Heartbroken about DS's teacher

All those things make them a good teacher in that they can teach the children what they know, but that's no good if they don't know what the children need to learn.

All those qualities make a good teacher yes but at the end of the day, in Y1 with the phonics screening test etc, a good teacher needs to be able to spell words like:

Chill
Finger
Dentist
Phone

Thanks, but as a primary teacher and headteacher I know all about what makes a good teacher! I agree with everything you say (it sounds like many job applications I have read). But a teacher who demonstrates all those qualities but teaches children things that are incorrect is not a "great teacher", though they may well have fantastic teaching skills.

I have had teachers with spelling difficulties in my school and have no problem with that, as long as they recognise their problem, acknowledge their difficulty to the children and model how to overcome it by double-checking, using dictionaries and word lists, etc. That is much easier with older primary children.

But teaching five-year-olds incorrect spellings? No. That is no more acceptable than teaching them incorrect arithmetic "facts" would be.

Do you mean *doesn't stop them being a great teacher?

There is so much more to education than spelling, a good teacher requires many skills. Nurture & understanding to begin, to make each student feel that they can achieve their dreams, to give them confidence, to show them that getting things wrong or making mistakes is also an important part of learning - there's nothing worse than a child scared to try because of the fear of failure. A good teacher is able to make learning feel exciting, get children curious, inquisitive, gives them a voice & the drive to want to know more, to push themselves out of their comfort zone, whilst knowing when to ease off too, a teacher shows equality & is inclusive.... Without this, it could be the most educationally gifted person in the entire world teaching our children, but it would mean nothing.

Has it? I still think the OP is being UR with her original issue. I just agree that teachers should be able to spell.

Amazing how this thread has turned around........

Phew!

Yes. How can someone be a great teacher if they routinely teach children to spell wrongly?

If they are teaching children incorrect spelling it does stop them being a great teacher.

I would write a polite letter about it to the headteacher. He/she might not know and should be told. Maybe that TA would be better in a class with younger children not likely to write such difficult words. If that's not possible, she should be told not to correct spellings without checking in a dictionary first.

@ItsAlrightDarling Oh that would really annoy me! Did you raise it with the school again? That TA should not be in the position of marking spelling. I think you should encourage your daughter to find her voice with this though.

I (gently) pointed them out to her teacher who was mortified and said she believed the corrections been done by the class TA (and my daughter confirmed this). Teacher said ‘spelling isn’t her strong point’ regarding the TA. I said that if she knew spelling wasn’t her strong point she should probably check the spelling of words before she crossed them out and corrected them in a student’s book.
I spoke to my daughter when I got home and she said she knew her spellings were right but she didn’t correct the TA at the time as ‘it would be rude’. It has happened again, multiple times, since my conversation with the teacher.

Agreed. At our last parents evening I was looking through my daughter’s books (year 5) and found 3 words that she had spelled correctly that had been crossed out and replaced with an incorrect spelling.

I'm kind of with OP on this tbh, if a teacher has dyslexia so severe she can't spell the words you're likely to be using with a Y1 class, she either needs to develop strategies (have new words copied out in advance of the lesson, use a spelling dictionary, use a spell checker) or accept that teaching small children to read and write might not be the best career choice.

The Year One teacher might not have been able to spell but you clearly can’t think, so maybe it’s time to take off those judgey pants.

Nope. “Exceptional Circumstances” would be something negative eg a kid that bullies your child is in the same class and it would impact their learning to not be separated.

The new teacher sounds good and there’s every chance your child will grow to really like them and thrive as well.

You sound like an absolute nightmare. I bet other parents avoid you at the gate.

Entitled much! And as for the Year 1 teacher who “couldn’t spell” maybe they had dyslexia. That doesn’t stop them being a great teacher. They were obviously qualified. I suggest you get over yourself quickly as your son won’t be “popular” when he’s older with an over protective mother.

Why just YOUR child? What about every other child? That’s not how the primary system works. It’s so rare for teachers to take their class up to the next year. It’s not about continuity, were you concerned that his year 1 teacher didn’t take him to year 2? Or year 2 teacher to year 3? No. It’s not about continuity, you just want your own way because you like this particular teacher. Give other kids a chance with him.

Punished? That’s a bit extreme. Going to a new year group with a new teacher is the absolute norm, not a punishment. How do you know his new teacher won’t be great?
Your expectations sound unrealistic. Why should your child be prioritised? What if half the class wish they could keep Mr T, then what? It’s so normal for children to feel sad when they have to say goodbye to a teacher, but by September they’re forgotten and they move on with a new one. And if he still feels sad about it in September then it’s tough luck and he needs some resilience.

I am a teacher and you are the sort of parent all teachers detest and I guarantee you’ll be the talk of the staff room with this sort of batshit crazy behaviour. It’s absolutely nothing to do with you how the school allocates classes and teachers. Is your child the most important child in the school? No! Tbh it sounds a bit like you’re the one obsessed with Mr T… either way you’re bang out of order. Back off and get a grip ffs.