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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Was the teacher wrong to mock accent ? would she be able to do this in UK ?

48 replies

doley · 29/04/2011 20:14

I am braving this forum again Grin here is a bit of background first ...

I am in the US ...have been for 6 years .

My eldest(12) still has (to American ears ) a British accent (whatever that is right?)

In his music class he told the teacher he was unable to see the board ,notes ..song ... as he is waiting on a stronger prescription for his glasses .

VERY ,loudly she repeated what he had said in a very bad British accent(mocking him) ,it was only when a friend in the class pointed out that she had been very rude that she said "sorry"

I suspect she knows this is bad form for a teacher, and has been sending praising notes home with him ( unusual as he is very lazy in music class )

I don't think this would have rolled in the UK ?

So,am I being unreasonable anyway ? I think it was uncalled for .

DS is not bothered ,and this area is especially non-pc ~all kinds of peculiar and old~fashioned things happen all the time ...:)

OP posts:
ihatecbeebies · 29/04/2011 20:19

Yeah she was completely out of order that is pretty mean.

FabbyChic · 29/04/2011 20:21

Agree she was out of order.

5Foot5 · 29/04/2011 20:22

Well if your DS is not bothered then I wouldn't get too worked up about it. I guess he might be used to the other kids mimicing him

But, having said that, I think this teacher sounds like a rude cow and very immature. I think if a teacher mocked a child's accent in the UK they could expect at least stern words from the head teacher.

heliumballoons · 29/04/2011 20:24

Mocking the accent - poor form.

Mocking the fact your DS has sight problems - extremely poor form.

YANBU.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 29/04/2011 20:25

YANBU, other children you could expect it from but not a teacher.

olibeansmummy · 29/04/2011 20:26

I don't think it's acceptable. As a child I lived abroad and went to a very posh boarding school and when we came back to the uk and moved "up north" people used to mock my accent all the time which really upset me :( It would have been even worse from a teacher.

echt · 29/04/2011 20:28

YANBU. Teacher is, though.

Never OK to mock a child, here in Oz, and I suspect in the UK, the teacher could be disciplined for this.

SpeedyGonzalez · 29/04/2011 20:29

What a childish woman. I'd expect better behaviour from a teacher, of all people - they're meant to be setting the standard for our kids, not lowering it. Moron.

If I were you I'd teach my DS to stand up for himself against such piss-taking so thar if it happens again he can challenge her stupidity. And, maybe next time you see her, casually throw in the line "I've heard you sometimes impersonate a British accent during class. Can I hear it?" then let her squirm.

JamieAgain · 29/04/2011 20:29

YANBU. It would be very frowned upon in the UK. Teachers should not take the mickey out of pupils.

Good on the child who stood up for your daughter.

Chocolocolate · 29/04/2011 20:50

YANBU

I'm impressed that another pupil told her she was being rude though.

salingerreference · 29/04/2011 21:33

YADNBU- awful teacher.

thenightsky · 29/04/2011 21:36

YANBU

and do what speedy suggests, definitely.

saffy85 · 29/04/2011 22:02

YANBU teacher sounds like a thick idiot.

Agree totally with Speedy. Try and encourage your DS to fight back as it were- he has no reason to be embarrassed his teacher does. Kudos to the kid that called the teacher out. And definately mention it in passing at the next parent teacher night Grin

TheRhubarb · 29/04/2011 22:08

I'm living down south and they often take the piss out of our accent but I often say "there ain't no r in bath". The kids have taken the accent on pretty well now and you'll find that your kids will too. Kids like to fit in so before you know it, he'll be speaking with an American accent. Shame I know, but there you go!

And make sure next time you see this teacher you imitate her yank accent.
(oh and you can't believe everything kids tell you about what happened in school, they are great at taking things the wrong way entirely)

mathanxiety · 29/04/2011 22:09

YANBU.

snorkie · 29/04/2011 22:40

you get poor teachers everywhere. One of my dc was made to say 'a' repeatedly in front of the class simply because he didn't have what the teacher deemed to be the correct accent once (UK). His accent isn't particularly regional either and we never quite understood why he was picked on in that way. Agree it's very unprofessional, but it could (and does) happen anywhere.

LDNmummy · 30/04/2011 02:19

My goodness I would have asked her WTF is wrong with her.

Cloudydays · 30/04/2011 02:41

Not nice at all. Maybe she meant to be funny rather than mean, but it was mean anyway and very unprofessional.

But YABU to frame the question as being whether she'd "be able to do this in the UK". As snorkie says there are bad teachers (or teachers who make bad judgement calls) everywhere, so of course someone would be able to mock a child's accent in the UK.

If the kid didn't wasn't bothered and the parent didn't follow it up, nothing more would happen. If the kid got upset and/or the parent made a fuss, some kind of formal apology / disciplinary action probably would happen. Just like it probably would wherever you are.

Cloudydays · 30/04/2011 02:42

didn't

Want2bSupermum · 30/04/2011 02:43

It is not acceptable for that to happen here in the US. If I were you I would write a letter to the principal and if you don't get a reply I would write to and call the Superintendent of Schools for your township.

Tortington · 30/04/2011 02:44

my northern kids - got shit from teachers down south - stupid teachers theywere

AnnieOnAMapleLeaf · 30/04/2011 02:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
doley · 30/04/2011 02:56

Thanks all :)

Yes,I understand there are bad teachers everywhere ~I should have asked if they would get away with it in the UK .I am a little out of touch and thought that in the UK ,they wouldn't even 'go there'

I asked DS about it again after I had posted here .(to make sure etc...)

Apparently ,she had felt so bad about it, that she pulled him out of another class to say sorry (not directly after she had said it, as I had presumed earlier)

I am thinking that she really regrets her 'joke' IYSWIM ?

Younger son came home with a little 'praise note' too ...again not normal for him either .Grin

Living in a very small town one gets to know about everyones personal lives .I know she suffered a terrible tragedy a few years back ,for that reason I won't take things further ...but I will mention something to her when I next see her .

For sure Wink

OP posts:
CheerfulYank · 30/04/2011 03:04

Good!

I work at an American school and it wouldn't fly here.

AnnieOnAMapleLeaf · 30/04/2011 03:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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