I have a child in a school. His teacher is new this year and she talks down to the students.?

Question

My child has made me aware of the teachers behavior, her unprofessional conduct - name calling to the students and using terms such as "shut up." I want to take action, but would rather remain anonymous. Ideally I would like her fired. Is this a likely outcome? And what steps do I take? If I send an anonymous letter to the principal will that be effective? HELP

Answer 1

You must go see the teacher. I wouldn't tell her of the specifics your child has shared, but go with an open mind to talk with her about your child's needs and potential. A nonconfrontational conference will go a long way to helping you. If she is unprofessional with you, you have grounds to go to the principal. If you do not see her behaving unprofessionally, ask if you can sit in on your child's class for an hour or two so you can see what they are learning and you can be better equipped to help your child at home. Honestly, unless you are witnessing this behavior, you do not have a leg to stand on. And don't even consider an anonymous letter. Is this really the way we would expect nurses, police officers, or other professionals to be dealt with? If you can't be upfront, don't say anything. Just be supportive of your child without badmouthing and disrespecting the teacher in front of the youngster.

Answer 2

First of all, you don't say that you or any adult has witnessed this behavior. I'm sure your child is an honest child, but a child's perception of discipline is sometimes not the same as an adult's.

I'm totally flabbergasted that your first response is to have the teacher fired. You have absolutely no first-hand knowledge of what's going on in that classroom. Anonymous letters are seldom a good idea. If this is so serious a matter that you think this teacher should be fired, you should have the courage to speak up. After all, you have a child, you must be an adult. Right?

In all fairness, speaking to the teacher first is always a good idea if you can do it in the spirit of trying to help her and without trying to intimidate her. You simply tell her what your child has said and see her response. If you're not satisfied with the response, request a meeting with her supervisor.

Most people will never know what it's like to be a first year teacher. I can tell you, it can be real hell, especially if no one's helping you.

Answer 3

Some liberal high school teacher told my son Jimbo that the Bible was wrong about the Sun revolving around the Earth (it is liberal doctrine that it is the Earth that moves), so Jimbo fired a few rifle shots in the teacher's direction. The liberal teacher's union sided with the teacher. Fortunately here in Alabama the Sheriff was a big Second Amendment patriot so they just had Jimbo teach Sunday School for a couple of months in exchange for dropping all charges.

Answer 4

#1:There is absoulutely no reason to feel you need to stay anonymous. Don't be afraid to stick up for your child and do what is best for him.

#2: Have you or are you able to speak with other parents to find out if their children have also witnessed this teacher's behavior?

#3: I agree with others who advised you to speak with the principal. The principal should be able to set up some type of observation where your son's teacher is not aware that she is being monitored for her behavior.

#4: Unless she is physically abusing the children, I wouldn't necessarily say she needs to be fired and that this will mend the situation. Perhaps an active behavioral correction plan is in order for her. She may be a wonderful source of knowledge for your son and her other students, but needs to be made aware of her behavior and its unacceptability. If she does not change once she has been reprimanded, then she DEFINITELY should not be in the wonderful world of teaching!

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

Why would you rather remain anonymous?? If this is happening to your child...then how many other children is it happening to??
You can always visit the class unanounced to observe..
You have the right to talk to the Principal at any time regarding your supisions.
Have you talked to any other parents in the class ~ are they having the feed back?? Maybe they are just like you & not sure what to do.
You must remember....The teacher spends x# of hours with your children a day, and during that day the teacher is the one that starts the molding process, but ultimately its YOUR JOB as a PARENT....weather it PUBLIC or PRIVATE SCHOOL....
The teachers have rules & guildlines to follow.
Parents have to be PRO-ACTIVE TOO!!!!

Answer 6

An anonymous letter? Ok, and when the principal receives the letter, he or she will do what? Go to the teacher and ask questions. What's the teacher going to say? No, I don't do that...and then the principal has no one to turn to for further information. Bad idea.

No teacher should ever tell a child to shut up, period. I work in a nursing home and if I told a patient to shut up, I'd lose my job. It's just unprofessional.

You should follow the chain of command for starters. Address this issue with the teacher in person. You'll get a feel of how she behaves in class..if she becomes offended or defensive, then she's probably at fault. But if she's sincerely concerned about children, she will show sincere concern. She will take your son aside, apologize to him, and move on, treating your son fairly and not in a vengeful way for reporting him.

If that doesn't help, your next step would be the guidance counselor, or principal. When filing your complaint with one of them, approach them with a formal written complaint, and explain your concerns face to face. Insist that the complaint be followed up on. Most school districts have measures in place that force principals to respond to all written grievances within a certain number of days. He or she will pull other students out of class, ask questions, speak with other parents, speak with the teacher, and come to a conclusion.

Good luck with this situation. My daughter has a chemical imbalance of sorts, and experiences frequent panic attacks. Before Thanksgiving, my daughter had a panic attack in one of her classes. The teacher laughed at my daughter, and blocked her from leaving the classroom to seek help at the clinic. While she was blocking the door, she taunted her..."do you need your mommy right now? Awe, look at the baby crying." Needless to say, my daughter's panic attack caused her to hyperventilate, she passed out 2 feet in front of the teacher, and then the teacher felt it was serious enough to seek medical attention. I'm not the one who initially filed the complaint against her...it was 6 other students in the classroom who took it upon themselves to report it. I was in the ER at the hospital with my daughter when the principal called me. When my daughter returned to school the next day, the principal reviewed the video tape taken during class, with my daughter and myself present. We were shocked! My daughter didn't remember any of it. What upset me the most was that my daughter repetedly asked for permission to leave the classroom before the panic attack started...and she even stated to the teacher that she felt one was coming on. The teacher initially responded "shut up and sit down." And no, she doesn't teach there any longer.

My point...principals do take what students say into consideration. Don't do it anonymously. You owe it to your son to protect him, to make him feel safe, and to feel comfortable learning in the classroom environment.

Answer 7

Your kid needs to toughen up a little. Coddling these children has not helped our education system or this generation period. Big deal if she is a little condescending? Is she a good teacher otherwise? Does your child learn? What is more important? Do you even know about the teachers credentials and results? Probably not, you just believe your kid when they tell you how she acts. Kids lie about their teachers all the time. Don't automatically believe them. She might just be challenging your child to learn and your child doesn't know how to react. Get all the facts. Sit in on class. Have your kid bring a tape recorder. Hear it for yourself. Don't cost a potentially good teacher her job because your kid can't handle being told to shut up.

Answer 8

You know what you do? Go get your child and go to the principal. No, he is not in trouble, but he can tell the principal what exactly is happening. If the principal does nothing, band together a few of the parents with you and talk to him. It is no laughing matter, for this teacher is teaching your child bad manners and hurting his mind. Don't be afraid, and be a hero! Just follow your heart. Good Luck!
XOXO,
Miss Rachel

Answer 9

rather than assume your little angel is telling the whole truth why don't you stop in and do a parental observation? that way you can see first hand the dynamics of the classroom, what grade is your child in? have they mistaken sarcasm for seriousness (common on the middle school levels), maybe the class is loud and disruptiuve, poorly behaved even...cool your jets before you call for this woman's job, first year teachers are prone to mistakes, she is not going to get fired for saying shut up anyway, she would have to use extremely profane language for that to happen...volunteer to help out in the classroom and see how everything functions before you go sticking your nose into a situation only to find out you got one side of the story...

Answer 10

Remember that kids tend to extend the truth quite a bit wether you want to believe it or not..... If the teacher is really that bad, I'm sure plenty of other students parents have complained and it is getting taken care of, so don't do anything and tell your child to behave and do as they are told