My child fell behind in her class so when the second kid was assigned the same teacher two years later, I asked for a switch. The school accommodated my request, but the switch wasn’t into a classroom which would benefit my child. It was to a classroom that had room for a switch.

Our current school district allows one teacher non-request a year. I used it last year in kindergarten.



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[SoonerTexan]

I don't know the results of these yet, so we will see.

1. I requested that my son be separated from another child this upcoming year in PreK. They don't get along and it was apparent to everyone involved. The director indicated this wouldn't be an issue.

2. I asked my daughter's teacher if she could request that my daughter be placed in another class separate from one of her friends. They are next door neighbors and get along quite well, but it became apparent this past spring that they were getting a little TOO much time together and she needed some space. (It was turning into a "X says I'm her best friend and I cant play with other people and when I try to include other friends she gets mad what do I do. *angst*) We will see what happens, but her teacher also indicated this wouldn't be an issue.

In both cases I didn't request a specific teacher, just separation from another child.

[Ladybug]

Our public school frowns on it. You're likely to get the other teacher if you make a request. We hold our breath and hope for the best. To be fair the school puts a lot of thought and time into the right fit for the student. They handle it well. It would be different if they didn't have such a strong success record.

I'm OK with learning to work with different personalities and expectations. I draw the line at student shaming ad behavioral modification because that gets internalized. It's not been an issue at the public school. There have been incidents at the uber expensive prep school with teachers from other cultures.

[houseelf]

I never requested a teacher or a change for the first born's entire k-12 school experience. With him, I was like, "What you get is what you get."

Nonetheless, I did request a HS teacher change today for the first time ever. The oldest had a freaking terrible experience with Teacher X. Teacher X regularly makes kids cry, ignores IEPs, and is two years from retirement and way over teaching adolescent kids. At orientation, my daughter schedule assigned her to Teacher X's 9th grade course. In one of MANY changes of heart in parenting, I waited for 45 minutes to speak with the guidance counselor today. I framed my request as a positive: my daughter needs positive, relational based teaching and Teacher Y is a much better fit. I explained that she had a rough middle school experience and it is my true hope that she gets off to the right start in HS. I hope you can accommodate her educational needs. The counselor said yes and requested I not say a word, and switched it with a few key strokes.

We shall see how this turns out.

[diggitydot]

We’ve never requested different teachers, but our kids have dropped/changed classes because of personality clashes with teachers. Our oldest had a HS teacher who really needed to take a LOA for her mental health, but didn’t and her undertreated or untreated diagnoses significantly impacted the whole class. The teacher would literally lock themselves in their office all period. She HAD to be miserable. The district was even sued over this teacher’s bullying of more than student. I’m not sure how she still has a job, frankly.

TL;DR — no philosophical objections, but haven’t needed to do it ourselves. Sometimes it’s just the best course of action for everyone involved.

[MDPhDWife]

I did this for the first time ever last year. My then eighth grader had a verbally abusive math teacher who was out of control. She’s close to retirement age and really has no more business being in a classroom. The school gave me a little bit of pushback and insisted I discuss the matter with the teacher directly first. That went as horribly as you would expect, so I went back to the principal and told them my daughter would not be stepping foot in that ladies classroom ever again. They accommodated my request.


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[MrsK]

K1 got the teacher I wanted. K2 got the new teacher instead of the amazing 1st grade teacher I love. I think it's because K2 is an "easy" student. I'm a little worried that being quiet at school could be a disadvantage for him.

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[SoonerTexan]

My daughter got her teacher from last year (she moved up a grade) and we are THRILLED! And her friend is in another class. Whew!

[MrsK]

Yeah, I'm starting to hear who else is in K2'S class. It's all the Ravenclaws.

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[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Well irony of ironies...I’m not happy with my homeschooled kid’s class either.

We joined a small coop community here (it’s a national program) and the class is C and D and four other 4 year olds. No no no. C cannot be the only 6yo in a class of 4yo. There’s another 6yo who is 3 months older in the older class. I get that we want to keep the classes roughly balanced but NO. She’s an extremely mature kid and she can read while none of the other kids except D can read or even write their names. This is a problem during review games when she just reads the answer right off the board since the teacher doesn’t need to hide it from the other kids.

I talked to the director and she’s like “well, we want to keep them even...” I get it but we do this to make friends. She doesn’t need friends who are 4 years old.


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[scrub-jay]

Yeah, I'm starting to hear who else is in K2'S class. It's all the Ravenclaws.

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What’s wrong with Ravenclaws? Sounds great to me!

[MrsK]

What’s wrong with Ravenclaws? Sounds great to me!

Nothing at all. I’m bummed that I didn’t get the teacher that I had my heart set on and that it’s a very new teacher. But I’m pleased with the peer group included in the class. I suspect that if K2 was as much a handful as K1, he would have gotten the more experienced teacher.


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