parent teachers: can you work in the same school your child is in?

[vannah]

Just wondering if it is possible to teach in the same school that my son attends?
If any out there does this, is it practical/complicated/awkward...etc?

thankyou

[Feenie]

A couple of my colleagues have (primary). I really couldn't, I think it takes a certain type of personality to stand back and let colleagues get on with it. I am not that person!

Something I think my colleagues have underestimated sometimes is how other teachers feel when teaching these children - from that perspective, it isn't easy.

[bloss]

Message withdrawn

[CMOTdibbler]

As a different perspective, I went to the same infants school as my mum taught at.

I tended to get over disciplined, and my mum always knew about any transgressions - which could be tough. Had to separate mum from Mrs Cmotmum, and use her formal address from 9-3, as well as all the other teachers.

Some teasing from the other children, but not too bad.

I knew people in the same school as their parents later, and they found it very hard at secondary level

[clam]

Quite a few of the teachers at my school, past and present - myself included, have had their kids in the same school, and a large proportion of the TAs do.
I was always at the top end of KS2 when they were lower down. Can't recall any problems - they liked it, actually, and it adds to the idea of a friendly, family-orientated school.
As it happens, I moved them somewhere else for Year 5 and Year 3 respectively, but that was for different reasons.

[wannaBe]

Most of the teachers at my ds' school actively choose not to have their children at the same school they teach at, although we do have one whose chils is a pupil at the school.

From people I know who have done it, a lot say that the children struggle when they go to secondary, as they've been so used to their parent being there, even if they've not been an active part of their school life, iyswim.

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

My mum taught at the secondary school I went to. There were several other girls in the same position.
Fortunately for us she was a popular teacher and I was well-behaved. There was one girl whose mum was an unpopular teacher and she used to get a hard time.

[Dingbatgirl]

My dad taught at my secondary school as well.

It was commonplace for children to come up to me and say "your dad's a bastard." I remember feeling very embarassed once in assembly when he held up a shoe and said "someone's lost a shoe - if any of my children did this, it would cause them alot of heartache!" Of course, as a teenager this was embarrassing and you think everyone is looking at you. My friend still tells me about she remembers my dad frightening
everyone to death once talking about the symptoms of gonorrea

I wasn't really that happy at school and felt very under pressure to behave really well all the time and not put a foot wrong with his colleagues.

Although he got countless people through their physics O'Level....I think he was well-respected.

[Lemontart]

When I taught in a previous existence, a huge number of the teachers had their children at the school. It was the best school in the area and was common practise. As there were so many of them, the kids didn?t find it too problemmatic or weird. I found it hard sometimes, if a teacher?s child was playing me up and needed to speak to a colleague and say "please put on your parent hat for a minute". Not all of them could make the switch fully IYSWIM. Some would cheat the system - approached by a senior teacher to "do him a favour" and extend an A level coursework deadline... and another asked me outright to change their child?s school report as they thought I had been overly negative .

The school had a policy to try to actively avoid any parent having to teach their own children. That definitely helped avoid a lot of issues.

[Lemontart]

sorry - bad grammar there, rushing more than usual. Never could get my practise and practice the right way round when not thinking!

[PuppyMonkey]

My friend's dds attend the school she teaches in. Although she's specified they're not ever in her class. Don't know whether that's always possible if there is more than one class in each year. It works well for her, but she is a real professional no nonsense type person and she just gets on with stuff. Keeps home life for home etc.

[PuppyMonkey]

Primary school, btw.

[vannah]

many thanks for these replies. Useful to know it can be done...obviously there are implications. Will think about it.

[AlderTree]

Yes, quite commonplace in the area where I work. Especially for TA's but also for teachers. Schools must like the message it gives. I would be worried if a teacher who lived loaclly didn't send their children to the school unless they had religious/space issues with it being one form entry and not wanting to teach them.

Stay professional, and bear in mind how you will handle teaching your children's friends especially if their paretns are good friends of yours.

[piscesmoon]

It happens a lot-it is much handier for the child care and you get to see them in school plays, sports days etc. I like it because it means that the staff have faith in the school.

[melissa75]

Hiya, my children are in the school I teach in...it is a primary. We had a long think about it at the time, and decided it would be ok, but I think it depends a lot of the personality of the child(ren), your own personality (as in, can you detach yourself from them throughout the day) etc...

I also have a few colleagues at my school who are in the same situation, and we switch for math sets (ability level) where some actually are then teaching their own child...I personally do not agree with this, but my colleague who does it is excellent at it, and keeps her professionalism to a top most priority (there was concern at first at parents giving their own child extra priveleges etc..).

I leave the teaching of my children to my colleagues, who I trust, and if they have specific concerns, they come to me about it. We do not discuss my children unless there is a specific problem or reason to do so (as you would have with any parent), I go to open evening appointments, but at a different time, because obviously I am still doing my own at the same time as my colleague is...but it allows DH to be able to attend as well.

From the other perspective, I currently have four "staff children" in my class, and there too we have no problems...every so often we discuss their child in the staff room, but it is only with the Mum there (one is a teachers child, the other three are TA's children), but I have no difficulty with doing it...in fact I kind of enjoy it, as it means that your colleague has great faith in you as well you get to know the parents that much better and can hence know different ways to help their child (based on home-school relationships)

[Beetroot]

most teazhers in private schools have their kids in the same school as they receive a massive discount (usually)

[mamadiva]

It seemed like half the kids in my secondary school were taught by their parents!

I have to say though for some reason they were never normal kids and I would put money on it that their behaviour was influenced by the fact the parents were there. Some of them were very bookish, would'nt say anything and were not liked because the minute you said 'oh I don't like that class because the teacher does this or the subject is shite ' within ear reach of them you were pretty much guaranteed that by the next day the teachers would be picking on you and telling you well if you don't like it go.

On the other hand some of them were the biggest arseholes you could meet who obviously felt the need to constantly show off to prove they could get away with murder, three boys went as far as to sit up the back of English snorting speed and coke to wind up the teachers

Then again I did go to a rough school and that was 7 years ago so may have changed

I just always thought those kids lives must be hell.

[GrimmaTheNome]

When I was at primary, nearly all the teachers had children in the school. My mum started at the school the same day I did!

Then at secondary, again quite a few kids had parents who were teachers. It was the local grammar, pre-comp days, so it was inevitable. I had my dad as chemistry teacher in the second form (yr 8 in new money) and for A levels. It wasn't a problem except for not knowing what to call him - so had to avoid referring to him!

I did get done out of a prize in the lower 6th cos dad was too un-pushy to point out I should have had it

[scienceteacher]

I used to teach in the same school as my son (not a diligent student). It was a bittersweet experience for both of us, but on the whole, positive.

I teach with my three girls and it is fine. If anyone says anything horrible to my DDs about me, they have been instructed to say, 'try living with her'. Apparently that is guaranteed to diffuse any anger and give the child a certain amount of street cred and sympathy.

I think that generally knowing what's going on in school is far more important than any of the downsides. At the moment, my children like having me in school for different reasons (my eldest can tap me for tuck money, for example).

Educationally, I don't interfere with anything to do with their teaching, and they don't get any priveledges. Overall, we try to keep our relationships as professional as possible.

[twinsetandpearls]

At the school I teach in quite a few staff have their children there and many more try to get them in, we are oversubscribed so not all get in. The head is very supportive of staff sending their children to the school as it adds to the family feel. It is also a sign of a good school

[pranma]

Both my kids went to the school where I taught-son in some of my classes,daughter not.Problems were minor but I wouldnt do it again for their sakes.

[littlebrownmouse]

I do it. Its fine. I did it because its a fabulous school with a really strong family atmosphere and ethos and has a good track record of staff children at the school. Everyone is used to it, nobody is bothered when they have to tell me what he's been up to (good and bad) but only in the way any other parent would be told. I'll see what happens when DD starts as she is a whole different kettle of fish to DS!!

[MrsAMorgan]

In the school I work at, Teachers are not allowed to work there if they have children already attending our school. I know 2 Supply Teachers who have a child in 6th Form, and the other in Year 7, and are both only allowed to be a Supply Teacher and not a full-time teacher.

[Beeziekn33ze]

A colleague impressed on her infant son that at school she was Mrs S, not Mummy. He hurt his leg quite badly on stage in a Christmas play. She wondered whether she'd gone too far when he cried not for her but for his teacher.

[Skimmedmilk1]

Lots do this in the private sector as they give big discounts for the children of teachers.