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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to go on the warpath over something this teacher said.

129 replies

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 09/05/2012 16:34

This happened last week but I only heard about it today.

DD1 takes German with the DD of a friend. Today I was at this friends for coffee and she asked me if my DD had told me about something that had happened in German last week. DD hadn't, so my friend informed me that according to her DD, the German teacher was poking fun at people with Aspergers, referring to them as retards and slagging off a 'friend' of his who has Aspergers, and reading out texts this friend had sent him encouraging the children to laugh at this poor bloke. He also referred to Aspergers as a disease of the brain.

I have spoken to DD and she confirms that this happened and said she wasn't comfortable at all because her brother, DS1 has Aspergers. DS1 as it happens, also has this teacher for German

It happened last week, but WIBU to make a big fuss to the school over this?

OP posts:
igggi · 09/05/2012 19:35

Yes I am, Smellsliketeenstrop. Most areas (I'm not in England) will have a complaints procedure - moving from a verbal or written raising of concerns, to a formal letter of complaint to HT if not satisfied, to the complaints team in the local authority. But the head may be completely on your side (though they might not be able to fully show it!) Certainly some disability training could be part of their plans for next year now!

Salmotrutta · 09/05/2012 19:37

I hated my maths teacher too ... Angry. Right horror she was.

I did my PGDE (Scotland) a few years back and professionalism at all times was hammered home very thoroughly.

I have heard the odd slightly silly thing pop out of an NQT/student's mouth but nowhere near the level of the OPs story.

catgirl1976 · 09/05/2012 19:39

Is like a zoo on this thread bat Grin

MilitaryWag · 09/05/2012 19:41

ABatInBunkFive
It was more a nod to the possible cultural differences that may be evident. Schools on the continent (from what I have been led to believe) can be more tolerant of what we would percieve as unprofessional behaviour on the part of teachers

MilitaryWag · 09/05/2012 19:44

Salmotrutta
I do believe that some PGCE courses in the UK spend less time on how to be professional and more on the academic side of things. Perfectly useless in preparing students to teach in schools. That said, these places rely heavily on 5* gradings for their departments as a means of securing funding research. Training future teachers is almost a sideline!!

MilitaryWag · 09/05/2012 19:46

percieve Blush

Perceive

FallenCaryatid · 09/05/2012 19:49

Teachers have to know stuff. Gove says so. In primary, that can be ten or more subjects, so professionalism, whatever that looks like might be less important than knowing your subject.
Anyway, I don't think this is just a professionalism issue, it's an are you a decent human being? issue. And at the moment, that teacher isn't.

ABatInBunkFive · 09/05/2012 19:50

This isn't just unprofessionalism though, it's downright offensive.

I see unprofessionalism as oversharing or being a tad overfamiliar, not this. This is unacceptable on every level from anyone.

manicbmc · 09/05/2012 19:53

If he'd made a joke about someone's skin colour or religion it would be a sacking offence. It should be the same for joking about a disability. It's not big. It's not clever. And it's never acceptable.

MilitaryWag · 09/05/2012 19:53

FallenCaryatid
Yes, of course.
It still seems very odd that no other student reported it though. Kids usually have a very sharp sense of justice and rightly or wrongly there are always a minority who would be delighted to shop a teacher for saying something like this. Even more so if they have at times been in trouble and will see it as an opportunity to get even with a member of staff regardless of who it is

ABatInBunkFive · 09/05/2012 19:55

I think that the benefits of knowledge that an NQ teacher comes out with makes up for the slight dip in unprofessionalism (as defined above)

The most helpful teachers we have come across R.E. DSs needs have all been newly qualified. Not much help with the HT, but better than nowt. Wink

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 09/05/2012 19:56

Hmmm, just spoken to my SIL - the one who is a teacher. She suggests contacting the teacher directly and asking them for their side, and if I'm not satisfied then escalating. She seemed to be coming from the P.O.V that I should be trying not to get this teacher in trouble. Hmm

OP posts:
FallenCaryatid · 09/05/2012 19:57

Maybe the majority of the children like him and think he's cool or whatever the current phrase is. My DD had several unorthodox teachers that the classes really liked and who crossed a few boundaries.

FallenCaryatid · 09/05/2012 19:59

You are not trying to get him into trouble, you are trying to enlighten and educate him so that future students get the new improved and more sensitive version.

MilitaryWag · 09/05/2012 19:59

SmellsLikeTeenStrop
Personally, I would be flagging this up to his HOD in the first instance. This will set in motion an investigation involving the SLT

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 09/05/2012 20:00

''It still seems very odd that no other student reported it though.''

I don't know that and neither do you.

OP posts:
doormat · 09/05/2012 20:01

what a disgusting waste of an egg and a sperm this teacher is....he needs to be sacked

MadameChinLegs · 09/05/2012 20:01

Have you asked your Son whether this teacher has ever said anything of this type to him? Just thinking the teacher may have form for this sort of thing.

If you do speak to the teacher first, do so in writing.

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 09/05/2012 20:03

I have MadameChinLegs and the answer was no.

OP posts:
FallenCaryatid · 09/05/2012 20:14

'what a disgusting waste of an egg and a sperm this teacher is....he needs to be sacked'

Let's go with the re-educating first and see if he can change. He doesn't sound very old or experienced.

LeBOF · 09/05/2012 20:22

I wouldn't go to the teacher in this particular instance, who is likely to fob you off. I'd go to the Head, and let him or her put the teacher on the spot. The email suggested is excellent, I think.

TinkerSailerSoldierSpy · 09/05/2012 20:24

Kids are impressionable. If you have a child in his class that particularly looks up to him and takes this message to heart then he is teaching intolerance and should be out on his arse. But, there is allways another side to the story...

doormat · 09/05/2012 20:25

fallen i dont care how old he is or how experienced..he has a responsibilty to teach his pupils respect and diversity...he clearly didnt do this as he was insulting to ppl with aspergers or any other learning disability...

also why was he allowed to have a mobile phone to read out the texts...i thought these were banned from classes....he obviously has no respect for the children, rules or any professionalism...

FallenCaryatid · 09/05/2012 20:36

But if |I nuked everyone in the profession who had been thick and insensitive and ignorant about my DS I'd not have effected as much change as I did by my determined re-education of them. and making them understand th implications of what they were doing and why it was unacceptable.
Convert the enemy, then they are on your side.

doormat · 09/05/2012 20:37

op as others have suggested i would not approach the teacher but put in writing what has happened today and send copies to the head, your LEA, the governing body and your MP and the dept of education demanding an investigation into this matter..

if not for the fact he was disresptful towards ppl with learning diffuculties but for the fact he had a mobile phone in class too....

sorry this amoeba reminds me of one of the old fashioned comedians that ripped the piss out of disabled, woman etc...thinking they are funny when they have no place to teach children in our society