Was this teacher rude and should I say something?

[farendofafart]

As I met my DD out of school today her teacher made a beeline for me and said in an authoratitative manner (which is her usual manner to be fair), "Can I ask you not to send DD to school again wearing the coat you've been sending her in?"

I was totally perplexed as her coat is a completely ordinary, plain, padded winter coat, brand new last month.

It turns out that the zip has been causing problems (although I wasn't aware of this and it hasn't caused me any problems) and DD has "missed 40 minutes of her education today because of time spent with three adults trying to get her out of her coat."

Whilst I understand this must have been super annoying for her teacher, I can't help thinking her approach with me was unnecessarily rude. Added to the fact that I am a single parent on benefits at the moment (which her teacher should know as DD is on FSM) and I cannot afford a new coat at a moment's notice.

I'm quite prepared to be told I'm BU. I'm a bit hormonal and life is a bit of a struggle right now so it could just be me being over sensitive.

[KurriKurri]

My God - 3 members of staff, 40 minutes to get a child out of a coat? - I have visions of your poor DD standing amongst hysterical staff members shrieking 'we'll never get her out, shall we call the fire brigade?'

Ignore the rude teacher (she sounds like a pompous moo), make yourself some cash by sending your story to Take a Break 'My daughter's 40 minutes of hell stuck in a coat, surrounded by loons'

All those suggesting OP buys a new coat clearly live on Planet Unreality. Newsflash, some folk can;t afford to buy multiple items of expensive clothing just because some snooty teacher was too inept to get a kid out of a coat. (I used to be a teacher, I would never have spoken to a parent like that or embarrassed a child in that manner when handing her over. I would have dealt with the situation and put it down to one of the everyday normal hazards of kids and clothes. And maybe pointed it out politely so you could run a bit of wax or pencil over the zip)

[OnlyLovers]

I think she was unnecessarily rude. Her manner needs looking at and changing, IMO.

I'd ignore. If it happens again face her down: 'Please could you watch your tone?' or similar.

[JeromeSqualor]

well if you can find me one of those tricky that would be lovely

[Trickydecision]

Jerome, if the lining was stuck in the teeth, perhaps they were taking great care not to damage the coat.

I prefer teachers who can write correct English even if they do find stuck zips challenging.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

www.google.co.uk/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-samsung&source=android-browser&q=south+park+pictures&gfe_rd=cr&ei=5W5sVJ64Dojk-gb6u4HgDA#facrc=_&imgrc=3Wz3dOkZfBe-FM%253A%3Bundefined%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Flibrary.creativecow.net%252Farticles%252Fwilson_tim%252Fsouth_park%252FSouth_Park_Kenny.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Flibrary.creativecow.net%252Fwilson_tim%252Fmagazine_south_park%252F1%3B360%3B486 I've found ops kid

[JeromeSqualor]

it took three adults 40 minutes to undo a zip?
and these people are teaching our children? scary!
but no do not say anything it will just make you sound stroppy or whatever.

[Perspective21]

batman , I'm really not believing that you're a teacher, that piece of writing has so many errors. If you are a teacher, I'm hoping you don't teach my children, although you do sound very kind.

Back to the OP, sounds like a bit of an overestimation of the time involved at school, but stuck coat zips are a pain! Speaking as an ex TA and a parent of a DD who did once panic horribly when stuck in her coat (fortunately, she was out with me). Good luck

[Xenadog]

I'm a teacher and wouldn't dream of speaking to a parent in that way; she sounds plain rude.

Find out what's the matter with the zip. Get it sorted. Ignore this woman's poor social skills.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

[Wolfbasher]

To be fair, after what my DSs put their polo shirts through, a polo shit might be a better description

[Gileswithachainsaw]

No shoes.

oh ffs auto correct

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

Polo shit!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

polo shirts

[Gileswithachainsaw]

black joggers for infants? polo shit lots instead of shirts, no toes, black trainers.

jumpers instead of cardigans. no tights just joggers and socks. easy ankle socks not those hard to pull up knee high school socks. let's face it the girls ones get harder and harder to pull up.

supermarket jumpers too. so cheap to replace. none of this logo'd stuff which may mean due to lack of funds aren't replaced often and ergo maybe slightly tighter and harder to get off if they get a bit small in the mean time.

[Sunna]

What else would they wear, if not the things you list, Giles?

Uniform or not those are standard clothes that DCs wear to school.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Children should be sent to school in clothes they can get in and out of without assistance. Countless hours are wasted on a daily basis by teachers and TAs dressing and undressing children

well perhaps they should think of that when schools insist on school shoes, shirts, trousers (let's face it by the time you have adjusted the waist rolled up the leg and added a belt to get them to fit they are not exactly easy to put on) rather than blame parents for a unknown zip fault on a coat

[Neverbuyheliumbalonz]

It took 3 adults 40 minutes to get her out of the coat? Sorry, but either you or the teacher is exaggerating!

Having said that, me and my TA did once spend about 10 minutes trying to get a welly boot off little girl in my class - I thought we might need to cut her out of it at one point!

[Trickydecision]

pieceofpurplesky, I was wondering that, too, and if so, what subject?

[OwlWearingSunglasses]

More surprised at the child wearing the coat and actually doing it up, tbh. My dc would not wear a coat from year 6 until the left school like almost everyone at their school no matter how cold it was!

The 40 minutes I take as exaggeration "your child never has his pe kit" which he forgot once, for example. And teachers can be so incredibly rude to parents as they have been in teacher mode teacher:pupil all day and some find it difficult to revert to adult:adult mode at the end.

I have told a teacher "I am sorry, you seem to think that I am a child, did you want to rephrase that?" And they have usually moderated their tone.

[Sunna]

Yes, she was rude.

However, she was probably exasperated at the time taken to extricate the child from the coat.

Children should be sent to school in clothes they can get in and out of without assistance. Countless hours are wasted on a daily basis by teachers and TAs dressing and undressing children.

She's told you that there's a problem with the coat (very rudely) and you should concentrate on fixing the problem. I imagine your DC was quite upset at being stuck in her coat.

But she was very rude.

[NoelleHawthorne]

Don't say did you mean to be so rude?,you'd be a twat.

[pieceofpurplesky]

Batman are you really a teacher?

[Micksy]

When you're in front of a class, you're in a role. Sometimes it takes a little while to switch back into adult mode. It sounds to me that she was still in her no nonsense dealing with over excited kids mode. I occasionally get told off for using my teacher voice at home. It happens.

[ZippyKerfuffle]

I think the Daily Fail would love this story. A close up of the sad faced child with the pesky zip alongside a warning to other parents would be marvellous