to be annoyed with my dd's German teacher

[Northernlurker]

Dd1 has put her name forward for a trip to Germany. Only 41 places - and that's the first thing that vexes me a bit - there are 120 kids doing the suject!

Anyway the closing date was last Monday 20/09. She was told by her teacher that they should hear today then they were told that although they've counted the slips (59 ) they hadn't had time to pull the names out of the hat. So they know won't know till next Thursday at the earliest as Tuesday is a training day (I know - helpful in the middle of the week in the middle of a 1/2 term )

Pulling 41 names out of a hat and writing them down takes what 20 minutes? AIBU in thinking they should just get on with it and put us all out of our misery!

Poor dd1 is so sensible and calm about it (doesn't get that from me) but she is going to be gutted if she doesn't get to go and I just want to get it over with. So AIBU to think that 9 working days is taking the piss?

YANBU - the teacher is just being lazy.

YANBU.

I think as it is something so special the teachers could have asked someone to do it after school, in break or lunch time.

I hope your dd gets picked but if not can she have a treat for herself?

Yes, YABU It's just a school trip. Your dd is calm and sensible about it so why are you upset? Obviously they can't take the whole year group, the fairest thing to do is draw the names. She will perhaps be disappointed but will get over it.

I would b=never call the teacher lazy - I know they work jolly hard. I'm just really annoyed that they aren't putting something that means so much to the parents kids at the top of any to do list.

Pinkbasket - yes I have a treat planned.
She's also getting a very nice pizza for tea tonight - bought because I thought she would be hearing and might be upset!

i suspect 'pulling names out of a hat' is really weeding out the 18 they least want to take.

I'm with brassband

What an awful thought.

Do you think so? Dd1 said the teacher said one of the other teachers would be witnessing it........I have to say though a mean nasty bit of me sort of hopes that is the case though then dd1 should be ok - she's bright and well behaved at school - never been in any sort of trouble for anything.

There is far more to drawing the names out of the hat than just that, there'll be the I'm not being in charge of THAT child for a week cull first before the genuine names out of hat. I understand you want to know but 2 points, it is impossible to conceive the amount of work and time put into a school trip till you've done it also the fact that the teachers are giving up their own time to take it. Secondly you hint that all kids taking german should be allowed to go, thar would mean 12 teachers out of school! Hope your kid is successful

Are teachers really like that?

thanks

I don't think there should be 120 places - just that 41 seems a bit on the short side. Proportionally there was a greater chance of getting on trips at my school but of course the year was 1/2 the size.

I know there is a lot of work in the whole thing and I guess they see this as part of that whereas I'm seeing it as an event in isolation iyswim.

Oh, it's always a few days before everyone hears in cases like this.

Not being a teacher I'm not 100% sure what 'names out of a hat' involves exactly, but I suspect it's more than that. In dc's secondary any consequence points/behaviour record does have an impact (that's clearly part of school policy) on things like this, so it could be checking that. Then a random selection after 'weeding'.

Pinkbasket, I'll put it this way: our school has a very popular annual trip. Before it goes, a list goes out to all teachers. It's commonly known as the 'I wouldn't take them to the bus stop' list and consists of all of the students who have applied to go on the trip. That's our 'picking out of a hat' process!

NAFM, shiny sticker for the sanest post on this thread. If there's a child who would truly benefit from this trip and can't afford it for whatever reason, they could also be trying so source funding. We've always had a short hitlist of children who should be allowed to go if at all possible for reasons over and above 'My Darling does German and we can afford it so she should be top of the list'
Perhaps they are trying to sort out specifics over numbers and staff.
Or maybe you could all go for the default setting of all teachers are lazy idle fuckers who only want to be with the nice children, and will cheat to ensure that happens.

Sorry, but I think teachers are human, not saints...

We aren't saints, but sometimes there's a lot ofimportant behind the scenes stuff that the empowered and impatient don't see.

Brassband has it spot on. It's what our school always do I'm afraid.

Hey hang on - it never occurred to me that they might not be actually pulling names out of the hat (20 minute job) until this thread. If they are indeed engaging in some sort of 'worth determining' process then jolly good - am sure that's worthwhile. However if that's the case then they shouldn't tell a child one date and then put it off by 6 days.

If you check my post below you will see that I would never call a teacher lazy - I know they're not!

Fwiw though my child is a very nice child

Oh and 'impatient'? We are talking 9 working days or 11 days total - that's hardly a flash of time!

1. are you carping because they will not take 120 kids on a trip? Sheesh - what sort of superhuman would take on that task?

1. If you actually think it's 'names out of the hat' you are seriously naive. Only the nice kids get to go - who on earth would risk the trip on some shitty loony kid coming along?

1. Can't those lazy good-for-nothing teachers spare 20 mins of their day to do it? Well, I dunno, most teachers don't even get time to have flippin lunch and so 20 mins is actually pretty hard to find during the day.

I'm actually getting a bit arsed off at the teacher sniping here. Like 'Nam - you don't know what it's like and until you do.... bog off.

'She was told by her teacher that they should hear today'

Conditional tense, she should have been more explicit. We hope to be able to tell you by Friday might have been better.

So they won't know until their next German lesson? Why not ask if parents can be notified ASAP by parentmail instead.

When is the trip scheduled for?

Of course I don't expect them to take 120 kids - but I do expect them to make opportunities as open as they can.

Spinkle - I'm a public sector employee and I frequently don't get to have lunch - I still do what I say I'm going to.