To think teachers' kids have all the advantages

I'm a teacher and my kids are both v academic. It's the expectation that they work really hard and always value school. They don't really get a choice in this! God knows what will happen when they are teenagers and they decide to rebel.

I have a few teacher friends. Their dc are pretty normal. Some have a few issues, some don't, some are popular and bright, some aren't.

Most teachers are exhausted, I hear the same sorts of complaints from my teacher friends that me and my social work colleagues complain about - being burnt out and giving your emotion reserves to other people's dc rather than your own.

Agree with value on education and relatively contemporary knowledge of exams or curriculum.

I think what is seen in the home environment, around the kind of work a teacher does, also counts. Lots of marking, exam season, and a 3-term rhythm that works roughly for parents as well as the children, without some things like busy financial year ends, AGMs, or similar. Some things woven into (drummed into) the day-to-day childhood things you do (the maths/engineering of playground equipment, or your bike, or Christmas trees spring to mind for me).

My son is a high flyer - always has been. However I don't "teach" him at home.

That said, being a teacher I couldn't help but be constantly aware of certain points e.g. the importance of installing a love of reading from a young age. I read to him pretty much every day and have done since he was a baby.

He is a naturally logical thinker and is able to understand new concepts quickly and has a fantastic memory - he will remember a fact after hearing it just the once. These natural traits fit in perfectly with academics.

I do encourage him to pursue his interests (trains 4 times per week in his favourite sport and loves reading certain authors) however I don't "push" him academically. I don't want to be one of those parents that pushes their children to breaking point. I simply instil the importance of education and explain that he should make the most of it.

I agree with this.

My sister is a teacher. 20+ years.

Because teachers value education and know how to motivate their children. And they know the curriculum so know what to focus on.

Cultural capital.
Value on education.

I’m at sahm but an ex secondary teacher. My oldest is in year 1 she isn’t exceptional bright but has a summer birthday and is toward the top end of the class in an affluent area.

She reads to us every evening and we always read to her. We visit places, do activities, talk about politics at the dinner table and other things. I had no idea how to teach little ones so lockdown was a learning curve like most parents and it was hard with a difficult baby in tow but we kept trying with it.

Not in my experience. Teachers' DC were quite run of the mill.

Maybe these genetically bright kids are also pushed to not show up their parents

I am not really a fan of having teachers have their own children in the school they teach in and certainly not the class.

They might have academic advantages but socially it’s awful.

As a sweeping generalisation, teachers probably:

• Value education so encourage their DC to work hard, along with things like reading to them from a young age.
• Have an idea how to motivate/teach their kids at home, plus have an awareness of how schools work. Of course this will depend on age and subject, but some of it will be transferable
• Have friends/colleagues they can ask for advice in areas outside their remit.

But I don't think this is all exclusive to teachers. Other professionals can do similar, with slightly less awareness of exactly how schools run.