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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect my son's yr 4 teacher to be older

268 replies

katedan · 08/09/2011 21:17

I know it is like policeman and a sign I am getting older but WTF she is 22 and this is her first teaching job a class of 35 8/9 yr olds. She seemed so out of her depth and it is only day 2.

I am really worried she will not be able to keep the class interested and the standard of my son's education will suffer.

AIBU?

OP posts:
exoticfruits · 09/09/2011 08:53

I agree CustardCake-I find myself getting really annoyed with this thread! Age has nothing to do with it. I was doing a lot of supply teaching and so it gave insight into a great many classrooms and the abilities, organisational skills and competence of the teacher and age didn't play any part in it. You can be sure that an inspirational 40yr old teacher was inspirational at 20yrs.

Being a mother doesn't prepare you for it and teaching doesn't prepare you for being a parent. I thought one baby after a class of 30 10yrs olds would be a doddle-how wrong I was! It is completely different.

Never judge a book by it's cover!

cory · 09/09/2011 08:58

I was a supply teacher at the age of 20, coping with a class of 17yos who, from what I gathered, had driven their experienced middle-aged teacher into a breakdown. At the end of my stint, the Head said goodbye to me rather wistfully and asked if he could keep my name on the list.

As others have said, it is only partly about experience. Some people can teach for decades without gaining either natural authority or the knack of enthusing other people. And being young is not necessarily a disadvantage in a job that requires stamina.

This 22yo will be in a much better position than I was, having proper teacher training and a lot of experience from her student teaching. This won't be the first time she faces a group of 8/9yos.

exoticfruits · 09/09/2011 09:10

Private education is even more likely to use young teachers. My cousin was a year ahead at school and she spent the year she was 17/18yrs teaching infants in a private school(her own class), before she started training. So by the time she was 22yrs she was very good, having not only trained, but done the job unqualified for a year!
(that was in the days before DCs were mollycoddled, so she was quite independent by 17yrs and she got married at 22yrs)
I am older than average on here so quite a few of my friends got married in the summer before they started as an NQT. I wonder if that makes a difference -a 22yr old Mrs must be more mature than a 22 yr old Miss!!!

SoupDragon · 09/09/2011 09:12

I read Zens comment rather differently, with the main point bolded below - ie she still couldn't cope spit being much older. Just because one person couldn't cope doesn't mean others can't.

"At 22 I could not have coped with 35 8/9 year olds. However now, much closer to the grave, I still could not cope with it. This is why I never contemplating becoming a school teacher."

kat2504 · 09/09/2011 09:22

"a 22 yr old Mrs must be more mature than a 22yr old Miss"

WT actual F? Getting married young somehow confers added maturity onto you?
I am 33 and still not married. Perhaps I should give up teaching (which I have been doing for the last 10 years) as I am clearly not as mature as I could be.

It is rare that young people get married at 22 these days. Some still do, and good luck to them, nothing wrong with it. But most people do not get married immediately after leaving university. That does not make them less mature and less able to enter a graduate profession.

Why, in 2011, is someone judging a young woman's professional competence based on her marital status?

WoofToYouTooLady · 09/09/2011 09:30

we had a NQT for y6 last year

he was EXTRAORDINARY, dynamic (using karate moves to get the whole class doing punctuation for eg) played guitar to do mnemonics, so so charismatic, the children were TRANSFIXED by him

a low achieving class (very low starting point, deprived area blah blah) got fantastic sats results

we were very sad to see him go

his age? exactly half mine

Newbabynewmum · 09/09/2011 09:32

Oh I didn't know people who are Mrs are automatically more mature than us Miss's! Wink

Good god. The world's gone mad. Could people generalise anymore on this thread?!!

SickwithFury · 09/09/2011 09:42

My eldests Y6 teacher is an NQT.
I'd certainly have a relationship with him.....Grin He looks like Gavin Henson. OMG and the kids adore him already. Boys and girls are putty in his hands. Lots of Mums too would like to be putty in his hands. Grin

Moulesfrites · 09/09/2011 09:44

I just can't believe some of the stuff I'm reading on here. The ignorance and plain stupidity of some posters is incredible! That people think they are in a position to judge how qualified someone is to do a job based on their age, appearance and now marital status is just ridiculous!

Alikersh · 09/09/2011 09:47

My son's year 6 teacher is in her 20's, little, blond & pretty and she's brilliant. The kids have loads of respect for her and I'd like to watch anyone saying she's out of her depth! Get a grip. YABU.

Cereal · 09/09/2011 09:51

YABU

MillyR · 09/09/2011 09:51

DS had a 22 year old NQT in year 4; she had to teach a mixed class of year 3 and year 4 children. She was an excellent teacher. The poor woman also had to deal with an OFSTED inspection in her first year!

She later went on maternity leave, came back as a job share and worked only mornings, teaching DS in year 6. I know people on MN moan about shares, but that worked out really well too and she was excellent and the afternoon teacher was good (also an NQT, but older).

wotabouttheworkers · 09/09/2011 09:57

katedan, YABU. You cannot judge on the first day. I feel very sorry for this young teacher if she has to deal with parents with attitudes like this. If, after say half a term you still feel the same then go in and talk to her, reasonably - you are partners in your child's education. I have seen my 3 children go right through school and they have all had good and bad teachers, young and nearing retirement. Some of the youngest have left me open-mouthed at their talent, hard work and organizational skills. Some of the older ones have practically given up. If you stress so much about education then so will your children.

exoticfruits · 09/09/2011 10:43

Why, in 2011, is someone judging a young woman's professional competence based on her marital status?

Did you not read my post properly? ShockIt was 'tongue in cheek'- I was saying how utterly ridiculous it was! As ridiculous as saying that a 47yr old NQT is a better teacher than a 22yr old NQT.

I am shocked at the ageism on this thread. It is as bad as all the ageist threads where a 60yr old woman is an old biddy.

Schools are equal opportunity employers-they don't discriminate on age. They select carefully and they are not letting in incompetent teacher loose on your DC.

exoticfruits · 09/09/2011 10:45

I read Zens comment as I was too immature to cope with 35 8/9 yr olds, but I could now that I am more mature. It is interpretation.

Hulababy · 09/09/2011 13:43

It was me who wrote hours of classroom experience during training (before NQT year) - it was a figure of speach, not an exact representation. I know it is several weeks/months and sometimes more than a year. Have been through it myself. Wasn't trying to belittle the class experience they have.

Good luck Clary; bet you'll be a fab teacher!

As an older TA (39y now so ancient in the eyes of a 5yo!) I definitely have no problem working with younger, less experienced, or even less qualified, teachers.

I was an NQT at a young age and as said before I was with big classes of teenagers. Nothing untoward went on at all ever. The oldest may only have been 4 years younger than me, and looked older than me in many cases, but the professionalism remained.

Teachers are professional people working ina professional career. Give them the respect and trust to do their job properly, and give the headteachers appointing them some trust to chose the right candidates for the job.

Do people equally think that solicitors, doctors, dentists, etc shouldn't be allowed to practise their chosen career until they are older too?

How old should a teacher be before they are allowed into the classroom btw?

TBH some of the comments on here are astounding! I knew there are some people who didn't really have much respect for schools and education on MN, Have come across that for several years on here, but such ignorance and discrimination I had never realised.

Fontsnob · 09/09/2011 14:06

Well, between this thread and the teacher back from maternity leave thread, it has been a spectacular start to the MN new school year! Can't wait until it snows [evil grin]

exoticfruits · 09/09/2011 15:29

TBH some of the comments on here are astounding! I knew there are some people who didn't really have much respect for schools and education on MN, Have come across that for several years on here, but such ignorance and discrimination I had never realised.

It has been an eye opener to me-I thought that I had heard it all but this ageism is new to me.

I always thought that 'policeman getting younger' was a sign that you were getting older-not that they were too young for the job. I think that teachers are the same-merely a sign that you are getting older.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 09/09/2011 16:05

DS' teacher last year (year 4) was bloody fantastic. He has had a few really young fresh teachers and they have all been ace.......

halcyondays · 09/09/2011 16:08

At least nowadays teachers are always fully qualified before being let loose on a class on their own. Years ago my dad got a job as a temporary teacher despite having absolutely no training or experience and he didn't have a clue what he was supposed to be doing. It would never happen now. Later on he did teacher training and became a qualified teacher.

There's no doubt some teachers are better than others but I think it is unfair to assume that a teacher will be incompetent just because they are new.

exoticfruits · 09/09/2011 16:38

I now know why some people have problems with MILs-they think you are too young! You need to practise first, before you are fit to parent their grandchild! Grin

acsec · 09/09/2011 18:36

halcyondays some private schools still employ unqualified teachers of all ages.

Chandon · 09/09/2011 18:50

I think you'll be o.k. OP.

my DC2 had a brand new teacher last year, and she was great+ loved the kids more than one could expect (your first class being a big thing), and I miss her...

my mum was 21 when she taught her first A-level class. She remembers the names off ALL her class that year, 50 years ago!!!

Tigerstripes · 09/09/2011 18:57

I've been reading this thread wondering why it was taking so long for someone to mention that you can be a NQT at, say, 45 but then someone finally did. I'm a NQT and I'm 30. Is it young age or lack of experience that people don't like? Because they don't necessarily go hand in hand.

TarquinGyrfalcon · 09/09/2011 19:00

Some NQTs are fantastic

Some are average

Some struggle but improve

Some shouldn't be teaching

But exactly the same can be said for more experienced teachers. I worked with 2 NQTs last year - one was outstanding and I learnt a lot form her (I've been teaching for nearly 20 years).
The other was a very poor teacher - luckily because she was an NQT support systems were in place to ensure that she and her pupils received help.