Head teacher reeking of cigarette smoke

[BsshBossh]

My DD starts primary school next year so a group of nursery parents have been doing the rounds of he local schools together. We were being shown round one today by the deputy head of a school rated outstanding and with an excellent academic and pastoral care reputation. We all loved the school until the head teacher passed by, stopped to chat with he deputy, and reeked of cigarette smoke. No one said anything, but after the tour one of the mothers said that it had put her off the school.

It didn't put me off, although I did wonder where she would be smoking during the school day!

So, was this other mother BU to care so much?

Yes she is BU. No way would i let something like this put me off an exvellent school.
I couldnt care less if teachers smoke as long as its not in the classroom and they are good st their job

She smokes on the playmat just inches from the children's precious lungs.. Dirty bastard

seriously though. Its not anyone's business its not illegal and i very much they spark up in the playground where the kids can see

Would be worse if it was the class teacher

Yes, she is BU.

Smoking does not automatically mean that a person is bad at their job.

To add: the reasons she gave for it putting her off were that it set a bad example to the kids (who would smell it on her) and she didn't want her child to be near her if she was reeking of the smoke still.

I argued that despie this, the school was still excellent and obviously impacted not on the teaching etc....

She won't be smoking on site if it is an LEA school, but she is allowed to smoke outside! It wouldn't endear me to her, but it won't affect her management of the school, or how well your child setlles there. There are more important criteria for choosing a school . Maybe she had been chatting to a chain smoking parent outside school?

PMSL

She is human and has faults. Big wow. Is she an excellent Head? is it a great school? These are the things you should be worried about, not whetehr she has a fag on her lunch break.

They will have a designated smoking area well away from the children.

The school has been rated outstanding because of the education and care it provides for it's children not because none of the teachers smoke.

It really doesn't matter if the head smokes, the other mother was being a bit of a nobber.

YABU She obviously works hard and copes with stress by smoking.

At least she wasn't drunk!

my dd's teacher smoked, i know this because he used to run in the lunch hour or after school round to an abandoned field thing about 10 mins away. excessive perhaps. just out of the eye line of any poss pupils would have prob done the job but hey he obviously wanted to make sure he way never spotted smoking, i wonder if anyone though to tell him would stink of smoke after that. the woman is clearly being UR teachers like the rest of the public can have bad health destroying habits if they wish. doesnt effect their abilities to teach.

its not illegal for teachers to smoke and doesn't affect their ability to do the job.
When i used to smoke I popped in the car and drove round the corner to do my dirty habit at lunchtime.

I actually miss being forced off site for 10 minutes, it made me relax and stop working!

Don't miss smoking though.

Oh dear God I think I've finally heard it all now.....

When dd was at primary years ago,we got a new Headteacher after having 5 in 6 years (school was very unsettled due to all the changes)

She was a heavy smoker,and did smell of ciggies, and would blare Elvis from her office every morning ..

Do you know what? She was the best Head I have ever come across,and turned that school around. She is still there,fags and all not sure about Elvis though

Hmmm, in two minds. I work in a secondary school and there is one teacher who literally is out having a cigarette at every available opportunity, say 8-10 times a day. I will see colleagues trying to catch her to have a word (this is how schools are, break times are work times too really, as are the few minutes inbetween classes) and she will be heading out "for a quick one". It can make her very distractible and well, secretly, I do judge her an eency weency bit about it mainly because often when I am trying to get some info across for her she has her mind trained on the next cigarette and I need to go over the same information several times which is a pain! So if it impacts upon working, then I would have a problem with it.. but many teachers who smoke won't have any during the school day and I would have no problem with this.

I used to smoke quite heavily so perhaps I am just one of those born-again non-smokers but I don't like the way it is used to get additional break points in the day that non-smokers wouldn't use.

Hey, we all judge.. [sheepish emoticon]

I'm quite happy she's BU as it means one less application to the school .

No smoking is allowed anywhere on our school premises - any addicted staff have to go offside in their breaks.

It was quite a joy to catch the headmaster with his pipe one day!

I doubt your DCs would spend that much time within sniffing distance of the head, though.

is the 'other mother' a foil, OP? A figment of your self-preservation on this vicious chatboard, hmm?

I did wonder the same Lying

No LyingWitchInTheWardrobe, I used to smoke myself, so can completely understand the need to have a fag during a busy day .

Absolutely ridiculous. She is entitled to smoke. She is not blowing toxins in the faces of children or scattering fag butts in their lunchboxes.

If I was in her position I'd probably be delighted to have put someone like that off - sound more hassle than they're worth

OK, as long as she is not posing as a role model with the fags

That anyone would even give enough of a microscopic shit to post about this?

Seriously - I do believe I've seen it all here now. OP. Rearranged this popular phrase or saying -

A. Get. Grip.

If I had to deal with all those kids and all those parents and all the shit that goes with running a school you would probably smell smoke and gin on me