Comments on: “Dear Principal, My kid is exceptional …”

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:17:26 +0000

No parents don’t think schools will deliberately make a “poor placement”. We are simply aware that some teachers are better than other teachers yet every teacher will be assigned a class. This means that some children will end up with better teachers than others. Every parent would like for our own children to be the fortunate ones but we are aware that it is not quite luck of the draw because schools do accommodate parents to the extent they can, other parents are advocating for their own children, and in this world it is the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Now it might be a hassle from schools and parents should definitely drop the entitled attitude, but you can’t blame them for taking an interest and asking for what they think is going to best for their child.

By: Quokka

Quokka — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:44:47 +0000

I have worked in the Western Australian education system for many years and there is a group of specialist teachers called Visiting Teachers for students with disabilities. If your child is placed in a classroom with a teacher who may need assistance this fantastic service will come and work with the teacher as well as provide them resources. Often teachers do not have a great deal of experience with the needs of students with disability and these guys are a brilliant resource. Talk to your school principal

By: Jamila Rizvi

Jamila Rizvi — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:46:37 +0000

Hi Bethany

Thanks for the comment. We hadn’t heard from Ruffles and Stuff before today – I fear she’s tried to contact us but unfortunately hasn’t got through. The photo was used in error, since it was some time ago I’m still trying to decipher how that happened.

We took the photo down as soon as we realised and are deeply apologetic for using it in error. I’m endeavouring to contact the owner of the picture now to say sorry once more.

Cheers,

Jamila

By: Bethany

Bethany — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:34:51 +0000

Hi, I actually just came over from the Ruffles and Stuff website, from whence the picture of the darling little girl was pirated. I just wanted to say that I think it’s not right to take others’ content like that, and particularly rude not to respond to that child’s mother.

That’s all.

By: Hiatus

Hiatus — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 11:09:09 +0000

I think it’s really unprofessional for teacher’s to sit around the staff room talking down parents. At the end of the day parents just want the best for their children. The vast majority of the time there is no ill intention. Parents prepared to speak out about all sorts of issues at schools know they are labelled as the trouble maker – that is why they are in the minority – the majority of parents are too scared to be labelled by teachers and worry their kids will be effected.

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 08:37:35 +0000

At my school you only found out classes on the first day of the year!

By: anonymous 2

anonymous 2 — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 05:48:28 +0000

yes, there are lots of non-diagnosed/non-tested, non-gifted children who are very smart. You can tell the gifted ones, because their mother’s are struggling with their low social IQ, and with how weird their child is. My friend has an autistic child and there are quite a few similarities that we do try and have a laugh over, because parenting is hard.
I don’t tell people my child is “gifted”… what’s the point. The teachers knew straight away and told me.

By: distracted

distracted — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:38:19 +0000

Definitely. And to all the teachers who are getting mighty defensive (to the point of bitchiness), nobody’s saying you’re all like this. Nobody’s saying that you will deliberately make poor placements, or that you don’t know the kids’ dynamics well enough to do the right thing for them.

But there ARE genuine reasons for making class placement requests. You can’t tar all of the parent requests with the same brush.

By: distracted

distracted — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:30:44 +0000

Well personally I think it’s great that the feeling’s mutual. They’d both be in agreement that the kids would be better placed elsewhere, and everyone benefits. Neither the parent NOR the teacher is necessarily ‘right’ about the other one being a bad person – they just don’t match up.

By: Some random

Some random — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 23:47:17 +0000

I’m amazed at the amount of parents of gifted children on here. Do people really know what being ‘gifted’ entails? My primary school had a gifted and talented class, and one of the kids in that was doing second year university level maths in year six.

Oh, and being in the class wasn’t an automatic entry into a selective high school either. Quite a few of the kids in it when I was in year six lost out when they sat the tests. That’s why people pay money for stupidly high levels of coaching- because depressingly, it works. (for a while)