Active discussions

Best Amazon Prime Day deals: Mumsnet favourites

Best Amazon Prime Day deals:
Mumsnet favourites

Shop now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What do you do when a teacher is wrong?

147 replies

RequiresUpdating · 26/05/2023 20:56

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.

OP posts:
clary · 26/05/2023 22:18

It's OK @EnidSpyton I am not feeling picked on!

Yes I see entirely that this is a different kind of error and I actually said the OP should email the head.

If this teacher is a good teacher then hopefully the head will suggest that she makes sure she had mugged up on any wobbly topics in advance - and apologies to OP's DD; am hoping they will not sack her tho tbh.

Also glad I was never a year 6 teacher haha. I dropped physics in the third year and (honestly) I wouldn't have been able to mark the OP's DD's answer without looking it up. I did say just the other day that a) wish double science had been a thing when I was a teen and b) maybe I should learn the content for physics GCSE!

Whenwilliberich · 26/05/2023 22:19

I’ve just googled it and your dd is still wrong.

baloon deposits electrons on head, giving head a positive charge. Balloon becomes negative. Hair(+) is attracted to balloon (-).

looks as tho teacher just meant to write attract rather than repel.

or your teacher just didn’t know. You say it’s basic general knowledge but i don’t know if it is… i didn’t know!! Im not that clever but I am a teacher (of music).

giffgaffguff · 26/05/2023 22:19

RequiresUpdating · 26/05/2023 22:03

@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 say she's wrong, but doesn't realise she's wrong, so is defending her position.

If she had said the hair and the balloon attract each other, she would have been right - that's probably what she meant, but she got mixed up.

I don't suppose she'd ever thought about the hairs repelling each other - it's not generally mentioned at key stage 2/3. That's the thing about science education - it's built up in layers, with more in-depth explanations being given at later key stages. Non-specialist teachers can't always tell the difference between a child that is wrong and a child who knows more than they do.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
Whenwilliberich · 26/05/2023 22:19

I would also not email the head with this unless it’s in a series of mistakes…

wildfirewonder · 26/05/2023 22:25

RequiresUpdating · 26/05/2023 22:03

@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.)

Why are you concerned about 'damaging her trust in her'? Being young is a training ground - learning that not everyone can be trusted is useful learning for life!

I would say that some teachers don't check.

HelloIsItYouImLookingFor · 26/05/2023 22:25

Whenwilliberich · 26/05/2023 22:19

I’ve just googled it and your dd is still wrong.

baloon deposits electrons on head, giving head a positive charge. Balloon becomes negative. Hair(+) is attracted to balloon (-).

looks as tho teacher just meant to write attract rather than repel.

or your teacher just didn’t know. You say it’s basic general knowledge but i don’t know if it is… i didn’t know!! Im not that clever but I am a teacher (of music).

This ^^. Both your DD and teacher are wrong but like this poster said, I think the teacher meant to write attract rather than repel

SoGladofYou · 26/05/2023 22:37

I’ve taught Y6 and I would never of said that this was common knowledge! However, DH is a physicist and confirms that your daughter is correct.

I am really impressed that your DD knows her facts. It is a massive shame that her teacher won’t accept her answer and has actually told her that she is wrong. Could you arrange a meeting with her teacher, not so much because the teacher is wrong, but more to let the teacher know how your daughter feels. I probably wouldn’t go up the management chain over this however.

Growlybear83 · 26/05/2023 22:40

When something similar happened with my daughter it was the final straw and I moved her to another school. It came at the end of a dreadful year 2 with a truly awful teacher who had moved up with the class from year 1. It was a very small school, and this was one of the better teachers. My daughter came out of school one day and showed me her homework book, which the teacher had marked. She had crossed out part of a sentence where my daughter had written 'I would have...' and corrected it in large green letters to 'I would of...'. I was already thinking of moving her at this stage and when I saw this, I decided that her education was too important to waste time complaining about the teacher and to have another four years at the school with potentially even worse teachers, and applied for places at other schools the next day.

RunAwayTurnAwayRunAwayTurnAway · 26/05/2023 22:43

SoGladofYou · 26/05/2023 22:37

I’ve taught Y6 and I would never of said that this was common knowledge! However, DH is a physicist and confirms that your daughter is correct.

I am really impressed that your DD knows her facts. It is a massive shame that her teacher won’t accept her answer and has actually told her that she is wrong. Could you arrange a meeting with her teacher, not so much because the teacher is wrong, but more to let the teacher know how your daughter feels. I probably wouldn’t go up the management chain over this however.

"I would never of ..."

Year 6 teacher, you say?

Peacepudding · 26/05/2023 22:45

RunAwayTurnAwayRunAwayTurnAway · 26/05/2023 22:43

"I would never of ..."

Year 6 teacher, you say?

Show quote history

🤣🤣🤣

ohnononodefinitelynot · 26/05/2023 22:50

baloon deposits electrons on head, giving head a positive charge
More than one person on this thread confused about basic physics!

Pretty sure I read something recently about how we still don't understand in detail how this works, though - the interesting question being just why electrons are transferred between these particular materials by the rubbing.

Cocorico22 · 26/05/2023 22:52

Whenwilliberich · 26/05/2023 22:19

I’ve just googled it and your dd is still wrong.

baloon deposits electrons on head, giving head a positive charge. Balloon becomes negative. Hair(+) is attracted to balloon (-).

looks as tho teacher just meant to write attract rather than repel.

or your teacher just didn’t know. You say it’s basic general knowledge but i don’t know if it is… i didn’t know!! Im not that clever but I am a teacher (of music).

Glad I'm not the only pedant here 😅 was about to write the same, everyone in the OP's post is wrong, but the teacher was wronger (just)

giffgaffguff · 26/05/2023 22:54

HelloIsItYouImLookingFor · 26/05/2023 22:25

This ^^. Both your DD and teacher are wrong but like this poster said, I think the teacher meant to write attract rather than repel

Show quote history

The DD is not wrong. The hairs do repel each other and the hairs are attracted to the balloon. However the repulsion between the hairs isn't usually mentioned at Key Stage 2/3, so the teacher may not know it.

Here is a GCSE level explanation which does mention the repulsion between the hairs: https://studymind.co.uk/notes/static-charge/

Electricity - 2.5.1 Static Charge (GCSE Physics AQA) - Study Mind

In this GCSE Physics AQA Revision Guide, you will find high quality Static Charge GCSE Revision Notes and Past Paper Questions

https://studymind.co.uk/notes/static-charge

giffgaffguff · 26/05/2023 22:57

Cocorico22 · 26/05/2023 22:52

Glad I'm not the only pedant here 😅 was about to write the same, everyone in the OP's post is wrong, but the teacher was wronger (just)

Show quote history

No, you are wrong . The DD was correct. The hairs do repel each other, but it's not usually mentioned until Key Stage 4. 🙂

ohnononodefinitelynot · 26/05/2023 23:00

People, electrons are negatively charged. And breathe...

Porridgealert · 26/05/2023 23:03

It's absolutely abominable that this teacher said something wrong and she should be made to publicly apologise at school assembly with a big scarlet D for dunce around her neck and the children should provided with rotten fruit and vegetables to throw at her.
That'll teach her. Humiliation will drive home her atrocious error. And I'm sure the op and her daughter will feel so much better for it.

Bovrilla · 26/05/2023 23:04

RaraRachael · 26/05/2023 21:54

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 🙄.

WTF.

Got her Etna and her Vesuvius mixed up 🙄

Shinyandnew1 · 26/05/2023 23:04

So if this is KS4 content, what exactly should be taught about the topic at KS2 level?

DaSilvaP · 26/05/2023 23:10

ohnononodefinitelynot · 26/05/2023 22:50

baloon deposits electrons on head, giving head a positive charge
More than one person on this thread confused about basic physics!

Pretty sure I read something recently about how we still don't understand in detail how this works, though - the interesting question being just why electrons are transferred between these particular materials by the rubbing.

You don't need all the "fine details" - you want to start teaching kids quantum physics and the string theory?

The point of the lesson is that friction can generate static electricity by moving electrons from one object to the other, and that same sign charges repel each other (in the strands of hair) while hair gets attracted to the brush (or the ballon) as they end up with opposite charges.

That IS pretty basic physics, and if the teacher can't remember how it works, there is this thing called "preparing your lessons".

WhereMyRosemaryGoes · 26/05/2023 23:11

My daughter's yr 6 teacher does not understand BEDMAS. She thinks you have to divide before multiplying and add before subtract.
So,
9 - 3 + 10 = ?
She has taught the children first to add the 3 + 10 = 13, and then TAKE AWAY THE 9!!!! According to her:

9 - 3 + 10 = 4

2bazookas · 26/05/2023 23:14

I would (and did) mention it to a senior teacher.

The wrong teacher needs to be corrected for her own sake and that of her pupils.

DaSilvaP · 26/05/2023 23:17

Porridgealert · 26/05/2023 23:03

It's absolutely abominable that this teacher said something wrong and she should be made to publicly apologise at school assembly with a big scarlet D for dunce around her neck and the children should provided with rotten fruit and vegetables to throw at her.
That'll teach her. Humiliation will drive home her atrocious error. And I'm sure the op and her daughter will feel so much better for it.

Yeah sure. Take it easy, no bid deal, what's all this fuss about?

But at some point even you might realise the cost of lack of knowledge ...

Bovrilla · 26/05/2023 23:19

You'll know about it even more when the kids gets to secondary and you reali5most schools have no physics specialist

Barleysugar86 · 26/05/2023 23:20

Whenwilliberich · 26/05/2023 22:19

I’ve just googled it and your dd is still wrong.

baloon deposits electrons on head, giving head a positive charge. Balloon becomes negative. Hair(+) is attracted to balloon (-).

looks as tho teacher just meant to write attract rather than repel.

or your teacher just didn’t know. You say it’s basic general knowledge but i don’t know if it is… i didn’t know!! Im not that clever but I am a teacher (of music).

The hair would become negatively charged - electrons are negatively charged.

Balloon would become positively charged from the loss of electrons meaning they no longer balance out the positively charged protons.

In answer to the OP yes I would probably have to say something!

Porridgealert · 26/05/2023 23:20

DaSilvaP · 26/05/2023 23:17

Yeah sure. Take it easy, no bid deal, what's all this fuss about?

But at some point even you might realise the cost of lack of knowledge ...

Show quote history

Oh my god. Get a grip. Its not a life changing mistake. She's 11. She's not taking her physics A level next week. She's about to go through 7 years of senior school. I'm sure it'll get ironed out.
Oops, here you go...🍊🍎🍇🍐🥦🥕🥬