When Your Kid Is With The Wrong Teacher: Advice From The EdWonk

The San Jose Mercury News has written a dandy piece on what to do when your child gets placed with the wrong teacher.

A child being placed with "the wrong teacher" is probably of the most troubling problem that any parent will confront in their child's education.

According to the article, many administrators will resist removing students from the classroom due, (they will say) to a variety of reasons. The most commonly stated one is, "There isn't any room in the other classes."

To avoid the problem one parent "scopes out" teachers a year in advance, and, having found one that she likes, personally requests the teacher for her child. Because she is persistent, she is never turned down.

The EdWonk's Advice:
In his 13 years of classroom service, the EdWonk has learned that if a parent desires to change his or her child's classroom teacher, then the following procedure is invariably successful.

Approach this problem using the chain of command. If after speaking with the teacher, you determine that a changing teachers is in your child's best interest, immediately go to the school office and ask to speak to an administrator. Explain the problem and offer this solution: I want a different teacher for my child. Don't be surprised if you are offered a variety of excuses. They all mean no, and you may very well be told that there is, "no way to change teachers." Don't believe that for a moment.

As soon as you detect that the answer will be "no," request the name and telephone number of that particular administrator's superior. You will immediately be regarded with new respect by that individual, be it a counsellor, assistant principal, or principal.

Most site-level school administrators operate under the mantra that, "A quiet school is a good school." Their most feared scenario is when knowledgeable parent makes a credible threat to speak to the individual that is the administrator's immediate superior (aka Boss) in the educational bureaucracy.

Now that you have the administrator's attention, he or she will attempt to accommodate your request if you persist in following through with your strategy. For the typical administrator, you just became an enormous threat to his or her career. You are a problem that must be solved, and (for the principal) is easily solvable. In 99% of cases, the principal will get rid of the problem by giving you your choice of teachers.

The EdWonk has seen this dozens of times over the course of his "career."

In the unlikely case that the principal makes the mistake of calling your bluff, go to the district's superintendent. If you sense resistance from him or her, say that you will speak to the school board, which has the power to fire the superintendent. At that point you will win.

Remember, you only need one person in the chain of command to say "yes." Do not deviate, do not compromise, if you follow the above formula, you will accomplish your goal of getting a different teacher for your child.

The EdWonk guarantees it.