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Original poster

Male teacher school report

29 replies

Rhynswynd · 28/08/2020 22:05

We are having parent teacher interviews next week. We received the school reports ages ago before all the total covid madness hit us in Australia.
This one phrase in my dd school report has been bugging me ever since I read it and need to ask if I am over reacting.

Dd is 10 and has a male teacher. She was moved into his class this year even though she was supposed to be in a year 3/4 class for both years. First week of school he had her in tears (I can't remember why now) I spoke to him and it seemed to be a misunderstanding and then at the end of term 1 he wrote this phrase in her school report.

"It has been pleasing to see a change in her demeanour as time has gone on, as she started the year slightly sullen."

He has never spoken to me about why dd might be unhappy. It immediately made me think that my daughter is being told to "smile"

OP posts:
cariadlet · 28/08/2020 22:18

It seems a harsh (bordering on rude) word to use; I'm sure that I'd have had a report returned to me and I'd be asked to rewrite it if I called a student sullen.

Can't see the relevance of the teacher being male.

PumbaasCucumbas · 28/08/2020 22:16

Not sure if this is a sex of the teacher thing... but “Sullen” is not a great word for any teacher to use about a student.

User27aw · 28/08/2020 22:15

When my ds started in y7 i had a parent meeting with his tutor to have a chat about how he was settling in. He used the word sullen about ds, I wasn't too happy about it. I would have been less happy if it had been put in writing, sometimes when people speak they choose the wrong word, but there is no excuse in a report. Tbh my ds isn't very smiley on first meeting him so i do see what he meant but isn't a word i would expect a teacher to use.

Pipandmum · 28/08/2020 22:12

I think a female teacher could have written that too, though I don't think it's appropriate in either case. Sullen seems to imply that your child is purposely being contrary, when she could just be quiet and be unhappy for whatever reason.