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 that 5

I said the same thing upthread.

I was just getting frustrated that the joshing about the small group of parents who do just grab the teacher instantly for no good reason was being turned into accusations of sneering and judging parents who have exta issues to discuss.

I drop DD in the playground at 8.00 and if I need to speak to the techer I just babble at her, so keen am I not to interrupt. I am quite pathetic really.

Seems to me that it is asking for trouble having all the children line up in the playground. I am surprised schools still do that - it all sounds very old fashioned.

Why don't they let the children in when they arrive like they do at DS's school? No opportunity for parents to get in or to hang around. There is a TA on all three doors to take messages but they won't let any parent in unless there is a need. You can go to the school office if you want to make an appointment to see the teacher. It works very well and presumably, well this is what we are told anyway, the teacher is free to greet and settle the children in the class without interference. Some parents will always want to make their presence felt either because they want the teacher to know they are being watched or because they want to look like the world's most caring parents. Neither is healthy.

I do agree that some children may have issues the OP might not be aware of. There have been children in DS's with behavioural problems. They are the only ones to be handed over directly to a teacher or TA who then finds out what sort of day they are having so as to gauge what to do with them.

Bonsoir, maybe they teacher is being punished for some undisclosed wrongdoing?

I can confirm this LaQueen, both my parents were teachers and they didn't take kindly to it either!

I find it very hard to think of anything at all to say to DD's teachers. They mostly inhabit a separate universe to me... the only thing we have in common is DD and even then we rarely share any sort of perception!

DS1 would like to be in one of the A sports teams in school (they go from A-D) currently he is not.

My options are
a) have a word with the sports teacher at every opportunity; or
b) take DS1 running on the weekend to improve his fitness; or
c) tell him to stop chatting in the lessons and make a bit more effort.

I have done two of the above...

Given that I am a "drop and run" parent I think you can guess which option hasn't featured

I had an unpleasant comment from another parent about the fact that I speak to DDs teacher every single morning. What this parent didn't know (or bother to find out before being unpleasant to me about it) is that DD has Type 1 diabetes and her teacher has asked me to give her a quick update every morning on how she has been overnight and what her glucose levels are like that day. I'm very grateful that her teacher takes such an interest.

Oh no please don't start on about the PTA, a fight will break out! :o

I did mean Aunty Val's big hairy bush, oh I still giggle to myself about it, that and Father Ted's my lovely horse. I am a woman of simple pleasures

My DS has developmental delay due to glue ear and had a SENCO at nursery. He hasn't got any 1:1 support as yet as they are seeing how he gets on. He has just started in reception. With my DD I have never spoke to the teacher apart from parents evening and I am worried that I will get judgey remarks from parents that do not know my situation.

just for you Lesleypumpshaft

Thanks OwlLady!

That is just shit Megatron.

Mind you, the fact that she would make an unpleasant comment places her in a particular group anyway. I m sure she finds lots of excuses to be unpleasant.

:o

More and more Early Years settings, including reception classrooms are beginning to realise that the transition in the mornings is much better for the children if their parents stick around to settle them blackpoollights.

I'm sure you don't need to apologise for being ahead of your time.

Our teacher waits at the door and often speaks to us parents, we are encouraged to air any problems/issues.

Obviously if we have something that is long winded it waits until the afternoon pick up but quick comments or snippets of info relevant to that morning are not frowned upon.

As for going to the office, heaven foribd! The receptionist has been there since the school was built probably and I think she lives in her little office with her perspex window. She is a force to be reckoned with and you must only go to see her in the most serious of instances, otherwise you speak to the teacher, or face her wrath probably

School does start at 8.45 but we all know this is so they can have all bums on seats and settled by 9am, the official start to the school day.

Perhaps that is why they are a bit more relaxed about chatting to parents during drop off.

Must be working though, consistent 'outstanding' from Ofsted and a bunch of happy children/parents.

My friend does this. She sees it as part of good parenting, that "it is you, not the teachers, who is ultimately in charge of your children's education". Who knows, maybe she thinks she is delegating tasks for the day

Same friend told me when I was pregnant that, "In their first year of life you practically live in A&E". Nope, that didn't happen either.

I realise that I am very lucky that my dc don't need my constant intervention, either at school or at hospital. Mind, hers don't either. Also, I am TERRIFIED of pissing off the teachers. One of my rules of life is that there are four groups of people you don't want to annoy: your hairdresser, your binmen, your dentist and your child's teacher.

Sometimes parents don't even want to discuss/air problems.

In the past I had parents ask for advice about things as they see teachers as knowledgeable and trustworthy people. I've spoke to parents about what to do if their child has nits / what to do when they've had issues with neighbours / general home life problems. Sometimes people are lonely and they just need to talk to somebody, anybody. I have Even been used as a shoulder to cry on.

'Why do you care?'

Well, I don't know about the OP, sherbetpips but I'm a teacher and I agree with her.
Some parents are very needy.

I don't agree that reception children settle better when their parents bring them in. My DD has been more upset by the mass of huge adults lumbering around the classroom and cloakroom than by saying goodbye to me.

It was really to express a bit of sympathy for and to be appreciative of teachers. Following on from a conversation I'd had in the playground with another parent this morning, seeing the teachers and lines of children surrounded by a clump of parents again, that parent-wrangling must be one of the more challenging aspects of the job.

some parents are needier than others.

I speak to the teacher regularly at the start ad end of day as needed as ds1 has toilet training issues/ extremely advanced reading / possible aspergers (being assessed) so often a quick chat is needed about things. Often it is the teacher or TA that instigates the chat.

This is similar but the other way round. When DCs were let out at hometime by the teacher at First School if the teacher wanted to speak to you, you would be summoned and have to do the walk of shame into school in front of everyone.