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Original poster

Two classes in the same year group - very different experiences

140 replies

Balletdancemum · 14/10/2023 21:02

If you had twins in two different classes, would this bother you?

Class A:
teacher is like Miss Honey. The classroom is very pretty, the children have the most wonderful experiences, which the teacher documents via photos and sometimes videos and shares with parents regularly. (3-4 times a week).You feel like you know what is going on and it’s lovely to be able to use the pics as a talking point with dc.

Class B:
Classroom is very garish colours and doesn’t look anywhere near as lovely as class A. The class do the same topics as class A but we get to see very little. The teacher barely updates with pics and the teacher just seems far more negative in general.

There’s a noticeable difference between the two. Would this bother you?

OP posts:
Opine · 15/10/2023 00:05

No I wouldn’t like it and so mine aren’t separated. A decent school would ask the parents what they felt was right for their family. Twin policies are often down to some know it all in the office with weird twin fixation.

Wheelz46 · 15/10/2023 00:09

What time of the day does class a teacher upload the photos? As much as I would love to see my children's faces smiling back at me, having a wonderful time at school, I would be concerned that they are more focussed on this than actual learning.

Personally, I would prefer class b teachers approach of not constantly uploading to an app and them being more focussed on learning than everything being a photo opportunity.

So in answer to your question, yes it would annoy me but it would be class a teacher annoying me as I would want the teacher to do more teaching than clicking of the camera.

School is for learning, not some form of social media.

StarlightLime · 15/10/2023 00:11

Wheelz46 · 15/10/2023 00:09

What time of the day does class a teacher upload the photos? As much as I would love to see my children's faces smiling back at me, having a wonderful time at school, I would be concerned that they are more focussed on this than actual learning.

Personally, I would prefer class b teachers approach of not constantly uploading to an app and them being more focussed on learning than everything being a photo opportunity.

So in answer to your question, yes it would annoy me but it would be class a teacher annoying me as I would want the teacher to do more teaching than clicking of the camera.

School is for learning, not some form of social media.

Yes, it does have a bit of an Instagram vibe, really. It doesn't sit well with me.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
Thesearenotthejediyouarelookingfor · 15/10/2023 00:19

As a teacher with 25 years experience, posting on Class Dojo is not high on my list of priorities. I’m teaching not posting about it. I’m not posting about the child who didn’t have breakfast or the one who isn’t sleeping because of everything that is going on in their house. That isn’t taking away from my younger colleagues who may have time to post but my own children need some time too. As other posters have said. Are they making progress ?

DiscoBeat · 15/10/2023 00:34

I love the class A approach. But it really is an extra that the teacher is giving. Class B may have a teacher that is busy with another role eg SEN or music so not quite enough time to go give more but I'm sure they make it up in other ways.

Flatandhappy · 15/10/2023 02:48

I certainly wouldn’t think that just because you get pictures from teacher A she is in any way a better teacher. She is a parent pleaser, I would prefer a competent teacher. DS1 got “Miss Honey” in reception and initially I was thrilled, she turned out to be a bitch who played favourites, I was so happy when she went on maternity leave and we had a nice down to earth teacher who spent less time talking to the girls about their pretty hair and didn’t ignore the kids (usually boys) she didn’t like.

ActDottie · 15/10/2023 06:17

no wouldn’t bother me

its just different teaching styles and personalities

Crunchymum · 15/10/2023 07:38

How old are the twins and how does twin B feel about their teacher?

We have an app that teachers upload videos and pictures to [from nursery - year 6] It's mainly whole class stuff but occasionally it's more targeted (IE sent to just a few parents). I have this for my Y1, Y4 and Y6 children so get lots of updates. It's often sent in school time by either the class teacher or TA but yes we do get it after hours too.

pieintheski · 15/10/2023 07:51

Crunchymum · 15/10/2023 07:38

How old are the twins and how does twin B feel about their teacher?

We have an app that teachers upload videos and pictures to [from nursery - year 6] It's mainly whole class stuff but occasionally it's more targeted (IE sent to just a few parents). I have this for my Y1, Y4 and Y6 children so get lots of updates. It's often sent in school time by either the class teacher or TA but yes we do get it after hours too.

That is ridiculous - those people should be concentrating on education in class time, and on their personal life outside - not on entertaining parents

Lemonademoney · 15/10/2023 08:17

Coolbeans2 · 14/10/2023 23:26

Most primary children do not switch classes for different lessons! Some schools do this, but not many. I am a supply teacher and spend my week in different primary schools and only occasionally see this.

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Maybe it’s our area then as I also work in primary settings and here it would be unusual for a child to spend all day with one teacher. Here the children move around during the mornings for core subjects depending on ability or any additional needs, they then spend the afternoon in their form groups.

LolaSmiles · 15/10/2023 08:23

Shame on the first teacher for setting such ridiculous expectations for the other teachers in the school. Pure parent pleasing.
I agree with this.

The people I know who have Class Dojo in their school just use it for behaviour and reward points. I've not known any of them have a school expectation of running it as a class social media feed.

My concern would be that Miss Honey teacher almost enjoys doing this sort of thing because it makes her favourite teacher in the year group.

(Disclaimer, I had a year group partner who was all nice as pie, softly softly, parent pleasing and their T&L wasn't that good, and it caused me a lot of issues for actually waning to teach)

GuitarGeorge · 15/10/2023 08:35

On the description alone, my gut feeling is that B is the better teacher.

I moved one of my children from one primary school to another because his teacher was obsessed with dojo to the exclusion of actually teaching. She knew nothing about him as a person/student.

RecklessBlackberries · 15/10/2023 09:22

Tasks like updating class dojo or the class blog and rotating class displays were the bane of my life as a teacher. Snowed under with a million other things that actually did have to be done (see note), it was remembering to also "ice the cake" with the social media and remember to change out the examples on our "WOW walls" or make a plan for a new wall themed to our next English text that drove me to tears (exhausted, exasperated or angry depending on the day).

Note: I mean "need to be done" as in they were mandatory hoops we officially had to jump through, obviously a lot of them were pointless bureaucracy that shouldn't be done at all.

Beezknees · 15/10/2023 09:36

Lemonademoney · 15/10/2023 08:17

Maybe it’s our area then as I also work in primary settings and here it would be unusual for a child to spend all day with one teacher. Here the children move around during the mornings for core subjects depending on ability or any additional needs, they then spend the afternoon in their form groups.

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I think that is quite unusual. In every primary I've ever known the children have one teacher for all subjects.

Sunnydays41 · 15/10/2023 10:17

ErcolSofa · 14/10/2023 21:09

I would know that Class A teacher is doing this completely in her own time and possibly at the expense of her own children and family. Been there- got the badge- probably my biggest regret in life.

The DfR official figures are that teacher work about 20 hours of unpaid overtime a week and that is without sending videos and sharing photos. They don't add anything the education of the child.

Class A teacher might not have a family and school might be their life?

Have known some teachers at DC's school who are either young and extra-enthusiastic or a bit older and single, either their children are grown or not had them, and are keen and committed.

Sunnydays41 · 15/10/2023 10:21

pieintheski · 15/10/2023 07:51

That is ridiculous - those people should be concentrating on education in class time, and on their personal life outside - not on entertaining parents

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We have a similar app to Dojo and different teachers use it differently. Some use it a lot and some not at all (though tends to be the younger years where it is used most).

DC2's teacher is new to the school this year and seems extra keen. She does update it in school time, but usually by the time, it seems to be done in her lunch break (or sometimes PPA time).

pieintheski · 15/10/2023 10:23

Sunnydays41 · 15/10/2023 10:21

We have a similar app to Dojo and different teachers use it differently. Some use it a lot and some not at all (though tends to be the younger years where it is used most).

DC2's teacher is new to the school this year and seems extra keen. She does update it in school time, but usually by the time, it seems to be done in her lunch break (or sometimes PPA time).

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That is absolutely not what lunch times or PPA times are for

Sunnydays41 · 15/10/2023 10:26

pieintheski · 15/10/2023 10:23

That is absolutely not what lunch times or PPA times are for

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By the times in which is is uploaded and then approved, it seems to take around 10 minutes, so hardly eats into much of the time.

pieintheski · 15/10/2023 10:31

Sunnydays41 · 15/10/2023 10:26

By the times in which is is uploaded and then approved, it seems to take around 10 minutes, so hardly eats into much of the time.

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so that is about 20 % of the PPA time if that is done every 50 minute PPA time slot, so that is 20% less planning, preparation and assessment being done.

How many times a week?

And that is assuming it is being done in PPA time, if it is being done in lunch time that could well be 100% of the time available for lunch

NewDogOwner · 15/10/2023 10:38

Nothing you have posted about teacher 1 suggests that she is a better teacher.

cansu · 15/10/2023 10:39

You are valuing the wrong thing. Sadly other parents and children will too. I think that if the SLT were more savvy they would speak to Miss Honey and put a stop to it. The updates to the children are pointless as they know what they did. They were there! This kind of nonsense looks nice but has no value educationally whatsoever. These apps are adding to teacher workload. Pretty displays are similar. There is no evidence they improve outcomes and in fact busy wall displays can be over stimulating.

Sunnydays41 · 15/10/2023 11:16

pieintheski · 15/10/2023 10:31

so that is about 20 % of the PPA time if that is done every 50 minute PPA time slot, so that is 20% less planning, preparation and assessment being done.

How many times a week?

And that is assuming it is being done in PPA time, if it is being done in lunch time that could well be 100% of the time available for lunch

Show quote history

They get half a day a week PPA time. And it's mainly at lunch... if she uses that time to simultaneously eat lunch and update the app, then so what? She seems to enjoy it, she's not being forced to do it, so surely that's up to her?

Maddy70 · 15/10/2023 11:32

No. Miss Honey is a new teacher I expect , she will burn out and be off sick shortly

It wouldn't bother me at all. Tbh it's highly unusual what miss honey is doing

LolaSmiles · 15/10/2023 14:30

They get half a day a week PPA time. And it's mainly at lunch... if she uses that time to simultaneously eat lunch and update the app, then so what? She seems to enjoy it, she's not being forced to do it, so surely that's up to her?
It is up to her, but it also sells her colleagues out and sets the expectation with parents that it's the norm and reasonable.

You only have to look on education threads on here to see lots that can be summarised as "Teacher this year isn't as good as last year because new teacher doesn't do (insert totally unnecessary thing that some parents value)".

Each time a colleague chooses to spend their time doing pointless socials updates or additional things that aren't T&L related, they're choosing to make life more difficult for their colleagues who:

  1. Are still working the same number of hours but focusing on T&L or complex pastoral issues or other genuinely important parts of the job
  2. Have leadership responsibilities beyond the classroom that require their time and dedication to run their areas well
  3. Have additional pastoral responsibilities that take time and are more important than social media style updates
  4. Have their own children and need to work through their lunch to make their own children's pick ups / they actually want to see their children in an evening instead of doing work that they could have done in the time they were pratting around taking and uploading photos all the time
  5. Have caring responsibilities elsewhere in their families so need to be effective with their workload without having moaning parents on their case that Mr Blogs/Mrs Smith always updated the class blog every week on top of the usual workload
  6. Have hobbies and a life outside of work and friends they want to see instead of creating an Instagram worthy classroom
  7. Have ongoing medical conditions or chronic illness that means they do their job but haven't the ability to do endless extras
  8. Have the sense to know that just because they have the time in their personal circumstances to devote their whole life to school, they know workload is a huge issue in schools so they're not going to deliberately make the workload issue worse for everyone

When it comes to updating Dojo and similar apps / complaining about it not being done, I always want people to say what should be dropped so they can have extra photos of their children.

niclw · 15/10/2023 14:42

Teacher B may have some type of leadership role (such as SENCO) within the school which takes time away from the classroom. Therefore they will focus on planning to ensure for the best progress rather than taking pics. Also if they have a young family this may take time away from the job so they focus on the priorities.