By Stacy DeBroff

It's a problem all parents will encounter at least once in their child's school career: a really bad teacher. If your child is lucky, he will be blessed with many wonderful teachers, but the reality is that he will likely face some average ones in the mix, and inevitably those lacking the skills, expertise, teaching style, or personality you hoped for. Whether you think a teacher is doing a poor job in the classroom or if your child simply does not connect with her, this is a difficult problem to tackle - one that demands a great deal of parental attention and action.

If you think you are dealing with a bad teacher, understand your options. Except in extreme cases of physical or sexual abuse, most situations will not warrant the school firing or transferring the teacher. Before you do anything else, talk to the teacher about your concerns. It's possible there are reasons for what she is doing that you are not aware of. There are other ways to help the situation:

• Talk to parents of children who had the teacher in the past. Ask if any of them had issues with her, spoke to an administrator about her, or resorted to transferring their child out of her class. Be discrete and polite in your inquiries because you don't want to make it known to the teacher or administration that you are considering taking action.
• Call the guidance counselor to express your concern that your child has a weak teacher who isn't adequately teaching him the skills he needs to master.
• Register a written complaint explaining specifically why you feel your child's teacher is inadequate.
• Regardless of what you may have heard about a teacher, give her a chance and assess her skills objectively by the way you see her teaching your child. Even if you respect and trust the people feeding you stories, they may have heard only part of a tale or repeat something that only happened once. If you have met with the teacher about a problem and tried unsuccessfully to implement a plan, ask to observe your child in class. Being present in the classroom can give you a better feel for what's going on and how to deal with it.
• If the teacher cites a school rule against parents sitting in on classes, ask the principal for a waiver. When you are in the classroom, watch how she interacts with the students. Observe whom she calls on, what she focuses on, and how she responds to students' questions and answers. Notice how she monitors students' interactions with each other and how she handles discipline issues.

It can be frustrating to find yourself dealing with a bureaucratic system when your child struggles at school. You want what is best for him, but it's often unclear what course of action you should take or whom you should approach with problems, especially when those issues involve his classroom teacher.

Raise issues with the teacher before bringing them to the principal's attention, even if they concern the teacher's style in the classroom or how she handled an incident involving your child. Going above the teacher's head without first addressing the problem with her could lead to resentment that will break down the lines of communication, affect your relationship with her for the rest of the school year, and earn you an unfavorable reputation with the other teachers. Weigh this possibility against the significance of the problem.

If, after meeting with the classroom teacher you are still unsatisfied because she is unresponsive, you were unable to agree on a resolution for the problem, or the agreed upon plan was not successful, then arrange an appointment with the principal and teacher together. This joint meeting assures the teacher that you are taking a course of action to best help your child, instead of going to her boss for retribution.

A principal's job is to balance the needs of the students, the school's faculty and staff, and the community. A good principal takes responsibility for poor teaching in his school and is therefore the best person to approach about a teacher who might otherwise damage your child's education.

Before you go to the principal with an issue, realize how this move will destroy your relationship with the teacher. To decide whether the issue at hand deserves the attention of the principal, ask yourself:

• Am I acting impulsively out of frustration or anger?
• Am I falling into a pattern of repeatedly bringing my concerns to the principal?
•  Have I first tried my best to work things out with the teacher?
• Is this a matter of school policy?

For a major dispute that involves a number of parents and affects the entire classroom, ask one or two other parents to accompany you to meet with the principal. There is strength in numbers, and if a principal sees several parents are deeply concerned, she will be more likely to take action.

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