What can you do for a 2nd grader who's loved school since she was 3 but now cries every morning all day at school and says the teacher is mean?

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Find out what she means when she says "mean." Be open with the teacher about this, and tell her how your daughter feels. Then, it is your job as Mom to protect her if her teacher is an any way abusive. If the teacher has crossed the line from "mean" to "abusive," PUT A STOP TO IT! If she is just MEAN (and she may be) now is the time to start teaching your little one to adapt and adjust to different people. She will meet many mean people in her life, and the sooner she learns to be happy despite them, the better off she is.

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It might just be phase she's going through. I would make an appointment to talk with the teacher and see if there's a problem with another child that may be bothering her. Tell her exactly what your daughter says including the part about her being mean.

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Explore this situation carefully. Keep your eyes and ears open. Try and visit the classroom more often. Drop in unexpectedly. Talk to other parents and see if their children are having any similar feelings. Ask questions. You will either get to the bottom of this or her unhappy phase will end...

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Make an appointment with the principal. Tell he or she (after doing so), that you have been making an effort to check in on the class, and to talk to the teacher. Tell the principal you want your daughter moved to a different teacher's class. Tell them to let you know by phone as soon as she can move, or even tell them which teacher you prefer, and that you will take her in to meet the teacher and introduce yourself. TELL them.

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Whatever you do, make sure you don't offend the teacher, because your child may be stuck with her. Make the appointment with her first, don't go over her head to the principal. Be non-confrontational, ask for her side of the story. Check and see if it's simply her style that's making your child unhappy or if there's something in your child's behavior that leads to reprimands.

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Ask her specifically if something has happened it did to me and i'm 33 now.. in 1st grade my teacher wouldn't let me go to the bathroom when i had asked and i relieved myself at my desk in front of the whole class and had to sit there in it until the end of the school day.. and i was to embarrased to tell my mother at the time and now I wish I would have.. i cried every day and refused to get on the bus.. i got many spankings for it and things were fine when my mother changed schools

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Ask her to explain what is happening to make her feel that way. Call the teacher and discuss it together. There is always a reason, and the teacher usually has great insight.

I finally learned, as we all do...to remember a three-year old has limited vocabulary to express feelings. A harmless event not witnessed by a parent, can sound like a major crisis when a young child describes it to you later.

she may be just exploring ways of expressing herself, or saw the teacher chasing a dog from the playground, etc,etc. But a sudden change in normal behavior is always a call to action.

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It's also a good idea to get her vision and hearing checked. Kids can cope with poor vision in daily life but in school it is a real problem, especially when trying to learn to read and write.

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I also had a very mean teacher in 1st grade (I'm 39 now). She seemed to really dislike me as I started school a year early, and she thought I was too young to be in her class. This was decided on he first day of school, not after she saw my progress in class. So, I would take this seriously and speak with your daughter to see if she can give you specific examples of the teacher being mean.

First answer by Tracy. Last edit by Shazbut. Contributor trust: 39 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 156 [recommend question]

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