How to help a kid deal with a screaming teacher.

[mapg]

My 12 year has a screamer for a teacher. We are going to go through the proper channels to address this, but in the meanwhile, can anyone remember tricks they did in their mind to make the screamers not bother them. I can remember looking at teachers and wondering if they had any idea of how insane they appeared. The odd thing is, this is not a group of kids that would make you want to scream. Sadly, that means these kids are pretty confused and hurt at the moment. Any ideas?
MA

[JustMe]

How awful. Is there any way to speed up the going through the proper channels thing? I don't know what exactly the proper channels are, but have you talked directly with the principal? Can you try to insist your dc be transferred to another teacher, if nothing can be done quickly with this one? My own dd still in preschool so I don't have direct experience with this, but I have worked in elementary schools, and in my experience that type of behavior by teachers is not acceptable like it was in the past. I am not sure if this varies regionally.

Robyn

[katydid1971]

I also taught and know that when people go to the principal they are taken very seriously. I would ask to have DC transfered immediately. I would also call other parents and urge them to do the same. This is not acceptable behavior from any teacher. The bigger fuss you raise the sooner DC will be out of that class. If I were you I would be going to the school every day until it is appropriately addressed. DC shouldn't have to learn to deal with it. Make a big fuss, you are your childs biggest advocate.
Sarah

[Nooknookmom]

I have a 12 yo & would be knocking down the principals door. If a teacher is not professional enough to control his/her emotions in class-they don't need to be there. No child should be subject to those condidtions.

My child would be transferred IMMEDIATELY to another class or that teacher would be suspended. Principal not moving fast enough, they move quickly when you mention legal action.

I had MAJOR issues w/ a gym teacher when DD broke her arm last year. She was not allowed (due to reconstructive surgery) to participate in any activity for many weeks and he was VERY rude to her, in front of the class. Always saying things under his breath about how it would be nice if she could actually *help* around the gym, etc. etc. Made her move heavy carts and such knowing she wasn't allowed. Threatened lowering her grade and was just plain mean. All this stopped when I got ahold of the principal and explained what would happen legally if her arm was re-injured.

I may come off as harsh, but I don't mess w/ the school system these days, you come off as soft & they will not take you seriously. This is what I hate about having to send our kids off to school where you can't control the conditons, grr...

BTW is this a private or public school? Good luck!

[scoop22]

i would somehow mention this to the school. if you do it or someone else does it, it needs to be mentioned. i know this may sound stupid but sometimes things go on that others are not aware of. again i think that might not sound right but i work in a school where i know for a fact that teachers do stuff and the pricipal has no clue.. so bringing it to the attention of him/her would be the first step. asking for a transfer might be a great idea. screaming is not the answer. as for coping with the screamer, that is tough. you have to be a strong person and know not to take it personally. i don't think i would have handled that very good. good luck. i hope your dc has a great school year. you don't want this to scar them throughout school years.


http://b3.lilypie.com/Sd3bm4.png

[mapg]

My husband is planning on meeting with the teacher as soon as possible. He is entering with an open mind, that perhaps she doesn't realize how her behavior impacts this age group. Kind of a "maybe she doesn't realize this is upsetting". Then we will go to the principal. It is a small private school, so we have to have this teacher for some subjects, not all day thankfully. I'm going to try to follow the proper procedure, but it is so tempting to call her teachers from last year and ask what the heck is happening. There are other kids with similar temperments as my child. I had planned on asking what their experience has been so far, but I never had a chance. It was like everyone was afraid they might cry in the school parking lot, so they all hurried to get in their cars.
MA

[moncheechee]

As a teacher, I would absolutely go to the teacher first. As soon as you go over someone's head without them knowing what the issue is they will more than likely harbor some ill feelings toward your child. If that does not solve it I would talk to other parents in your child's class. If they feel the same way, go together to the principal. I would not try to get my child changed from that teacher right away especially if it affects other kids too. Principals use class changing as a last result. Teachers do talk to each other and know why one child is leaving the class and why one is being added from another class. Again you may be marking your child and yourself as complainers or difficult to deal with. This is just my advice. I know in a private school that stigma can stay with a child until graduation.

[elizabethkott]

As a teacher, I would also recommend going to the teacher first as well. You may even want to bring your child with you to the meeting so that the teacher can hear how hurt your child is first hand (I know that might be scary, but if the teacher hears it from your child with you sitting there as support it will have a different impact than hearing it from you, kwim?).
If there is no change, chain of command is as follows - teacher, department chair, principal.
I'd advise against going to the principal first, since the first thing s/he is likely to ask you will be, "have you spoken to the teacher yourself?". Also, good principals protect their teachers - meaning, you will likely hear, "I'll look into this with the teacher myself".
It would be most beneficial for other parents to schedule meetings with the teacher as well, so that s/he sees that it's not just your child's reaction. This will also give you more weight when going to the principal, which I would do on an individual basis as well rather than as a collective group. This will lessen the perception that a group of parents are "ganging up" on the teacher.
I'm sorry your DC is going through this. There's no excuse for it. In any other work environment, it would be unacceptable for someone to run around the office screaming at people all day. I hope it gets resolved for you soon!