Moving Student to Another Classroom??

I agree that you need more information. Is it the teacher and her teaching style, or is it the subject that's boring or too easy? Are they going to get to more advanced topics after a few weeks?

Just my two cents and I don't mean to make you upset, but perhaps this could be a good life lesson learning time. We have all had people/teachers/bosses in our lives that we have had to learn how to deal with. There will be times in life where there are situations that we cannot change, so the best thing to do is to learn how to make the best out of the situation.
Again, just my two cents,
R.

I'm in the same boat. My 15 year old met with her counselor last Thursday to have a class switched. Unfortunately, my daughter was unsuccessful at it. The counselor pretty much told her exactly what her father and I told her which was that the school cannot accomodate to every student's needs. Suppose every other kid expected the same treatment because he did not like a particular teacher or another student. Can you imagine the chaos that the school administrators would have with everyone trying to switch? I remember back 30 years ago when I was in school--switching classes was unheard of unless you were a special ed child who was accidentally misplaced in the wrong class. Kids need to learn to deal with the issues that are handed to them in life. We all meet people in our lives that we do not particularly like, but we learn to accept it and make the most of it. I've seen a change in attitude amongst this new generation. Sometimes I think that we are raising a generation of whiners--children who feel that they are entitled to the royal treatment just because of who they are, not because they've earned it. They have limited coping skills and parents who coddle too much (I'm including my kid in this too).

How old is your son? Has he ever had this complaint before? I agree with Martha. As a retired HS teacher with 38 years of experience, I can tell you that the first week of school may or may not be indicative of what the semester/year will be like. If it is a core course, review is important to help find out where the students are. "Sad" is not descriptive enough. Have an extended conversation with your son to see if you can get more information.You received some excellent responses about sometimes you have to learn to deal with situations--help him to do that in the best way he can. This could be a chance for him to learn coping skills that would serve him well for the rest of his life. If the "sad" seems excessive to you, take him to his pediatrician for a checkup and consider seeing a psychologist.

What grade is your son in? Maybe a little probing on your part to find out "why" the teacher is so boring could uncover some underlying issues. Is he being made fun of? Does he feel inferior to the other kids? Is he listening to other students talk about how boring class is & wants to follow them? Just some things to think about. Could you meet with his teacher with your son to clarify what's going on? I know as a mother myself we want to protect our children, but we also have to remember that they aren't always as innocent as we'd like to think they are. Please don't think I am in anyway saying your child is a trouble-maker, I'm not. I am just hoping you will look at all sides of issue. Good luck :)

What grade is your son in? What specifics about this class make it boring? With the info you have given, I would tend to agree with the counselor. A child can't be moved just because they don't like a certain classroom or teacher. The first 6 weeks is usually lots of review before they move on to new material, so maybe he is just ahead and doesn't feel he needs the review material. My son is a very good reader and the first grade class he is in is studying words he knew 2 years ago. I have told him to wait a few weeks until they begin reading more to their level. Just my 2 cents.

Are you really going to go to a principal and ask for your child to change teachers every time he decides he wants to? Kids say they're bored a lot. Don't know how old he is, but suggest you think ahead to the precedent you're setting with him. Classes should be changed for very good reason, but doesn't sound like there is one.

Hi. You didn't mention how old your son is but here are some things that you might consider. It IS the first week of school... I can understand why the school has asked that you and your son give it a little more time. Really neither your son nor the teacher has probably had enough time to get to know each other. I would suggest (depending on how old your son is) that you ask him specific questions as to WHY he finds it boring. What are other teachers doing that are more interesting? Is it the really the teacher or is it the subject matter. If your school has an open house make sure you attend so that you can get any information the teacher hands out around requirements in her class or what the kids will be doing. Have your son stick it out for a couple of more weeks... then if he still doesn't like it ask for a personal meeting with the teacher. By that time she should know your son better and be able to give you some insight as to why he maybe doesn't like the class. After that if it still doesn't work then you have more ammunition to go to the school and ask to have your child changed out of the class. Usually as long as the school thinks you are working with them and not against them they are more willing to be accomodating.

Mom, how old is your son? I agree with other Moms that it is not reasonable to ask for your son to be moved to another classroom unless there is a very valid reason and boredom is not one. Sounds like he is pre-judging the teacher and allowing this is not a good thing to teach him. If he is in elementary school it is likely that the 1st few wks are always a review of some of the material from the previous year so the teacher can assess where the kids are ability-wise. Ltt him know that going to school is not an option and that he needs to make the best of it and the teacher he has. Whining , complaining and having a strong sense of entitlement at a young age is not a good thing to allow as others have said. Your son needs to learn that in life and school things are not always as "exciting and interesting" as you want and you can make it better on your own by researching things that are of interest to you outside of school by reading, and learning how to look up things on the computer. Mom, if your boy is a strong student academically why dont you give it a month and then call, e-mail or set an appt with the teacher and ask if there is any enrichment projects that he can do on his own on a topic that is of interest to him. Learning more and studying things he is interested on his own will help make school more interesting. Teacher may even allow him to do mini-reports on what he has learned on a particular topic on his own for extra-credit. If he is very bright this may also be the reason for his bordom, is there a gifted pgm at the school that he can be tested for? Ask guidance dept or his teacher about this. There are also places out there like Kuman and Huntington Learning Cntrs that you pay for that can provide enrichment for your son after school on his own time. Hope these ideas help, good luck with this.

Your son is a teenager, right? Schools generally do not move students from one class to another without very serious reasons, such as bullying or fighting. A better option would be to talk parent-teacher-student conference to discuss the boredom and come up with a plan. Most teachers, if approached in a respectful (not accusatory) tone are willing to listen and work with parents to do what's best for kids.

If he is in elementary school have him tested for the gifted program then meet with the teacher to see if there are any ways he can have more in depth assignments.
If he is in middle school or high school and it is a class that is a requirement, English, History the tell him to suck it up. If it's a math class and he is placed too low then have him tested for the higher level and talk to the counselor to get him into the class he is supposed to be in. Yes they can switch but not for a boring teacher.

well good luck! When I was in school (yes I know it was a while ago) I was bullied relentlessly by many students, one in particular & countless times we tried to get either me or the bully moved to a different classroom & the principal refused to do it, citing that it was something that "just wasn't done" even though I was bullied relentlessly EVERY day & the teachers even had issues w/this student but nothing was done....so I'm sorry that your son is 'bored' w/his teacher & classroom but I agree w/the principal, it's just not a good reason to move a student to a new classroom. I'm sure that your son will get a "boring" teacher now & then, I know I had the MOST boring, monotoned geography teacher (and he was the only geog. teacher at the school so I had no choice but to endure it) but I got thru it & your son will too. School is for learning & while "boring", according to your son, I'm sure the teacher is doing their best to teach the lessons of the day. If he/she weren't a good teacher, I'm sure they wouldn't have the job. Help your son to think differently, that school is only for a few months out of the year & a few hours during the day & the nxt yr, he (most likely) will have a different teacher. In the mean time he should assert himself to just learning the lessons for the day & do the assignments & the classtime should go by more quickly. I had HORRIBLE teachers so be thankful that being "bored" is the only thing he's complaining about. Good luck.

When my daughter started 6th grade (middle school), she had a very mean teacher. Everyday, when it was time to go to that class, she would get a stomachache. She said the teacher was verbally abusive to her and some other kids as well. The teacher loved to "make examples" of the students in front of their peers. I just couldn't believe all the stuff that went on in that class. If a student coughed or sneezed and forgot to cover their mouths, she would go off in a rant in front of everyone and send the kid out into the hallway for the rest of class time. One day they played a game in class. The teacher would call on someone and ask them a question. If the student got the answer right, they could go stand in the back of the room. My daughter answered the question correctly, but the teacher said, "You cannot leave your chair". My daughter asked her why she couldn't go to the back of the room since she answered correctly. The teacher's response was "Because your voice is too quiet and I don't like it". This is the very first teacher that didn't like my daughter. She is quiet, follows all the rules, is respectful, an honor roll student, and always gives 110% in everything she does. Every teacher she ever had said that she is a dream student. Yet, this teacher had it in for her from day one. I complained to the school from week one and for months afterward. The counselor even called my daughter out of class to speak to her about it all. The counselor told me that what I perceive as mean is probably the teacher just being strict and that we had to give her a chance. The school said we don't move anyone for any reason and sometimes we just have to learn to get along with people. We gave this teacher a chance and she stayed mean the whole year. Other parents complained too. I don't understand why a school would want a teacher like that??? Well, as luck would have it, this same teacher moved up to 7th grade and my daughter got her again!! I was up there before school started and told the counselors that we gave her a chance last year and we were NOT, under any circumstances, getting that woman again. The school switched my daughter and said it was only because she had her last year. Other parents I know went to talk to the principal about getting their kids switched out of her class. The principal was very rude and said they would not be moved since their children did not have her last year. I feel sorry for them!!! Good luck with all this...the school NEVER moves kids to another class unless the child has had the teacher previously.

since he is complaining about just that class, Im going to assume he is in middle or high school? I have 2 different opinions on it.... On one hand, if he isn't in a stimulating learning environment, he won't be pushed to learn at his best... BUT on the other hand, he needs to learn to deal with things he doesn't like... Are you going to try to switch him out of every class he doesn't like? When he gets older and starts working, they aren't going to let him switch bosses because he thinks the work or his boss is boring. He needs to learn to cope with less than ideal situations. I think every teenager has classes and teachers that they are going to hate, but the trick is to find out if it's the teacher or the subject that is so bad for him. I thought my economics teacher was SOOOO boring, but I was able to do the work. Then the next year when I had her for a creative writing class she became my favorite... I also had one teacher who I couldn't follow during class...(algebra...*shudder*) I just couldn't focus on what he was saying, and I wound up failing his class (along with 65% of the class... at least he taught me THAT much) 2 years in a row before I refused to be in his class again. After getting a new teacher I wound up with As and Bs in math... I would keep him in the class he is in now, help him with his homework for that class and see how well he is learning the material. If his grades are OK I would make him stick it out. If not, then I would look into switching. Then you could take the report card (Or at least his mid term grades) in and show the counselors that your son isn't learning in that class, and they will be more willing to move him.

If it's only one class then he is lucky. Most kids' brains are so used to the high stimulation of computers, TV and gaming all around them that teachers have a hard time making learning as exciting. If the teacher has been teaching a while, he/she probably doesn't have the training to use all the audio/visual stuff that is out there to keep the kids' attention. Help your son to make the class interesting himself. Have him get creative in the way he takes notes. Ask the teacher if there is something your son can do to assist her in the classroom. Do not teach your son that if he is not happy, you will run to his aid and try and change the situation.

There is a great saying to remember: "Prepare your child for the path, not the path for the child." Don't be the helicopter parent that will try and fix the situation every time your child complains about something or is sad. Have you ever looked at your child when he complains or is sad and just asked, "And what are you going to do about it?" or "Well, you'd better figure out a way to deal with it." It's not like he is being abused.