I Think My 5Th Grader's Teacher Is Not Doing a Good Job, What Do Yall Think?

I honestly don't have a problem with her attitude about homework. There is absolutely no evidence that shows a benefit to homework for children in elementary and middle school and the evidence for high school could go either way. Most homework does just seem to be time filler and I would much rather a teacher spent time teaching (or preparing lesson plans) than grading homework.

The rest sounds like she is disorganized.

It sounds like you have a good reason to talk to the principal about Lexi's teacher. I would go in with the list you made above and make it clear that you are not just being an overprotective mom, you're concerned about ALL of the kids this woman is "teaching."

Don't back off until some sort of change happens.

Best of luck!

Just a couple of thoughts...
1. Retention for academic reasons doesn't work. It is only successful for very young children who are immature and need time to develop before moving on. This is not a point you want to make to the principal b/c he/she may say "We didn't recommend this, you asked for it".

2. Don't go in there with this list. Shorten it into categories:
- Homework:
- Is there a school-wide policy?
- If it is not checked, what happens to it?
- Could the students self-check their homework at some point during the day?
- Feedback on student work
- Are tests graded?
- How is the teacher measuring daily learning?
- How is the teacher supporting struggling students?
- Parent communication
- Can you request a weekly update on your child?
**You won't get a welcome letter from MS/HS teachers, so don't make too much out of that. Your issue is that you aren't feeling "in the loop" with respect to your child.**
- Concerns about your child's individual progress
- What supports can the school offer during the day to support her?
- Does the school think that your child may have a disability and needs to be tested?
- What is a reasonable expectation (per the principal) for parental feedback when work is "missing".

Just be prepared to hear that 5th grade is MUCH harder than 4th. If this year is tough, 6th grade is going to knock you both for a loop! Multiple teachers, class changes, notebooks, long-term assignments... get a system in place NOW for your daughter to stay on top of her work.

I am a teacher. I do not think this will be the first time that this principal hears comments like this. This teacher sounds defensive. She is not on top of the work load. If she were a good teacher, she would certainly be able to have a detailed conversation about your daughter's progress and she should know about your daughter's academic history.

The red flag for me here, though is that she is blaming the class. Anytime a teacher says "This is the worse class." she is crossing a line. No teacher of any degree of skill or compassion would say such a thing. Might think it, would never say it. It defeats the whole purpose of teachers...which is to inspire confidence and a love of learning, especially in 5th grade.

Good luck.

Too much "she said vs. she said" going on. You need to definitely get the teacher's side of this story directly, not through your daughter, and bring this list of issues that you've shown to the teacher and talk about it.

To be honest, and no offense since I don't know your daughter nor the teacher, but some of these claims on the part of the teacher sound totally surreal. I mean, what is the likelihood that Lexy would miss most of the important tests and the teacher never had issue with that until now? Did the teacher tell you this directly, or is this something Lexy said? And missing daily assignments? Then your daughter missed the opportunity to run for student council because the teacher didn't announce when the elections were taking place? Seems to me if all of these claims were true, OTHER parents would be raising hell at that school and with the teacher...not just you or your daughter. Surely, she'd be in total hot water by now.

I suspect Lexy isn't being honest with you. I also suspect whatever her academic problems were a year or two ago, haven't gone away. I also suspect Lexy is having academic troubles and is villifying her teacher to cover up for her struggles. Be prepared to work out a supplemental plan to help her catch up or get the help she needs. Put the boxing gloves away until you get proof the teacher truly is negligent.

You've gotten some good advice. I would leave the more touchy/feely things off the list: the halloween costume, teacher intro letter, no work on the walls, missing the student office dates - you don't want to sound like you are whining and detract from the other very serious issues. Focus on the real problem - your daughter is not learning the required material and the teacher is not helping to fix the problem she is making it worse. Most of your other examples support this main problem, I would stick with that.

Good Luck!

Dear Leila,

This teacher sounds hopelessly disorganized. And if she's giving kids negative feedback (telling they're the worst class ever, etc.) without giving them tools to solve the problem, then you're right: she's a bad teacher.

With the principal, I recommend the following:

Start by saying "I am really committed to my children's schooling, and I believe in working hard with them to make sure they succeed. With this teacher, though, I don't feel like I have the tools to help my daughter succeed."

Then, give the principal a very short list of problems:
1. The fact that the teacher told her she was missing important tests but wouldn't let her retake them.
2. The fact that there's very little homework, and this will not prepare your daughter well for jr. high.
3. The fact that the progress report didn't have enough information.

Then, state clearly and simply what you want: Your daughter should switch classes. Mention then that she already had to repeat a grade and that you feel she really needs to be in an organized environment where expectations are very clear.

Don't expect the principal to agree with you that she's a bad teacher. Your goal is not to be told you're right; your goal is to get your daughter in a different class. But if you write down a list of three complaints and one request, and stick to that, you'll do great.

P.S. If your daughter is having trouble with math homework, I also recommend asking for outside help, like a tutor.

P.P.S. You sound like a great mom! Just hold your head high, and remember: You're asking for something you have a right to ask for. You have every right to be there, and to have your request granted.

Best wishes,

Mira

Wow - I'd go right to the principal and demand that the tests that the teacher has lost for your daughter be found. Tell the principal that you don't know how your daughter is going to get graded when the teacher isn't grading papers and is losing them.

I don't know how you're going to get your daughter in another class, but I sure hope you do. I'd go to the school board if they don't say yes. Sometimes they don't want to move kids, but you might just have to decide to do battle and take your chances that they won't like you anymore, in order to get your daughter out of there.

This is awful, really and truly. Good luck.

Dawn

as others have posted, take the emotions out. Stick to the academic facts & that's it.

& as a head's up, I just checked my son's grades. End of quarter was almost 4 weeks ago. During this time, only 2 of his 8 teachers have posted grades......so a delay of 8-9 days really isn't that big of a deal. Some teachers wait until the last night to get it all done....that's their perogative!

I would hate having this teacher! Good luck.....

The transition to 5th can be really hard. Math and reading both have serious jumps in materials that can cause kids to have trouble. Don't be surprised if the teacher says as much, it's true. I have 2 in public school and one that I homeschool with an online program and I've seen the difference in the amount of work and the content at this age.

That being said my DD's 3rd grade teacher has cards that the kids have to sign if they are not responsible. I only point this out because if my 3rd grader has to be in charge of getting her own homework done, and making sure I sign any pages she needs ect. then a teacher should be just as responsible. It is her job to teach her class, to grade the work, record the grades and keep track of the materials. If she can't do that then maybe she should find another job.

Tell the principal everything, but realize that in some districts there are bad teachers, that the administrators know are bad, and they can't do much about it because the teacher is unresponsive and theunion backs her up. As in, the principal gets messed with by the union for going after the teacher. My husband is an assistant principal, so I hear about this in his work. If the school is not able to get her to change, switch classrooms, be strong about it, and be prepared to go to the school board and superintendent. If all three levels...principal, superintendent, and school board hear enough problems then and only then can they remove the teacher, if indeed that needs to happen.

I haven't read the other replies.

Personally I would not walk into the meeting with "a list", you may want to consider just a few small notes. I would also come up with a strong statement to start the meeting that includes why you're meeting and what you want to accomplish. "We held Lexy back because she was struggling in many areas, but last year she did great. However, I feel that this year things aren't going very well and I'm hoping we can come up with a plan that will get Lexy back on track. I have several concerns....

Focus on the important facts and supporting details.

communicating - she didn't send out an introduction letter, she doesn't send home graded papers so you can see Lexy's progress, give specific details about conversations you've had with the teacher
homework - not consistant, most days none than several hours
progress report - you need more info.

Find out your school's policy on attendence and making up work.

Be prepared that the principal will probably support the teacher 100%. Be prepared to hold your ground. Throughout the conversation focus on your goal.

Good luck.

Hi. We had a similar situation with my oldest daughter's 3rd grade teacher. She was very unresponsive and didn't even know how to fill out the report cards. My husband actually showed her how the columns were supposed to be filled out. After 1/2 a year with no change and no cooperation from her or the school, we pulled our daughter out and put her in a charter school. It follows much of the Montessori methods of teaching. Now she's in middle school and our 2nd grader has been going there since kindergarten. I know that's a drastic change, but that's what we had to do. You may want to look into different schools, if that's a possibility. Your child's education and self-worth are too important to risk because of a lazy teacher. (in my opinion)

Best of luck!

L.

You have valid concerns, and good reason to meet with the principal. Regardless of your daughter's academic struggles, her teacher sounds unprofessional. She sounds miserable in her job, and she sets the tone every day for her students. And the tone is very negative. Yes, I would want my daughter switched if I were you. Switched classrooms or transferred to a different school. She deserves so much better. I'm sorry you're going through this.

I would talk to the principal and get some feedback. additionally, they have programs now (micrograde) where the instructor can go online after each test/assignment/homework and enter the child's grade.. this is a GREAT system.. and forces the teacher and student to keep on top of their game.. there are 25 kids in my son's class and each week, ALL grades are posted. this way, yes, IF it appears homework is missing and I see a lowered grade in a specific course, then I contact the teacher immediately.. I think you have to nip this problem in the bud ASAP..

my best to you and yours

What do you have for proof? you dont want it to be an I said, she said situation Try to have facts you can back up. Good luck