school woes

When Ashlin started school I didn't really think there would be any issues or prolems. She did so well in Kindergarten, althought they really didn't learn anything, that I just thought grade one would be wonderful for her.

Not so.

She does NOT like it. Mornings are tense around here, and I have to force her to get dressed and out the door. She is definitely nervous about learning to read. But that aside she misses her friends. When they did the classroom child placements she was completely cut off from all of her kindergarten friends. They broke up the children into two different grade one classes, and she is in a class of almost all boys. That is a huge part of the problem. And even worse is that there are five boys that have quite noticeable behaviour issues. The teacher spends more time trying to get them listening and settled than she does teaching. Ashlin is in grade one and so far the only sheets she has brought home have been drawing straight lines - horizontal and vertical. Like hello! She learned to do that when she was three.

I am very upset at the lack of what school should be.

I have been talking to the principal, requesting (or rather demanding) that she be put into the other class. And of course the principal says that they do not do that, and anyways that other class is at full capacity. I am so lost as to the best action to do. I actually like and respect the teacher that Ashlin has now. The problem is that she is a strict teacher who gets results, so they assign her almost all of the children needing more discipline. And then they need to fill up the class so they stick a few other kids in there. And Ashlin is one of those other kids. She is overshadowed by kids acting out, and I am worried that she is being affected more than the school realizes. I just feel so sad that Ashlin is not having a wonderful school experience (so far).