[kmomteach]

I have thought about this issue for some time now. As a parent I have always thought that I wanted to pick which class my children would be in, especially since I personally know the teachers at the school ( I am a teacher). However my husband, an assistant principal, has always diagreed with me. I now work at a school in which requesting is very popular and after working there for two years, I as a teacher, has second thoughts about requesting. Read my blog on requesting and let me know how you feel and if you have ever requested a teacher. My daughter is 3 so we'll see what happens when she begins school!

[froggles_fi]

good points

[kmomteach]

Thanks so much. I keep going back and forth on the issue. I need to pick a side and stick with it!!!

[froggles_fi]

Nah I'm swapping sides too based on schools at the mo, what people say are good compared to what they can offer my son....

[Tsunshine]

I haven't ever requested a teacher, but I have requested that certain children not be in my son's class. He had a problem with a child bullying him and I didn't want them in the same classroom. At my children's school they actually send home a form where you can request a certain teacher, they just don't promise to honor all of the requests.

[twinzplus3]

I don't think that parents should be able to request teachers except in extenuating circumstances. There is more to school than just one individual child. . .there is a bigger picture. I've seen too many parents insist on taking such and such a teacher for reasons that they think are good but the results are a detriment to the overall program. I also think that too many parents see the grass as greener on the other side and then are sorely disappointed when it isn't.

[MissyChrissy]

I don't know what my children's school policy is on requesting teachers, but I do know they group the classes based on academics and particular learning styles of the children. If the parent were requesting a teacher that taught in a different manner than their child learned best from, I could see that being a problem.

That being said-I've know some horrible teachers. One was bad enough that if I had known what she did to my daughter in her class, it would have been all I could do to NOT meet her at her car after school was out. She was a bully and a meanie and she humiliated my daughter learning math and it took her years to get over it. She didn't learn her multiplication table for the longest time due to this teacher's manner. If I had it to do over again, if I had any clue, I would certainly DEMAND my daughter NOT be in her class. And when Sydney gets to her grade, you better believe she won't be Sydney's teacher.

[hennypenny]

I did ask nicely last year if I could communicate my preference lol. I was asked what that preference was, and was told my daughter was in fact going to be in that class anyway. It can't hurt to ask, and I'd never push the point if they said no.

[pattiewrites]

We did request a teacher for our daughter this year. She is an amazing teacher and my older dd had her in second grade. The school honored our request. I don't see how that has an impact on the program, at all. But we are not in public school so maybe it is different. If there is a teacher that I feel is a good fit for my child, I have no problem making that request. That is part of my job as her mother.

[sharichez]

If you asked me this question before I became a teacher, I would have said that I would NOT request a specific teacher for my kids. I assumed every teacher was competent. Now that I am teacher and have become familiar with the teaching styles/methods of my colleagues, I am aware of the vast differences between them. Unfortunately, some students are getting a very different experience despite the fact that they are taking the same course as others. As a result, I would absolutely make a request for specific teachers for my child in specific situations.
I understand the need for the kids to learn to deal with a variety of teachers/bosses/etc. so I wouldn't handpick their schedule, but if there was a teacher that I felt strongly about, either way, I would put my two cents in. It can't hurt to mention it to a guidance counselor and see what happens.
On the flip side, I am also aware of parents who handpick their kid's entire schedule and drive counselors nuts. I wouldn't want to take it to that extreme.