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AIBU?

To have been mad at this teacher

38 replies

Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 14:42

My son has been attending a preschool swimming class since the beginning of the year. Unlike his previous class because of the layout of the pool I can not see him during the lesson so am heavily dependant on teacher feedback to judge his progress.

Despite this I haven't received any feedback since he started (in January) and have witnessed parents getting their heads bitten off when they try to speak to the swimming teachers at the end of the lesson. I can sort of understand as they have back to back lessons so don't have time to chat to everyone after the lesson (though they do occasionally speak to some parents).

Anyway I found out last month that there is a form you can use to communicate with the teacher. Filled this in but still didn't get any response and when I asked them about this they said they never received it.

Recently at the end of the lesson the teacher called out across the pool in front of the other parents and my child that he had made progress today and prior to this had been really difficult to instruct as he gets distracted in the water and doesn't focus very well. Now I was a bit embarrassed that she had called this out in front of all the parents but what made me really livid is that my ds heard this and when he came to me kept repeating that his teacher had said he was difficult at swimming (he is 3 1/2 so couldn't fully understand what she had said). I kept trying to explain away that part and focus on the improvement bit but all he kept repeating was the bit about him being difficult.

Now I hate confrontation normally but I was so upset that I went back to the pool and called the swim teacher to speak to me and told her what she had said had upset my son. She repeated again that previously he hadn't been a good listener and it was up to me to work on that. However she then divulged to me that he is actually a good swimmer and had won 2 races that day. This pissed me off even more, firstly because she had only told me that after I confronted her about what she previously said and secondly because it contradicted what she had previously said which is that he does not follow instruction well. How could he have improved so much if he didn't listen. Anyway I now just want to move him from that class as I feel like the teachers play favourites and that they only focus on the negative with him so won't move him on to the next stage (just to remind that until this incident I had received no feedback whatsoever about his progress and only after questioning did they bother to tell me he was good enough at swimming to win races in his class). Am I being unreasonable to be so annoyed and should I move him?

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MidnightVelvettheSixth · 27/07/2016 14:46

yanbu, move to another class

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Mari50 · 27/07/2016 14:56

Personally i think you are over invested in his swimming classes considering he's not even 4. Move him if it makes you happier but relax about the 'progress report' stuff. Most kids that age can't swim.

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Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 27/07/2016 14:58

YDNBU. She sounds worse than useless, as a teacher. What does she mean. He's not a good listener. What does she expect from a 3.5 year old.
Very very unprofessional as well to discuss your child in front of other parents.
I wouldn't be sending him back. He's not going to process without encouragement. I take your money elsewhere.

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Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 27/07/2016 15:00

No one likes confrontation. Well there are some weirdos that do.
But when you're a parent. You have no choice sometimes. You have to be their voice. They can't speak up for themselves can tgey

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notquitegrownup2 · 27/07/2016 15:03

It certainly doesn't sound ideal. Since it is the holidays, have a look to see if they do classes then - assuming that you are in the UK. My sons made brilliant progress going every day for a week - more than they would have done on the once a week lessons. If he makes huge progress he might be due to move up a class anyway?

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Justaboutafloat · 27/07/2016 15:04

Find another class where you can see your child swim and enjoy watching him progress - its meant to be fun :)

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Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 15:06

Thanks for the replies. I don't think I'm overinvested. I haven't spoken to the teacher since he started almost 7 months ago and it's her who choose to speak to me that day. As I'm paying for the classes I do expect him to be making some progress and not staying at the same level and in the same class indefinitely. I have not pestered the teachers because tbh I know he has improved because when I take him swimming I notice that he is better at swimming on his back etc. My issue was with her negative wording calling my son difficult in front of a room full of people and him. Also that she only focused on the negative rather than telling me that he had won races that day.

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Scholes34 · 27/07/2016 15:09

If you go swimming with him, you'll soon be able to see how well he's progressing when you're in the pool together.

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Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 15:10

I asked for feedback by filling in the form because I wanted to know what else did he need to do to be moved up to the next class so I could help him with that when I take him swimming. Also other parents I spoke to complained that their children had been in the same class for a long time and had not been moved up.

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Mari50 · 27/07/2016 15:20

By over invested I mean he's 3. At my DD's swimming lessons you can't even advance to the second level of lessons until you're 4 so what kind of feedback do you need? And he may well be stuck at the same point because he's only 3. I took my DD to Waterbabies from 6 months until she was almost 5, for the majority of the time she was rubbish and I wondered if she'd ever get the hang of it and then one day- off she went.
I've not spoken to my daughters swim teacher in 3 years. The important thing is that you and your son enjoy the lessons, obviously you don't, so maybe moving to a pool where you get to watch would be a start.

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MadamDeathstare · 27/07/2016 15:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

acasualobserver · 27/07/2016 15:45

I was really hoping - it being the summer holidays and all - that we'd get a break from shit teacher threads.

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deste · 27/07/2016 15:58

But he is progressing, he won two races. I used to teach swimming and and some children don't listen but in his case I would put it down to his age. He is very young and according to the teacher he can now swim, how is that not progress. They won't hold him back for no reason either. I would leave him and not interfere.

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Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 16:33

Sorry acasualobserver I'm actually a teacher too so know how critical people can be. Sometimes I worry though that this makes me less assertive for my ds as I tend to excuse or not want to bother the teacher even when there is a real problem. I only confronted this teacher because my son was so upset and kept repeating he was difficult. In nursery as well I also feel that maybe I gave his key carer a free pass for too long and it was only in the last term that I addressed my concerns and consequently he started to make improvement.

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thecitydoc · 27/07/2016 16:37

why don't you teach him yourself. I am a poor swimmer - my head never ever goes under the water - but started taking my son at around aged 1 and he took to it like a duck to water. By age 3 he was able to swim well. I can never understand why parents waste money on swimming lessons unless child has ambitions to be a competitive swimmer.

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Bumpkin2 · 27/07/2016 16:40

So it was your place to work on him listening better in class, but had never actually given you any feedback to say that he wasn't listening? How were you supposed to know that there was a problem that you needed to work on then?!

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Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 16:48

Exactly Bumpkin. Thecitydoc I'm actually not a good swimmer either. I never really got past level 2. I can swim but definitely not confidently and would probably drown in deep water. My ds also enjoys being in the water and he is able to swim well as the teacher told me and as I have observed. I just want him to move on because when I checked the skills he had to learn in stage 1 he seemed to have most of them and he is in the prebegineers.

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EweAreHere · 27/07/2016 16:49

The swimming teacher appears to lack training when it comes to dealing with young children and their parents. And the set up is not ideal for parents of young children, who have every right to want to know how their children are progressing (good, bad or otherwise!) because swimming is an important skill and lessons are very expensive!

I would move him and tell them why.

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deste · 27/07/2016 17:01

If you are a poor swimmer you will have bad habits, why would you want your child to be a poor swimmer with bad habits.

I watched a swimming class this morning, the children were swimming in lanes. The best swimmer went first and had a lovely stroke, by the end of the line the stroke got worse and worse and they were a lot slower because I suspect they weren't listening and had bad habits. I could see she was demonstrating but some of them changed nothing. It's down to the teacher to demonstrate but also down to the children to get results also.

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Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 17:02

Thanks for the advice. It's good to know I wasn't being over the top. I plan to move him back to the pool where he had lessons before. They also didn't give feedback but I could watch him from the side during the lesson so didn't need it. We stopped going as it was really early and I had to get rid of my car in January. But will see if they have other classes.

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antiqueroadhoe · 27/07/2016 17:07

How are going planning to move forward?

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antiqueroadhoe · 27/07/2016 17:08

Sorry just seen that last message. Hope it works out better.

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Memoires · 27/07/2016 17:49

It sounds to me like your swim teachers are inexperienced and unused to dealing with any other side to the lessons than the actual pupils.

Maybe their business plan requires x number of kids at y level for z time, and they're just sticking to that, or maybe they don't have enough places in higher classes so they have a jam at the lower levels rather than lose kids altogether.

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purplevase4 · 27/07/2016 18:07

It does surprise me when people who are paid to work with kids moan when they are less than perfect. I don't mean in schools, I mean leisure activities such as this.

They are not in school. It is a leisure activity. If they can't deal with less-than-perfect-children, don't do the job.

Perfect children don't exist. Some are better at listening than others, and some will listen but be less good at putting what the teacher says into practice. We are not automatons, and swimming is a very technical activity. I don't always get it right in my mid 40s. It seems a bit much to have a go at a 3.5 year old for not getting it all the time.

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Needabreaknow · 27/07/2016 21:43

Thank you for the replies. They have been helpful to get perspective. I agree purple. But if I say it's because of his age I'm sure she would see it as an excuse. Actually one of the problems is that the teachers don't get in to the water with the kids so the children need to be able to listen to what the teacher says above all the noise from the pools and also be able to process the instruction without a demonstration which for a 3-4 year old is a hard task.

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