UPDATE IN FIRST POST! Surprise--new teacher. Would this bother you?

[blisstwins]

Update:
The new teacher emailed me back one of the most enthusiastics and moving notes I have read in a long time. She took everything I asked with no defensiveness and sounds thrilled to be taking over first grade. She shared her credentials, experience, and hopes and also said I am welcome in the classroom any single day I like, no notice needed. Said she views parents as full partners and hopes we will get to know each other better and work together. I could not have asked for a better response.

In fairness to myself then, that is what I needed. Don't blindside me when I pay somuch attention to my children's school needs etc that you would change teachers and then announce incidently in paragraph three with no information. ALso, this was decided much earlier since she has been working on the transition with the former teacher over the summer, so I do feel as though the administration should have been more upfront.

But those issues do not eclipse the fact that I do feel hopefull my children will have a wonderful year. I can now go into this with an open mind. Thanks for all who responded. It was really helpful to read the various perspectives since i knew my own was so baised and emotional.
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My children go to a small Catholic school. We have been mostly happy thus far, though I know we can't stay through 8th because I have twins and there is only one class per grade (and only 15 kids in the grade). The principal is somewhat new and is really working to turn the school around. We thought of switching this summer, but decided to stay because our other option was not great and even though I did not really like the first grade teacher instinctively, we knew she had several years of experience, a masters, had won a blackboard award, and other parents said no matter what you might think of her personally (not warm, etc) she is good in the classroom. So we figured that our children would have a small class and an effective teacher next year, we can take it from there.

Just got an email, days before classes start, saying that there have been changes. The first grade teacher is moving up and we have a new teacher from the preK moving to first. It gave no bio/resume info at all.

I emailed the principal who told me that she has a masters and taught at another school before coming to ours.

I really feel like this was handled poorly. At least announce some info on the new teacher.

I want to know if she ever taught first grade before.
I want to know if this was a planned change and the new teacher received support/training/time to plan during the summer. I hope this is the case for obvious reasons, but shame on the school for pulling a fast one and not telling until just before school.

If it is a sudden switch and she never taught first before, do I want my kids in that class? I turned down a gifted program for one of my children because we thought we had an option that was at least OK.

Am I off to be angry about this?

Would you consider putting your children in the local public if you found out your teacher was new?

I emailed the new teacher, per my pricipal's advice to reach out to her, and was very upbeat/positive. I did ask whether she had taught first before, said I was eager to hear about her teaching philosophies, the classroom she hopes to create, and how we, as parents, can support her.

I am a teacher myself and think my school would have protected her more by sending out more bio, etc.

So upset.

[boolady]

Would you consider putting your children in the local public if you found out your teacher was new?


Not without knowing more, no. She could be a complete breath of fresh air, since you said the principal's trying to turn things around. If you already didn't care for who was supposed to teach first grade, why assume this will be worse? I'd see what happens as the next few weeks unfold-- she's not new as in fresh out of college (not that that would necessarily bother me either), it sounds like she's experienced.

Keep in mind, if you switch to public school because of this teacher, any teacher there will be new to you, could be new to the school, and could be new to teaching, so you won't necessarily have a feeling for him or her and his or her teaching style and philosophy anyway.

[bubbaray]

Wouldn't bother me.

Teacher assignments are not "final" until the end of the first week of school here. There is no advance notice, you find out on the 1st day of school and the administration reserves the right to shuffle classes around that first week (usually for numbers reasons).

Last year, DD#1 had a newbie teacher (covering a maternity leave) from Sept - Dec, 4 days a week. And she had an experienced teacher 1 day a week. From January - June, she had the regular experienced teacher (back from mat leave) 4 days a week and the same 1 day a week teacher. LOTS of transitions. AND, moving from 1/2 day K to full day Grade 1, PLUS 100% French immersion. Parents were stressed, but I figured, lets roll with it. The other Grade 1 French class had an experienced teacher 100% of the time. In hindsight, I am very glad DD#1 had the teachers she did and not the other teacher, whom I think would have been a poor fit.

I would just see how things go, personally.

[Canna]

I think things like this just happen. At our public school last year they sent out teacher assignment letters to everyone (except kindergarten because they weren't sure if there would be 3 or 4 classes) - when it turned out that there were 4 Ks, they then switched a 1st grade teacher down into kindergarten and sent out a SECOND teacher assignment letter to the 1st graders who had been assigned this teacher telling them they now had someone else! Parents were disappointed as this 1st grade teacher was considered desirable.

I hope your new teacher is great! She may be even better - or just different but okay - you never know.

[Green_Tea]

I can understand why you are upset - it is off-putting to have a change made so suddenly. That said, I think it's extremely common, at least in public school, for there to be last minute changes. Since my DD started at our public school 4 years ago, each year there has been at least one last minute change. This year a beloved 4th grade teacher took a position in another town at the last minute. Last year they had to add a 3rd grade teacher at the 11th hour. In some cases the students and parents didn't know the new teacher's name until the first day of school. I am not sure how much info on the teacher I'd expect the school to share in an email - I don't think it's inappropriate to say something like, "Ms. Fisher comes to us from Hilldale School, where she taught 2nd grade" and leave it at that. More info would be nice, though.

IMO, it's not something that I'd pull my kids out over unless the first 6-8 weeks with the new teacher proved to be a disaster. I would also not expect to receive a long email back from the new teacher, as I am sure she's hustling to get ready for the year! I'd give her a few weeks to settle in.

[blisstwins]

Right, but at least in public schools there are credentially standards and we are in a good school district. I don't like our public school because it is large and impersonal. I feel very upset at the "fast one" that was probably pulled on us. The first grade teacher I did not like is the school's poster teacher because of her awards and effectiveness. I accepted that I might not like her (based on what I had heard), but I do not need to like my children's teachers if they are good at what they do.

I am a teacher, and honestly, first year teachers are not great. I was one myself. Second or third year is great, but first year is rough. I don't know if she did student teaching or anything. She worked in preK 3 at the school previously. Jumping to first seems like a real change.

I feel like we are entitled to more information. She may be great, but give me a reason to have confidence in the changes.

This is a private school. The difference is not so much I feel I am paying therefore I should know, but I don't know this woman's credentials/experience and she has no track record at the school. There is only one teacher per grade and the decision to continue at the school is made, at least in part, by knowing that the teacher for the grade ahead is strong. These teacher's don't have a license as you can assume any teacher in a public school does, which is why I feel the school should have given us a little more to go on.

[lalasmama]

I completely understand your hesitation about not knowing anything about this teacher. DD is expecting to walk in and see Mrs Smith, and a change this close to the beginning of school would throw her off a bit. And, like you, I wanna know about the teacher my child is going to be spending her day with.

That being said, I don't have a problem with new teachers. I know a lot of people do. However, my ex-SO is a new educator. I'd hazard a guess that he can handle a classroom better than some teachers. Why do I believe it? Because I've seen the reference letters, and he hasn't taught/subbed in a class that hasn't asked him back multiple times--even the ones when he came home feeling wounded and beat down.

...and if nothing else, trial by fire isn't the worst way for a new teacher to learn classroom management ;)

[Neatfreak]

See, I've never received anything resembling a bio or resume about any of my children's teachers. I guess this means that my expectations are low, but I wouldn't be bothered.

(Though I am envious of those of you who get information on teachers ahead of time!)

[gatorsmom]

though I know we can't stay through 8th because I have twins and there is only one class per grade (and only 15 kids in the grade).



Just curious, why don't you want your twins to remain in the same class? I'm wondering because we just started our twins at a small Catholic school, where their older brothers go, and the class sizes are very small too. Gator and Cha Cha have 12 and 10 kids in their classes respectively. The twins are starting a preschool class and will be in the same class. I forsee them continuing in this school in the same class going forward. There are 3 other families at this school with twins and I haven't heard of any problems keeping them together. Just curious what your reasoning is.

To answer your question, yes, it would frustrate me to not be given any information about who would be starting to teach First grade in just a few weeks. Last year at our old school (before we moved to a different city), we were told that due to funding problems, they were consolidating the Kindergarten classes to one class of 28 students for the upcoming First grade. They also told us there would be a teacher's aid but didnt' find out until 2 days before school started that actually the aid would float between 3 classes. We were really concerned because we knew that Gator would be learning to read in First grade. We were really concerned that the teacher was just spread too thin trying to teach 28 students to read. The teacher herself seemed fine and very on top of things. But we were angry that they didn't give us more time before school started to decide if this was really the best situation for us. When we moved Gator 2 months later, it turns out that Gator could have really used a lot more attention and one-on-one work with his reading. I would have been willing to work with him more on this if I had been told he needed it but his old teacher said he was the best in his class!

In your situation, I'd give it some time. Fortunately you are a teacher yourself so you can monitor how well the teacher is doing and decide if this is the best fit for you.

[wimama]

We are in a similar situation this year. We found out that there was going to be a new K5 teacher this year because one of the teachers that was supposed to teach K5 got offered a job at the Catholic school her kids attend and closer to her home. My DS Catholic school is a bit larger. We have about 30 kids total in my son's K5 grade, split into two K5 classes of about 15 students each. DS teacher for kindergarten this year is a brand new first year teacher. She got her teaching degree and took several years off to start her family. Then she worked as a teacher at a preschool for a few years. So, this year is her first real teaching job. The other teachers at the school seemed to have a part in the hiring process and they are excited about the new teacher. They feel she is a good fit for our school. Was I worried, yes certainly I was a little worried. So, far she seems to earned the respect of her students. And, she is paired up with another K5 teacher that has over 30 years of teaching experience at our school. And, she seems quite capable and so far seems to have a good command/control over her students.

I figure that even if is this new teacher is not as effective as the more seasoned veteran, my DS shouldn't be much worse for the wear. My DS is already a it ahead of his class in some regards such as reading. He is only in K5 and he will be fine in the long run. For the most part, I have heard mostly all good things about the teachers at our school and I will remain optimistic about DS new teacher. I know what matters in the long run is my DS success overall in his school career and his success in life. Our school has many very academically successful graduates. Many graduates that are very sucessful in their careers. And, many are very successful in their overall lives. Many graduates that have even enrolled their own children in the school, because they valued the education they received at our school (DS is included in this number). This is what matters to me. Yes, the public school teachers may have more certifications than some of our Catholic schools teachers. Yes, the public schools may have more innovative curriculum and our curriculum is quite traditional. But what matters to me is the end result of my son's schooling and I believe his school is a good fit for him and just what he needs to be successful in life. I don't think a newbie teacher, this year will affect that long term goal I have for his schooling.

I would give the teacher a chance to prover her/himself and keep an open mind about it.

[blisstwins]

Just curious, why don't you want your twins to remain in the same class? I'm wondering because we just started our twins at a small Catholic school, where their older brothers go, and the class sizes are very small too.

Virtually everything I have ever read says twins should be separated. The study that influenced me most said that for fraternals, the social benefits of staying together are strong until 3rd grade, and I had to work hard to keep my kids together until then. Honestly, all the schools near us do not give parents a choice--they force separation. So staying where we are helped me since there is only one class per grade.

But, I already see the reasons to separate. My son is a strong reader, but his sister is very strong. He therefore thinks he is a weak reader and it is a real struggle to get him to read for us. They also report on each other if something happened, which has been a benefit until now, but as they get older, they deserve a little privacy and the ability to negotiate friendships/sticky situations without a sibling present, especially when the sibling is likiley to bring the issue home.

Finally, althought I like the small class size (15), I think that is way too small a grade size, especially if it stays that small until grade 8. Almost all my children's friends are from preschool or extracurriculars. They have not especially clicked with anyone and I am not overly in like with any of the families in their grade and I think that loss of friendship and community is a big deal.

After having slept on it, I realize a big part of why I am angry is that I feel like the school pulled a fast one. If they were going to make the change, they should have announced this in a timely way and given us a reason to trust this new teacher. A year ago, they had a see the future night and we were in the first grade teacher's classroom, she told us how she runs it, etc. This school's elementary is not well-established and it is trust, faith, and personal connections that have made me feel OK about my children being there. The school does not have a strong enough track record for me to blindly assume that anyone teaching there is good. We were encouraged to fill in surveys for the diocese to help make sure we don't end up on a school closing list.

I don't like my zoned public because it is big, but it is very highly rated. That is a big part of why this Catholic has a hard time. The local publics are strong so most people use them. I turned down a special placement for one of my children because I want them in the same school/different classrooms. I totally assumed I had the luxury of at least one more year to figure things out since all my fears about the school are future oriented. So far, the academics and teaching have been great.

I did email the teacher--my husband is mad. I was positive, said I would love to know more about her, the classroom she hopes to create, and also said I would like to know what we, as parents, can do to help support her and ease the transition.

The principal could have allayed these fears by making the announcement differently. She just said it like we were barely supposed to notice or care. School starts in a week and my children totally think they are having the old teacher. We will all deal, but it really lowers my confidence in the school and while I will hope for the best with the teacher, if it is her first year and things are going badly, I may pull my children. This just feels lousy to me.

[blisstwins]

The other teachers at the school seemed to have a part in the hiring process and they are excited about the new teacher. They feel she is a good fit for our school. Was I worried, yes certainly I was a little worried. So, far she seems to earned the respect of her students. And, she is paired up with another K5 teacher that has over 30 years of teaching experience at our school. And, she seems quite capable and so far seems to have a good command/control over her students.



I don't know that any of this is true and our school does not have a successful track record. None of the high schools its graduates go to would be acceptable to me. The principle is trying to turn the academics around and I give her credit for that, but I don't have enough baseline trust in the school yet to think that any teacher would be fine. I also have no idea what kind of support or training this teacher has.

[TwinFoxes]

Virtually everything I have ever read says twins should be separated. The study that influenced me most said that for fraternals, the social benefits of staying together are strong until 3rd grade, and I had to work hard to keep my kids together until then. Honestly, all the schools near us do not give parents a choice--they force separation. So staying where we are helped me since there is only one class per grade.


Do you have links by chance? I haven't looked for awhile, but the info I saw (when I was expecting the girls) said that most studies conducted were purely anecdotal, there was no scientific studies. (But maybe I was looking at studies for younger kids...it's been awhile!) I'd love to have more up to date info. Even if you don't have links, if you could maybe PM me more info so I can find it myself, I'd really appreciate it. (I don't want to hijack your thread).

It sucks that you don't have parental choice in the early years!

[maestramommy]

No, I would not be upset by this at all. Sometimes new teachers can be a good thing.

[SnuggleBuggles]

New teachers can be great. Plus not all teachers pursue masters degrees bc it can be harder to land a job if the position is union (salary costs more). I would be surprised but not angry. I tend to roll with these things.

Beth

[blisstwins]

Twinfoxes--I did the research years ago and am not easily turning up links. I will continue to look. It may have been a book I read. Ultimately, I do think it is case-by-case. I am just noticing that my children might benefit from some separation and though it doesn't have to be now, I think staying together in a grade of 15 until 8th grade is a bit much.

Thanks for all the other feedback. It is comforting that I may be overreacting. I think my problem is that I have trepidation about the school in general, so this feeds that and is made worse by the fact that it could have been communicated better. Thanks for the feedback. I will go in with my fingers crossed and a good attitude. I just feel like we got a bit of a bait and switch and that makes me mad.

[wimama]

Ok, now I understand where you are coming from. It sounds like your school might not be the best fit for children and more of a issue than the new teacher situation in itself. If the school is not strong enough academically, then I don't know that the benefits of keeping them together in the same class with a small class size would outweigh the weaker academics. If your intent is to switch them to the local public school, maybe this year if not next year is the time to make the switch.

Initially I was worried about the academics of my DS school. Despite the strong history of academics my DH assured me of. I am not sure, but my DS may be gifted. I think it is kind of early to tell, but I worried about the lack of resources compared to public school for gifted students. Our school has made strides in that area in the last year as well. A benefactor has made a financial commitment to the school to hire a new special ed teacher this year with the goal of serving the need families with children with special needs and gifted children. And, our school does have a strong community of families. Over the course of one year, I can say I know and like most of the other families with children in my DS grade. Our enrollment numbers dipped this year a bit with the graduation of a large 8th grade class. But, our school remains one of the strongest Catholic schools in our metro area.

There are many Catholic schools right now with declining enrollment and which are likely really struggling. I think you need to weigh the benefits of keeping them together in a small class versus making the planned switch to the larger public school sooner. Good luck!

[kristenk]

After reading more, it seems as if the new teacher isn't the big issue. The big issue is that you don't really trust the school and were sort of putting up with the school FOR the good teacher that you expected to get. When put in that context, I can understand your feeling as if the school "pulled a fast one."

I wouldn't be bothered by a change in teachers or by not having any sort of bio on the new teacher. Some of the best years my friends' kids have had have been with a new-to-the-school teacher. I generally trust DD's school, though, and know that there's another option (a different classroom) if things *really* don't work. It doesn't sound as if the school is a good fit for you.

[Jen841]

We had this happen going into 2, and again now going into 3! We are part of a new Catholic School. I was scared at this time a year ago, but she was GREAT per my son. Some parents did not like the teacher, but my son learned a lot and greatly respects his teacher. Going in to 3 we expected some bumps since both teachers were having babies this summer. 'Our' teacher decided to stay home after her leave so we got a new teacher. The year is TBD, but I trust the principal.

[traciann]

I don't know that any of this is true and our school does not have a successful track record. None of the high schools its graduates go to would be acceptable to me. The principle is trying to turn the academics around and I give her credit for that, but I don't have enough baseline trust in the school yet to think that any teacher would be fine. I also have no idea what kind of support or training this teacher has.

I think you have your answer. I would move my kids and put them into the highly sucessful public school available to you. I subbed last year in a school that had 7 kinder classrooms and honestly it never felt large and impersonal. I would not bother me if the teacher was new to the grade level, but no way would I put my child in a classroom with a teacher that wasn't certified.

[ha98ed14]

I am a teacher, and honestly, first year teachers are not great. I was one myself. Second or third year is great, but first year is rough.


There was an NPR interview with an author who concluded the exact same thing.

http://m.npr.org/story/139946179?url=/2011/08/28/139946179/what-makes-a-school-good-not-the-finger-painting

My question is, then how are teachers supposed to get any experience, let alone have a positive first year if parents are suspicious, unsupportive, and looking for her to screw up? I would be so disheartened if I knew parents felt this way about me. All teachers have to start somewhere. DH teaches 4th GATE. This is his 12th year teaching 4th grade and his 9th teaching the gifted class. He has won teacher of the year recently and has a solid reputation. Still, he had to start somewhere. He will be the first to tell you that he's improved over time and his first year was not as smooth as subsequent years, but he had a supportive principal and that made all the difference.

Someone's kids have to be in a teacher's first year class. What makes mine/ yours so special that it should not be ours? Of course there are ways around it: private, demanding a classroom change, but I think we need to seriously examine our sense of entitlement if our gut reaction is to moan and grown at the idea of our child(ren) being in a first year teacher's class.

[egoldber]

My question is, then how are teachers supposed to get any experience, let alone have a positive first year

This is where I think being in a larger school would be a help. It's one thing to be a new first grade teacher in a school where there is team of other more experienced first grade teachers to provide guidance and support. I think it is quite another to be a brand new first grade teacher alone in a small private school with no other first grade teachers for support and, perhaps in this case, no credentials and no teaching experience. And it doesn't sound like the principal is really there for back up and support either.

[sste]

[QUOTE=blisstwins;3250277]This school's elementary is not well-established and it is trust, faith, and personal connections that have made me feel OK about my children being there. The school does not have a strong enough track record for me to blindly assume that anyone teaching there is good. QUOTE]

Blisstwins I was going to post something exactly to this effect when I saw your follow-up post . . the underlying problem does seem to be that you have kind of a meh sense of the school or at least alot of ambivalence and uncertainty. So, you aren't going to trust that they recruited a top-flight new teacher. I don't blame you. It sounds like the school doesn't have a track record and my general comment, not meant to offend anyone, is that you have to be careful about parochial schools because many (not all! but many) operate without an adequate budget. My sister is a teacher and parochial schools in her area often pay 30-50% less than what public schools pay so they did not get the best applicants *unless* the teaching market was glutted/there were few options in that geographic area for teachers OR the applicant had strong idealogical/personal reasons for wanting to teach in a religious school. It affects the pool, no question and it affects retention because the strategy of many new teachers in tough markets is to get two years of experience at a private or parochial school and then use that to transition to public.

I think that is a big part of the reason why parochial schools have to be super careful in their hiring and look for teachers with strong personal reasons for wanting to teach in that setting plus of course great skills. And this is why your school in particular should have been more transparent from the get-go and publicized this teacher's credentials, ideally offered parents the chance to meet or interview her, etc.

[blisstwins]

SSTE--Exactly.

As for this:
My question is, then how are teachers supposed to get any experience, let alone have a positive first year

This is where I think being in a larger school would be a help. It's one thing to be a new first grade teacher in a school where there is team of other more experienced first grade teachers to provide guidance and support. I think it is quite another to be a brand new first grade teacher alone in a small private school with no other first grade teachers for support and, perhaps in this case, no credentials and no teaching experience. And it doesn't sound like the principal is really there for back up and support either.

Again, I agree exactly. If I had gotten an email that said: "We are so excited about _____. She is a graduate of _____ and spent the summer working with _______ getting ready for an exciting new year." I think I would have been fine. As it is, I have no idea whether this is a last minute switch, whether or not this teacher has been mentored or supported. In a larger school, you can teach in a team your first year, follow the lead of others, etc. In a small school she has the whole grade and both of my children. I elected to stay at this school, a pay tuition to this school, and I would have like more transparency. The former first grade teacher was well-regarded as a teacher and that's what I thought we were signing up for. If there is a change, at least give me a reason to think it will be fine.

FWIW, I am hoping it goes well. I did not especially like the former teacher and maybe this new one will be great. In my email, I told the teacher I was looking forward to getting to know her, hearing about the classroom she hopes to create, and to finding out how what we can do to be supportive of her. She will guess I have my concerns. I asked if she had taught first grade before, but I tried very hard to keep it positive. I really think the principal should have given more information and not had this be paragraph 3 of a general welcome back letter. That blindsided me a bit.
__________________

[bubbaray]

If you are not happy with the school itself, then change. But, I wouldn't change just because of the teacher issue. Like I said, we had a newbie teacher for the 1st half of last year and she was AWESOME. That wasn't her first teaching experience (she'd subbed before), but her first long-term placement. She absolutely ROCKED, DD#1 still talks about her. Teachers have to get experience somewhere, KWIM?

I have no experience with non-licensed teachers, though. Even private school teachers here have to be licensed to the same "level" as those in public schools. The only real difference between the private school teachers and the public ones in terms of education, etc is that the public teachers are union. Which means we are having a teachers strike this year -- and THAT really bites.

[blisstwins]

I thought an update automatically bumped the topic up.

[gatorsmom]

Virtually everything I have ever read says twins should be separated. The study that influenced me most said that for fraternals, the social benefits of staying together are strong until 3rd grade, and I had to work hard to keep my kids together until then. Honestly, all the schools near us do not give parents a choice--they force separation. So staying where we are helped me since there is only one class per grade.

But, I already see the reasons to separate. My son is a strong reader, but his sister is very strong. He therefore thinks he is a weak reader and it is a real struggle to get him to read for us. They also report on each other if something happened, which has been a benefit until now, but as they get older, they deserve a little privacy and the ability to negotiate friendships/sticky situations without a sibling present, especially when the sibling is likiley to bring the issue home.



This is interesting, thanks for the update. I would not have wanted our twins separated (they are only 3.5yo) and our last school (Catholic)said they'd accommodate our wishes. I don't have any experience with older twins but our new school's Kindergarten teacher has her twins enrolled at our school and I think they are in 4th grade this year. There are (I think) 2 other sets of twins at the school. I'll have to talk to their parents. Our school, like yours, is a very small Catholic one. It is 6 years old. The class sizes are about 10-15 students with one class for each grade. After doing the research, working with the principal and teachers to get Gator up to speed, and after doing lots of volunteering there this past spring, I really feel our kids are getting a fantastic education and experience. I'll see what their experiences have been with older twins in one class when 3rd grade rolls around. I guess we'll just have to make those decisions when the time comes.

In your shoes, I'd probably be looking for a different Catholic school to enroll my kids in after giving the new teacher a try for a few weeks. I'd be a little angry about the lack of communication too.

ETA: Just saw your update. I'm so glad you like the new teacher! and I'm glad to hear your mind is eased a bit. :)