Is it possible to arrange for my daughter to be moved to a different class?

Question

My daughter was in kindergarten last year. She had a wonderful teacher who really helped ease the transitions. She was very kind and loving. I stayed to help as much as I could (I was room mother), but when I would leave and my daughter got upset, she always helped her feel better. Some people might call this babying but it was exactly what my daughter needed. She's kind of a nervous child. Her father died when she was 2 and since then life has been kind of tough. With her amazing kindergarten teacher, she became more confident and comfortable at school.

Now she is in first grade and she is very unhappy. Her new teacher yells a lot and has very little patience. She is a veteran teacher who has been teaching for 25 years. She hasn't really yelled at MY daughter yet, but I have stayed in the classroom and she is very strict with these little kids. If they forget to put away something, they are yelled at or put down (as in, "I know big first graders can act better than this."). She is always raising her voice to these kids! They are still little and sometimes they make mistakes.

So I was wondering if it was possible to have her moved. One of the other first grade teachers is very sweet and patient. I went in her class for a moment once and all the kids looked happy instead of scared. It made me so sad for the other kids. It has only been about a week since school started but my daughter is already more nervous and clingy. I know I have to say something to the principal but do you think it will work? And what should I say? Any advice or insight is much appreciated.

Answer 1

I think most parents fall in love with their child's kindergarten teacher, and all other teachers after that just don't quite live up to that first teacher.  :)  Keep that in mind as you make your decision.  Is it possible that you're putting more on the 1st grade teacher than is really there, or is she really that strict?  You should also think about how some of the strict teachers end up being really great for lots of kids.  Maybe your daughter is one of those kids, maybe she's not.  

If I were you, I'd wait it out another week or two.  Give both your daughter and the teacher time to adjust to the new school year.  If your daughter is still miserable, talk with the TEACHER first.  Honestly, if you go to the principal first, the principal will ask if you've talked with the teacher first anyway.  AND, if the principal tells the teacher you're unhappy without you having talked with the teacher first, things will just get uncomfortable for your daughter.  Even the best teachers can get offended if you're not upfront with them and go over their heads.  So talk with her first.  Let her know that your daughter is a nervous girl and that she may need some more patience than most kids.  This puts it on your daughter and not the teacher, which will make her more receptive to what you want.  

Keep in mind that if all parents got to decide which teacher their kid got that some teachers would have waaay too many kids, and other teachers wouldn't have enough.  It's not always going to be an option.  If there is a very clear issue in which your daughter isn't thriving in the teacher's classroom, you can maybe have her switched.  Other than that, you're just going to come across as the needy mom who complains too much.  I realize that's not what you're trying to do, but that's how it will come across.  

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.  Hopefully things will pick up soon.  :)

Answer 2

Yes. Explain to the principle just as in your question here. He should have no problem with the change for the sake of your child's well-being.

Answer 3

        Most of the time you can i did . My aunt talked to the prnceapal.

Answer 4

You need to ask the principal.  Many schools wont do that just because you don't find that the teacher is warm and fuzzy though.

Answer 5

Most of the time you can my lil sis was being bullied and had a careless teacher and they changed her class

Answer 6

yes but i wouldn't wait any longer because a month from now she would have missed some of the school work in the other class

Answer 7

Yes, it is definitely possibly, but is not going to happen unless you are very firm and persistent. I am a teacher in a k-5 building and I know my principal does not move kids unless the parents REALLY insist. If he goes by requests, then every child would be moved based on what the parents want. I would tell him what you have seen and that your daughter does not want to go to school as she is very unhappy. Insist that she be moved.

In the meantime, or if a move isn't going to happen, one suggestion might be to try and spend as much time in the room as possible. I know most won't admit this, but if the teacher likes you she might be more inclined to take your child "under her wing". I would sit down with her and tell her a little bit about her history, including her father. Tell her what approach your daughter does well with and see if that works. Be careful not to say anything negative about the way she talks to the class. It is better to say something like, "my daughter does really well with positive reinforcement". GOOD LUCK and if you have any questions, let me know!

Answer 8

Yes, I believe you can get your child moved. Call or meet with your principal to discuss options. And you may want to let him/her know about the teachers behavior in class.

Answer 9

My daughter's Kindergarten teacher was a veteran too.  My kid hated her, and so did a lot of the other kids.  Even the principal agreed that she wasn't the nicest teacher there, but she was retiring that same year, and it's not like they can fire someone for not being nice.  My daughter cried almost every day for about 5 months, or longer.

I hear you big time.  We too wanted to move her to another class.  But what does that teach your child? That everytime she doesn't like a teacher, she can ask to be moved to another class. Even the principal said no, it's not a good idea.  So, if you ask the principal, chances are he/she will say no and chances are maybe other parents have asked to and he/she can't grant everyone's requests.  However, raise your concerns to the principal about the teacher being too harsh and/or yelling too much.  Give examples and lots of them.

My daughter's next teacher (1st grade) was wonderful and it made a big difference in her school year.  I am praying and hoping that her 2nd grade teacher will be nice. However, she made lots of friends in 1st grade and that too will make things easier regardless of her teacher.

Answer 10

If you want her moved do it now. Once I waited for a couple months and they said no due to the fact it had been so long. I had 3 meetings and they would NOT move her .So we decided to make the best of it. I would make an appt with the principal and address  the issues in person. Just say you want to talk to the principal about your daughter, do not say to switch classes. I said that and the secretary would not let me even make an appt. I was so mad.

So my best advice is act quickly and if they will not take a positive attitude about it. If you are positive your daughter will be more positive. And do not talk bad about her current teacher in front of her. She may not be the best teacher but she has not been mean to your daughter. Sometimes you just have to tough it out even when it comes to teachers. Your daughter is probably more clingy because it is the start of the school year not necessarily because of her teacher.

Answer 11

first off you need to ask your daughter if she likes the "mean" teacher. wel call her mrs. brown. she may like the strictness of mrs. brown so its important for you to ask instead of just moving her. well call the nice teacher mrs. smith. have a meeting with mrs. smith and see if your daughter likes her. then talk with the principal ASAP to see what he can arrange and you need good reasons as to why you would like her to move to mrs. smith.

Answer 12

talk to teacher then she might get changed.

Answer 13

Arrange a meeting with the principal.  Tell him what your concerns are and about your daughters anxiety.  You can request that your daughter talk with the school counselor/social worker and you can let them know what your concerns are, especially if your child is not wanting to go to school.  If the counselors feel she will get a better education in the other class, they will move her.

Answer 14

Did your daughter come right to you and tell you she was unhappy?  If not then your view of the teacher might just be an opinion.  And sometimes it is good for a child to have a "meaner" teacher early on because then they get the experience and other teachers may not seem as mean when they get older.

I do not think there is a way to switch a child out of a class. First of all, once you switch, lots of other parents will want to switch too. Second, your already in the classroom, and that's already asking a lot from the school as it is... I understand that it is hard losing a parent, but your daughter has to grow up and become strong. Having you sitting five feet away from her at all times is not the answer. Your daughter may be scared, and frightened, but she has to learn to adapt to the circumstances that she is in.

So no, you probably not be able to switch your daughter out of the class.  If you still want to become one of those annoying parents who thinks that their child is more special than all the other, then go ahead and ask the school board if you can move your daughter.