MasonsMom,

I am sorry to hear that your son is being verbally abused, especially by one of his teachers.  School should be a place where students feel safe and are treated with respected.  Teachers should be role models, leading the way for their students.

Before pulling your son from the charter school, here are some steps I would take first.  The reason I'm saying this is you want the best for your son.  If the charter school offers something the regular school doesn't such as smaller class sizes or enrichment type programs, that might be the best place for him.  

First make sure you have all the facts.  This means getting not only your son's side of the story, but the teachers as well.  You may also want to ask other parents to see what they have seen or heard.  I suggest writing down the facts about the verbal abuse that your son is telling you about.  Get dates, times, and what was said or done.  Ask your son what he thinks triggered this abuse.  

Then make an appointment to talk to the teacher.  You may also want to request that an administrator or department head be at the meeting.  When you go in to the meeting, bring your list of facts - just the ones that involve your son.  I know it is hard, but try not to get emotional.  Ask the teacher if these incidences happened in order to find out his side.  Listen to what he/she has to say.  The more information you have, the better armed you will be to deal with the situation and come up with a solution.

If you feel that the abuse is going on, then the administration needs to be aware of it so they can either get this teacher help or get ride of him/her all together.  Also, there might be some other solutions like changing the teacher.  The school should work with you to help come up with a reasonable solution.

After you have more information, go back and talk to your son.  How would he feel about switching?  

I hope I have given you some things to think about.  Good luck!

Barb K
www.LessonPop.com