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 am going to stick my neck out and say that, as a general rule, the teachers I have met are not good people managers. They're not always that great at communicating with parents either. I realise there's already too much for teachers to do but this stuff can make life run more smoothly, and time management more efficient, if done well, so perhaps including it in training wouldn't be the worst idea ever.

coolasschmoola

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

Would be good to get examples of what you object to.

For example, the way I write on MN is very different to the way I write at work. Here, I don't feel I need to spell perfectly, follow grammar rules to a t, etc.

As an aside, I am not critical of teachers at all, I just read and responded to an AIBU post.

Frankly, it's irrelevant whether the teacher wants the parent there or not: if she doesn't, it still doesn't entitle the teacher to be rude to someone who is giving up their time to help.

Can we please stop saying the teacher was rude about the first incidence? The teacher was SICK. They have every right to curl up under their doona and try and get well. Or it may be a medical emergency. Now, teachers do generally make sure that their replacement knows where to access lesson plans or suitable work, but micromanaging the day should not be a requirement. Anyone else who calls in sick to their job should expect that the staff take control of the situation (cancelling appointments, making sure there is cover, etc), so I really don't see that the teacher should be ringing around making phone calls when she was ill.

Is anyone saying the teacher was rude about the first incident? I'm not, for sure.

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
Absolutely right.

Its not only teachers who can feel that new people are more effort to look after than benefit gained, if you've ever been given a new person at work to train, or a graduate trainee, or work experience student etc. etc then you'll know this is true.
However, unless the person is really needy, it is possible to organise yourself so that you can set work, give a brief explanation and leave them to get on with it, especially when its just cutting out, or hearing reading or some filing - they aren't exactly deeply complex tasks. Anyone who can't do that really shouldn't be in charge of 30 children.