richmanlopez
New Member
My 6 year old just started a new elementary school for kindergarten. On day #5 her teacher emailed me this note. Could I be at risk of the school expelling my child or refusing to teach her? Her teach is a very serious and stand offish person I am scared she will not keep dealing with my child. Please share your thoughts on what could happen here. I will respond with the letter below.
Teachers letter:
I have not been able to speak to you at the door in the mornings or afternoons because of all of the chaos. I wanted to let you know about "difficult child's" transistion to Kindergarten during her first week. Unfortunately, she has been very disruptive to the class. I have seen teasing of other students, messing up their work, grabbing things from others, and playing tricks to gain advantage for herself. We talk about kindness everyday and the rule in our classroom is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. The group is trying very hard to say and do nice things for one another. I am afraid that "difficult child" is not making very many friends with her present behavior. I have already had Mr. *, the assistant principal, speak to her about our expectations here at *. I felt this was necessary after several days of speaking to her myself about her behavior, with no changes. Maybe if you discuss her week with her at home this weekend, we can start off on a better track next week.
Thank you for your help in this matter.,
Here is the letter that I will give to her:
I am disappointed to hear that M*'s transition to your school has been challenging. As M*'s parent, the content of your letter was disheartening. Both my husband and I both take your observations very seriously and have discussed our expectations, which are the same as the School Code of Conduct, with M* over the weekend.
Unfortunately, as you stated in your email, we have not had the opportunity to speak in depth. If we had, then I could have shared with you some background that may help you to see that while the behaviors you are witnessing may appear deliberate and behavioral, M*'s therapist believes they are not. We are a good family with the same character traits, morals, and values that your school teaches. When M* began not respecting the space of others, having sudden mood changes, and being occasionally disruptive in class at her previous school, we took her to see a child psychologist. The first thing he suggested was that her social maturity was below that of her peers. We wanted a second opinion and were told various possible diagnoses and even tried medications that made our daughter either more irritable or tranquilized. The doctor said that M* might respond well to a new school environment. We had hoped that a move to a larger school with more activities, kids and a more structured environment would be enough to give M* a 'clean start' and therefore chose to not bias anyone's initial impressions. When I read about your school using the Love and Logic system, I was pleased as it is one of the many books I have read in an effort to understand and help M* make transitions.
As a response to your letter, we are scheduling an appointment with a renowned child psychologist who specializes in helping kids who have the difficulties that our daughter does. He wants to evaluate her for ODD which you can read about here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oppositional-defiant-isorder/DS00630/DSECTION=symptoms.We will keep you informed with the results and any treatment plan.
Therefore, I am requesting a meeting with you and Mr. F* soon as possible. We would also like to formally request a meeting with S*, your school psychologist, for a 504 or IDEA evaluation.
Teachers letter:
I have not been able to speak to you at the door in the mornings or afternoons because of all of the chaos. I wanted to let you know about "difficult child's" transistion to Kindergarten during her first week. Unfortunately, she has been very disruptive to the class. I have seen teasing of other students, messing up their work, grabbing things from others, and playing tricks to gain advantage for herself. We talk about kindness everyday and the rule in our classroom is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. The group is trying very hard to say and do nice things for one another. I am afraid that "difficult child" is not making very many friends with her present behavior. I have already had Mr. *, the assistant principal, speak to her about our expectations here at *. I felt this was necessary after several days of speaking to her myself about her behavior, with no changes. Maybe if you discuss her week with her at home this weekend, we can start off on a better track next week.
Thank you for your help in this matter.,
Here is the letter that I will give to her:
I am disappointed to hear that M*'s transition to your school has been challenging. As M*'s parent, the content of your letter was disheartening. Both my husband and I both take your observations very seriously and have discussed our expectations, which are the same as the School Code of Conduct, with M* over the weekend.
Unfortunately, as you stated in your email, we have not had the opportunity to speak in depth. If we had, then I could have shared with you some background that may help you to see that while the behaviors you are witnessing may appear deliberate and behavioral, M*'s therapist believes they are not. We are a good family with the same character traits, morals, and values that your school teaches. When M* began not respecting the space of others, having sudden mood changes, and being occasionally disruptive in class at her previous school, we took her to see a child psychologist. The first thing he suggested was that her social maturity was below that of her peers. We wanted a second opinion and were told various possible diagnoses and even tried medications that made our daughter either more irritable or tranquilized. The doctor said that M* might respond well to a new school environment. We had hoped that a move to a larger school with more activities, kids and a more structured environment would be enough to give M* a 'clean start' and therefore chose to not bias anyone's initial impressions. When I read about your school using the Love and Logic system, I was pleased as it is one of the many books I have read in an effort to understand and help M* make transitions.
As a response to your letter, we are scheduling an appointment with a renowned child psychologist who specializes in helping kids who have the difficulties that our daughter does. He wants to evaluate her for ODD which you can read about here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oppositional-defiant-isorder/DS00630/DSECTION=symptoms.We will keep you informed with the results and any treatment plan.
Therefore, I am requesting a meeting with you and Mr. F* soon as possible. We would also like to formally request a meeting with S*, your school psychologist, for a 504 or IDEA evaluation.
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