Letting My Children Go

Since the new year started, we've had to start letting some of our kids go during one of our Math teaching times. During this time, the kids we picked out, who could use some extra support, but aren't our lowest, leave with a teacher for a short time while we work in our classroom with the rest of our group. Unfortunately, the teacher works on whatever it is she is told to (by some super power or something??? principal I guess)... I have no say in what it is she is to work on... Which DRIVES ME CRAZY! I know my students, I know what they have been taught this year and what they need to be taught and need to practice before that March Math test comes. Only recently was I was given a bit of a heads up on what the students were working on, and frankly, I think it's worthless. I think it's a waste of time, and I am pretty sure this teacher is Not doing as good of a job with my students as I could be doing. I don't mean to be ... mean, but if I am the one who is being held accountable, I would like to be the one who is directing their learning path.

Originally, the teacher would come into the classroom and work with the students. Our room is tiny and when this teacher is working with the group we have picked, she does it as if there is no one else in the room. During the times that she is in the room, I've had to ask her to be quiet multiple times, but I've tried to do it in a respectful way that didn't seem like I was directly asking her (I need Everyone to be quiet please. I'm waiting for everyone to stop talking. If Anyone needs to talk, please do it in a whisper!) Multiple times she has disrupted our learning to discuss something that has Nothing to do with the lesson... Plus, she distracting enough that she distracts ME, I can't imagine the trouble my students with focus issues have trying to pay attention to what's really important!

The idea of having someone work with my students in a small setting would be a great one... if they had a teacher who was a master teacher in the subjects on the grade level. The teacher doesn't seem to have a hand on the subject matter at my class's level nor the behavior management of the level (and it's not surprising, considering that most of her experience is grade levels far below ours). It bothers me to no end to think that my students are losing quality learning time to work on something that I honestly don't feel will benefit them as much as what we are doing in class. What can I do though? Sadly, the minutes in the day run out too quickly... I just hope that I can make it up to them, eventually.