I am sitting here at work and AM BUSY but can't get this out of my mind.
Poor dd.
The last years, yr1 and 2, she had an OK time at school. SHe loves reading and is v good at spelling, is a head in the clouds type child and has problems with her writing. Her last 2 teachers really brought her on and she was v near the top in spelling and v proud of this fact (the only thing at school she was proud of - she doesn't much care for the rest!).
This year, yr3, she has a v difficult teacher who has a reputation for being v hard on the younger, immature ones (dd is August) and for heaping praise and rewards on the elders (so 1 or 2 children come in early to put chairs out and it's always been the same 5 or 6 older children etc.). Dd has been in tears many times because of her, has been denied a pen because her writing is too poor and gets kept in at break times to finish her work.
Now, she was streamed into spelling group 3 out of 5 (after the teacher told us she would be in no.2). I queried this at parents evening and was told it was just a standardised streaming and she would be moved if it was incorrect. She hardly ever gets one wrong. In the big test 2 weeks ago which she forgot to tell us about (and didn't practise for), she got every single one right. SHe told us she was going to be moved up and was REALLY pleased (and we were proud) as this is the ONLY thing that is going her way.
Except she hasn't been moved up :-(. SHe went in yesterday and she's in the same group and the nanny said she fought back the tears the whole way home. She didn't get on with this teacher anyway, now she doesn't want to go to school at all and tbh, I can't blame her.
I can't post much today because I must get on but part of me is thinking WHY ffs am I getting upset, it's JUST spelling, let her get on with it and the other half is thinking that this is the straw that has broken the camel's back, she now hates doing any work because this teacher has so disincentivised her and NOW, the one thing she was enjoying doing well at, they seem to be ignoring and this has been going on now for a term and a half. She also tells dd she is near to getting a writing pen and then never gives it to her.
The teacher doesn't get dd and she doesn't 'get' dh and I. We are not pushy types at all - I'd quite happily never go into that school but we both feel she is being hard done by and she seems to be ignoring any request we make to her about dd and her progress (other than sending home endless 'extra' worksheets which she seems to think will miraculously improve her writing). Now I hate doing down teachers but I really am lost as to where to go next without making a huge kerfuffle.