Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DDs teacher giving serious misinformation WWYD?

342 replies

phantomnamechanger · 09/01/2014 20:51

How to deal with this please......

DD has recently got a new English teacher. They are reading Pride & Prejudice (just started). Today in the lesson, the teacher has on several occasions referred to it being set in "the Victorian era"
that's a massive error to make, right? how do we point this out? DD was like Hmm when she told me, but there will be other kids who believe the teacher and for whom that will stick.
DD did not want to correct the teacher for fear of being reprimanded/thought rude.
WWYD?

OP posts:
Ubik1 · 09/01/2014 21:54

At my school we were encouraged to question teachers - but I went to a lefty comp. I know not all schools encourage children to think critically about what they are being told.

Original poster
phantomnamechanger · 09/01/2014 21:55

But they might take even less kindly to being bollocked by the HOD after a parental complaint

exactly

which is why I am still leaning towards Bettys suggestion.
Have emailed the school office to ask for the new teachers email addy.

OP posts:
ClaudiusGalen · 09/01/2014 21:55

If the HOD bollocked the staff member over this then the HOD would be an idiot. As a HOD it is my responsibility to know what is going on in my Dept and to plug any gaps with training. This will probably be picked up in book scrutiny or lesson obs, but that might not happen for a while, so I'd appreciate a polite heads up from a parent.

signet · 09/01/2014 21:55

My point is its all very fluid and so probably its best not to complain about the teacher.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/01/2014 21:56

Mmm. Ok.

I don't think it is 'correct' for GCSE students. I think it's unfair.

By analogy - I'm a medievalist and I would happily consider some texts written up to 1550 or even beyond as 'medieval'. But if a student at that stage asked me whether Shakespeare was 'medieval', I would certainly say no. He isn't. Yes, an argument can be made that a few contemporary texts could be studied by medievalists, but this is just confusing for students.

I suppose it is possible the teacher is using 'Victorian' to mean the era you refer to and not the reign, but I think it's not a great idea ... and frankly, I think it's more likely she's simply made an error.

signet · 09/01/2014 21:57

Caitlin those type of houses are from late 1700s so they would be Georgian and I wouldn't refer to them as anything else (except perhaps Hanoverian??).

signet · 09/01/2014 21:59

You're probably right LRD it's not great for GCSE students, but I guess what I'm trying to say is maybe the teacher should be given a little bit of leeway.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/01/2014 22:00

Oh, sure.

TBH I'd give the teacher a bit of leeway even if it's a mistake. The thing is, students need to know one way or other, I reckon.

echt · 09/01/2014 22:03

signet, Austen died before Victoria was born, so P&P being a Victorian novel is not matter of opinion.

OP, send a discreet note to the teacher. This is basic subject knowledge and the teacher should be getting it right.

UptheChimney · 09/01/2014 22:05

Personally, yes I would call it a Victorian book, all be it very early Victorian. That would be correct

Pride and Prejudice was written before 1837, as any fule kno. So it is not Victorian.

I sincerely hope you are NOT a teacher.

And 'regency era' which does cover both the georgian and early victorian era

No, it doesn't. You could talk about the "late Romantic period" I suppose.

Good lord, I hope none of the posters making these statements is a teacher.

UptheChimney · 09/01/2014 22:07

The Victorian era doesn't just refer to the time when Queen Victoria was on the throne. We use it to refer to a period of time within which there were Victorian sentiments. There is no actual start or finish time amongst academics. It's an ongoing argument, but its basically split into 3 periods with the early Victorian period beginning any time from 1800 onwards and the late Victorian period incorporating part of the Edwardian period. So academically speaking the teacher isn't wrong

I'm sorry, but you are the one who is wrong. And no real, qualified academic (ie PhD in English literature of the nineteenth century) would agree with you.

I hope you are not peddling this rubbish.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 09/01/2014 22:09

Given your DD is 14 I really do think she should simply stick up her hand and say politely that she'd thought P&P was a regency novel so she'd looked it up and she is correct, perhaps giving the dates of P&P and Victoria's reign. I really don't see why a parent would get involved in this unless the teacher responds unfairly to your DD.

ImperialBlether · 09/01/2014 22:13

It sounds as though the teacher's referring to anything in 'the olden days' as Victorian.

I'd email the head of department and ask her/him to set the teacher straight.

UptheChimney · 09/01/2014 22:15

I imagine the teacher will start talking about covering up piano legs and other such utter rubbish about "Victorian sentiments" next.

I despair sometimes.

Caitlin17 · 09/01/2014 22:15

signet sorry if you agree houses built before Victoria ascended the throne can only be Georgian how can a novel written before Victoria ascended the throne be a Victorian novel?

freerangeeggs · 09/01/2014 22:18

"Email the head of faculty and copy headmaster and complain. Anything else will get ignored."

This is harsh! If it was me (I'm an English teacher) I would be glad that the parent in question had emailed me, or that the child has pointed it out. I certainly wouldn't just ignore it and I can't think of any of my colleagues, past or present, who would. This is a bizarre response and takes it to the point of actually humiliating the teacher in question. If they don't respond, then yes, definitely take it further. But I very much doubt that would be the case.

Toecheese · 09/01/2014 22:19

I would probably email the teacher and just politely and lightly mention that DD seems a bit confused about the novels era and seemed puzzled when i mentioned it was Georgian period.

Toecheese · 09/01/2014 22:25

Send a direct email to teacher. Say that you are very excited they are reading the book but had to mention that its Georgian not Victorian. Apologise for being do pedantic but mention its been lovely hearing my DD discuss x and x in the book.

Toecheese · 09/01/2014 22:26

I don't think you need to be heavy handed. Being a teacher is hard enough sometimes.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/01/2014 22:28

Forgive me for being ignorant - I'm asking because I'm a newbie teaching at university, so trying to do my best - is it typical for parents to be in touch with teachers at GCSE level?

Salmotrutta · 09/01/2014 22:28

Oh dear.

I'm a teacher (but not of English) and I would be mortified to have misinformed on such a basic level.

If I had done such a thing though I'd probably prefer a pupil to have questioned it though rather than a Faculty Head coming down on me like a ton of bricks! Grin

UptheChimney · 09/01/2014 22:29

Being a teacher is hard enough sometimes

But understanding Austen as a writer in the Romantic period isn't hard. It's basic.

Salmotrutta · 09/01/2014 22:32

LRD - I have had parents getting in touch at our Scottish equivalent level to GCSE.

Not because they think I've got my facts wrong I hasten to add Grin but to ask about progress, attainment etc. of their offspring.

curlew · 09/01/2014 22:32

The Victorian Era did not start in 1800!!!

And p an p is not, in any sense of the term, a Victorian novel.

ClaudiusGalen · 09/01/2014 22:33

Yes LRD, in these days of email some parents are in constant contact. Others you need to hire a private detective to track down.