to be upset by the ladies in the school office?

[mycatoscar]

my dd is in year 1 and goes to the local school.

The teachers are generally lovely and approachable but because i work I do sometimes have to deal with the office staff as I am not always there at drop off and pick up

The office staff are so rude and unhelpful,

today, dd's teacher had very kindly allowed me to watch the dress rehearsal of the school play (I am a teacher in another school and my head will not allow me time off to go to either of the real performances, so I know this was a really kind thing of her to offer). So I turn up at school office this morning and say why I'm there and they basically accuse me of lying and say I shouldnt be there and then slag off the teacher in front of me for allowing me to come. They phoned through to the class room saying "there is a lady here at the front desk claiming to be the parent of X and she seems to think she's allowed to come to the dress rehearsal" they eventually let me go through but were really nasty about it!

This is not the first time I have had run ins with them. Every time I phone up or pop in (about 4 times since she started school last sept so I am not a pain!) they are defesive unhelpful and make me feel like crap for even being there!

I really feel like complaining but know its not worth it as then they will just be more crappy to me probably.

I am really happy with the education dd is recieving but these ladies really are awful, and make me not want to ever have to ask anything. I am soon retruning to work full time and am dreading ever having to phone up about anything (which I will have to do as I wont ever be there to drop off and pick up)

Bake them a cake full of laxatives and hash.

Sounds like they were incredibly rude but if you do ever want to apply for a job there I think you are wise not to complain.

Comments about office staff being stupid though - - that really is rude, totally unnecessary and not even remotely true. In general office staff are as educated as the teachers, or at least the TAs, just in a different field. There's no way I could do the job ours do. They're scary and can be brusque if not downright rude on occasion but they have to deal with often rude and entitled parents (and staff!) all day and be highly highly organised.

AuntPetunia, they were rude, plain and simple. People turn up at our office, wandering around with parcels or looking for a student who doesn't go to our centre, or having got the wrong day for something. I am unfailingly polite and helpful, as are our admin staff who would have phrased it in a much kinder way 'I've got X's mummy here, I'm not sure if there's been a misunderstanding, but she's here to see the rehearsal, shall I send her down?' It's all about diplomacy, not being, in the OP's words 'defensive and unhelpful'.

Our admin staff at my own work are absolutely amazing (and really well-qualified) but what makes them amazing is that they have no attitude, no 'I'm really doing you the favour here' thing going on. I have seen it a lot with university admin staff who appear to hate students and the thought of the pension is the only thing keeping them going. I wouldn't bother trying to defend the staff in this office, they sound horrid.

Ours used to be often quite rude, or at least surly and abrupt when you were just being perfectly polite and reasonable. But recently we had a new headteacher, and I get the feeling someone has put a rocket up their backsides, as now they are all sweetness and coming out of the office to help you. The change is remarkable.

I must say though of course not all school secretaries are the same but they do have a reputation akin to doctors' receptionists. The jobs seem to be often filled by ladies of a certain age who think the work (and the people they have to deal with) is/are slightly beneath them...

Well, I would have thought, the Op , working in a school would know the bizarreem rude, down right lu=ying , demented and obscure requests that arrive in the school office.

Frankly the school office is the front line protecting teachers from all sorts of crap.

I picked up the phone the other day ....randomly as I strolled through (the office staff were patching up bodies, dealing with lunch time drugs, and sorting out the postman ....... the convo I had went ......

hello? what time does school end today?
(me) 3 as usual, so you need to come in for an appointment?
Ah right, I just wanted to check because I dont want to drive through your traffic
(me) "bemused and pregnant pause silence" ahhh ok,
well, I've got to get my mother to hospital
(me) ahhhhh, well school ends at 3pm
oh right, I'll leave at 2.30 and miss you then!

Frankly - the lady must have taken a telephone nbr from the webite that clearly shows school times! Utterly bizzare.

Not to mention the stroppy mothers who phone, in a hissy mardy fit demanding that their pierced offspring be allowed didspensation despite piercings areagainst school rules they signed up to.

Fending off stroppy parents is a job hazzard for office staff.

And I am not implying the OP was stoppy, or lying, but when you get incessant phone calls a day sometimes something has to give.

And Im typing like a feckwit - sorry