What do you do when a teacher is wrong?

[RequiresUpdating]

Say your DC writes something that is more or less correct. And the teacher marks it wrong and corrects it with such a glaringly obvious mistake that you are a bit shocked. What do you do?

DD took it back to the teacher and asked her to look at it again and that what she had written was right, but the correction wasn't. Teacher said it was and DD's answer was also wrong (it wasn't).

How do you handle this?
Is it better to explain to DD that the teacher is wrong and people often don't like being told they're wrong which was why she refused to correct the marks? And leave it at that - that the teacher is wrong, some people refuse to apologise etc life lesson. I feel this would be a pity as DD really likes this teacher and was shocked when she was dismissive of her.

Do I call the teacher and speak with her and give her a chance to apologise to DD?

Call the teacher and ask her how she wants to handle it? If she wants to apologise or if she's sticking by her response to DD so I have to explain the above.

I don't even know if it should be raised higher, as the correction she wrote on DD's work shows such a level of incompetence about the basics of the subject she's supposed to be teaching the class, that we're wondering what else she's teaching them. I feel a bit sorry for her, she's newly qualified, DD's isn't the easiest of classes and I know other parents aren't happy with her, but I don't think many have officially complained.

What I'd do personally is say to my child that sometimes people get things wrong, not even teachers know everything, and often people don't believe they are wrong or find it hard to admit to mistakes.

Then I'd ask to have a word with the teacher at the end of the day and out of earshot of any children I'd point out the mistake, explain your DD was upset/confused, and tell the teacher what the correct answer is. Then leave it to her.

I don't think I would get massively worked up about that error. As long as your DD understands that the teacher made a mistake I would leave it at that.
It is quite good for schoolchildren to understand that teachers are fallible: Helps them to develop a critical approach to the alleged facts that they hear.

It's not usual to learn about electrons at primary school and a primary teacher wouldn't usually need to know about them. I couldn't get worked up about this.

Describe how you can use an object to create an electric charge by friction.

A teacher's job is to be an expert in what they're teaching. If they don't have an adequate grasp of what they're teaching and are imparting incorrect information to pupils - and refusing to admit/acknowledge/recognise when they have made a mistake, then they are not doing their job properly and have no business being in front of a class.

I would take this straight to the Headteacher, with evidence, and ask them to deal with it.

I'm afraid that, as a teacher with 10+ years of experience, the standards in teaching have been going down considerably over my years in the profession. Anyone with a pulse, particularly in primary, is accepted onto training courses, and the academic standards of a lot of entrants is low. You can be accepted onto BA Primary degrees at some universities with CDD in your A Levels. Many teachers I've come across in my career have been sorely lacking in basic literacy and numeracy skills, with very poor general knowledge. Being a teacher is not an indication of academic ability anymore, unfortunately.

@Random789 you wouldn't be annoyed by a teacher telling your child that positive repels negative? It's very basic science!

I think it depends whether it's a one off or something more serious.

DS's Year 5 teacher taught the whole class BODMAS incorrectly. I didn't think something so fundamental could be allowed to pass so I did write a note in (I couched it in "I think DS may be confused ... he says he's been told it works like this, rather than the correct way like this" terms). The next day DS came home and said they'd been "retaught it" the correct way and the teacher admitted to getting it wrong. I had visions of the teacher frantically looking it up after getting my note.

Small mistakes in passing, I'd let go.

Yeh I wouldn't get that worked up about that tbh. I could be a primary school teacher (as in I have the necessary quals) and my physics knowledge is not great. I must admit if a pupil queried my marking I would look carefully (and as a teacher I have been corrected more than once - and accepted it!). But I would let it go - it's not as tho the teacher cannot do basic maths.

especially as your child leaves in about seven weeks?

I was teaching a class about volcanoes and said that Vesuvius is on mainland Italy.
DHT pulled me into her office and told me to make sure I had my facts correct before teaching the pupils something.
Turns out a parent has phoned up to complain that I'd told the class that Vesuvius is in Italy when it's on Sicily 🙄.

It's hardly physics knowledge, it's basic general knowledge.

And if they cover electrons in class, then the teacher should know about them.

But as I said, the main issue is how she was dismissive of DD who went to her, and for DD, that took a fair bit of guts.

Ok, for aged 11 this might be a bit advanced but saying 'bits' will never really be to the advantage of the child. They needed to say 'the hair strands, now with additional/ extra electrons from the balloon, will repel each other within the hair strands, making the hair strands move apart from each other. '

Equally, I don't expect my primary or pre-GCSE level teachers to know that. Sadly, this is why we need more girls studying physics and chemistry at A-level and University and PhD level. It should be a norm and not an anomaly. I've worked with phd students (adults at Imperial College) who use the words 'bits' in their reports and I've felt utterly disappointed.

But the teacher can't do basic physics. And she's teaching basic physics. So that is a problem.

As a teacher, no, you can't and shouldn't be expected to know everything. But if you know you're teaching a specific topic, and you know you're not fully confident in it, then it's quite literally your job to go away and do your research to gain the knowledge you need before teaching it. It's not acceptable to make up a load of crap and then double down on your errors when challenged.

I put together a worksheet that said Lille was in Belgium. Lovely lovely student said Miss, I think it's in France. He was right of course. I was thinking of Liège. I admitted it at once and said well done to him for spotting it.

I wouldn't have expected that to come bak to me via my HoD tbh. Mistakes happen. I think the worst thing is that she refused to accept that she was wrong. IS this part of a pattern OP?

As this is a non-specialist primary school teacher, I would ignore it - no other teacher in the school will know any better. If it was a secondary school science teacher I'd be more concerned. Don't worry - static electricity is in the key stage 3 national curriculum, so she will cover it again.

When my 6 year old son told his primary school teacher that numbers go on to infinity, she told him "only God is infinite" so he very quickly learned that teachers don't always get things right. 🙂

Not very. I would be sure to explain the teacher's mistake to my child and then leave it at that. I'm pretty sure that, both as a pupil and as a parent, I have come across quite a few examples of teachers knowing less than I do about one thing or another. From memory, my sons and I would have discussed it in a fairly relaxed mildly eye-rolling way.
Teachers aren't appointed as subject experts. They are appointed for their training in teaching.
If there were several mistakes I might take it further.

But if you know you're teaching a specific topic, and you know you're not fully confident in it, then it's quite literally your job to go away and do your research to gain the knowledge you need before teaching it. It's not acceptable to make up a load of crap and then double down on your errors when challenged.

That's true and fair comment. I guess the teacher needs to learn that lesson so let the head know OP. I still wouldn't tho if I am honest.

At Primary I would challenge politely but directly by email. It is NOT undermining to speak the truth. The teacher is wrong, she needs to check her knowledge.

How a teacher deals with these sorts of events is important.

You also tell your child that she is correct and sometimes adults, including teachers, can be wrong.

I have had this exact situation with one of mine.

lololol at "only God is infinite" . That is exactly the sort of thing that my sons and I would have laughed at together. Learning about these sorts of foibles and limitations is part of education.

Sorry to keep picking on you but this really isn't an equivalent error.

Making a minor factual error is not the same as fundamentally misunderstanding a scientific law.

I remember once having a moment and incorrectly labelling a poem as having been written by Wordsworth when it was actually Keats. I noticed as soon as I handed the sheets out, was mortified, and got the kids to correct it for me. Simple error, easily fixed. Certainly wouldn't have expected a complaint.

However, if I'd taught the children that the poem was a sonnet when it wasn't, demonstrating I had no understanding of poetic form and structure, then that would be an error I would expect to be challenged on by my HoD, as it would highlight a serious lack of subject knowledge.

The OP's daughter's teacher fundamentally doesn't understand the science she is supposed to be teaching. That is something that needs to be addressed by the Head.

@Random789 yes, ok, explain that we all make mistakes. How would you explain the teacher's reaction to her? (Preferably without damaging her trust in her teacher, either as a person or a teacher.)

I would suggest that you complain
The teacher will leave and the school won't be able to recruit

Do you have every aspect of your work reviewed not by your clients but by their parents? Do you publish your daily work and ask for criticism? Have you never made a mistake when marking 90 pieces of work- possibly 1000 questions a day? (in your own time and unpaid?)

Was the teacher rude, then? Or did s/he simply not know that your DD was correct? If she was rude/belittling, etc that eould annoy me. But I got the impression that the teacher simply didn't realise that your DD was right, and so, in effect, repeated the 'correction' that s/he initially made in your DD's excercise book.

At 11yo they're old enough to know that teachers can be wrong.

I can remember a few times when a teacher marked something wrong when it was right. I confirmed I was right with another adult and moved on. But actually it meant I remembered it far better than otherwise.

I used to sit in the A-level physics lessons if the teacher was doing equations, wondering at what point to put up my hand and correct him. Did I do it as soon as he made the mistake, when sometimes he didn't believe me, or did I wait until the end so he knew he'd gone wrong before I said anything?
I learnt quite a bit from that. Firstly how to correct politely, secondly how to show the error was wrong without making a fuss about it, and thirdly how to explain what I knew was right in ways that all could understand.

Maybe she is H from Line of Duty 🤣