what is the best course of action when dealing with a problem teacher.?

Question

my daughter's 3rd grade teacher is a veteran teacher at a well respected school and top district in south carolina. she is extremely moody,belittles and singles out the kids even going so far as to claim to be allergic to one of the students. now my daughter is having severe emotional and physical stress symptoms associated with school. she is an honor student and has always excelled. this is the first horrible teacher we have ever had. the problem is becuase she is a veteran teacher, people seem to dismiss her actions and make excuses. this teacher seems overwhelmed,burnt out and is taking it out on the kids. i am not alone in my experience and there are other parents having trouble with her. i don't feel she is open to any constructive critisism or willing to change. i have also heard she can become ugly and resentful to students whose parents raise issues with her. please help if you have experienced this and know how to get results.

Answer 1

You need to start with the principal. Talk to the principal and try to gain his/her backing. If they are reluctant to help, go to the superintendent. Part of their job is to listen to issues like this. If your daughter is having physical symptoms of stress, this could even become a legal issue. I wouldn't bring that up unless it gets too out of hand, though, as it causes unneeded tension and bad feelings. Good luck with this...I hope vetran teachers like her don't create a bad name for newbie teachers like me.

Answer 2

This is a very tough situation! I am a teacher, and I have seen other teachers on the brink of the behavior you describe. I am also a mother of two kids, and have had some teachers who were fabulous, and some not-so-hot.
Are you friends with any other parents from that classroom? Maybe you and that other parent could tag team the following suggestions (two words are always better than one!)
-Stop by the classroom often. Do you have time during your day to visit the classroom? Can you visit on your lunch break? Don't announce any specific time to the teacher, but just pop in. Any self-respecting teacher will welcome your interest and (I know because I have pop-in parents) even though some teachers are better at inviting parents in than others, they should never act resentful or angry at you for stopping by. If you need an excuse, bring small treats and say that you're stopping by with goodies for the class to share tomorrow. That gives you an excuse to stop by the next day unannounced to see if the class liked the goodies you dropped off the previous day.
The purpose of the pop-in is to get a feel for what the class atmosphere is like when you are there suddenly. Maybe you could even linger, unseen, by the door for a few minutes to listen in. Spend as much time as you can investigating for yourself what really goes on in that classroom so that you can present it all to the school principal, in a private meeting. Let the principal know up front that you are coming into that meeting with the fear that your child will be targeted for ugly behavior if she finds out you've been to see him/her. Don't give up. This can be a very ugly situation, but you have to decide if it will be worth it for you or not. Remember, you are not just saving your child from a year of "torture" but also the other kids in that classroom and the ones to come!!
Document everything! Every conversation you have in and outside the school. If the principal doesn't do anything, find out who your school district board member/representative is and give that person a call.
That teacher is doing her students a great disservice, and she either needs help or to be fired!
I hope some of these suggestions will give you a good springboard to finishing out the school year in peace and harmony!
P.S. I did the unannounced "pop-in" on a teacher whom I suspected of the same behaviors, (at the school where I teach) and did witness some unprofessional stuff going on, which I immediately documented and presented to the principal.

Answer 3

The absolute best way if it would work would be to talk to the teacher and explain the situation with your daughter, and how she is being affected by school this year. Could you possibly do that without actually accusing this teacher of anything - maybe approach her to discuss the fact that your daughter seems very nervous or upset about school for some reason and see if you get anywhere going that route? Sometimes that approach, non-threatening, without actually indicating that the teacher is at fault, can bring about a change. Not a great hope, but it is possible.

Otherwise, get two or three parents together and go to the principal in confidence. If the situation is as you describe, most likely it is well known and everyone is familiar with it, including the principal. There may already be something, such as summative evaluation of the teacher, on-going, and if you go to the principal in a calm and courteous way to discuss the issues, you may get some help. The situation you describe is not that uncommon. Teaching can be very stressful, and schools and classrooms have changed greatly in the past 20 years, so teachers who have not been able to keep up with those changes, or who have not been given the opportunity to keep up with those changes, can be overwhelmed. She may be crying out for help. I am sorry your child is caught up in this situation, but your best route to a resolution or a change is through the proper channels.

Give the principal a chance to address the issue without being formal. If this does not work, make it a formal complaint in writing to the principal, being careful to only state what you know to be facts. After that, the school district is your next step. If your school district is like ones I have worked for, they are compelled to officially address complaints presented in writing.

Make sure you document everything in writing every step of the way.

I hope this helps and that you can find a resolution.

Answer 4

See the link below for a book that is great for parents in your situation. As a teacher, I find many of Strickland's assumptions ridiculous (his attitude is essentially that everything is always the teacher's fault and the child is always innocent), but he does a very good job of explaining in detail the steps that concerned parents need to take. Essentially, you need to schedule a meeting with the teacher, coming prepared with a written list of your concerns. It's best if you can observe the class (in the form of a volunteer) before this meeting, so you know exactly what is going on. During the meeting you need to make an action plan that includes what steps you, the teacher and your daughter will take. Also arrange a time for a follow-up meeting and schedule regular phone conferences- once every week or two is good (daily or every other day is excessive). If this doesn't work, you need to go up the chain. First, go to the principal and ask to have your daughter put in a different class. If he/she says no, work your way up through the school board. Do what you need to do to get your daughter out of the class. Remember that if you pull your daughter out of their school, they lose the funding for that student. That's kind of a last resort threat, but it's something to keep in mind.

As a teacher, I have to say that the most important thing at this point in time is for you to get in that classroom and see what is going on first-hand. Otherwise it's simply your daughter's word against the teacher's word, and adults usually win out in these situations.

Answer 5

As a teacher, I have observed this sort of thing first hand with veteran teachers. People seem to ignore them because of their tenure but there is NEVER an excuse to belittle, single-out, or take out your frustrations on a child. Ever! I would take this matter to your headmaster or principal. Make sure you document specific conversations you've had with this teacher and the outcomes. Ask for a conference with you, the principal, and the teacher as a safe guard against a "she said / he said" situation or her possible retaliation. If you do not get resolution there, then take it to the school board. Third grade should be a delightful time in your daughter's life. You do have options. Good luck!

Answer 6

Be careful here. Often parents with highly intelligent and academic children can overreact when they hear complaints about school. I know that I myself was a straight A student (A* in fact) in my second year at secondary school, I complained about a teacher who pushed me because I had fallen into the pattern of sailing through without paying attention or doing my work. In retrospect she was the best teacher that I'd had that year, and I was lucky, for once, that my mother never never takes my complaints seriously... other mothers certainly would have...
And because this teacher was strict, other children complained to their parents, and she was universally unpopular - be careful not to become an overbearing unpopular mother please - your daughter will certainly survive either way... trust me, children are more resilient than is recognised now - they do need to learn that some people will have attitudes which they will dislike.. and work with them anyway - if your daughter is attentive, this teacher will almost certainly not attack her unreasonably.

Answer 7

Your daughter's health and wellbeing is obviously suffering and at stake. This is the most important thing to consdier, not some unprofessional person's track record or years of service at her civil service protected unionized job.

The school will tell you there is "protocol" and steps and layers of beurocracy to maneuver about it which takes too much time and helps them cover their tracks and make up the necessary excuses (read: lies) to sugar-coat the behaviour/actions of the teacher in question.

Go to the top - to the superintendant and then the director of education if you are not taken seriously. Of course document, this is imperative. But it doesn't mean that they won't have their own brand of documentation for any cover-up that they feel they require to keep their unioned teacher in place.

Answer 8

If thing to do is have your daughter transfered out of that classroom. I would also from a united front with other parents in this classroom and discuss your issues with the principal and if not liking that go to the school board. None of that works then contact your local TV stations - TV stations love these types of stores.


Good Luck!!!

Answer 9

My mom is teacher and of course a parent and she recommends that you have your daughter placed in a different classroom. Go to the principal first and then if she doesn't fulfill her duties than you can talk to the superintendent and the school board. Bottom line don't take no for an answer.

Answer 10

That needs to be brought up to the school council IMMEDIATELY. Teachers are one of the first people that kids look up to. Think about this scenario:

Your child is propositioned after school as she is walking down the street by a stranger in a car. He summons her with candy, lies, anything, whatever. She has been taught to tell a trusted adult....so she goes to this teacher. The teacher dismisses it as an overactive imagination, your daughter lying, etc.

Would you want this teacher to have that kind of influence over your daughter?