Very scary maths teacher

CathyCampbell

What exactly are you going to complain about?
And what outcome do you want?

Because none of the examples that you give will get any sort of response other than a shrug (and yes) eye rolling.

In all seriousness, there is a step up in expectations at secondary.

Students are expected to have their uniform, anything they need for the lesson, and manage their own belongings.

For a lot of students this is something they get worried about, but for the vast vast majority after the first week they are fine.

For those who are not fine usually pastoral support or the Sen department will step in - I have taught many students with autism for example where I kept a maths pencil case and calculator for them that school provided.

It's a step on the road to adulthood, as is learning to manage PE kits, lockers, bus passes etc. for most kids it's a big step up in independence.

The teachers have a much less personal relationship than at primary. At primary in general one person teaches 30 kids for the whole year with maybe some specialists for art or French.

At secondary the teacher might have 7 classes of 30 kids each. Speaking personally, even with a really good memory it's hard to get all the names quickly.

Again, this is a stepping stone so that the students get better at managing relationships with larger numbers of people because as they progress to college and then to university there will be more and more independence but also bigger classes. University lectures can have up to 400 people and the student needs to have learnt by that point to turn up with what they need and how to learn from someone they don't have a social relationship with.

The same teachers who the year 7's think are scary are the ones the year 11's are doing handmade cards for at the end of GCSEs because they have got the grades they need to.

Behaviour is a huge problem in secondary schools, those teachers who have mastered discipline are like gold dust, they are doing it for the children not themselves.
Take a look at Michaela school, state school in a deprived area with almost a third on free school meals. It is known as the strictest school, for example children are not allowed to talk in the corridors. Their recent GCSE results, 50% grade 9. They outstripped the vast majority of private schools. They literally have changed lives of young people with troubled backgrounds.

In general the strict teachers usually are the best ones.

Help your dd understand that if she does what she is told and works she will be fine. She is old enough to handle herself now and she will grow out of this.

For gods sake don’t wade in and complain about this.

It's maths. It's focused. Disciplined. Lots to learn and not enough time. Just tell her to keep her head down and listen and she will be fine

The thing is, mutual respect takes time to be established, and in secondary school that involves a good few weeks because each teacher sees their classes for less time. In the meantime, if clear lines in the sand are not drawn in a more authoritan style at the start, the learning environment is never calm enough to build into respect, because children's behaviour descends into chaos really, really easily.
So for an adult workplace of course your policy makes sense, because nobody chooses to throw furniture/stationary/ hurt others/destroy stuff "just for fun". Whereas teenagers regularly do, if they think they can get away with it.
Maybe, just maybe, believe the teachers who are posting as we have, unlike you, actually lived these scenarios. Drawing parallels to any other workplace miss the point, because workplaces are full of people who have been taught how to behave properly so know how to follow those rules. How? By going to secondary school...

When I was a child at secondary school, we had some older teachers near retirement who had been teaching since the 50s. They were very much more strict and intimidating than the description of this teacher. At least she's not throwing the board chalk, or worse the wooden board rubber at the students!

Clearly I don't think anyone should be doing that, and I think that pulling sneering faces and eye rolling is not the way to interact with students.

When I was teaching, with new year 7s in September there was no need to be extra strict because they were mostly a bit trepidatious of "big school" and the kinds of tales children tell each other. It was the year 8s you had to be on the button with.

Seriously? Do you know how disruptive some children can be? It's a great methods to state the expectation at the start.
Teachers are there for teaching children, not to be friends, or be an entertainment. The ones who are wiing to earn can get the joy of learning even from strict teachers, imo.

She'll get used to it

All she has to do is sit there learn and keep her mouth shut

My DD was a chatterbox and would come home upset after getting told off

I had no sympathy for her because I know she's causing a massive disruption for the class especially as so many DC find maths difficult

A good teacher keeps her pupils in check from the start

It's easier in private schools because they arrive well conditioned but in state schools classes can be an absolute disaster unless there is a strong teacher at the the helm

They soften once the pupils know their place

https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/eye-rolling/

Someone holding a child in contempt is not worthy of it.

The response from some of the teachers on here is exactly why I'm considering it for my children. I can't stand the idea of them being "taught" in this kind of environment with this authoritarian style.

When I was a child teaching seemed to be a largely joyful profession and I never encountered this behaviour. It seems wrong to me that it's clearly not a teacher at the end of their rope (first week of term), so this is down to the training, culture and values of this particular teacher and possibly the school.

In my workplace's behaviour charter, eye rolling was listed as an example of unacceptable/uncivil work behaviour. I don't think that children should be subjected to it either.

You need to tell your dd to buckle up and impress her by doing the work.

If it were my DD I’d tell her that she best pay attention to her teachers expectations, keep her head down, do the work. I don’t blame any teacher for scaring the living daylights out of their pupils from the start. We had some horrible lessons where teachers were bullied by students at my school, one had a total breakdown, it was horrific and the children involved should have been suspended tbh.

It’s a good thing for your DD to be in an environment where the teacher is actually in control of the class.

My son had similar with an English teacher in y8, but like other's experience, after a few weeks I think they were less strict (after setting the ground rules) and my son had started to like them. By the end of school year he really liked them and his English improved significantly over that year.

Also the teacher may currently.call then all "child" because they are learning people's names. It's taken me 3 days with my primary school class to learn 28 children's names off by heart, and that's being together the whole day. Depending kn the size of the secondaryschool, the teacher will have come across up to 120 new pupils this week for an hour or two tops. Some teachers just take longer to learn names.
She does sound scary but it's life.

Speak to the Head of Year if she still feels like this by the end of next week.

You need to let your daughter work it out on her own. This is secondary school. If she is "terrified" at this, she needs to learn resilience. your stepping in won't help her to learn this.
Also, there is a recruitment crisis for secondary maths teachers nationally, so, whether or not this is your "ideal" style of teacher for your daughter, it is far better for her to have the consistency of one terrifying subject specialist than 5 or 6 different non-specialist teachers.
The teacher may have had horrific behaviour last year and just be trying to avoid having furniture thrown at her/be spat on/sworn at/hit. Obviously this is not your daughter's fault, but I think you need this perspective too.

This was the same advice I gave, to give it time, but I do believe that if a teacher dismisses questions that are relevant or belittles kids who ask questions, even if they seem silly that are relevant to the lesson or subject then they’re wrong and that needs to be addressed.

So fucking glad I home ed my kids. Jesus.

Then it appears we agree.

In a case, I think the teacher is setting expectations and that it will prevent chaos by half term. I also think that she’s probably not rolling her eyes or sneering, as I know that kids misinterpret lots and often talk absolute shite. I think that the OP needs to tell her DD to keep her head down and see how things pan out.

The expectation from secondary is different from primary.
At the parent evening when my dc was starting secondary, they've tod us that they do act really tough at the start of year 7.
Isn't that the case there too?

But tbh, it's silly that one strict teacher can stop a child from wanting to go to school.

Were you in my lesson today ???
Think my eyes rolled out the back of my head at one point ?

Lots of children in the first maths lesson ask
inane questions.

Usually it is because they are terrified of getting it wrong but by the fifth time someone asks "do I have to underline the title" you need the patience of a saint not to show any annoyance.

Types of questions you get asked;

Can I use a pen?
What colour pen can I use?
(Follow up from 20 children asking you to check their choice of colour - all shades of blue)
Can I use a pencil (this person is now worried they have to use a pen)
Do I need a ruler?
Can I borrow a ruler?
Can I get out of my seat to borrow a ruler from my friend?
Can I go to the French lesson to borrow a ruler from my friend (NO!)

Etc etc

You think all the children on the first lesson were asking inane questions? Of course I’m not referring to the latter, but if children are asking questions relevant to the subject, lesson or the school they don’t warrant being rewarded with an eye roll.

Also there is a difference between being firm and in control and being a wanker.

Teachers often go in a bit tough with year 7 to set expectations. Believe me, if you lose control of a class early on, you’re in for a nightmare.

Tell your daughter to keep her head down and work hard.

I was terrified of loads of teachers when I went into year 7. It was a big shock from our friendly primary teachers, but I figured it was part of secondary and I got used to it. After a few months, I realised they were decent teachers, but this wasn’t primary anymore and sometimes teachers were more strict.
She’ll be fine. Don’t mollycoddle her too much, she needs to get used to different types of teaching and different teaching personalities.

I would speak to her head of year and explain what is happening and ask for a solution. It may be a change of class, but could also be a word in the teacher's ear to go easy on year 7s, or a chat between your daughter and the teacher who helps her understand her bark is worse than her bite. If none of that works, I hate to say it but get her a maths tutor this year so she doesn't fall behind. (I say this because if she is afraid to ask for help, she may get into a bit of a pickle). I would also talk to your daughter about not letting one bad apple spoil her year 7 experience. Maths teachers are hard to recruit and the quality varies. Throughout secondary my daughter had some great ones, but also an horrendous one who sounds similar and also refused to help students who couldn't do the work if they had talked in the lesson - even if they were asking a friend for help. I spent quite a bit of time with senior members of staff that year. I also got her a tutor. It all turned out well in the end.