TEACHER SELECTION
As you interact with your school toward next year there is one last area to address. Depending on your child’s age, the questions to ask are different.
For a young child, who will the teacher be? You may ask “could my child be placed in Mrs____________ class?” “ What is the procedure for requesting a teacher?” It may be” can we sit down and talk about the qualities that I think my daughter needs in a teacher?”
For an older child who has multiple teachers, the questions will be different? “ Is there any way we could have Mr. _______again? I know he teaches algebra II and my son did great with him in algebra I this year?” “Is there an option of finding out who all the teachers will be so I can meet with them before the end of the year?” “Maybe we could have some of the teachers he has had this year come to a meeting with them.” “I just want to give everyone a heads up of the issues they will be facing. It would be good for the team for next year to meet since we will be working together.”
Another issue will be finding who is the special ed teacher or other person who does the resourcing for your child? Many times schools switch the special ed teacher around. I have heard school personnel share that they feel it’s good for a child to be able to work with varied adults. School is hard enough as it is without switching the resource person every year. It takes time to make a relationship with a new adult. Precious learning time is sacrificed with this approach. If any place should be more stable with less change it is the resource part of the day. This is where a child is trying to catch up where he is lagging. Consistency is vital.
It is hard to convince school personnel to make these decisions and plan for fall as they are wrapping up the school year. It is worth the effort as it makes success more likely for the fall.
