12/16/03

Joel
My son Joel is nine. He is very bright and very stubborn. He's also a bit immature. On Wednesdays, after putting in a full day of school, he goes to Hebrew school. I'm frustrated today because I just got a call from his religious school teacher. Apparently she is unable to hold his attention in class. And because he's bored, he becomes a distraction. She's asking me to give her some answers.
This is a huge thorn in my side. In first and second grades we had the same types of call from his teachers, and we never really came up with a sure fire plan. Sometimes he'd respond to a reinforcement program for awhile, but then it would stop having any influence. This year he has a remarkable teacher. She has 30 years experience (so she's seen worse), she's BIG (over 6'), and she is very authoritarian in a gentle , softspoken way. The kids in her class KNOW what she expects - and she gets it. I have asked her about his behaviour in school and her response was that he was certainly not exceptionally unruly and that I shouldn't worry about it because in school it was between her and him. WOW!
One day Joel came home from school and told me he'd heard a rumor that Miss C (his teacher) was REALLY MEAN. He followed that with "but she's NOT!" I relayed this little story to Miss C and she just smiled at me and said, "I start that rumor".
So what would all you other moms out there do? I hung up the phone feeling bad because I could tell in the teachers voice that she was frustrated and a bit peeved that I was no help. I'm sorry - I have no magic answer!!! Do you?!?!
Written by sunflowerkat321

This entry has 2 comments:
I am a teacher and I deal with what you have described with my own students now and again. The best way I have found to make ALL OF YOU feel successful is working together. This isn't Joel's fault alone, it isn't your problem to fix, nor the teacher's. The three of you have to consistently communicate together. Good luck!Comment from hillareeday - 12/20/03 12:38 PM

i wanted to comment but i don't have "the answer" for you .. i get the same responses from my daughters teachers all the time .. and the same tone of disapproval when i am at a loss to help them .. she was lucky to get one teacher who really understood her and had no trouble relating to her .. i know this is going to sound odd, but shouldn't a teacher know how to get to know their students and learn how to best motivate them to their best capabilities? or am i way off?pamela (girlsheadnoise)Comment from his1desire - 12/17/03 8:57 AM