to think DS's teachers is either thick or heartless?

[carocaro]

DS1 is 8 and dyslexic.

So his teacher makes him and the class shout out their scores they get in mental maths and spellings each day. AS DS has a auditory processing issue and find spelling very hard, so his scores are 1 or 2 out of ten at best when done this way.

I did not know this and I get a call last night from a Mum of a girl at school who said she was upset that my DS gets teased about it all the time by some of his classmates. I asked DS about it and he was so upset and said he felt more thicker since he went back to school

I am fighting the desire to go to school and belt said teacher around this head and ask her WHAT THE FUCK SHE IS DOING.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO ANGRY at her stupidity and lack of thought. She know what he finds hard and to humiliate him in this way beggars belief.

I am LIVID.

The speaking through the hatch thing was not well-managed by the teacher, though they might have felt caught on the hop. I for one, do not meet with parents who turn up wanting to see me right now for just this reason.

Much better to ask for ask appointment, and in this case, with the SenCo there.

Thanks, again, but in my job and in many others I would be told off/disciplined/hauled over the coals - whatever you want to call it, for making a mistake that affected someone or something this seriously; teacher are not and should not be excempt in any way.

And a teacher should be able to speak to a parent at any time without an appt, I would love to live my work life with an appointments system in place before I talked to anyone with an issue; again teachers should not be excempt from this in any way.

"As an aside, kids will always want to compare their test scores. You can only protect him from the knowledge that he's not as good as the other kids at some things for so long. Try to boost his confidence in other areas"

Not as good as other kids?!? (I hope that came out wrong DIAPD) - YES HE IS! But just not in the way he is being asked to do maths or spell. That is the lack of understanding of dyslexia, the ability is right there smack bang under your nose, it just comes out in a different way.

He has an IEP; the TA and teacher last year did a HUGE handover with the new teacher and TA; the teacher in question taught half the kids last year so it's not as if she has 30 kids she has never met before.

The info is all there, we've even had a meeting about it all - what the fuck more can I do?

Mean,mean woman.....speak to her or the head teacher if you are not satisfied....i would have to hide this from DP as he would be toooo angry

Carocaro quote the Disability Discrimination Act at them.

"This legislation banned most providers of goods, services and facilities from treating disabled people less favourably because of their disability"

"SENDA also means that these bodies must make reasonable adjustments, to ensure that disabled people in education do not suffer a substantial disadvantage in comparison to people who are not disabled. For most types of education provider, making 'reasonable adjustments' can include

?changes to practices or procedures
?changes to how learners are assessed

Thats terrible. ask to see the teacher and if you don't get any joy from her go to the head,

Carocaro :"And a teacher should be able to speak to a parent at any time without an appt, I would love to live my work life with an appointments system in place before I talked to anyone with an issue; again teachers should not be excempt from this in any way."

A teacher is not a tap to be turned on and off. Doctors, dentists and solicitors have these systems. The teacher may have other matters to be concerned with of equal importance to that of a single child. This could be teaching, a meeting, or going to a personal after-school appointment.

In addition, they may need to gather information to bring to such a meeting, so that it is productive. That is why an appointment, even if it later in the same day, is important. It could be paperwork, records, etc. Or it could be a heads up from someone who has experience of particular situations/parents, who will then insist that no interview take place without another member of staff present.

I am not suggesting that the latter applies to the OP, but is a legitimate reason for having an appointments system. Of course if the matter is so serious it requires an instant meeting, then go to the HT

My brother at a private school says that they do this regulary, I think they see it as a way of motivating those to do better.
Although I think it is totally wrong and is bullying someone due to their disability.

I find it very strange indeed that you think teachers are the only people in the workplace who have an appointment system?!

Teachers are not available at the drop of a hat. Make an appointment and go in and speak to the teacher or the headteacher.

"I am a teacher, and I would be going to the head over this.

This is elementary stuff"

Thank God for tethersend!

I think teachers should be available for a 'quick' chat, as unlike dr's, dentist, solicitors etc, etc they are responsible for our children for a large part of the day. Obviously if it would take up more than a few minutes, an appointment should be made.

This is something that you should take up with the SENCO anyhow.

Please keep us posted carocaro - as another mother of an 8 year old dyslexic I feel your pain.

Class teacher in her case is a little more sensitive. Their times table test is in written form and is marked discreetly by him, and returned to the student. They have to score a certain amount to progress up the ranks from test A, to test B, to test C etc. I have found her completed times table test papers in her book bag with 'Pleas I want to pars' and she has annotated it with a sad face...

I think you have been very restrained actually - it's all very well some posters counselling a softly softly approach but I would most certainly be going for the jugular on this one. I appreciate teachers can make mistakes - but really, is it possible to be that dense? Perhaps I am a misanthrope....but it seems mean. Hope I am wrong and it she has just had a numpty moment

Claw 3 - a "quick chat" from the point of view of the parent may not be so from the point of view of the teacher hence the need for an appointment.

Calm down.
Make an appointment to discuss it with the teacher

Caro - did you also ask your DS why he didn't tell you about it? That would also be worrying me.

I know everyone is different in their approach to things, but I would insist the teacher talks to the class - explains what dyslexia is (after getting her 'speech' approved by you'), how it affects people and how it means they learn differently and that they are not 'thick'. Then I would be insisting she finds something DS is very good at so he can shine :)

I think it's graceful. I'm a teacher myself and I work hard to teach my class that it's progress and trying that matters. I sometimes ask them to tell me after a test who has made progress, improved since last time and celebrate that. I don't ask for actual scores though. I can see those when I look at the books anyway.

OP YANBU to be upset, or DS.

Bulby - thankyou. I am training to be a teacher and its threads like this which pile on the pressure, I'm sure I'll make mistakes as do teachers but I think when you judge a teacher as a 'nasty bitch' then you will always pick on things they do you don't like as you don't like them when mostly what they do will be great for your child.

FWIW I wouldn't have got children to read out scores either. I use to get 20/20 in mental maths mostly and classmates loved it when I only got 19 but simerlary I would get 5/10 for spelling and was embarassed about that. Its the no-win situation.

Echt - a parent having to make an appointment every time they need to speak to a teacher would be ridiculous. I have had a quick chat with ds's teacher twice this week "he may need his inhaler today" and "he hasnt changed his reading books or had any homework since the start of this term"

Teachers often request a quick chat with me too and i wouldnt dream of asking them to make an appointment!

I didn't say every time, I said it would be the teacher's call. Remember what this thread is about; something serious, which was not handled well. Not suitable for a non-appointment.

As for making an appointment being ridiculous, it would get quite a few parents more likely to use email, send a not, leave a voice message.

I never assume a parent is able to speak to me, and always start by saying can we make an appointment if now is not convenient. This is not and never has been the attitude of any parent who's rocked up at school to see me; they have without exception, wanted the full monty and right now. It is not acceptable and therefore I do not accept it.

This teacher has at best been extremely thoughtless, and if she hasn't picked up on the fact that your son's being bullied as a result of her classroom organisation, then she's also pretty negligent in terms of her duty of pastoral care.

I just want to make a quick point about the calling out scores thing though, since so many people are saying it should never happen. Last year I had a yr7 top set for English. Our classes are streamed, and we test for both reading age and spelling using standardised tests in September. As a result I knew that everyone in the class was capable of getting at least 7 out of 10 in the weekly spelling test (designed to build confidence- starting well below the averaged level of pupils). After a few weeks it became clear that some pupils were making no effort to learn the spellings, so I started getting them to call out scores and we averaged the boy and girl scores to provide extra competition. I very seldom told anyone off for a poor score, but frequenly praised those who did really well - actually I sometimes didn't need to. because often the pupils praised their classmates.

Anyway, it worked in this class, I don't normally do it, though I do often share T/L scores with a small group at GCSE level A, again for a reason, so they can help each other do better next time.

Whoops, didn't finish- just making the point that SOMETIMES making scores public can be a useful part of what goes on in a classroom

Echt - yes i do remember what this thread is about and have suggested that the OP takes this matter up with the SENCO and also anything that would take longer than a few minutes an appointment should be made.

"my ds is dyslexic and is being teased where he is made to shout out his test scores in front of the class everyday and it is impacting on his self esteem, dont make him do this" should take about 30 seconds for a parent to say! It is something that needs to be addressed now, today, not next week. If an appointment then needs to be made to discuss this further, then it can be made.

It takes 30 seconds to say, and much longer to explain.

Stop being disingenuous, claw.

About 20 years ago when I was at school our class test scores were read out every week (in each subject) so probably at least once a day, and then we were moved around the classroom, so first table of 2 was whoever had come first and second in the test, next table was third and fourth etc. This happened in each subject.

The maths teacher would walk through the corridors shouting '9x4' at you and if you didn't get it right on the second go you had to spend break outside his office.

This was all just seen as normal, it was an ordinary comp.

I suppose Im saying that leaving SEN to one side, this was normal back then (80s/90s) so maybe she doesn't realise what shes doing is wrong. There again, one would suspect that if she's had teacher training, which she must have, then this would have been firmly discouraged?

As most on this thread seem to dislike the practice, if no sen were involved would you still dislike it? We used to like getting the results and the competitive side of it (perhaps this is because I was always near the top - am not trying to be wanky but if I'd been lower down I probably wouldnt have liked it).

Excuse me rambling has just reminded me of old school days and I hadn't realised this idea was so frowned upon now.

Echt, im not being disingenuous, as you said teachers are not just available at the drop of a hat, meetings can take weeks to set up, especially if SENCO, head teacher etc need to be there.

Personally i would be having a word with the teacher and asking her to stop doing this while a meeting is arranged, rather than letting this continue for potentially a few weeks.