‘My kid is falling behind because of who she’s sitting with in class’

"Apologies if my biases are showing. I’m just trying to respond to my kid’s complaints."

A mother has expressed concern over her daughter becoming distracted in class. 

The year one student is in a “blended” class.

“It’s a mixed population of students who have learning or behavioral challenges and ‘regular’ kids. Sorry I don’t know the correct terms,” she said.  

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"These kids are distracting from her learning"

In a parenting forum, she explained the situation. 

“My kid was randomly chosen to be in the blended class and is seated at a five person group table... She complains to me weekly that these kids are distracting her from learning."

The woman's daughter expressed that the distractions occur regularly throughout lessons. 

“They all make weird or disturbing noises throughout the day, all day,” the mum added.

Now, the mother is wondering if she should approach the teacher about her daughter’s concerns. 

“Is this a good experience for my kid to learn tolerance of diverse capabilities? Can I request that she not be placed in blended classes in future years?” she questioned. 

“She is a little behind on her scores, but I assume the teacher has engineered the classroom to work for what’s best. However, as a parent I just wish her learning environment was a little more regular so she could focus better. 

"Apologies if my biases are showing. I’m just trying to respond to my kid’s complaints."

Image: iStock

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"Tell the teacher"

The comment section gave their suggestions and advice to the mum. 

“Do I bring this up with the teacher? Yes you do... You don’t have to mention anyone’s abilities to let the teacher know she’s feeling very distracted at her current table,” the highest voted comment read. 

“It’s absolutely appropriate to talk to the teacher,” another encouraged. 

A third gave her another perspective - “Parent of a child with disabilities here: absolutely tell the teacher.” 

An Aussie school teacher responds

We spoke to a Sydney teacher of 30 years who shared her experience with classrooms similar to the one this mother is describing. 

“Support Unit classes have reduced student numbers and an SLSO (school learning support officer), but in all our mainstream classes there are students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities,” she said.

“Schools receive funding to support students needing additional support. Parents should always speak to the teacher first.”

Originally published as ‘My kid is falling behind because of who she’s sitting with in class’