teacher unprepared for my parent help

[iamworkingonit]

I work as a teacher but part time. I like to have some sort of contact with the school my daughter attends and as a single parent, working part time enables me to do drop her off and collect her twice a week and have some contact with the teacher and other parents.
I volunteer as a parent help once a week. Not in my daughter's class.
Two weeks ago the teacher whom I work with was away. Normally when I arrive the children are still at PE and just coming back or sometimes I am there for 5 or so minutes before they come back. I passed through the office and signed in. The office staff are really busy and that is possibly why they didn't mention the teacher's absence. Anyway after sitting in the classroom for about 10 minutes I went next door and the teacher there said she was away. I asked the head what would be the best course of action and he said just to wait in the library and collect my daughter at the end of the school day. The following week I called to check if the teacher was in. The office staff said she was so I went in. The class didn't return within a reasonable length of time so after 10 minutes or so I spoke to a TA who said the class was practising for an end of term production. I didn't want to interrupt and thought all class members would be involved. I was really angry though. I understand perfectly well how busy teachers are ( I am one) but I couldn't see why the teacher couldn't have left me something to do which didn't involve working with pupils or at best left a not saying they were in the hall. When I left the school I left the teacher a note stating that I am a busy person and that it is frustrating to take the time to come and help and not be needed. It wasn't rude but I am wondering if I should have. I got a reasonably polite email back stating that the end of the term is busy and timetables change at short notice but I do feel that it was rude and that an apology would have been in order.

I understand how busy teacher are that is why I volunteer to help. Not quite sure why this is seen as teachers bashing.Many of my friends are teacher.

Does the school actively need volunteers? In which case they are stupid to alienate the ones they have. But if the teacher is like some of those who post on MN, she may feel that having a volunteer is an imposition and not give a toss if you never darken her door again.

Can I ask why you didn't go looking for the class though? I volunteered for years in primary school and the expectation was that I would seek out the children I needed to read with and that they and the teacher would prioritise reading time over other activities.

Yes, an apology would have been nice.

Look at it from the teacher's point of view though. She was absent the first time you had a problem so she might not even have known about it. It is likely that, as far as she is aware, she has only once forgotten to let you know about a change of plan and then has had a slightly aggressive note in response. How would you feel if it was you?

I was the coordinator for the volunteers in my last school before retirement and had a hard time getting the volunteers placed as basically it is more work for the teacher to organize work for the volunteer. I agree with that from my own experience.

Your role in that school is "Mum who has a bit of free time who comes in to help"

You're sounding as if you're going at it with more of a "I'm a teacher myself you know....this wouldn't happen in my school..."

You do sound very aggressive.

How does it operate in your school when your parent helpers come in? When a teacher phones in sick, or is on a trip, or practising for the end of term show, how does it work? Is the first on the list of priorities to "let Sandra know we won't need her this week?" Or maybe to arrange a teacher to cover?

The note thing was nasty.

Sorry iamworkingonit - mea culpa for not reading your post properly. Yes, that is annoying. I'd be inclined to be snippy after that!

Rereading your OP. Why didn't you just go to the hall and watch the rehearsal?

And you sent the note after 10 minutes waiting?

Did the head make you sit in the library all day? That sounds very odd. Did you?

So, either she forgot about you twice in a row or she remembered, but didn't bother to leave you anything to do. I can't think of any other options.

Whichever it is, the teacher has shown herself in a bad light and, if she was half competent at projecting herself professionally, she'd have apologised to soothe the situation, rather than just send out what sounds like a defensive email.

The thing is to the other teachers saying how busy the end of term is, the OP offers her help for free every week and therefore, should feel at least a little appreciated.

If this happens a lot (where staff aren't considerate of parents who offer their help for free), the. They'll find they get less people offering to help.
Surely they could have mentioned to the receptionist that the OP wasn't needed or not needed until a certain time etc.....just so she could have not wasted her time.

No I didn't send the note after 10 minutes of waiting!................ I called mid morning to check that I was needed. I came in the class was busy. I went to the library after talking to the head. I was there for about 30 minutes.The teachers class is in the upper part of the school I left her a note. I would have talked to her had my daughters class finished at the same time. Yes I can see it from the teacher point of view. The only thing I might have done differently was apologise to the helper. The school actively encourages volunteers. I am not generally an angry or aggressive person. I don't offer help to 'snoop' on a teacher.

No it wasn't terse. As I said I would have apologised if the roles had been reversed.

I have 2 volunteers a week in my class. If we are in the classroom, then yes I will set a specific task or activity for the volunteer to do (either admin or working with a group of children), but otherwise they just join in with whatever else we are doing. If we are doing PE, the volunteer does PE. If we are rehearsing, they help with the rehearsal. If its Sports Day, they help with that. Etc. I am very very grateful to have them, their help is invaluable.

I think the head was being v unreasonable to say go and sit in the library. Wtf. No wonder you were upset.

I think you should have gone and joined the rehearsal, but yes i understand you didnt want to interrupt. The teacher prob just forgot. Its a manic time of year. But the best thing would have beeen to see the specific teacher or their year group partner, other members of the school are unlikely to know (or care) really tbh. Sorry OP. Dont let it put you off.

If you have made an arrangement with someone, and then you can't do it, you apologise to them! The teacher stuffed up. I would think having parent volunteers would indeed be very helpful, but if it isn't, then a quick email to say 'you don't need to come in today' would be polite and not beyond most people.

I get teachers are busy, but co-ordinating volunteers, music lessons, TAs is part of the job, and it's really impolite not to say sorry if you inconvenience one of them.

Thanks hollie berrie hasn't put me off. The teacher forgetting and me being angry are both fairly normal reactions.

I totally get why you're cross. She should have communicated to you...told you not to come in or got you to help with the children or even make some resources for her. Hopefully she will make use of you from now on. Given how much teachers have to do....you'd think she'd make the best use of you....you are being totally reasonable to want to be appreciated and not have your precious time wasted. Yes she is busy....she is still human and should use her manners!!

No one should treat volunteers like this - I work in the voluntary sector and the difference is staggering. Teachers are not entitled to drop volunteers like this because they busy - that's just rude, you don't get a "be rude to anyone free" ticket with your PCGE.

Having volunteered in a small school with hardly any pupil premium, I know that teachers there relied on volunteers, otherwise they'd have a class of 30 on their own. But also having volunteered in a bigger school, I know that staff see parents coming in as something the staff tolerate rather than welcome.

I'd just leave it and go somewhere else or put it down to experience.

I help the teacher by working with a group of children or 1 on 1 but I said at the onset that I was happy to help with anything including tidying admin.

I stopped volunteering at our school because they were never prepared, either individually or as a school (complete lack of communication when they changed requirements for checks on volunteers for example that resulted in me being spoken to like I was stupid because they hadn't told me what they required).

There really is no excuse for treating volunteers badly. You get organized or you don't use them. If the end of term is too hectic you need to be thinking about that early in the term and letting the volunteer know that they shouldn't turn up for the last X weeks. Of course if you're sensible you'll think way in advance about what they could do to make it less hectic for you and organize that before it's too crazy. But if that's not going to work then tell them, in advance, that while you really appreciate what they do for the school, you won't be able to make use of them for those weeks.

Why are teachers suddenly excused from being professionals during end of term?!

Im an accountant. End of March and April is extremely busy for me. In the past it's been normal for me to work 12-14 hour days, plus weekends, plus the Easter bank holidays. We are flat out busy, no lunches, no breaks.

But that doesn't mean I can just miss meetings without cancelling or waste my colleagues' time because I am busy. What a stupid argument. Everyone's time is important, and a decent human being and professional would respect that. I have volunteers through my team occasionally, I don't see their time as any less important than my paid colleagues.

In fact, when people are giving up their time for free to help you, that's when you should be bending over backwards to accommodate them.