How Much Can I Find Out About My Kid's Teacher?

I think it's a little 'stalker-mom' to be drilling the teacher about her resume. I mean, if *I* were a teacher and a mom was this over-involved I'd be VERY wary of her for the rest of the year.

I think you need to trust that she wouldn't have been hired unless she had the proper credentials. Give her a chance and judge her on what you SEE throughout the school year.

I did a little digging around and found this site for you: http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECONLINE/virtcert.asp

You should be able look up their teacher and see how long they have been teaching and certified for. I did this in MN for my son's teachers.

I hope it helps.

This is just my personal opinion but I think it crosses a line.

Typically at open house they might mention how long they've been teaching and where. I don't think they are going to tell you where they went to school, what they studied nor their GPA. If you are that concerned then I think you need to go to the school board and review their hiring practices but leave the teacher out of it.

Real weird. They are busy everyday and night setting up cirriculum for your child. Give her a break. She has the credentials.

Sounds like a mom stalker to me. Some teachers may be offended if you pursue this.

I trust that our principals are very concerned with maintaining exemplary status for the schools and they are not going to put a loser teacher in their school.

Go volunteer in the classroom and help in areas so that she can spend more time with her students vs making/sorting copies, laminating and cutting projects, putting things on/off the bulletin board, helping children when asked to do so, etc.

ONLY volunteer if you are truly interested in helping the staff and children........not to get the latest scoop. Teachers can see right through that game.

Don't judge her, let your child enjoy school. Don't let you child know youa re thinking this way... it could end up in a road block for your child. Make conference appointments with her to discuss your child and your child's progress...... not the teacher's personal life.

I think it is really strange. The school checked her credentials when she was hired. What is your only concern is whether she is teaching and whether your child is learning.

I see no point in having a meeting to re-interview the teacher.

Oh not saying you don't have a right it is just seems strange and unnecessary.

The teacher usually gives a little background about herself/himself at back to school night, where they're from, how long they've been teaching, etc.
I can't imagine why you'd need to find out specifics re their credentials or resume, the district reviews and verifies the accuracy of all that information during the hiring process.
The best way to get to know your child's teacher is to spend time volunteering in the class.

I agree with Leslie, Why are you so worried? all kids go to school and have teachers. Just relax and let your child enjoy school. J.

Being a former teacher, I can tell you there are stringent educational requirements, course hours, and practicums that a teacher must pass in order to become a teacher in the first place. In other words, they must be certified, and that is no trivial accomplishment in any state. Also, they must maintain that certification, so it's not a one time thing. I am also sure the teacher when through an interview when she was hired.
I had meet the teacher this past week, and I found time to ask her where she went to school and about her degree (as chaotic as it was). I feel that if you were so concerned about this, you should have pulled her aside then. Now you should wait and ask her at the next parent teacher conference. I would be kind of annoyed that you are wasting my time on such things when the focus should be your kid. So yes, it's weird.

There's ways of finding things out but sloooowly. Our son's teacher got the job DAYS ago due to budget cuts and movement within the system.

His teacher is STRAIGHT out of college. She is SO excited to teach and you can TELL. All she needs is the pon poms! (REALLY!)

For us, she will ALWAYS remember these kids as 'her first' and I know she's going to work her skinny little blonde self to death teaching 4-K! LOL!

You could probably ask the Main Office or you could conversationally ask the teacher but what difference would that make? I don't think her credentials are going to tell you anything about her. I think it's better to either ask parents of kids who had her in the past what they think, or just observe her through the year.

Just because a person is certified to teach, doesn't make them a good teacher. And plenty of amazing teachers have just gotten started in their careers.

My personal credentials can tell you SOME things about me, but not what you really want to know. You really want to know if she's a good teacher, and unfortunately that's not something that a resume is going to tell you for sure!

"mean harsh and likes to yell" is nothing on her credentials. Those are personality traits, they are not what her experience/educations/where she interned... only those are what is going to show up on a professional resume.

But, from what you describe, it does sound like she has some issues I would certainly be concerned about. Watching a math leap frog movie? My son is in kinder this year and they color, but they have a lot of activities and I get daily reports on what they are doing and such. I would talk about your concerns on her performance and what you and your child observes, not what others have told you.

Also, at our school, we are allowed to observe the teacher for 30 minutes. We just have to let the principal know we are coming and he will tell us a good time. Then we show up, sit in the back of the class and watch.

HELLOOOOOOO...Anyone else watch the news and see "teachers" doing horrible things or finding out they're not properly educated/licensed? I've seen enough to know I'm going to be involved in my child's education.

We have EVERY right as parents to be sure our children are being taught by licensed, ethical, and professional teachers.

I'd call and schedule a meeting to get face time and to find out her plans for the school year.

Good luck!

Your What happened changes my opinion and maybe others. I'm glad you are involved.It still doesnt matter how long she's been teaching or where she went to school, but you need to let the principal know your concerns ASAP Interesting question. Instead of making her think you're doubting her so soon in the year, research the requirements in your district. Do they ever hire teachers without complete certification on a temporary emergency certificate? This is done only when they cannot find someone with the right certificate and with the understanding the teacher will continue fulfilling the course work to receive the certificate ASAP ( more World Language, specialized fields Elem is usually Lots of applicants. Does your district pay as well as the surrounding areas? this will help them hire experienced or outstanding new graduates. Does your district offer benefits on par with other districts?? Does your district require teachers to earn professional hours (ours is 100 hours in 5 yrs) Does you district require mentors for new teachers? this info might ease your mind.
I'm assuming you already have problems with this teacher, and that she's new to the school so you cant ask other parents about her. Can you wait till Back to School Night where she will probably tell you how many yrs she's been teaching, what grades etc.??

Does she have a website with her bio on it? All our teachers are required to have a website and post assignments/information/resources.

Check your school's website and find out if there is any information there.

be careful about the way you present the questions. it sounds as if your comming from a negiative place. as if the teacher isnt going to live up to your expectations. if you attack her with these questions it could boil up into something that was not nessissary. almost as if your trying to stir the pot instead of finding out if the teacher is educated to your standards. most teachers need to have a teaching license.

I am a fourth grade teacher, so I'll go ahead and weigh in on this. You have the right to ask a teacher about her credentials up to a point. If you were to approach me the right way, I wouldn't be offended at all. However, if it sounds like you're checking on me, I'd be a little hesitant to open up. Parents do have the right to know how long I've taught and where as well as what type(s) of degree(s) I have. But, when you ask please do not make the conversation solely about the professional resume. Schedule a conference to discuss your child and ask the teacher then.

Now, if you really are concerned about the teacher's actions, that has nothing to do with qualifications. You have every right to be concerned, and I would discuss them with the principal, including how she treated the adults. I would not bring up what you "heard" from other parents. The principal will be most interested in what has happened to you or your child directly.

As a former teacher in Texas, I say email her or send your kiddo to school with a 'getting to know you' sheet. Granted, if a kid came to school with a sheet, I'd be expecting a goood christmas gift after being asked "What's your favorite restaurant?" or "What's your favorite sweet snack?" If you ask too many personal questions like birthday and what year she graduated college and what her grade point average was and where she did her student teaching, she may feel a bit reserved. "Is this mom interrogating me?"

As a teacher, I might be a bit put off that I had to have a meeting to tell you about myself. I mean, our time as teachers is very valuable! We have 20+ mandatory meetings to have with you parents every report card or every semester, so one more meeting would not make me super-happy. So if I were you, I'd make it about your son, and then during the meeting, ask about her.

I think you have a right to ask. My daughter's teachers have usually sent out a bio on themselves describing their education and experience and some personal information so we could get to know them.

I'm not sure what difference that information would make. It doesn't concern me which school the teacher got his/her degree from. I trust our school to hire and employ competent people, and so far (4th grade) I have had no concerns at all about the teachers my daughter has had. They've all been fantastic.

The school system hires teachers based on credentials -- that includes certification, education, references, and experience. I think if your child is in public school, you probably don't have to worry as much as if your child were in private school where certification and Master's degrees are not required.
Our public school system requires teachers to either have a Master's degree or they have 3 years from date of hire to get one. Continuing Education is extremely important and all teachers need to complete a certain number of CE hours each year to maintain their certification.
If you really want to know where she went to college, you can always ask. She probably won't tell you her GPA -- that's her business, not yours. She might tell you where she has taught before or if she's new, where she did her student teaching. She isn't required to tell you anything... She can keep her private life private. Besides, what difference does it make if she went to one school or another? What really matters is if she is a good teacher who helps your kid learn.
LBC

I think you have the right to know about your teacher's credentials.. why not, they are with your kids all day.. Wouldn't you do the same for a babysitter or preschool... In fact, my son went to Summer school this year and of his three teachers sent home info and part of it was a bit about their background... they listed their credentials and where they attended. they also listed what they enjoyed doing in their off time. I think it was a nice intro and therefore, I didn't have to ask about their background.. We do employ teachers in the same way someone employs us.... other employers ask for our resume', why shouldn't we do the same..

However, you can go about it in a gentle way.. and during parent teacher conferences, simply say, so have long have you taught, have you always taught this grade. Teachers know parents are interested... so it shouldn't come as a shock... and NOT stalking in any way.. it's taking interest in your child's well-being..

best of luck

sounds like she needs to be in a different grade level-- maybe middle school-- they are used to crabby teachers. Kindergarten teachers IMO should be kind and sweet to their students since it is the beginning of their school career and many of them are sensitive. I loved my kindergarten teacher and actually had the priviledge of writing a letter recommending her for an award after I became a teacher. She had unlimited patience with me (I was a HUGE cry baby!)

As a former teacher, I can tell you that knowing her credentials or even having a copy of her resume would never tell you if she is a good teacher or not. I knew quite a few teachers who had been teaching longer than I was alive and were terrible. Best to just present your concerns and if they are not addressed, ask for your child to be moved... but do it soon, it is harder for them to move after they get to know their classmates.

I also think that you have a right to find out what your child's teachers credentials and experience is. The moms that disagree obviously haven't had a bad experience with a teacher. I think if you ask her face to face and say something like"so how long have you been teaching X grade" maybe open it up for her to tell you about her experience she probably wouldn't not be offended. You should also check you school web site, some have bio info on the teachers, some don't. If you have any issue go to the principal or assistant principal right away. I regret not taking a more aggressive approach with my sons second grade teacher. I just trusted that the school knew what they were doing and that she had the right experience, live and learn. After having an absolutely wonderful 3rd grade teacher I now know that I should have made a stink and had my sons second grade class changed! She was awful and I think may have been burnt out and should have retired. She just didn't care about the individual needs of the students and tried to force them all to be, think and act the same. It was a constant struggle!

If she doesn't work out for your son, know that you can request for him to be transferred to a different class. I did that for my sons 4th grade and it worked out great. Not every teacher is a good fit for every student!

I understand your concern. I teach at the university level, and we are constantly asked about our credentials (not as often from students, but we can hang our degrees in our offices so they have that info too, and some places publish it in the catalog). At the elementary level, especially kg, I think her personality is going to be more of an issue. I don't think it's as common to ask them about credentials because the school district will have strict hiring requirements. But if you are not sure about your child's experience in her class, I think you are absolutely right to keep abreast of the situation.

Stay as positive as possible--you need to get good info from the teacher without her feeling attacked. If you can schedule a conference, do it. But focus it on your child. Just tell her you want to make sure he has a good year, so you want to talk early about his learning style, etc., and ask questions (non-accusatory ones) about how they liearn this and that, and if there's anything unique about your child (i.e., gifted, has trouble in a certain area) you can ask how the two of you can deal with it as a team. While you're there, if the conversation is going well, you might get on the subject of experience, but I'd let it work itself into the conversation. First-year teachers can be very motivated, excellent teachers; those close to retirement can be experiencing burnout. That is why her actual credentials might not be helpful--they could actually be irrelevant.

My guess is that if you treat her as a team member while talking to her, you might get farther with her.

At the end you could mention your notes. Again, you don't want to attack her, so you might say that it's the beginning of the year, so you understand that she might not have her schedule for volunteers set up yet, but you'd love to come into the class to help. My daughter had kg last year, and when I asked about volunteering, they didn't seem to need my help--there really wasn't anything they needed help with. I had signed up to volunteer for a class party in the school office, but when I asked the teacher, she said "well, you can come if you WANT to, but we have everything taken care of. However, when I offered to do a presentation on the Moon Festival (my daughter is adopted from China, and it's an Asian holiday), she was very excited. So SHE didn't really have ideas for me to volunteer, but when I had one, they were all over it and the kids had such a good time. They even asked me to come and do another one, so I came back and did the Qing Ming festival in the spring.

So if she says there's nothing, you might go with an idea or two of your own for something special.

Good luck. I hope your son can have a good year after all!

I read your post, as well as your follow up and this is most definitely NOT a question about your teachers credentials or resume. This is a question about your teacher's job performance.

In our school, traditionally, Meet The Teacher, is about the kids, not the parents... getting them familiar with the teacher, where the classroom is, etc. It's very simple. A few weeks after school begins, we have what is called "Parent Education Night". This event is NOT for kids, but rather for parents where we get to learn all about what our kids are doing each day. That is when we normally get the letters and more info about the teacher, what the kids will be learning this year, etc. If your school does not have something like that, I would talk to the administrator about starting one.

Some of what you described sounds totally normal to me - the coloring, the stacking of the chairs, the rest time (most parents say their kids are extremely tired in kinder). The leap frog movie doesn't really bother me either. First, have you seen any of the leap frog movies? They're awesome! And second, the learning styles of children fluxuates greatly and if this teacher is using various forms of mediums to tap into that, then good for her. If she's parking the kids in front of a tv, then that's a different story. And I can assure you, she is VERY busy with 20 5 and 6 year olds. If you have never had the opportunity to observe 20 kids that age, then I encourage you to do so. It will open your eyes immensely and you will never utter the words "she is not busy" again.

The yelling and negativity... yes, that bothers me and I would be very concerned about that. Yes, you have every right to talk to both the teacher and the administrator. HOWEVER, you need to start with the teacher. If you go above her head, the very first question the principal is going to ask you is whether or not you have discussed the problem with the teacher first. If not, you will be asked to do that first. I would make sure I stuck to the point, though, and the point is not where she went to school, how long she has been teacher, or what her GPA was. The point is, she is yelling at the kids and I don't think anyone would agree that yelling is a very effective teaching tool. Be prepared to come in with facts and not blanket statements either... saying someone is "harsh" or "negative" is not enough.

Best of luck to you!

Your situation sounds similar to my youngest son's experience in kindergarten. It was a long road. I don't think asking about her credentials is going to get you anywhere. I mean, if she's been teaching 2 years or 20 years, will it really change anything about the way things are going in the classroom right now? For now, I would continue to ask your son about his day each afternoon, without leading him. If things continue to sound negative to you, or if it seems like he isn't being exposed to activities that encourage learning, perhaps you could volunteer in the classroom or ask to sit in and observe for an afternoon. Then if you don't like what you see, you can discuss it with the teacher, then a counselor or principal if necessary. I do think you owe it to the teacher to discuss your concerns with her first. I hope your son has a good year.

Information about her credentials, resume, etc. doesn't seem like it is going to help the situation. I would ask the principal for a meeting to find out what he/she is doing about a teacher who is negative, rude, impatient, etc.

Just wanted to weigh in that I think you're doing the right thing. I see that you have now received some sane and helpful responses. I don't know what is up with people lately, but I have definitely seen a pattern of attacking the asker. And I feel sorry for those children whose parents just trust the system. Come on, be a parent. Anyway, good luck to you and I hope you can do something about this horrible teacher.

I don't think it is odd to ask about the person who is spending more than 30 hours a week with your child. . . I do think you need to couch it properly, though, as not to alienate her or be seen and an interrogation - which if I am not careful is what I would do (LOL I am thinking of John Candy in uncle buck when mcaully culkin is questioning him rapid-fire).
Set up some time or use the Parent-teacher meeting to just ask and you could even say, "I am not really sure how to ask this, but I am really curious about your professional back ground. Can you share with me some of the things you are really proud of (or where you went to school, what motivated you to get into teaching,e tc). . .
Good luck!

At my son's school, they have a little information about their teachers, usually on the first day of school. I recieved a little bulletin letting me know about his teacher, and what her credentials, experience was in the field. However, if they don't give you any kind of information, you can always ask. Sometimes I ask them if they have taught anywhere else in the area, or how long they have worked at the school. They usually provide a lot of information just on those two questions. As far as credentials, or degree info, that really doesn't matter to me as much as experience.

Is it okay to ask the teacher how long she's been teaching, what grades she has taught and ask the principal what the minimum educational requirement is to hold a teaching position in the school district and whether they do background checks? YES. Is it okay to ask what her college GPA was or ask the principal to see her performance evaluations or ask where she worked before so that you can email that principal to ask why she left, NO.
As a parent of MS'er and a HS'er, (and an ES teaching assistant), I find that most teachers put basic information on their district website, on their curriculum night handouts and/or in their curriculum night presentations, so I often know where they went to college, how long they've taught in the district and sometimes, where else they have taught. Asking a casual question like, "How long have you been in the district?" or "How long have you been teaching?" is certainly fine. Interviewing the teachers about their credentials is not. The school district's hiring committee takes care of that for us. The teacher's credentials are not indicative of her personalilty and I've seen numerous teachers who have great qualifications but they may yell, seem harsh or don't teach all that much. That's not about knowing her professional experience or her degrees. Separate issue.

I haven't read the others, but I would say credentials probably aren't that relevant. She might go over her philosophy and background and Back to School Night (do you have one?) and it is appropriate to ask what grades she's taught and how long. However, based on how you describe her it sounds like you already know all you need to know, which is that you seem to have pretty good reasons not to like her. I always think it's best to talk to the teacher 1st and give her a chance. Maybe she's going to go over all those questions at your conference and has a portfolio of work ready. Kids are not always reliable, either. When he says all he does it color it might just be the last thing he did and it's all he remembers, and he did it b/c he was the 1st person finished with another task. Try to stop in and observe (since she hasn't responded, just go!)
If I were you and I tried to talk to her but wasn't satisfied, I'd gather some concrete things (like the fact that they nap, a day's collection of coloring- but don't talk about the attitude, I think you'll get further with protocol issues) and ask to discuss it with the principal. Like, "Is it part of the regular day schedule to nap in kindergarten? I don't recall that from the tour" or whatever. You could even ask if there's a policy about communication- "she hasn't responded to my notes or provided me another way to communicate". Then yes, I would definitely ask to move classes ASAP.

I think it would be fine to ask where she got her degree from, and how long she has been teaching. Other than that, I think you would be crossing the line into her privacy.

If you have real concerns (concrete examples of bad or harsh behavior), than schedule an apt with the principal.

but I do think you are out of line to say you know she is not busy. Have you ever cared for/taught 20 kids all day? it is a big job, and what kids see as coloring is probably lessons hidden in fun, that is how you do it at that young age. And things like stacking/unstacking the chairs, and a little quiet time are perfectly normal and common.

the early days of school the teacher will be more focused on getting to know the kids. After 2 weeks of school, we just had our Back To School Night, where parents got to visit the classroom and the teacher presented both her story and the plan for the year for the kids. Does your school do this? If not, you should suggest it to the principal or the PTA.