To be annoyed at DS teacher for missing taking time off for this?

[Seriouslyirritatednechanger]

My eldest DS is at a notoriously crappy school as it is, I have tried to move him at various points throughout secondary to no avail. One of his teachers is guardian to a child in his year. As a result we have had restricted parents evening times available meaning my dh could not attend with me because she wanted to see her child's teachers on the same night , the child frequently behaves badly and on some occasions the teacher has missed the start of DS lesson to be called in by the head when he deals with bad behaviour. The teacher has missed several lessons to take her child to appointments this term already and it is gcse so DS needs the teacher to revise with. This teacher is the only one for the subject in the school so cover teachers can't teach them. The teacher has refused to give DS extra revision sessions even though it is a subject he really struggles with and he did badly in his controlled assessments so needs a miracle to do well overall. No doubt the teacher will be giving her child extra help outside school but because I do not teach the subject or at all this is not an option for my child. I thought teachers were not meant to miss school time as they have short days and all the holidays to have appointments etc so I don't understand why she cannot do this like any other teacher. Others of DS teachers have children and this does not happen half as often. I feel like she is putting a child she looks after over my son and the importance of gcses for the whole class

One of my year 11 groups finish their GCSE in my subject on Tuesday. Tuesday!!

The other side of that argument is that the school should have addressed the issue themselves before now. It is absolutely not down to parents to address any shortfall in exam prep.

OP, you say the teacher has missed "several lessons".
With respect, what does this actually mean? 3 lessons? 7 lessons? 25 lessons?

Over what period of time?
Are you putting your child's currect failings purely down to the teacher's absence?
Has your child worked as hard as he / she possibly could?
I am struggling to ake my mind up as I think you have been a bit vague as to why your child is not performing well.

Crikey i've missed quite a lot of exam class this year due to pregnancy illness and appointments...in Scotland we can't easily get subject cover and they wouldn't bother with it for a couple of days anyway. I feel bad for the kids but my life comes first eh? And as for finishing at 330 and demanding revision classes

I must be a shit teacher too. I missed two weeks worth of GCSE & A-level classes earlier this year as I had a miscarriage & am now currently signe off for 6 weeks with 2 slipped discs I need surgery for. Sorry for putting my emotional and physical well being before my students - I'll try & get sick in the holiday in future!

If they are medical appointments then arranging them for the holidays is unlikely to be an option, so yabu. How do you even know that's why the teacher was off? It's usually very difficult for teachers to get time off for anything during term time, they won't normally be allowed unless its something important and unavoidable that can't be rearranged.

LaQueen I set cover work yesterday for my missed lessons, all teachers have to do this. Social services told me when the appt was I had no choice. Quite frankly after 20 yrs of teaching and being increasingly treated like everyone's slave and then coming home to a severely disabled son, I have had enough.

LaQueen, teachers do ensure that work gets done when they are off for unavoidable reasons: they set cover for their lessons. And from the OP's post, it sounds like this teacher is offering extra revision sessions too - just not 1-on-1 sessions for the OP's child. I teach 150 kids - I simply cannot give each of those individual revision sessions. Some responsibility for their own learning has to be assumed by the students themselves.

And yes, you're right, many teachers do get touchy when told they work short days - because it's absolute bullshit. Wouldn't you get "touchy" if someone belittled your job?

X post with stillenacht!

We also have to go through three people before time off can be approved and then it is more than likely unpaid

Yes responsibility for their own learning...what a joke! You mark their work, they ask whattheycould do better, you tell them, they either don't bother or want more and more help to the point you are doing it for them...that's how education works!

Still a management problem rather than the failings of an individual teacher though, LaQ. The OP is right to be annoyed at the disruption, but attacking the wrong target.

The prob is that I teach music. Fancy doing that cover?

Def a management problem

Agree goblin

Excellent post soverylucky

Actually, in the run up to exams, students should be revising work they have already covered - so in some respects, it should be a good time for cover.

Of course, if the students didn't fully pay attention when the subject was being originally taught, then they will find revision more difficult.

And LaQueen, it sounds as if you had a bad experience - our cover lesson plans are similar to Ofsted lesson plans and take a long time to set.

And the OP was saying teachers had short days - so she was saying we work less than people in other professions. That is belittling in my book.

Why can't you help your child yourself? GCSEs aren't rocket science, just get the textbook. I had a largely absent biology teacher at secondary school, and I just got on with it myself, read the textbook, did past papers etc. Your child's education is your responsibility in law not the school's/teacher's.

in the case of a child that needs a guardian for appointments it is almost certain the professional he/she is seeing deals solely with children

ie a paediatric specialist so practically all of their patients/ clients will be school children assuming they see someone every 20 mins from 9-5 the only after school appts are 3.40, 4pm, 4.20 and 4.40 all the others are on school time 17/21 approx 80%

I know about orthodontics round here the specialist visits tuesday and wednesday every 5 weeks so there is no option about appointments, even if in city and it was monday to friday 80% of all ortho appointments would still be in school time, because appointments are at regualr 4-8 weeks intervals saving them for the holidays is not an option, i am sure similar criteria apply to other specialities

if a teacher needs to leave class to take to appointment it is inconvenient for the class, if I have to leave dentistry to go with my child it is inconvenient for my patients if a plumber has to leave fitting a central heating system it is inconvenient it is life

Slings the fact remains, teachers do have short days.

I'm not being belittling. I have a family full of teachers.

I know that a lot of work is done after the face to face teaching but appointments could still be made around a few "short" days.

My best friend's DD is also a teacher. Only has senior classes.

She is 9 weeks pregnant with her first child and took the whole of the day off yesterday to have a ultrasound.

She also took the time to go to the organic fruit and vegetable shop, do some shopping, have lunch with her mum.