To feel like I am being bullied by children?

[GreySealWhiteWater]

I have started a new job and I know children can be cruel but I am starting to feel a little bit bullied

The situation is that the children mock my weight but do so quite surreptitiously and as such challenging them is different. I'm also feeling really paranoid. Have never had this before.

AIBU and a bit of an idiot?

Itchyclit: Caneston oral for that user name perhaps?

If it wasn't the op's weight it would be something else. I'm not overweight and I've still had horrible personal comments to deal with. It's just a way of either deflecting your attention away from their lack of homework/whatever or disrupting a lesson. Losing weight would make no difference.

PurpleDaisies: You're right. People will deflect attention onto any perceived weakness. You have to develop a hide like a rhino to be a good teacher.

You have to develop a hide like a rhino to be a good teacher.

And not worry when the kids tease you about having a hide like a rhino.

Definitely challenge it... either on a one to one or in front of the class...

As you lack confidence 1:1 may be better... ( with door open or in doorway for obvious reasons).

I've had 10/11 year olds make comments under their breathe - I usually say 'excuse me?' If they dare to repeat I deal with it there and then or I wait til the end of the lesson and have a quiet word and remind of the behaviour policy etc.

Children are cruel and unfortunately many have little respect these days

Yes Itchy - you evidently don't get how it works. I have known colleagues being jibed at by kids for being fat, short (sadly I am both), having grey hair (ooh - me again), having red hair, being bald, having curly hair, wearing glasses, the clothes they wear, the car they drive, their accent, their voice - and lots more things I can't bring to mind.

I suppose you would expect people to change all those things would you? Well, even if they did, these same kids would just find something else. It's how some kids are, if they are allowed to get away with it.

God op how awful. I pulled students up on something recently, very recently as it happens. They where telling me how cheeky they had been to another member of staff, full of bravdo and "lolling" at how clever they where. I think it's an early adolescence thing. Anyway I didn't think twice about correcting them and parents where informed.
Speak to your head, get support and stop this.

1. Get off your arse & lose some weight

Wow, you're a bit of a dick, aren't you? Idiot.

Reported, itchy.
What a nasty person you are.
Feel free to report me for a personal attack - yours was far worse.
Grey, there are plenty of people here supporting you. Listen to them.

I always tell kids that I can't: hand things out / noteat my break time cake / do their task for them because I have a figure to maintains
Take the sting away, they can't use it against you

Wjenit gets too much I find a well worded letter home "little johnny has a detention for making a personal comment about their ... teacher" works wonders.

It's not right. It's not ok. But (some)kids will try to hurt your feelings to get out of doing things they don't want to. It's not actually personal, even though it feels like it. You need to find a way past it.

Apologies for typos - fat fingers

1. Hide like rhino
2. Tom Bennet book (he is AMAZING)
3. ANY personal comment/backchat gets challenged, 1:1 outside class. If it's severe enough, parents get called and child explains to parent what they said. As a PP said, you're creating an environment where everyone can feel safe.
4. Go large on positive reinforcement. That's the key to good classroom management.
5. Act angry, sometimes (although I keep this in reserve or it loses power) but learn how to not let it bother you.

I had a comment made about an aspect of my personal appearance by kids, then passed on to the next year and so on, for years. They did it in a way that if I complained I would look an idiot. Only i knew what they were saying.I was out in our town one evening and they started. Dh was in shop getting fags, found me in tears (I was going through a personally bad time). He said to ignore it, but something flipped and I went back and told them clearly that I knew what they were doing, if they wanted to say something say it to my face and I would no longer be bullied. I got lots of smirks and "we don't know what you're on about". I'm ashamed to say I went a bit off it then and got very angry. (I'd had years of it) It has stopped now, but I can't forget the feeling of helplessness and embarrassment it caused. So you get my sympathy.

This is the time to not give a flying fuck. If you hear something remotely sly or snidey call them out in class and take it publically the wrong way. One of my teachers used to say - so I'm overweight big deal, I can lose weight if I wanted. some people and she'd make it clear she was talking about the child specifically, are ugly and can't do a thing about it.