Would I be unreasonable to correct the teacher?

[Horthnangerabbey]

It is a minor thing really but if the teacher had told the class something that you knew was wrong, would you tell her? Or would you just explain to your own child the correct info and keep quiet?

People who are dyslexic are permitted to become teachers. Go figure...

Giggling at accusing Jane Austen of being Victorian- "I put it you, Miss Austen, that you are in fact a VICTORIAN!"
shocked gasps from around the room

People who are dyslexic might struggle with some aspects of teaching, but they can always look up words in a dictionary.
They might be better than me at supporting a student with dyslexia because they understand what it's like.

OP Yanbu.
I bloody love Jane Austen.

I was once covering a class for our DH and she later told me to check my facts before I gave the children information. Turned out a parent had said I was wrong (and I wasn't). What pissed me off was not only the accusation that I was wrong but that she had believed a parent over me.

I remember starting to study an A level for fun (it was an empty period in my life). We were asked to discuss whether the impact of language used in social media on standard English meant that it should be band for under 18s? At first I thought it was a deliberate mistake used to enforce the point. The reaction of the teacher indicated it probably wasn’t!

I remember the word 'ejaculated' being used in one of the Jane Austen books we read at O level. That caused quite a stir I can tell you!

Ejaculated is in Oliver Twist, definitely.

This is a pretty big mistake in a GCSE year. I think you need to find a way to tell her.

Doing it in person would be best but I guess hard to manage - I'd want to see her reaction as a way to gauge whether she had just made a slip of the tongue or if she genuinely didn't know. The latter is seriously worrying in an English teacher; Austen is basic canon. That would be like not knowing when Shakespeare wrote or where Benjamin Zephaniah is from; it's vital information that informs their work.

Piggy it was something along the lines of "Mr Knightly ejaculated into Emma's ear". Obviously not that, but that's what my 16yr old self remembers and I really don't want to google it to check!

I'm a dyslexic teacher who has two degrees and a PhD, I work with at least 3 teachers who went to Oxbridge in 29 years of teaching in many schools I've never met a stupid or uneducated member of staff
My father is an awesome teacher who can't punctuate to save his life my aunt had mental health issues but was still the greatest teacher I know
We have all made mistakes in the classroom due to tiredness, misinformation, slips of tongue ( or mischievous kids misrepresenting your conversation) etc etc
But we turn up everyday and work our guts out to do our bestest for your kids
I hate teacher bashing posters, who look down their noses because a teacher made a mistake or doesn't know the same things you do.
do you know how it's getting harder and harder to recruit, can't imagine why ....

We nearly went in to correct a teacher, she was always horrible to my DD and when she got something wrong in a maths lesson my DD pointed out the mistake. She told me DD she was wrong and needed remedial maths lessons. Before we had a chance to go in the teacher re did the exact same lesson but corrected the bit she had got wrong. Presumably she checked with someone else and realised her mistake. She didn't make any reference to redoing the lesson. DD was 11 and was quite upset.

At senior school a teacher got something wrong in RE, she was actually a history teacher, it was about the infallibility of the Pope and she thought it was for anything he said not just in relation to matters of faith, so for example she thought that if the Pope said it was snowing on a hot July day then Catholics would believe him. We are Catholics and DD knew it was wrong. She told teacher and teacher said she was wrong. It was a GCSE lesson and DD came home and checked and then told the teacher. Teacher thanked DD.

We all get things wrong, the difference is how people react to it.

grannytomine spot on! I was coming on to say just that, everybody can make mistakes, the difference is how you react, if you admit it and graciously thank the person pointing it out (of course if they have done so politely, too, all the better) and correct your lesson, you are not only passing on the correct information but you are also teaching a valuable lesson on how to behave, and actually, on how to learn effectively, we won't be good learners if we are not willing to learn from our mistakes!

Oh yeah, it wasn’t you OP with the copper/gold, sorry! I meant Malbecfan.

"I would correct that, yes - it’s at best half a century out!"

And an entire morality out. The victorans were way more prudish than the regency, which i am busily trying to remember if that matters.

I remember the thread from last time round. I am fairly sure the person talking about the 'long Victorian period' wasn't an academic. I think they might have been a bit embarrassed by the end of it, though.

And - you always have to question whether your child has understood/interpreted right.
But.... on the issue of spellings yes I bloody would point it out and don't know why this isn't seen as important.This is basic stuff and if teachers can't spell they just inflict it on the next generation. I receive job applications from people with Masters who can't spell on their CV, for a job that involves a lot of copywriting, they don't get the job, it is a massive issue! I have picked up with the teacher before when I have read incorrect spelling corrections on DD's work. When the head made a spelling error on the end of year reports and frequently on emails I just bang head on brick wall, I am astonished. Oh and if you say anything about it on the infamous whatsapp all the teacher parents pounce on you!

I don’t understand the problem, and I’m a teacher. If I get something wrong, I’m happy to be corrected. If I still think I’m right, I do some research to check. The only thing I’m keen on is that challenges are polite. I give children merit marks if they spot something and question it.

Ejaculated is in the Chalet School books iirc. I'm sure Joey Bettany did it all the time.

I'm a secondary English teacher and I think it's pretty poor for a teacher to make that kind of mistake. It's one thing if they slipped up and referred to JA in passing as a 'Victorian' writer, but if they are getting the kids to write notes on that and potentially passing on erroneous contextual material relating to the Victorian era, that could have a serious impact on their work.

Either private correction 1:1 or contact Head of Dept so that they can address as they see fit.

I'm mortified about this but twice (to my knowledge) I've told the class something that's been completely wrong but which I'd always believed to be true. Think something that I really should've known - akin to telling the class that Mt Everest is in India.

The first time my TA corrected me immediately so no harm was done. The second time, a child went home & repeated it to their parents. He then came back in the next day to correct me. It was embarrassing but I'd rather have been corrected than continue telling kids something that's not true. I just used it as an example that nobody gets everything right all of the time!

I think the key is how it's handled.

Oh shit. Few weeks ago there was a situation in one mums’ group on Facebook where one mum asked how much is 5-3+2 and said that her DS’s teacher said its 0. That’s in Y7. Apparently she was doing it according to BODMAS.
There were half who said that it’s misrepresentation of BODMAS and teacher must hear that she’s wrong. But other half insisted that the correct answer is 0 and everyone who said it’s 4, was stupid.
Anyway, this mum went to see the teacher and pointed out the mistake. Apparently teacher was very embarrassed and apologetic.

And if my DS said the answer is 0, I’d be complaining to HT next morning.

I do think you need to speak to the teacher.

I think that as the headteacher supposedly 'thanked her for the best laugh she had had in ages'. that it is made up.

I reckon the bit where they got out the sheets happened, and from there on the pp rewrote the story as she and her husband had imagined it would go down, with them and the headteacher laughing delightedly about how much cleverer she and her man are than the teacher. I strongly suspect what actually happened was that the teacher awkwardly took the printout and made vague noises while thinking 'silly twat' then quickly moved on.

That whole copper/ gold conversation at parent's evening just sounds really obnoxious to me. You were trying not to explode with laughter, really? Exactly

To whoever said they found it hard to believe a teacher said Jane Austen was a Victorian writer. My daughter had 2 consecutive teachers make the same error in A level English classes. I let her fight that battle, she’s more than capable but I eventually had to contact the school after the second one taught Carol Anne Duffy’s poem Salome to a class composed of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim but mainly secular teenagers without once referring to the story of John the Baptist.