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?

Me too! It looks as if OP has got a grip now though, she's 'made her peace with it'. Phew! We can all relax, I just hope her DS can!

Awww bless ya, I've had times I've been incredibly sad that my children are leaving an amazing teacher, then the worry that no one else will quite cut it.
I'm glad you've come to terms with it, I'm sure next year will be just as successful.
Sorry some of the replies to you have been a little insensitive in their choice of words, hopefully you've been able to turn an eye to them.
Good luck for Year 4 x

The only way you will have complete control over your child’s education is by home schooling. If this isn’t possible then make sure that your child doesn’t opt for niche subjects where there will only be one teacher qualified to teach it , will severely limit languages I am afraid, so looks like no mandarin , modern Greek, or Latin for little Bluetie.

So where do you draw the line then when it comes to making your kids opinion centre and not embarrassing them?

so if you like wearing trendy clothes for example but your teen finds this embarrassing should you then start shopping in M&S Per Una in order to appease them?

I understand it's not the result you wanted but every year parents hope for a particular teacher and are disappointed.

I am disappointed but I made peace with it.

I’m glad you’ve made peace with it op.
I don’t think my daughter ever got the teacher she wanted…. But out of the 7 years at primary there was only one that didn’t suit my daughter that year at all!… The others were all pretty fab

Dear god! The drama!

Talk about dramatic. Thus has to be one of the most batshit posts I’ve seen in MN. Get prepared to be mighty disappointed throughout your child’s whole time at school if you’re making such a drama over this. Sounds like Mr T has had a lucky escape having you as a parent next year.

I am a teacher and you are the sort of parent all teachers detest and I guarantee you’ll be the talk of the staff room with this sort of batshit crazy behaviour. It’s absolutely nothing to do with you how the school allocates classes and teachers. Is your child the most important child in the school? No! Tbh it sounds a bit like you’re the one obsessed with Mr T… either way you’re bang out of order. Back off and get a grip ffs.

Punished? That’s a bit extreme. Going to a new year group with a new teacher is the absolute norm, not a punishment. How do you know his new teacher won’t be great?
Your expectations sound unrealistic. Why should your child be prioritised? What if half the class wish they could keep Mr T, then what? It’s so normal for children to feel sad when they have to say goodbye to a teacher, but by September they’re forgotten and they move on with a new one. And if he still feels sad about it in September then it’s tough luck and he needs some resilience.

Why just YOUR child? What about every other child? That’s not how the primary system works. It’s so rare for teachers to take their class up to the next year. It’s not about continuity, were you concerned that his year 1 teacher didn’t take him to year 2? Or year 2 teacher to year 3? No. It’s not about continuity, you just want your own way because you like this particular teacher. Give other kids a chance with him.

Entitled much! And as for the Year 1 teacher who “couldn’t spell” maybe they had dyslexia. That doesn’t stop them being a great teacher. They were obviously qualified. I suggest you get over yourself quickly as your son won’t be “popular” when he’s older with an over protective mother.

You sound like an absolute nightmare. I bet other parents avoid you at the gate.

Nope. “Exceptional Circumstances” would be something negative eg a kid that bullies your child is in the same class and it would impact their learning to not be separated.

The new teacher sounds good and there’s every chance your child will grow to really like them and thrive as well.

The Year One teacher might not have been able to spell but you clearly can’t think, so maybe it’s time to take off those judgey pants.

I'm kind of with OP on this tbh, if a teacher has dyslexia so severe she can't spell the words you're likely to be using with a Y1 class, she either needs to develop strategies (have new words copied out in advance of the lesson, use a spelling dictionary, use a spell checker) or accept that teaching small children to read and write might not be the best career choice.

I should add that it was “year 1 phonics” words that she could not spell. Phonics is such a big part of year 1. I genuinely believe that if a teacher cannot spell, they should not be teaching phonics.

Agreed. At our last parents evening I was looking through my daughter’s books (year 5) and found 3 words that she had spelled correctly that had been crossed out and replaced with an incorrect spelling.

I would have been livid! What did you do?

I (gently) pointed them out to her teacher who was mortified and said she believed the corrections been done by the class TA (and my daughter confirmed this). Teacher said ‘spelling isn’t her strong point’ regarding the TA. I said that if she knew spelling wasn’t her strong point she should probably check the spelling of words before she crossed them out and corrected them in a student’s book.
I spoke to my daughter when I got home and she said she knew her spellings were right but she didn’t correct the TA at the time as ‘it would be rude’. It has happened again, multiple times, since my conversation with the teacher.

@ItsAlrightDarling Oh that would really annoy me! Did you raise it with the school again? That TA should not be in the position of marking spelling. I think you should encourage your daughter to find her voice with this though.

I would write a polite letter about it to the headteacher. He/she might not know and should be told. Maybe that TA would be better in a class with younger children not likely to write such difficult words. If that's not possible, she should be told not to correct spellings without checking in a dictionary first.

If they are teaching children incorrect spelling it does stop them being a great teacher.

Are you for real?