Teacher Communication

 As I mentioned in my First Grade post, I've already had a few challenges with Aurora's new teacher.  We'll call her Mrs. P.  A week before school started, Aurora's school has an "Ice Cream Social" where they find out who their teacher is going to be and we sign up for a time slot to meet the teacher and have assessments done.  Each grade has a table with all of the teachers for that grade with their class lists and schedules and everyone lines up in front of the table.  It was supposed to start at 6:00 and we got there at 5:45 and were second in line.

6:00 rolls around and there is only one teacher at the first grade table.  A couple of minutes later another teacher shows up.  At 6:10, Mrs. P shows up.  I have no patience for tardiness but at this point I'm thinking that things happen and I just won't worry about it.  I introduced Aurora to her and she engaged her right away and asked her questions and seemed good with her.  We set up an assessment time for Friday afternoon at 4:00 and left.

Friday afternoon my husband and I bring Aurora in for her assessment and to do paperwork and speak with Mrs.  P.  There is no sign of her at 4:00.  At 4:10 I'm thinking I'm going to give her 5 more minutes and then we are leaving.  She finally shows up at 4:15 - with her own three kids in tow.  We enter the room and wait while she gets her kids situated with drinks and activities.  We talk for a few minutes....while her youngest, probably about three, is continually interrupting us.   Then Josh and I move to another table to do paperwork while she assesses Aurora.  While doing the assessment, she keeps stopping to speak to or correct her youngest.  Then she allows her to sit across the table from Aurora and pound on blocks and cups while Aurora is trying to read and answer questions.  I was pretty irritated.  Despite that, Aurora still did a great job.  We talk to Mrs. P again and go over Aurora's schedule and her before and after school transportation (she attends the onsite before and after school program) and other school business and then leave - with me ticked about her lack of professionalism with her children there.

Fast forward to the first day of school.  Josh gets a call from the school 30 minutes after school got out.  "We have Aurora here in the office and you did not come to pick her up and we need to know what to do with her."   What the heck!?!  Josh went to go pick her up and I called Mrs. P and left a message with her asking her to call me.  She does not return my call.  That night I write her a letter and told her that during Aurora's assessment we specifically told her that Aurora was in the school program before and after school every day.  And that she may have been too distracted by her own kids to remember what we discussed so I wanted to be sure were were on the same page.

No response to the letter.

The next day I get a questionaire from Mrs. P asking about Aurora's strengths, weakness, interests, etc.  The last question says, "Do you have any questions or concerns?"  I wrote, "What is the best way to communicate with you?"

No response.

Two days later I send a box of tissues and a container of Clorox wipes with Aurora to school since I know the classrooms always need that stuff.

No response or thank you.

Despite all of that, Aurora seems fine with her and is happy in school right now so hopefully she is better with the kids than she is with the parents.  But for me?  I think it's going to be a long year.  And our first parent/teacher conference is definitely going to be interesting!

And now I present Aurora's first writing assignment for the year: