Heartbroken about DS's teacher

[Bluetie]

DS is a great kid. He's smart, funny, musical and sporty. He is also incredibly polite and has a caring nature. He is always winning awards at school, and is liked by all. DS attends a lovely small school with only 2 year-groups.

His previous teachers were OK but in year 3, he's had the most wonderful teacher, Mr T. Mr T is DS's first male teacher and they also share a hobby. Mr T has really helped DS develop his confidence, pushing him more in academics. DS has had a great year.

DS is now moving to year 4. Mr T is also moving to year 4. But they won't be together. All the classes have been mixed to mix abilities, sexes and SEN.

One morning this week, I went to ask Mr T if this class allocation was final. The head came to join our conversation, and he said he will only move DS for an exceptional reason. The head added that the new teacher has made the best progress in her year group across the whole school. I really want DS to stay with Mr T.

Can anyone think of something?

That poster was clearly joking.

It astonishes me that people don’t understand humour and sarcasm.

I'm a head of department in a secondary school and I get students every year coming to me and begging to make sure that they have Mr/Mrs X because they are the best teacher for them. One this year even had the audacity to say 'no offence Miss as I know that I haven't had you but I can already tell that you won't be able to make me learn!' This same student then told me that they couldn't possibly have Mrs Y as they didn't get taught properly by her. This is the teacher with the best results in the department. Children need to be resilient and need to understand that they need to get used to a variety of teachers in secondary. Plus they don't actually get to choose! Don't start your son on this path because he needs to build the resilience before going to secondary school. Every child has teachers they work well with and those that they don't but it doesn't mean that the teacher isn't going to get them to where they need to be.

Additionally your son is not being punished don't be so ridiculous!

Unfortunately you are being paranoid. There is zero evidence here your kid is being punished for being a good kid.

I not only had new teachers but new schools
2 nurseries, 3 primary schools (one I was only there for 6 weeks), 3 secondary schools and 2 colleges
Still did absolutely fine

Re: “three teachers who couldn’t spell”…

I had pupils complaining that a teacher couldn’t spell because she taught a text called “Hallowe’en”.
They refused to believe that anything other than the spelling minus the apostrophe had ever existed.

I finished up teaching several lessons on the evolution of spelling, thanks to the fact that parents and pupils spread their incorrect understanding to others.

But his new teacher may be even better than Mr T! Why should your child have the choice to pick his teacher? All the other kids don't! You sound entitled to me, insisting he is being punished.
There are other kids at the school, you know!

How on earth is he being punished?

He's moving on in school, as per every
other child in the country. New class, new teacher, life moves on, we learn to deal with change and cope with the real world.

What if every parent asked for a teacher preference? It's just not feasible.

Teach your child to be grateful of the good teacher he's had, and prepare him to move on.

Governors are there to deal with the strategic management of the school, finance, vision etc. They are emphatically not allowed to interfere with "operational" matters, i.e. the day-to-day organisation and running of the school. That is the Headteacher's job.

One of mine had the same teacher 2 years running and it was an unmitigated disaster. The first year was a single stage class and the second was a composite class. Over the course of the two years the group who had the teacher for 2 years fell a year behind where they should have been in language. Had they changed teachers after one year, they wouldn't have spent the next year catching up because the problem would have been caught sooner.
I was disappointed at some of the teachers my DDs were allocated but I would never have tried to change them and apart from one teacher it all worked out fine for them. One of my DDs is ND and a job share supply teacher took a particular interest in pulling DD's file and doing everything that she could to support her.
DD2 had 2 male teachers and neither lasted the year. The first had 2 job share posts in neighbouring schools and the other half in the other school became vacant so he left our school. The second was appointed as an acting deputy head in the school so was taken out of the classroom. Both are now head teachers. They were both great classroom teachers and the children loved them.
Apart from P1, one of mine didn't have the same teacher for a full year due to absence, maternity leave, promotion and moving to another job. OP, don't assume that Mr T will still be there this time next year.

Thinking about it again, surely the post suggesting escalation to governors, MP and the PM must have bern a spoof - mustn’t it??

Actually, this might be spot on. I am a teacher who has been involved in the allocation of classes when they have been mixed. Some teachers do request that particular children are not placed in their class because of parents who make them feel really uncomfortable.

Do you think you are that parent and mr t couldn't take it anymore !!!!!!

Yes, I can think of something...teach your child nothing is forever..then move on..

😂 if kids got to choose in my school I’d end up with loads. One year I did move up with a class after lots of parents asked and at the end of the 2nd year half of them desperately wanted another teacher. We do spend a lot of time with each other. Change is good. I always say I’m still in school and as a teacher you don’t just forget the ones before - you still chat to them all the time.

Where do you live? In the UK kids have a different teacher every year in primary school. Some teachers are amazing - some not so great. That’s just the way it goes. You can’t have the “best” teacher every year

But at the same time, so would all the others? Your child sounds like he’s doing amazingly, and although it can actually be so sad (my ds is about to leave the best, loveliest teacher in the world too), they will have to move on at some point, and maybe Mr T (I ain’t gettin on no plane!) will be able to make other children who may be struggling as amazing as your ds is x

Well, I’ve been thinking about this all weekend. It’s not about Mr T. It’s about how little control I have about what is best for DS. We were going to go private anyway from year 7 but I think we need to look into moving him sooner. It’s just 3 extra years in the grand scheme of things.

You are lovely, thank you. All the best to your ds and to you. x

Well I read the title and thought the teacher has a serious illness or had passed away. Something like that.

Your son will have lots of teachers in his time at school, some he will click with more than others for whatever reason. It really isn’t something to make a fuss about-you can have your own concerns but don’t put that worry onto your child. Embrace his new teacher and class-show him how to handle change.

Thank you- I may or may not have cried when my dd left her reception teacher too lol sometimes your child just has that one person who actually changes their lives and their outlook and both dd and ds have had these teachers. DD was fine with her next teacher and I know my ds will be too. They will always have the things those teachers taught them x

If you think you're going to be able to choose your child's class teacher in a private school you are going to be disappointed.

Without doubt Mr T has had a say in how the classes are to be split. Either your child has been identified as one with resilience and likely to thrive with a new teacher.

OR one that he wants to offload to another class. If it's the latter it could be for a number of reasons... bad behaviour, know it all, over bearing parents etc.

I wouldn't over think it - there are bigger issues to get worked up over.

My children are at private school. You don’t get to choose their teachers there either.

The lauding of male primary school teachers actually makes me feel quite sick.

I would love to be able to say that there was absolutely no difference between male and female primary school teachers, but actually, in my 10 years of experience as a primary school teacher, my male colleagues have been far less professional (including in front of the children) and lazier than my female colleagues.

I have also never worked with a heterosexual male colleague (including a headteacher) who hasn't slept with one or more of his female colleagues... and yes, most of these men were married.

And yet parents, usually mums, are always DESPERATE for their children to have a male teacher.

Apologies to any professional, hard-working male primary school teachers who don't shag their colleagues... I just haven't met you.