How should I approach the teacher?

If I were you, I wouldn't email but go in and see your daughter's teacher in person. Keeping it light would be a good idea, though, until you have established all the facts.

If this is a public school and not privately funded, the school should have some kind of curriculum guidelines. You may want to ask for a copy of it. It really would be best to discuss this with the teacher calmly either through email or in person. Maybe they were watching it to discuss a certain thing- maybe they saw a show that highlighted sharing or something. Give them the benefit of the doubt. If the answers you get aren't satisfactory, you have the option to talk with the principal about it further. Good luck. Remember these are the people you leave your child with everyday- they don't have an easy job and you want to stay on their good side if you are going to continue to let your child attend the school.

Approach the teacher about the situation. Teachers are pretty understanding, and no your child will not be looked at any different in the class room if you do.

I agree cartoon network should not be played during school hours! There are several educational videos that the teacher is able to play.

More than likely you are not the only parent that feels this way. If you still feel uncomfortable about approaching the teacher, try going to the administration office and bringing it up there!

Good luck!

I agree, skip the email and go in person, that way you can see her reaction and she can see yours. Definitely keep it light, you need to keep communication open with the teacher. If you don't feel comfortable bringing up what your daughter said out right then just ask what their schedule is during the day. If she tells you they watch cartoon ask how long and why.

Let her know that you are really not comfortable with this and is there anything that can be done to change it. Maybe you could go once a day and read books to the class, if you are able to do so, and you could go at the time they are watching TV.

I think e-mail is fine. Tell the teacher that your daughter mentioned watching "cartoon x" at school, and you were curious about t.v. viewing at school - how much, what shows, etc. Leave it open for the teacher to explain. It could be they are watching a particular character - "Spongebob", for example, in an educational video. I know it's a stretch, but if you make accusations first, the teacher will probably get defensive. If it turns out, they are just watching cartoons to kill time, you might want to schedule a face-to-face with the teacher, and perhaps the principal.

I agree that if they are watching all day its bad - but what if it's just as a way to thank them for being good all day? Or a learning DVD using some of the characters you saw. What other options would you suggest for a "prize"? Candy - no way. Toys get too expensive out of teacher's pocket. Is it the TV you have problems with or Cartoon Network? Which BTW - what do you think is wrong with it - just curious?

I would think of other options first (for both prizes and learning DVDs) and then ask the teacher directly about the TV being on everyday. That way you have some answers if she says, "I don't know what else to do."

ok. here's the deal....

i've had daycare issues for the last 6 months and unfortunately, for us, our son's daycare really IS the best in the area. so, i couldn't even switch daycares....i was beside myself.

i had that fear...what if they hate me if i have problems with stuff and what if they don't like him b/c of me...etc.

here's what i learned.

you got a problem...talk to the teacher, in person, ASAP.

don't wait until things build up and then you have this long, angry list of issues.

don't write it in an email.

don't be confrontational, but don't be a pushover either.

i made the mistake of going to the daycare director too much and really alienating my son's teachers. it was a mess.

all i needed to do was go to his teachers with ANY problems and work it out.

he's in a new class now and they got a new director and communication is so great with my son's new teachers that i don't even KNOW the new director!!! it's great.

SO,

next time you pick her up, or drop her off, or you have a moment during quiet time (if they have a quiet time during the day) just pop in and ask the teacher for a moment of her time. say "hey, i just wanted to check in and see how things are going?? how is she doing? anything i should be concerned about?"

let her respond.

then, build on her response and say, offhand, "ya know, we were watching TV the other day and she mentioned that she watches TV in here everyday. that seemed a bit odd to me....are the kids watching TV in here??"

let her respond and build from there.

for example, she may say "oh, yeah, i let them watch cartoons at the end of the day while parents come to pick the kids up." or "oh yeah, i turn cartoons on while they color."

then, you can respond with your thoughts on when and how much they are watching tv and what shows they are watching.

don't just complain about the cartoon network. or complain about watching tv.

try to work up a solution for everyone.

like, instead of cartoon network maybe she can make a wish list of age appropriate DVDs that the parents can buy. like some sesame street or discovery kids stuff.

feel free to express your concern about the TV watching and if you talk to her and still aren't satisfied with the result then go to the principal.

i wish you luck and remember....YOU are your child's voice right now. if something is wrong, then YOU need to stick up for her and don't fret about people liking you. i had to get over that real quick!!!

also, does your child's school have a PTA or PAB (parental advisory board)??? my daycare has a PAB and i think it's great. it's important for parents to be involved and that's one avenue where the TV batal can be addressed.

take care:)

i would ask the teacher if you could sit in on a day of school "to see what your daughter is doing" and then you could have your answer without confronting..if not I would definitely talk to the teacher in person and simply say that this is what your daughter said was happening and you just want to verify it. I too would not like my 4-5 year old watching cartoon network instead of learning.

No. If I were you, I would go straight to the principal and ask if watching TV during school (uh....learning time) was acceptable. Because the only time watching TV during school for even Pre-K that is ok with me, is during PE if it's raining. That would be fair, but they could still play dodgeball, or something I mean COME ON. If you want to set up a meeting with her teacher, then you need to meet face to face. Get the details from her and then you need to go to the principal.

I would talk to the teacher in person. Voicing your concerns via email could have the exact result that you are trying to avoid. Too often meanings and intents are misconstrued when reading an email since there is no tone of voice or body language component to it. What you think sounds "keeping it light" might sound terse or accusatory to the teacher. If you aren't satisfied with the teachers response, then elevate it to the principal.

Perhaps the teacher lets the kids watch a few minutes of cartoons after they've learned something as a reward for their efforts.

It's hard to keep the attention of 4-5 year olds. And this may be an appropriate way to make learning effective for them.

Since it's a public school. You can't tell the teacher how he or she should teach everyone because other parents might not agree with you. If you make a big problem out of it, then they might tell you to take your kid to a private school to get the kind of teaching you want.