Shouty teacher

[ArabellaUmbrella]

DS is 9 and in Year 5. His teacher is also the Assistant Head and I would guess her age is late 50s. DS often comes home saying she's been shouting a lot. I know from talking to other mums that their children also say this. We have parents evening next week and I want to broach the subject but don't know what to say or how to phrase it.
I know teaching is a massively stressful job and I also know teachers are only human but I really don't think shouting shows good behaviour management or creates a positive learning environment. Any thoughts or ideas gratefully received.

I didn't say that you hadn't dealt with it, but when you say:

DS is almost certainly chatty with his friends but I know she's split them all up with the seating plan. Fair enough. It gives the impression that you see Ds's chattiness is something for the school to deal with and you are not terribly pro-active about it. That may not be the case, but I was basing my response on what you wrote.

I have been teaching for about 16 years and in that time I can think of 2 people I have taught alongside who seem to get a kick out of shouting at kids and would do so whether circumstances warranted it or not. They were wrong and should not have been teaching. I have known many many more who have been driven to shouting by being worn down, stressed and having got into a negative pattern of responding to unwanted behaviours.

If your son is chatty in class he needs to stop and if you have already taken steps to address this then great.

Be absolutely sure from your ds that this is the only reason he isn’t loving school this year. Then help him think about what he himself may be able to do to improve how he feels about the situation.

Make a separate appointment if you still feel it is really really necessary to discuss this, but raise it with her line manager / the deputy head, not the teacher directly.

Her age doesn’t necessarily mean she has taught for years or in several schools, btw. I don’t think it’s relevant to the thread or how you handle this situation.

theduchessstill
He has been chatty, he's been moved as have his friends, I am in complete agreement with this if it helps the class in general and him to settle down and work. I most certainly do not see it as the school's problem to deal with, if anything I wish the teacher had been more communicative with me about it, I've had to initiate a discussion with her already to work out what was going on. We've spoken at home about it and he knows its not acceptable behaviour.
Since he's been moved, he's still been coming home on a regular basis telling me that his teacher has been shouting a lot. I was asking in my OP how and what I could say to the teacher to broach the subject.
Shouting because you are worn down and stressed is still poor behaviour management and almost never as effective as using other strategies. A positive classroom environment is going to produce good and productive learners and I am not sure this teacher is providing that.

EffYouSeeKay
I know for a fact she's been teaching for almost 30 years and in a wide variety of schools because she told us in our meet the teacher meeting. I also know she has 5 grandchildren because she told us that too, Although apparently I'm not allowed to mention her age because its ageist

Ljdorothy
I didn't say she'd had enough, I said some teachers have had enough. I know this is true because I've worked with many of them and seen them leave the profession.
If she's trying to get the class back under control I would certainly hope she would be well on her way to doing so half way through the school year.

I'm going to leave this thread now as a lot of posters have been making a lot of assumptions about me, my parenting and my views of the teacher in question.
I was looking for good advice and haven't found it here.
I'm not going to justify myself or my views further.

I just think then that you would have been better to say in your op that your ds’s teacher ‘has many years experience across several schools’ rather than state her age and go on to say that this alone means she will have that level of experience. A lot of parents assume age = experience in teachers and it doesn’t at all.

And I still don’t think it’s relevant to how you handle it, as I said, anyway.

If you’re unhappy you speak to her line manager and leave parents evening for discussing your son’s progress in school.

And I gave you two paragraphs of advice before (I thought politely) mentioning your poorly explained reference to her age.

I’m now thinking you are very sensitive. Perhaps your son is the same.

I would have a chat, but not at parents' evening.

It's hard to tell if she's really shouty. I used to do schools workshops & couldn't ever be a teacher - I rate teachers, they're brave. 2 incidents have stuck in my mind for years tho.

1 school where there was constant, low level talking in classes. I was only there 1 day yet it massively irritated me. Kids that just don't shut up.

I asked a teacher how she coped..Her face was so weary and fed up as she turned to me 'Its like this all the time. It never stops. I can't stand it much longer'. She did raise her voice during class but if she hadn't, she'd not have been heard.

Another where a teacher was so lovely in morning as pupils filed in. I went past his class later as couldn't find hall, and stopped in my tracks. He was addressing whole class in such a harsh, angry, bitter tone. They hadn't done wrong - he was just threatening them not to do wrong. You could see some kids literally shaking. They must've been 5-6 years old. I wish I'd said something but, what do you say? It upset me for days.

But the only way to know if there's an issue is to have a word. You've said other parents have mentioned it. You can gauge any reason behind it all when you have a chat...I'm wondering if there are constant talkers in your DCs class, leading to teacher having to raise her voice and tell them to be quiet.

Just for context, DS 7 told DH I shouted at him and made him cry. DS was messing about getting toys out rather than putting coat and shoes on. At his age, I shouldn't have to stand over him to supervise every task and micro manage. When I told him off 3 times I knelt down at his level and told him in a very stern voice that they'd be no iPad now. I did not shout. Or lose my shit. But because we are not a shouty household, this is what DS felt had happened. He's generally a good boy and never in trouble at school so is not used to being royally told off.