DS Yr7 been told he has negative attitude towards subject

chloe74: of course it happens that an interested child knows more than the teacher - about a particular area of a topic, for instance. It also happens that a student believes that because they do know more, that they can thumb their nose at their teacher and muck about in class. These students would do well to learn the lesson of good manners, if they feel they have learned everything else already.

However, what they do not know anything about is the years of study involved in getting a degree, let alone the years of experience in their field. As I said upthread (and said to ds1)- for that, teachers deserve some respect.

I look on school not just as a place for learning about specific subjects, but also for learning about the way of the world. It is a rare person who has not had to work for a complete idiot of a boss, who knows less than they do themselves. It is even less rare to work with people with whom you have nothing in common or with whom you clash. The way you deal with it is what counts- and this can be learned during school, with situations like this, if everyone is prepared to put in the effort.

And if you are truly bleating about his right to an education, then he's the one removing the human rights from his classmates, by preventing their education. Bit of an own goal.

Human rights?

To entertainment? It's a new one on me, and belittles the real necessity of human rights in far worse places than y7 Spanish.

I must have missed the bit where someone filled my bank account with free cash, tbh. As a working family, I still can't afford private. If a child is genuinely bored, that is a problem that needs to be dealt with.

Even a bored kid shouldn't be disruptive though, that's just plain bad manners, and needs to be stopped immediately.

Sure, deal with the boredom. But don't ever let the kid think it's okay to be disruptive. I don't care how bored you are, shut up and read a book. It's less obtrusive than chatting and pissing about. And then get your mam to address your differentiation requirements. Don't make the teachers and other pupils lives a misery because you don't have showgirls or an iPod to keep you amused.

SHoHoHodan - I agree with you 99%. But I have first hand evidence that so called 'degrees' are not proof of being correct. Sometime an interested child actually does know more than the teacher, I wish they would stop punishing the child for that .

Hmm. I had this a few times with ds1. What I did was arrange a meeting with the teacher, his year Head and ds1 himself. I would ask the teacher what the lessons involved and where he/she felt that ds1 wasn't paying attention/doing his best, then I would ask ds1 what his thoughts were on what the teacher had said.

The thing is, no matter how honest your child usually is, there's almost always some embellishment on the truth, plus a certain amount of 'forgotten' stuff, I've found. So the true facts may be that (for instance), your ds is chatting more than he thinks he is and that there is other stuff in the lessons to engage his interest (but he may not be fully recognising this because he has already disengaged by chatting/mucking about.

What I also used to say to ds1 was this: there are good teachers and there are not-so-good teachers. You will almost certainly have personality clashes with some of your teachers throughout your school career, just as you would anyone else-because teachers are human beings, just like you or me. They have bad days like you do too. But the one thing they have is a degree, which you (my ds1, that is) do not yet have. For that alone, you will listen to them because they know more about their subject than you do and they deserve your respect. (Sometimes I also used to add that I personally couldn't imagine having to try and teach a bunch of ungrateful little wretches day-in, day-out )

Strangely enough, on more than one occasion ds1 had the same teacher for a subject higher up in the school and the situation was completely different- whether it was because ds1 was growing up and therefore more able to relate more to them or what, I don't know, but it certainly happened.

changeforthebetterforObama - I appreciate its not PC to discuss 'teaching' issues but its always wrong to blame it on the kids. And it says it all when teachers with a financial interest prefer to resort to insults rather that justify their tax payer funded jobs for life with gold plated pensions.

First ever for Chloe. You really have it in for teachers. You should get a job with Michael Gove. Do naff off now, won't you?

Children are born innocent, a blank slate. Anything that comes out of them is the result of input from adults.

Seems a few parents on here still feel children aren't due their human rights. Shame

Ha. If a child is at fault it's ALWAYS the fault of the adult
Ok. It's official, you're deranged.

Chloe. You would ask the teacher what they have done to earn the respect of their pupils????? Words fail me.

madwomanintheattic ? I actually agree with most of your opinions. I don't like differentiation either, would prefer selection, but its not available where I live. And I certainly wouldn't advocate my children being disruptive. I would class mine as educated but not beyond anything any parent that tried could do, in terms of sats level they are ?bright? but I see them as ?normal?. Every time I talk to teachers all they say in response refers to differentiation, seems there is no alternative barring private.

However I disagree that if you are in it you have to put up or shut up, that's just class snobbery middle class parents use. Exactly how does a low income family (still pay taxes for education) who have to work have any choice? That sort of elitist opinion makes me feel very mad, like we have to shut up and accept our status in life and don?t do anything to better ourselves...

If my child was bored in class because a lazy teacher cant be bother to give them something challenging then its the teacher that should be sacked. If you prefer to silence your children rather than address the teacher then you are are part of the problem to be removed.

threepiecesuite - -glad to hear an honest teacher for once. I would rather you did your best to get kids interested in the language/culture/learning/cuisine/mythology in class and pushed the vocab to homework where parents can find the best way for them to learn it (like we did with spellings at primary). It doesn't work the other way around and many of us remember hating MFL teachers who can?t do this. There is so much to excite and interest children about different cultures, it is just wrong the way many schools takes the soul out of learning.

Themumsnotroastingonanopenfire ? Who is responsible, the adult or the child? If a child is at fault its ALWAYS because of the adult. In this case it could be the parents but we can only go on the info of the informed parent.

I love the way people are taking it for granted that this teacher is crap at her job and her lessons involve nothing but copying from the board on the word of a disruptive eleven-year-old.

(And believe me, any search of my posts would suggest that on occasion I have pontificated over homeschooling, rather the dreadful one-size-doesn't-fit-anyone sausage machine excuse that is British state education.)

But if you are in it, you have to put up and shut up. You can negotiate towards differentiation, but on no occasion does any child get informed that it is okay to mess about if he is bored.

No way you are going to persuade me of that one.

Before even opening the thread, I knew it would be a languages-related post... :-(

I'm a Spanish teacher. It's a brand new subject for most Yr7s. Some take to it,some don't. The ones who don't are, in the main, boys who find it too drama-y/too hard/too much to write/pointless.

I do everything I possibly can to bring the culture to the classroom, but there is a lot of vocab to learn and remember and that is hard for many/not what they are used to.

And I'm talking about my kids. I will not have them disrupting other people's children's learning. End of.

It's a shame that other parents (you) feel that being bright gives (your) kids the right to do this.

Differentiation would be perfect if it existed.

I'm not a teacher. I'm a parent of three gifted children that don't disrupt classes.

Dominodonkey - I know loads of 'stupid' people with degrees, it is no indication of teaching ability. 17 years of education, could be 17 years of bad teaching. A teaching qualification, again is not indication of being a good teacher. I do agree pupils should be able to be quiet when appropriate but I do not accept this is an acceptable way to cover up bad lessons.

Bright children should not be left to sit in the corner bored out of their minds. Is it so hard for teachers to give them interesting and challenging work to do? At the very least why not let any child who has finished pull out a book and read, or get on with work from another class. Come on its not hard, I do not see anything humane or useful from asking a child to be seen and not heard.

madwomanintheattic - I only said that in response to one of your posts. I accept you are a parent/teacher that prefers to rule with an Iron fist, but I do not accept your right to force that opinion on other people. We left the Victorian era behind and there are far better ways to challenge and stretch bright children. I am sick of having to berate teachers when children offer answers that are correct but told they are wrong because the teacher is 'incorrect'. And if I heard of a (you) teacher "chewing them a new arsehole" I would come down on you like a ton of bricks. You are right that a lot of teachers are unable to differentiate, but that's because teachers has a job for life and ability has never been important. We need to get rid of those teachers.

And one of my gifted kids is also one of the slowest ones. she has the highest iq in the school, but her cerebral palsy means her fine motor struggles with recording.

I am blown away by your stupidity, tbh.

Shame.

Shame my arse.

Walk in these shoes for ten years and then come back, you know not of what you speak.

Chloe, don't be stupid. I've got three gifted children. Why would I think that? Oddly, I expect my very able children to shut up, do as they are told, and accept that their peers may be working slower. If I found out they were chatting and being disruptive, I would be chewing them a new arsehole.

Appropriate differentiation is a grand old concept. Sadly not many teachers can manage it. I can only assume that you have been extremely lucky with your bright children to receive great teaching if you can afford to make ill judged and ridiculous comments like that. Or are you going to tell me that your kids are jolly gifted and piss the teacher around because they are bored? Nowt to do wit kids at all?

You are talking absolute bollocks, and clearly have no idea how children should behave. (Is that comment equally as stupid as offensive to you as yours was to me?)

And no, I'm not denying the very real possibility of twice exceptional kids who struggle with traditional schooling methods. One of my gifted kids also has ADHD and aspergers traits. I would still rip him a new one if he was disruptive in the classroom.

Tsk. What shite.

chloe 74 are you an OFSTED inspector?
"I would ask the teacher what they have done to earn the respect of their pupils" - Probably 17 years of education, a degree and a teaching qualification plus many years teaching - the child doesn't have to bow or scrape just not talk when he shouldn't be.

OP- If you came in and told me your child was disruptive and talked because the lesson was boring I would be disgusted. I know you have generally been supportive of the teacher in your posts but please don't even hint to your son that his behaviour may be justified as it will do him no good in the long run.

The cry of "my child is fine in other lessons" means nothing, this teacher may have higher standards (nothing wrong with that), he may be in other lessons with more disruptive children so he flies under the radar or the other teachers may be too busy to contact you at the moment so not contacting until it becomes a major issue.

racingheart - exactly what about challenging and stimulating lessons creates a sense of entitlement? However, boring and dull lessons do create the sense that learning is a core not a joy. No one is asking the teachers to be entertainers but they are supposed to teach children that learning is enjoyable. Learning by rote, copying down endless text off the board etc teaches noting but a robotic process that involves zero thought. Learning to cope with boredom is not the same as learning to concentrate. If you are saying that the Asian cultures achieve better than us by creating endless 'cloned' children that are highly educated slaves with no ability for independent, inspirational thought then you are right.

The answer is not to compete with those countries but to do what England used to do best before the last government created the culture of making everyone equal at the bottom. We should be stretching the brightest children so they love learning and go on to invent, discover, create, lead, innovate, inspire and all the things that made Britain a Great country.

madwomanintheattic - case in point, you seem to think its better to hold the bright children back to help the 'slowest' ones. Shame.

It is also a shame every school has a few 'less than gifted' teachers that children just have to cope with. The more academies we have the more parents can pressure heads to sack the bad ones and reward the good ones. Our children deserve better.

sorry my third paragraph got very muddled, was on the phone to dd at the same time.