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.

Judy

The biggest assumption anyone on this thread is making is that the OP is telling the truth

She said she wasn't teacher bashing because she know lots of teachers. Not because she is, herself a teacher, NO, but because she "knows lots of teachers"

That's a weird thing to say - like me saying I am not racist because I know lots of black people (and I'm black)

If we assume this is not true, then it puts the rest of the post in doubt too...

Oh, and she buggered off when I asked her about this

Utter waste of anyone's time

I agree NotYoda Plus I have never heard of a teacher who's part time volunteering in another school. The poor buggers usually do even more work for their work school on the 'days off'.
Sounds like someone who hates teachers.

Judy my class are currently part of the UKS2 production, I don't know one day to the next if we are rehearsing due to the fact that the hall might be needed for PPA PE if it's raining. I get sent a note during the day (if I'm lucky it's before I've started the lesson) telling me which pupils are needed it if the whole class should come down. It happens believe it or not.

Or not it

So NotYoda and dexra you think the way the OP reported the teacher having behaved - twice not letting her know in advance that she would not be required, not leaving a note for her and then, after the fact, emailing an explanation but not apologizing for the OP's wasted time - is reasonable, normal and what a volunteer should expect really. But also, you think the OP must be making it up because she said she said she's a teacher?

So in your opinion the OP came onto MN to make up an entirely plausible (if only she weren't claiming to be a teacher) scenario and therefore she must hate teachers?

derxa not dexra, apologies.

yes

People who lie, lie

You have a sadly low opinion of the profession if you think its normal standards are ones which, if described, indicate hatred of it.

Boom

I can't be sure of the OPs motives

She certainly succeeded in getting those critical of teachers out of the woodwork with what was a spurious tale

Also, even if it is true, many who volunteer themselves can't understand why the OP (teacher or not) is being so precious

I'm out now, unless the OP comes back

Nowhere does it imply the op wasn't needed. The op just said that a list of jobs wasn't written out for her and she got huffy. The class was in school somewhere and with a teacher on both occasions. The teacher may have been wondering why the op didn't come looking for her.

The head telling her to just wait in the library until pick up time implies she wasn't needed the first day.

I go in once a week to hear children read and there have been occasions when it has gone pear shaped in similar ways - I just go with the flow. Teachers can't remember everything, especially in the general chaos of end of term run-up/SATs etc. It certainly does not make me angry in any way.

It sounds like a badly run school. The first time could've been a mistake but the HT knew about it, and yet it was allowed to happen the following week too. Moreover the teacher thought it acceptable to send a defensive email, rather than an apology.

Also, it has come as a bit of a surprise to see the tone where parent volunteers are unwelcome and their contribution is considered more hassle than its worth.
Luckily, all the teachers whom I helped did not treat me in this way, and seemed genuinely disappointed when I had to stop.

I agree with Cheby. Teaching really isn't the only profession where there is stress, responsibility, juggling priorities, deadlines, targets, expectations, long hours, a chaotic working environment, lots to remember and lots of different people to manage... and most of them don't have people volunteering to help you out for free.

It's unprofessional to waste the time of someone you're supposed to be working with, unpaid or otherwise, because of your inability to manage you own time. Of course everyone forgets things and makes mistakes from time to time, but in that situation you apologise as soon as possible and be prepared for your professional relationship to be damaged - not just shrug it off with a 'well I'm BUSY, what did you expect' attitude.

Only on Mumsnet could you be called 'entitled' for volunteering to help and expecting to actually, y'know, help. If the help isn't actually helpful, then either decline it from the outset or think about other ways to utilise it - like you would with any resource in any job.

Zarah123 - actually her English is not 'fine' - the mistakes are repeated consistently, which implies a lack of understanding of some basic grammar rules. They aren't typical mistakes or typing errors - they are embedded in the OP's writing and repeated throughout, which means that they are her usual style, Mumsnet or not.

That's why she doesn't appear to be a teacher - not because she made a couple of mistakes, but because she consistently made basic errors throughout every single post.

Lol at an HT knowing if a volunteer is needed in the classroom or not

Navy - Indeed. Can't quite put my finger on who it reminds me of but it will come to me.

Remember that poster who said she was a teacher, which turned out to be 'I'm applying for teacher training in 2017'?

Vri

I expect you were helpful and flexible and did not send emails after mistakes.

And were, you know, a real person

I'm a teacher and I really don't like others help. It's far more work for me to organise effective help than actually having the help if you know what I mean. Perhaps the teacher really doesn't want you there ? That's not a slight on you more a reflection of yet another task for the teacher to organise

That's my experience too. Never met a teacher who wanted the extra work of training a parent volunteer , supervising them and setting up work for them.