[hopeland]

Hi,
I am soooo frustrated with my daughters school. Today after being absent two days the teacher sent a note home saying she was very disappointed in the childrens behaviors while she was out. She went on to say that if the children are in trouble at school the parents should make a big deal out of it at home. Then said that some of the children do not care how they act at school because they know they will not get in trouble at home. Then she went on to say that there is a new "three strikes youre out" rule. They have a field trip in ten days and if your child gets "out" three times then they can not go on the trip. She also told me individually that the class as a "whole" will not be participating in their harvest day party on Friday. this mom is in a really bad mood...

 

[hopeland]

Well...it sucks especially since my daughter has already had a crummy start in life....I will keep her home Friday since some of the children get to have fun.

 

[hopeland]

I know sort of what she did I think... they have an inticate color system for behavior. One of the days she was on green which is spose to mean she was good. The other day she was on orange which means she was in trouble twice...once for talking, and my daughter says the other time for playing in the bathroom. She is in first grade and if they were really bad they could have sent them to the office like their discipline policy states. After emailing more with the teacher...17 of the kids dont get to attend the party and 6 do.

 

[hopeland]

Hi,
I thought I would give an update on the school issue and a comment on some of the posts. I spoke with the principal and corresponded with the teacher through email several times. The principal said she did know about the note but had not read it. I read it to her and she said it couldhave been written better and she agreed the "three strikes" thing was not clear. She gave me the reasoning on taking privileges away and I expressed my belief that dancing in the restroom on one occasion was not a reason to miss recess, get in trouble at home, and miss a school wide function. I told her if my daughter was to mss the party I would keep her home because I do not agree with it. She then put me on hold while she paged the teacher and asked her if my daughter had earned back the privalege...the teacher said she had. So she will be allowed to participate. As for some of the comments...someone said the "well behaved children" my daughter is not bad behaved...she is outgoing and like to talk, loves to dance I do not consider that badly behaved. Another thing I do check her behavior every day, discuss it with her, and react if I feel it is deemed appropriate. My point about the office was if the behavior was sooo bad that the sub could not handle it and the children need to be punished 4 or 5 days later why was it not handle immediatly? It is not developmentally appropriate for 6 year olds to be punished several days later in my opinion and in a manner that has nothing to do with the behavior. Also they were already punished verbally and lost their recess. The other issue is that the rules and punishments were not explained to the children until after the fact. I have taught preschool for over 20 years so believe me I understand fully how hard teaching is. I strongly believe it is unprofessional to lump every parent together and insinuate that their is not parental support. I doubt the teacher has an inside view of the childrens homes. In my opinon when almost the entire class is misbehaving that is due to the teacher for the most part. MY reactionw as not based solely on this incident but from things in the past as well. After my daughter going though two years of public school now I am further convinced that the purpose is to teach children to conform and discourage creativity. My daughter has learned that learning is not fun, school is about not talking, and taking lots of tests.

 

[hopeland]

Unfortunately if you do not have enough money to pay for private school and you end up in a "bad" school district you are stick with it. Perhaps there are some great public schools but there are also some severe problems with public school in general.

 

[hopeland]

Hi,
I am strongly considering homeschooling but there are a few issues to consider. One is I live in Tennessee and there seems to be a "rule" that you have to file each fall and it is too late although it mentioned exceptions being made under certain circumstances I believe. I am going to give the school district or state board a call and see if it is possible to get a waiver on this. My daughter is 6 and in the process of being adopted and has some emotional issues so I think I could have her therapist write them a letter. I am a single parent although my mother lives with my daughter and myself. So it would be difficult to work out the ligistics financially. But I think I could work in the afternoon or evening when my mother is home. My other option is a private school I visited. It is expensive and I would need to find out more regarding financial aid. The thing I like about it is they only have 7 kids in their first grad class this year. The principal said the most they would have in their classes is 18. So if anyone has any suggestions or input I would appreciate it.

 

[hopeland]

Thank you...I did check the link and it says the same as what I read before. You may be right but it doesnt say of course it wouldnt be the first time bureacracy was unclear.

 

[hopeland]

Thank you to everyone for the links...I will check them out. I didnt think about the yahoo groups. I did ask on the Tennessee forum about people near me but didnt hear from anyone so far...except one person who lives a ways away.

 

[hopeland]

Well when I spoke with the principal she said that apparently the children did not behave well for the substitute on that Monday but the sub didnt say anything. She left a note for the sub on Tuesday saying that some of the kids should have gone to the office but she didnt send them. The first sub refused to return for another day according to the principal. My daughter told me on Monday afternoon though that were going to have two different subs soI dont know if the principal was being fully honest. The second day an assistant had to go in and help the sub. There are 23 or 24 kids, first grade so I know it isnt easy. I do think some of it has to do with their usual teacher. I am rather fed up with the situation as a whole. I asked the teacher today for a schedule of their activities so I would know what they are doing when I come to observe one day. I told her that I would let her know ahead of time. (this seems to be a big deal to them) She replied with the plans but then reminded me that she would need to know at least a day ahead. I am thinking why...like there is something I cant see?

 

[hopeland]

I called the county school boardandthey said there are two type of homeschooling in Tennessee. One is independent and you are soley responsible for the childs education...but you have to apply before such and such date(before now) or write to the superintendant and ask for a waiver and state why and then he will say yes or no. The other type is a church related type which require using a satellite program you pay a fee and they provide you with a lesson plan book and possiblly curriculum...that can be done any time in the school year. The lady said she could provide me with the names of the satellite schools. I asked her to mail it to me and also asked for the super. name and address in case I decide to go that route. Anyone know anything about these satellite programs?

 

[hopeland]

I did get information from the school board but also checked the state department of education and the home schoolers defense site. Its the same thing...have to get a waiver or with a church related program.