to ask why some parents have to speak to the class teacher every morning?

[MarysBeard]

Especially when the general rule is to communicate via the reading book, the office if a routine matter, or if you must, to speak to the teacher at the end of the school day, and if it's something that takes more than five minutes, make an appointment.

I would expect it in reception, but by Year 3 surely parents should know not to be standing around monopolising the teachers' attention in the morning, delaying the children getting into school. Also (apart from in reception) the kids are meant to line up and the parents stand behind some cones after the bell has gone. Yet some parents still hang around the lines of kids after the bell has gone, sometimes getting in the way of the lines of kids getting into school. It's always the same people you see doing both, in spite of repeated reminders in the newsletters. I often feel sorry for the teaching staff in the mornings & wish that some parents would just let them get on with it (as most do!)

I know exactly what you mean OwlLady, us townies don't find these things out until it's too late!

Why does nobody tell you when you move to the country, the locals can be rude, gossipy and very nosey?

I don't know but it's quite an enlightening experience :o my youngest son didn't get a place at the village school this year (his first year) and although I was a bit sad he would be separated from his friends there was almost an element of relief he would be going to a bigger school in the next town

I remember a few weeks after we moved the village post office was involved in an armed robbery and all the mothers were gasping that the robber was black

They refused to give him the money though and then some bloke from the village tackled the gun off him, which was rather entertaining

It was a relief when DS started secondary school in the next village/small town. People who aren't from round these parts are affectionately known as 'outsiders' or even 'foreigners'.

More fool me for coming here with my towny ways!

Soon after I moved here there was a story on the front page of the local rag about how it was the 80 year anniversary of some old boy rescuing a sheep off a cliff.

pmsl, that's really funny!

Did you ever watch 'The League of Gentleman'? My local town is like Royston Vasey, only in the west country. Is it like that round your way OwlLady?

aamia - that's not always true. DS2 had a home-school book, but it was never written in - they never had time to read it or write in it. The TA/teacher preferred a quick update in the morning when dropping him off and they gave me a quick update in the afternoon when handing him back. Although in the morning, DS2 was brought in just after the bell rang, so he didn't have to cope with the chaos in the morning - so instead of people whinging that we were talking to the TA or teacher each morning, we had people whinging that we were late every morning (not that it was any of their business) even though it was by prior arrangement with the school.

Some parents will find anything to complain about - in the long run, is it really a huge deal? You may not know why they need to have a quick word with the TA or teacher, but that doesn't mean it's not necessary. They probably don't explain to you what it's about because it's none of your business.

Oh, and we drive DS2 to his specialised school now, so we're not monopolising the MS school teacher. Heaven forbid.

SEN? That's the reason I have to speak to a teacher in the morning, I hadn't realised so many people were offended by it, although I suspect they'd be far more annoyed if their dc had their lessons disrupted as DS had been having meltdowns as the teacher hadn't been informed in the morning of any issues to be able to take the necessary steps to avoid them.

Which would you rather?

These parents are everywhere in every school it seems. (I have teacher friends who complain about those parents)
Unless the child is SN, had some sort of accident/illness/emotional problem happen, then once in a blue moon is OK, but some parents it's every freakin day! And I've waited near the classroom to let the teacher know about something like an accident/illness etc before heading off to work (as I usually drop off at the top of the steps and run) and this dam parent is going on and on about nothing and the teacher is trying to get away and they just won't stop. I've even interrupted a couple times over the years and said Mrs .... Dd had this happen and take all of 30 seconds and gone, you'd think I shouted fire in the cinema from the dirty looks as I interrupted "that" parent who was busy describing dinner, or her labour.

I agree with pag

Several reasons for this exist. The annoying ones, which we all have experienced, are the ones who just basically think they are entitled to more of the teacher's time than anyone else.

I can tell the difference between this and the parents of children with SENs or behavioural issues, and have the greatest empathy with the latter.

Perhaps this thread will open some eyes to the fact that reasons for talking to the teacher that they have not thought about.

Pushy dad used to push in front of everyone to get his child into Reception class, block the door as he spoke to the teacher, march to the front at pickup and theb triumphantly carry his child away. Every day

Blimey.

My son as SN. I am certainly not talking about those parents who need to catch the teacher regularly. I am not sure anyone was were they?

Do none of you have them then - the parents who just always needs see the teacher? They are often the ones who arn't happy about stuff too. One parent quite happily told me that the head had started to avoid her too. Her last complaint was about the length of the school overcoat

DS has been to two different schools and I've honestly never encountered a pushy parent like that, nor have I any experience of the 'in crowd' in the playground either that I read about so much on mn. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I haven't had the 'in crowd' GoldPednticPanda.

I have had pushy parents including the one who is really proud of it. When DD had her leg in a full cast I had to wait for 10 minutes while the teacher tried to hurry up another mother who was complaining about the fact that her dd had moved table.......errrr to accommodate my dd and her full leg cast

I even have one at ds2s special school ...

LesleyPumpshaft, I remember it well. Can you remember the naked episode? it was hilarious and yes it's very similar here in rural Bedfordshire

someone reported a man that looked homeless hanging around a field and it turned out it was farmer, for example

I did chat a bit more than usual to DS2's YR teacher because he was having SLT and she wanted to know what they could do in class to help his speech.

However, there are also the other type of parent who knows everything about the school and education. Writes 3 page notes to the teacher in the communication book about reading and writing levels in YR etc. They are scary. Fortunately in DS2's school the headteacher acts as a gatekeeper and tends to triage the parents so they don't automatically get to speak to the teacher.

Do you mean the episode with Auntie Val's big hairy bush?

I'm a Bucks girl and had no idea that rural Bedfordshire was that exciting! I needn't have moved all the way to Gloucesterhire lol.

Pmsl about the farmer!

LaQueen, pmsl at teacher-tangle-berry!

There are mothers like this at DD's school. Interestingly, this year all their children have been herded into the same class (there are five parallel classes) with a teacher who is excellent at putting up with serving needy parents!

One Mum at our school used to sit on the floor outside the classroom with her pfb ds and talk to him up until it was time for him to go in. She always was the last parent to go. Always spoke to the teacher, and what really made me cringe was she used to make her ds go up and say thank you for being my teacher every single day after school!
You knew you were really late if you saw her walking out of the playground!!!

Pag, we definitely have parents who monopolise the teacher at any given moment. I was simply putting across that not all of these parents are like that, some have genuine reasons.

I find that the monopolising parents are usually on the PTA as well

Maybe it's because people are different and have different communication styles?

I'm sure there are plenty of pushy parents who think they know best etc, but also people who just like a chat.