Page 5 | Does your dc get taught at school by someone they don’t understand?

Greymacaw · 2024-03-04T09:12:21+00:00

Reading the Times today and an article came up about the U.K. poaching teachers from other countries. Many of the comments include parents saying their dc are taught by teachers with such a thick accent the dc aren’t learning. This happened to me in a recent masters I did. could not for the life of me understand the teacher but as an adult I was able to push for more information where I needed it and work around the situation. Was frustrating but I can’t imagine how hard it would be if I was struggling to under for my GCSEs or a levels. Do people hiring not take these things into account?!

m00rfarm · 04/03/2024 18:13

ChristianHornersGlisteningFinger · 04/03/2024 10:25

I’m always sceptical about people who say they can’t understand strong accents. It reminds me of that Catherine Tate character who would roll her eyes at the Scottish character and say “what did ‘e say? Somefink about kilts?!” Smacks of lack of effort born out of lack of tolerance.

It’s good for children to get used to hearing strong accents, this happens in life and has to be dealt with. With a teacher, you have plenty of time to get used to it.

No - I am apparently ear blind to some accents. Northern Irish and Newcastle seem to be the main issues. I have to listen carefully to the point that I hear the words but lose the sense. At school, our Science teacher was from India and I struggled with her accent then as well, so it is not a new thing for me.

Smerpsmorp · 04/03/2024 18:35

Greymacaw · 04/03/2024 10:40

So does no one understand how much of a disadvantage this must cause? Or do the outcomes not affect grades.

There are simply no teachers - they have to come from somewhere! If there were teachers in England we’d snap them up.

SneakySnakeEx · 04/03/2024 18:53

Dc at pre school, keyworker is from africa.
Dc often speaks with African accent saying certain words

Gioia1 · 04/03/2024 19:03

SneakySnakeEx · 04/03/2024 18:53

Dc at pre school, keyworker is from africa.
Dc often speaks with African accent saying certain words

You are quite ignorant. What’s an African accent? Which of the 54 countries does the key worker hail from? I pity you.

ForgivenessHope · 04/03/2024 19:18

lol lol the state of this.

heavy Scottish/irish/welsh/ brummy/ nw castle accents etc are fine.

we see you.

sittingingold · 05/03/2024 13:34

I think I'm very good at adapting and understanding peoples accents (I'm from Home Counties) so wouldn't bother me in the slightest.
I love to hear regional accents and even (shock horror) international accents.
Really hate the Kent accent where I'm living at the moment, but can still understand people when they are talking to me.

Kids (& parents!) can take against teachers for a million different reasons accent obviously being one of them!

sittingingold · 05/03/2024 13:35

Greymacaw · 04/03/2024 13:35

@noblegiraffe perhaps grade being lifted as a result to help those disadvantaged by a government not willing to invest in better quality teaching?! Letter to universities to explain that the dc was disadvantaged due to having a teacher that they weren’t able to understand.

I’m not sure why people can’t see that this is totally unfair that some dc have teachers who can be easily understood and some dc don’t, it is a disadvantage and these are exam results that you use for a long time after school?

Love this!

Sunshine9218 · 28/07/2024 19:09

Greymacaw · 04/03/2024 10:17

Surely something could be logged if dc are sitting exams as these teachers have to be a disadvantage over any dc who have had a teacher who speaks coherent English? Such a shame this is happening.

For my course I had to forget any lessons given by the professor who I couldn’t understand and move over to other sources. I suppose this could be done for school age lessons but not easily.

Logged where? Exam boards won't care and will just blame it on the school

Spirallingdownwards · 28/07/2024 19:14

Skiphopbump · 04/03/2024 10:58

My DS had a Nigerian maths teacher with a strong accent. DS had no problems understanding him but a girl in his class asked to be moved down a Maths set as she just couldn’t understand him.
I only know this because the girl shared DSs 1-1 support and the SENCO wanted to move DS to the other set.

Are you really saying your SENCO told you info about another student. I do hope not.

RollaCola84 · 28/07/2024 19:22

Greymacaw · 04/03/2024 13:35

@noblegiraffe perhaps grade being lifted as a result to help those disadvantaged by a government not willing to invest in better quality teaching?! Letter to universities to explain that the dc was disadvantaged due to having a teacher that they weren’t able to understand.

I’m not sure why people can’t see that this is totally unfair that some dc have teachers who can be easily understood and some dc don’t, it is a disadvantage and these are exam results that you use for a long time after school?

And who precisely would be the arbiter of whether or not the accent was difficult to understand and the subsequent impact on an exam grade ? Would all children in the class get an uplift or just the ones who said they struggled to understand ? Don't be ridiculous.

I had a teacher I struggled to understand, but that's just because they were a terrible teacher who shouldn't have been allowed within 100ft of an educational establishment. Should everyone child taught by him have got a grade uplift ?

Your children will regularly come across people in life they find easier or more difficult to understand - because of language, accent, disability, style of communication. Learning to manage that including being comfortable asking for someone to repeat something is very much a good thing.

RollaCola84 · 28/07/2024 19:23

I also love the Mumsnet belief that every annoyance or minor concern in life can be logged with someone who will give a shit.

ChaiTeaOrTaiChi · 28/07/2024 20:32

People need to get used to hearing accents that are not like their own or not commonly represented in media etc.

Teach your children how to attune their ear rather than reinforcing the idea that the teacher somehow objectively can't be understood! It's so discriminatory and condescending.

I am a former language tutor and speak a couple other languages. Linguistic discrimination is A Thing and is, for some reason, socially acceptable here.

AngelusBell · 30/07/2024 16:12

ChristianHornersGlisteningFinger · 04/03/2024 10:25

I’m always sceptical about people who say they can’t understand strong accents. It reminds me of that Catherine Tate character who would roll her eyes at the Scottish character and say “what did ‘e say? Somefink about kilts?!” Smacks of lack of effort born out of lack of tolerance.

It’s good for children to get used to hearing strong accents, this happens in life and has to be dealt with. With a teacher, you have plenty of time to get used to it.

I agree - the most recent anaesthetist I had was Indian and I could understand him perfectly well. The same goes for teachers.

7Blunders · 30/07/2024 16:15

Yes at college my nephew said he couldn't understand his teacher. Dsil said she struggled as well at pe. Odd pronunciation of words.

7Blunders · 30/07/2024 16:29

For some dc trying to understand a very thick accent and a total mis pronunciation of words won't be too much of a barrier to their learning.
However when dc have barriers already, dyslexia, adhd, dyspraxia and so on is it fair to give them an additional challenge?
When even with a teacher with the clearest easiest accent they would struggle to understand language and concepts?
In some ways and in sometimes subjects?

Does your dc get taught at school by someone they don’t understand?

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