To be ticked off and contact the school

[SandyY2K]

I'm rather ticked off with one of DDs teachers. She's in year 11 and has said this teacher is approachable.

I was going to try and speak with the year Head about it. Before I got a chance, it seems other students have felt the same and asked other teachers for support and clarity regarding a particular assessment.

Well the teacher somehow found out about this and has gone mad with the class. Mimicking their voices and telling them she's a good teacher, it's just them, they don't listen and previous pupils have achieved good results.

She has actually made them more reluctant to approach her after this. DD just feels there is no point in approaching her, but is now scared to approach the other teacher, in case teacher finds and gets annoyed again.

WIBU to have words about this with the school?

Her behaviour has been so unprofessional in my opinion.

I would go in th the governors hat on though because you would be mixing two different roles and it could lead to more issues than solving them.

Go in as a parent, try and sort it out.
If there is some issues the teacher, then you can intervene as a givernorwith the idea of improving teaching standards.

I would definitely not wear the governor's hat. You'd be using your position to favour your child. Very much frowned on.

Really, you do need to approach the teacher first and then, if you're not happy with the response, take it to the Head of Dept. At least, that's how it works in my school. Only the teacher and your dd know what happens in the classroom, so you'd be able to get both sides of the story. But, if you're reluctant, it has been known to approach the HoD direct.

Avoid the 'everyone says' approach. At the moment, this is between your daughter and the teacher. If other girls have approached other teachers in the department, it's likely the HoD knows already.

Hope you manage to get it sorted. Things are really difficult with the chopping and changing at the moment.

I know it's a challenge for teachers with the new curriculums. I have 2 SILS that teach in high school, so I'm definitely not unsympathetic.

I feel like when my other DD (a few years ago) was talking about one of her teachers being awful .. I didn't do anything. I didn't realise how bad it was, until his name came up at the Governor's meeting and him being performance managed.

I approached the HT and told him what DD said... he apologised and said it was true. The teacher was very bad and they were on the case.

I thought she was exaggerating ... and I don't want it to happen again with my year 11 DD.

There is bad in every profession .. from nurses to police officers. I've had first hand experience of both.

I'll speak to the year head/HOD ASAP.

Pen. So you think it’s acceptable for a teacher to explain gcse things very badly and then humiliate children who seek clarification ? Op used the words sarcasm and anger which of course don’t sit well with getting the best out of students

I think you are approaching this the wrong way. You are talking about acting as a governor or speaking to head of year when you haven't even spoken to the teacher your daughter has the issue with. The main issue is your daughter does not understand the assessment and you need to speak to the teacher to clarify this. If you go in to the meeting and are unsatisfied with the teacher's response then you contact the head of year / whoever is next in command. Wearing your governor's hat imo is totally inappropriate, speak as a parent and then escalate the issue through the proper channels if you are still unhappy.

So instead of speaking with actual teacher first, you decided to go straight to HOD/year head and raise issue at governor's meeting?
I don't think your "approach" isn't great either.

Firstly, all teachers are performance managed, OP. Did you mean competency (and I would hope as a Parent Governor, you would know that)
If this teacher has been flagged up before (nice drip feed there) and this has been picked up and has been getting support, then as a Parent Governor, it is most certainly not your right or role to use that against the teacher, without going through the proper channels first, as you would any teacher. You, as part of the Governorning panel, have accepted that this teacher is fit to teach (otherwise you would have taken further action) and you therefore, either can only blame yourself if that teacher is not fit to teach or that teacher is fit to teach and you are abusing your role.

I will repeat, that everyone on this thread has agreed that this needs resolving and to speak to the teacher first and not engage in gossip with other parents (and as a Parent Governor that is a gross abuse of your position). I don't know what you hoped to gain from this thread but judging from your updates, it wasn't to see if you were being unreasonable...

OP

You need to decide which hat you are going to wear before you go in to the school.

Are you a concerned parent, with questions about your DD's education

or

Are you a governor that has had poor reports of a teacher?

I don't think your approach is right.

There are several possibilities:

1. The students have messed around and not listened to the guidance and now they don't kniw what they are doing have gone to another member of staff to complain and start the miss so and so hasn't told us... we haven't covered...

(I have had odd students try that saying I'd not covered something which I had. I have also been that member of staff students have come to claiming they need all this help because their teacher hadn't... when actually the class disliked a teacher, had been awkward and then tried to pin it on staff. As another poster said, that class were getting their ducks in a row. It wasn't nice. I backed my colleague)

1. The students may prefer another teacher and have gone on the flattery offensive about how teacher 2 is so much better etc. Then being flattered that teacher has undermined her colleague.

1. The students are getting themselves wound up over nothing (e.g. I have told my class to approach a question one way but my colleague does it differently. All are correct as there's no set way. Sometimes you have to be quite firm and say '6 teachers could give 6 methods & they could all be good'.)

1. The teacher is genuinely confusing them. (But in the first instance the students should have been going to their teacher. Doing otherwise usually only happens when students have zero intention of working with the teacher)

In terms of the staff:

1. The teacher may well be confusing. She could have gone throigh it after school again or ran a drop in

1. I would be pissed off if students in my class (for whatever reason misbehaving or genuine confusion) went straight to a colleague and started with the 'mrs pops...'

1. Is there a culture in the school where students know they can play members of staff off against each other? Or there are some staff that always fall for flattery so are the 'nice cool' teachers?

1. She may have had words with the class, but how much of the retelling is accurate (i still have students who laugh about the time I 'screamed' at someone. I didn't scream at all. They admit i didn't. The folk retelling exists yeara later)

1. Did she have words because students were confused or was it words about how they should have been to see her about issues instead of running around school saying 'miss doesnt....'?

Lots of possibilities. One is that the teacher is crap, never helps and then out of nowhere told the whole class off. But there are many other possibilities too.

Maisypops I love how you’ve made the issue completely the pupils fault. Teachers are human. They make mistakes or behave badly.

ploppie
I haven't.
I've simply stated that there are multiple possibilities.

1. Students are confused

This can be because
A. Thry haven't listened
B. The teacher is confusing
C. The teacher has given one set of advuce but they've heard other things from other classes so have got confused / decided their advice must ve wrong (rather than many ways to skin a cat)

Either way they can either
A.Speak to their teacher
B. Go straight to anothet teacher and complain that miss .....
C. Start complaining at home and all agree on complaining

Other staff could:
A. Direct students to their class teacher as the first port of call
B. Buy into 'miss is so...' and start giving advice which contradicts the class teacher
C. Get way too involved in students slagging off their existing teacher because yhey think they are the cool ones

Teacher speaks to the class & it could be:
A. The teacher has lost it unreasonably
B. The teacher has had words because they are rightly annoyed that instead of seeking clarification from her, students have gone to other staff

My point is, I have seen ALL those situations happen.

The OP is a governor as well as a parent. However this is a parent issue & she would do well to consider which hat she is using.

In this situation, the most reasonable and appropriate response is to speak to the class teacher saying 'I would like some information about thid assessment as my child has come home quite confused and mentioned that class were in trouble. Could you shed some light on the situation?'

Jesus. Speak to the teacher.

The HOD will have to speak to the teacher if you raise it with them anyway. HOYs don't line manage subject teachers so that route is not useful.

Don't go as governor as it will shut down communication. If a parent came to me speaking as a governor, I'd stop the conversation in its tracks and call in the HT. Most improper.

I don't get why you, as a governor, have not been trained in the correct procedures in your school.

Update ..

I've now spoken to both the teacher and year hea this morning.

I got defensiveness and heavy sighs from the teacher. She said the whole class are the problem and I could see how approachable a child would see this.

She said more... but essentially ended with of course DD can come and she's always happy to help.

I asked exactly what the piece of work was and could I get it in writing. To which I was told "NO". The students just needed to listen to her ... que rant on how nobody listens ... blah blah blah.

More specifics of the convo would be outting, but suffice to say she was utterly unprofessional. I don't know if she's having a breakdown .. but she went on about achieving good results with previous years and her being a competent teacher. Hmmmm.

I wished I didn't bother, but at least now I understand exactly how DD feels and I could with first hand experience explain to the HOY.

I decided to call the year head who was mortified, especially after I said DD refuses to stay on in 6th form... as she wants to do said subject at A level and can't risk having this teacher.

Concerns have been raised by others and it's being looked into, but HOY sounded very unhappy with the mimicking and how she seems to have cut off the avenue of students getting support from other teachers by shouting at them.

I didn't bring my governor role into it, but I was on the panel who interviewed this particular HOY, so she knows me ... or at least the name.

Usually when a number of different staff at work complain about a manager separately.... the issue is usually with that manager.

Yet they don't self reflect and wonder why so many in the team have raised a grievance. It's often the same issues as well. Unapproachable ... makes them feel small or stupid.

I often ask the manager why they think so msny have raised the same issue ... and the response is " they don't like me ..." I'm not a pushover" ... all really excuses fit their poor management style.

I see the same thing here with the teacher ... but thankfully it's being dealt with now and I've been told not to hesitate if I have further concerns.

Sadly people like this totally lack any self awareness. All the students can't be the problem.

Will respond to specific questions later if possible.

could see how UNapproachable a child would see this.

Fair enough, if she approaches the teacher for clarification and is harshly rebuffed

She sought clarification and was not helped ... teacher basically belittled her.

I do try and ascertain if it's just her who doesn't get it .... and I always say to ask teacher... but if she's going to get humiliated or made to feel stupid for asking... then obviously won't ask.

My DD isn't the type to mess around in class... She knows I would never support that behaviour.

Pen, you're very defensive if your profession. Teachers can't do any wrong in your eyes. That's worrying.

To the pp who mentioned performance management.... that was another teacher, that my other DC had.

Hopefully the head will sort it.
I had a teacher like this.
Humilated students in class when they didnt know the answer.
Nobody went to her for help with subjects, would go to others.
Still remember now how bad i felt when she took the piss out of me in class.

I don’t know OP. You come across as being quite judgmental and rigid TBH. The decision to go in all guns blazing wearing your “status” Gov body hat rather than the attitude of a concerned parent says a lot I think.

The decision to go in all guns blazing wearing your “status” Gov body hat rather than the attitude of a concerned parent says a lot I think.

Where did you get that? Did you actually read my last post?

I spoke to the teacher... then HOY. I never mentioned being a governor to either of them, but I happened to be on the panel at interview for the HOY.

I had a teacher like this.
Humilated students in class when they didnt know the answer.
Nobody went to her for help with subjects,

I'm sorry you experienced that. It's very sad when teachers fail to recognise how their actions can have long lasting effects.

This thread shows how defensive at least one other teacher is and how it seems inconceivable a teacher could be wrong.

A lot of parents may do nothing about this, but I'm not one them, which probably won't sit well with some teachers who think they can speak to students anyhow.

Last time I didn't say anything with another teacher and I'm not prepared to do that again and not advocate for my DCs if necessary. I felt I let my other DC down. ...That's not going to happen again.

Having relatives who teach and friends who work in schools, I know how to achieve the best in these situations.

I don't know either. My impression from this thread is that you think the teacher belittled your dd, so now you are taking a revenge by belittling the teacher.
Have no clue about if the teacher is good or bad, but your don't sound nice at all.