My little darlings (HA!) have also had the same first grade teacher and I have (just me) for even requesting this teacher as she is just a little bit more strict than the other three teachers for the 1st grade.

We only have three cards that the students turn before they are asked to go to the Dean's office. Now what parents have been upset with our teacher is her thinking no child is perfect and this was a problem today. I have noticed that it's the parents with one child that the most fuss is made but maybe that's because they look at me as if I'm some mutant with 5!

I really don't like to see a teacher take away a recess etc from the whole class when one or two are acting up. I was also dismayed to hear a teacher turn to her class at picture time and threaten to go back to the room and NOT let them have their picture taken! Yeah they were chatty but that was not a just punishment.

C.Brook recommended having a counselor, we don't have one on staff but our Elementry Principal and Dean has been great about talking to parents with issues. I have even had permission to give out their bus.card when they were unable to attend.

One more point, this sometimes the last thing that parent needed to hear that day. The stress of daily routine then to hear "Johnny" was talking in class all day is sometimes the last straw. I find when the teacher calling is more casual about the issue and offering ideas to remedy the issue (I'm going to move your son to a new group, he's made so many friends none of his work is getting done! I want to offer him a reward on Friday if he can keep a white card.) THere has to be a way to turn a negative into a working positive....I should note that view could change once my other two darlings are in school!

Yes, most parents do flip out when their little angel gets into trouble. Been there myself.

Here is what happens in most of our classrooms all the way up to 4th grade(We are K-4):

1st card flipped is a W. No action taken. 2nd card which actally says 1 is 5 minutes of recess. Third Card missed recess. 4th card note to parents. It rarely comes to that unless the child is having some major behavior problems. If that keeps up a conference is usually called. In 3rd and 4th grade, conduct slips are used. If a slip gets sent home the first time the parent has to sign. If it get sent home the third time the parents have to have a conference.

If parents are concerned perhaps at your next meeting your counselor could talk about how natural it is for a child to get into a little trouble from time to time. It is part of the growing process. Even my little angels have got a card flipped a couple of times. LOL! If they ever got passed a warning, they are in trouble at home. I know my kids aren't perfect, I've never met a perfect person big or small.

One thing that has came up about the card flipping is that some people use names on the card holders. We are a very small community, it doesn't take long to get to know the kids in each room, so some people feel this breaks confidentiality. One kindergarten teacher uses clothes pins, if a child gets into trouble he/she removes a pin. Same results as the card flipping. Another teacher uses bears that she has velcroed to the child's name on some kind of poster.

I'm just curious about how it's done at other schools. My child has a very firm 1st Grade teacher. Throughout the school, the worst thing you can receive is called a "conduct slip". In first grade, it is given on the second warning. This means that the teacher typically might warn a student about something like talking out of turn, etc. and I would imagine really that she even then cuts them some slack. So, the SECOND time you do this in one day, you get a conduct slip which has to be sent home and signed. My son, who is really quite good, has received one, which didn't blow me away because I've had this teacher before. But other parents are really mad about it..just curious how your first grade teachers discipline?
Hope it's OK to ask this. I am a PTO pres. and this is the kind of stuff that makes parents eventually mad and they leave the school.
thanks
Shelly