If he is being punished for not getting his work done it is simply because the teacher does not understand that some children take longer to process information.


While some people may say it's a learning experience for a child to have both good and bad teachers I say it is a learning experience NO child should have. I had 3 bad math teachers in a row in school and it has caused severe mathematical problems for me. Throughout college I repeatedly had to take math courses even with the help of a tutor, the professor (except 1 time the prof was of no use and the first time I took the course the learning center had no tutor for the specific course), and myself trying different strategies.

Here is the issue, classrooms are biased towards boys. When I teach I like children to move around and work together. Worksheets are used rarely.

A bad teacher uses lots of worksheets.

People try to say teachers use worksheets because they are under so much pressure by national standards. Pardon my language but that is BULLSH*T!
I teach inner city kids (who always seem to be highly energetic) and many are labeled behaviorally disturbed- funny cuz most of them I don't see a problem with.

There is NO excuse to be doing worksheet after worksheet. Only 5% of my teaching is done by circle the answer worksheets, and another 5% done with interactive worksheets (using glue, crayons, etc)....adding to a total of only 10%. Even then I am trying to cut down on this "high" 10%

Children, of all races, economic levels, and genders need:

*a cooperative learning environment- let competition stay in the sports

*learning with a partner

*learning with a group- some children work better alone. However, they need to learn to work in groups to prepare for the real world

*a CHILD centered environment. Teachers should not be blabbing on and on. Children need to feel comfortable enough to make discoveries and mistakes on their own and try again. However, the teacher must still educate (if you're confused I know some teachers who say "Here are some blocks learn to add". While we want children to explore we can't throw them into the woods and say "good luck mate")

* a room where children are free to express themselves, and not having to raise their hand for every little response or every time they need to pee

A lot of the school culture does not work, even for middle class White children. Being a teacher to mostly poor Black children it is detrimental.

As you can see, a lot of teachers don't like me. Then again last year my student came in with an avg. class reading score of 25/100, in 5 weeks I had it up to a class avg. of 85. 15 out of 25 came in with a severe behavioral label, 8 of them had that labeled peeled off in the year in my class.

Yes, I do make mistakes. Yes, I am still learning. No, I am not the best teacher or mum, but gosh darnit I may so egocentric but I can teach!!!

and most don't know what the frap they're doing!!

Thanks for the advice. He never had trouble in Kindergarten, but he also had a teacher who kept the kids active, after a few worksheets she would play music and let the class dance or jump around, take a walk around the inside or outside of the building ect. Just a few minutes break during the day made a world of difference. He behaves in class and is a good listener , he just has trouble getting his work done on time which results in no play time. 2:00 is the only recess. I do help out with his class but so far, not in his class.

I can't help but wonder whether your son also had trouble paying attention in kindergarten...was he attending a half-day program at that time? Does he have a chance to go out on the playground at lunch, plus the afternoon recess, or is the 2:00 p.m. recess his only break? Do you know if other children in the class are also struggling to pay attention with the current scheduling arrangement?

While boys in general have a more difficult time sitting still, I'm wondering if your son is even more active than the other children. Have you had an opportunity to observe the classroom?

I'll be very honest, my son's teachers had similar complaints when he was in first grade, and as a "room mom" I was able to see how other kids in the class behaved, and I had to agree that my son was struggling. My son turns out to be very bright, but he also has ADHD. Worksheets were boring to him, too. He's now in college, and I no longer get "calls from teachers" but having attentional issues does make day-to-day school issues more challenging.

There's something called a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) that you may want to request that the school do. It tries to assess what the reasons are for a child's misbehaviors, and come up with a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) to address it. Perhaps your son does need more frequent breaks, and maybe a positive behavioral chart with stickers would help motivate him....there are many different things that can be tried. If he continues to struggle, even after interventions, you may want to consider having him evaluated by a doctor for ADHD.

You're certainly not the first person with an active child, and you won't be the last, but it may also help you to read similar questions and answers from other parents: community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/194565/My-son-is-getting-in-trouble-in-kindergarten Best to you.