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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be upset at feedback given to agency?

38 replies

upsetteacher15 · 10/06/2015 20:22

OK so you'd think a good teacher would set homework, issue detention for homework not done, not let children go on phones in lessons right?

Well apparently not because I did all those things but have been complained about (OF COURSE! Because the little dears don't want to do homework do they!) and am not going back Sad

It was meant to be a 3 week booking, could have used the money.

OP posts:
DuchessofNorks · 10/06/2015 20:24

What was the feedback? What did they say about you?

LindyHemming · 10/06/2015 20:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SallyMcgally · 10/06/2015 20:27

That does sound harsh, OP. Sorry to hear this.

drivingmisspotty · 10/06/2015 20:29

I am not a supply teacher but having had friends who have done it I hear some schools just give odd feedback - probably says more about them than you and should be shrugged off if you generally get good feedback.

That said, was it specifically the homework and discipline they complained about? Was it in line with the school's normal homework and discipline policy? Was it part of YOUR role as a supply? Perhaps they wanted you to babysit rather than teach? (Have heard this happens too although it sounds a bit unreasonable on part of school).

Sorry you had a rubbish day and lost the work Flowers

OddBoots · 10/06/2015 20:29

Complaints seem to be par for the course in teaching but the important thing is how the school deal with it. Have to school stopped you coming back (supply I guess) or do you feel unable to go back?

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 10/06/2015 20:30

No one likes negative feed back. It's human nature. But being an excellent teacher goes deeper than giving children detention for not doing their home work. Did you work with them to establish why it was not done. Where you aware of any mitigating circumstances that may have prevented them from doing their homework. Sometimes children havd s bigger story than I couldn't be bothered doing it,
Stop use of phones whilst in class yes I fully agree. I havd no argument for that, but all those things do not make you teacher of the year.

BerylStreep · 10/06/2015 20:41

As a parent I would be pissed off to hear of a teacher calling the children they teach 'little dears'.

whois · 10/06/2015 20:43

As a parent I would be pissed off to hear of a teacher calling the children they teach 'little dears'.

I'm sure they get called much worse than that in the staff room!

Original poster
upsetteacher15 · 10/06/2015 21:01

Im not saying it makes me teacher of the year but it seems harsh to lose an entire booking over basically doing my job.

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 10/06/2015 21:07

Is this Secondary?

Were you following school policy on homework and phones etc.?

I've done supply in the past (Secondary) and followed policy on homework, behaviour management etc. and that is usually welcomed by the hard pressed department!

Sorry this has happened if you were following school policy OP.

Salmotrutta · 10/06/2015 21:08

Iliveinalighthouse - supply teachers have to hit the ground running.

Best not to patronise the OP Eh?

Original poster
upsetteacher15 · 10/06/2015 21:37

It's secondary yes.

I set a homework and some students did not do it so I put them in a detention at dinner time. Some did not show up so I went to their next lesson (the teacher I am covering from Shares the class with another teacher) and apparently she complained I was really rude to them and disrupted the start of her lesson.

Then one boys mum rang in to complain about his detention.

The students who's phones I confiscated said I screamed at them and called them names.

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 10/06/2015 21:42

I'm sorry you aren't being supported by your supposed "colleagues" OP.

Flowers
KrevlornswathoftheDeathwokClan · 10/06/2015 21:48

Some schools are odd to supply as I'm sure you know. Atmosphere varies enormously. Sorry you lost work but at least you don't have to deal with how shit they are.

whois · 10/06/2015 21:53

Well it sounds like you did disrupt the start of another teachers lesson? The rest sounds overinflated.

Hey ho, at least you know you don't want to go back there and work in that school now.

CandOdad · 10/06/2015 22:02

The agency will take this in its stride too. I have worked in several schools this year and just before Christmas they phoned to give me some feedback but then told me not to worry as the school is well known for being picky and all the other schools are more than happy with me.

WinterOfOurDiscountTents15 · 10/06/2015 22:19

Well, a teacher complained about you, a parent complained about you, and students complained about you. Thats a lot of complaints for.... a day? Or a week?
I'm not saying you're in the wrong but its a lot, and the school must have felt justified.

coolaschmoola · 10/06/2015 22:54

If another teacher thinks that you were rude to the students then maybe you need to reflect on your tone and what you actually said because it's normal for kids to say we've been harsh etc, but for a colleague to say you were rude to students is a whole other kettle of fish.

If students and staff both found you rude it implies that you may not be as polite as you think.

CamelHump · 10/06/2015 23:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DamnBamboo · 10/06/2015 23:02

OK so you'd think a good teacher would set homework, issue detention for homework not done, not let children go on phones in lessons right

No, not necessarily to all of those. Did you even try to establish why the homework hadn't been done?
Why couldn't you have waited until you next saw those pupils to pick it up directly with them, rather than attempting to confront them in front of the whole class in someone else's lesson.

I think YABU in how you've dealt with this. And I'm pretty strict as a parent too.

BabyMurloc · 10/06/2015 23:04

Setting homework - fine
Detention for homework not done - fine
Removing a mobile phone - fine

But if I was teaching and another teacher walked in to shout at my students during my lesson I'd be peeved as well! If they don't turn up for detention personally I would have escalated that through whatever the schools channels are for that kind of thing. It seems unfair on other kids to have their teaching time disturbed for you to attempt to deal with kids who didn't show up.

Try and think about things from an outside perspective and see what you would do and could do differently next time. Ask yourself these questions:
Do you know the schools procedures for setting homework? Did you follow them?
Did you follow the school guidelines for detention and follow up?
Were you overly harsh when removing phones?
Did you disrupt another teachers lesson?

Supply teaching is really hard but there are likely lessons to be learnt here. Namely make sure you understand and conform with the school policies on homework and discipline.

I hope your next experience is much better.

LaLyra · 10/06/2015 23:07

It sounds like you didn't match with that school if a colleague felt the need to complain as well as students and a parent.

Did you follow the school's behaviour policy to the letter? Did the Head/Department Head give you any guidance about the normal way of doing things?

arethereanyleftatall · 10/06/2015 23:22

It sounds like the complaints aren't for anything you actually did, such as your list in your op, but rather your attitude. You were rude and shouted, is what the complaints were about. Have you reflected on that?

maddy68 · 10/06/2015 23:57

The complaint was about interrupting another teachers lesson , not about chasing homework.

I would be livid if another teacher did that to me.

I bet after that it took ages to calm the kids down for the interrupted lesson

fastdaytears · 11/06/2015 05:59

I don't think the teacher who complained has anything to gain by making that up, and presumably by getting rid of a supply teacher has actually made her own life harder so her feedback is the real issue I think and the MN teachers above seem to agree that disrupting the lesson wasn't a good way to go about things.
Are you new to supply teaching? I imagine it's a nightmare with each school having different expectations and cultures. Also, being the total and utter horror I was at secondary school, there's no way I'd have turned up at a detention set by a supply teacher without a permanent member of staff having been involved. I know that's not fair or nice or at all respectful but if memory serves me correctly nor are most 13 year olds.