To ask teachers what your pet peeves are?

[Collettegirl]

Personally mine are wet playtimes, and children who don't have a pen/pencil.

Cauliflower you do know she doesn’t get the money given to her directly, don’t you?

The school makes the decision on how to spend the money

Yes I do know that but we allow parents to use up to a certain amount on school trips so they can be affordable. So pupil premium students pay £300 less.

We also pay for pp to have additional mentoring and coaching. This girl has private tutors of course.

Meanwhile others just under the threshold don’t qualify for that.

No need for the emojis of confusion!!

Lack of staff toilets ( 2 for all the female staff) and they are so far away from my classroom. What a way to waste any precious break time I have!
Also students (secondary) who ask to go to the toilet just after break time!

Unheard of convention in any UK school I know of, private or state.

My DN went to an independent school where female staff were called Ma’am.

@Collettegirl I had a parent complaint once because I didn’t let a child go to the toilet - they only had 5 mins to wait before the bell went for break. Child burst into tears (KS2) so I relented & let them go, but parents complained that I’d humiliated their child.

People who still think 'little Johnny' is good patter...

I don't think anyone here is really interested in what is, or is not 'good patter' Pidgeon. Apart from you obvs.

People are just giving examples, that's all.

My DN went to an independent school where female staff were called Ma’am

My first teaching practise school the female teachers were called Ma'am or Madam. It felt very strange

Me: ok, write the date down please and underline it. The date is on the board. It's 8th February 2018
Pupil 1: what's the date?
Me: I did just say that. It's 8th February and it's on the board there (pointing at board).
Pupil 2: what's the date?
Me: it's on the board look (points again- bit more frantically). Make sure you underline it.
Pupil 3: what's the date Miss?
Me: it's up there look. It's always in the same place. Don't forget to use a ruler to underline it.

[gives time and notices some people still aren't writing]

Me: come on Jack. Write the date down.
Jack: what's the date?
Me: well as I've said several times, it's on the board. Make sure you underline it.

This continues for a while. Later I will discover on marking the books that half the class didn't write the date. Those that did, did not underline it. This will subsequently be picked up on by SLT or ofsted during a book scrutiny and it will be my fault.

@PixieN. I don't see how that was your fault. I have never had a parent complaint.

'I also hate parents who ask if you have any children, as if you are incapable of properly understanding a child or judging their behaviour unless you do.'

Yes so much to this. It's an incredibly stupid, offensive and potentially hurtful thing to say. Although I find it's usually what parents come out with when they have nothing else to say

Same as many PPs:

• children coming in wearing lace up shoes with an inability to tie said shoes. Especially on mufti days when 20 children are wearing converse and 20 children cannot tie them up. I do not have time to tie the laces of 20 children.

• dried up whiteboard pens with lids left off. "Miss, my whiteboard (shiteboard) pen doesn't work," whinges little Johnny. Mrs Applesauce, taking a deep, calming breath, "Again, if you would like a whiteboard (shiteboard) pen that words, please remember to replace the lids when you are finished." Later that lesson, Mrs Applesauce finds 5 pens on the floor without lids on. Takes another deep, calming breath, but dies inside a little.

• Constant loo break interruptions:

Mrs Applesauce, "3, 2 1... OK, tell me what you and your partner discussed." Child 1 with raised hand, "May I go the the loo?" Mrs Applesauce, "We came in from break 3 minutes ago. Are you able to wait until I have finished this input?" Child 1 agrees that they can wait. Mrs Applesauce, "Back to Maths. Who can spot a link between doubling and the 2 times table?" Child 2, hand up, "Can I have a toilet after Child 1?" Mrs Applesauce, "Did you hear what I said to child 1? Are you able to wait? Yes? Great." Repeat 3 more times. Mrs Applesauce, to self in head, "Weren't any of you discussing anything other than getting into a fucking metaphorical toilet queue?!"

• "Being a teacher must be so easy! Finish at 3 and all those holidays!"

breathes out slowly, and replies through gritted teeth "If you think it's so great, why don't you retrain...?"

• And the biggest peeve of all. The government. Government educational fads. Ofsted. Leauge tables. Standardised testing for 7 year olds.

anything on the board that is underlined needs writing in their books
BOOM

Amen to that snorey

Parents who say, 'are you calling my child a liar?!!!'

Parents who go straight to the Head and say 'my child is being bullied and their head of year is doing nothing'. How can I do something about a situation I know zero about?

snorey
Tell them to swap books and put their hand up if their partner hasn’t written or underlined a date or title. They adore finding fault in others.

collette

you did ask!

cauli that would probably cause a fight at my school....

We have been told that teachers are 100% responsible for the state of the children's exercise books, so if a group working independently get the page dog eared or miss a page out or rub out a mistake with a wet finger (Y2) it's all my fault.

And despite telling the children umpteen times to correct work I get it in the neck if they don't.

@mammamiamore.

Ask what?

@cliffdiver

Totally agree with that one about parents who are late every day. A few years ago, I had a parent who was between 15 and 30 minutes late to pick up his daughter every single day. She remained so cheerful, despite this and I felt really sorry for her. He explained that he could never park when he came on time and was always able to find a space when he arrived late.
This meant that I was unable to attend meetings on time, go to the loo after school having held on for hours. It ate into my precious marking time and I could never easily host after school meetings with other parents with this poor child hanging around for so long.
I suggested to the head that we ought to put his daughter into after school club and charge him for this time as a deterrent, but was told to pick my battles.
Which leads me to another peeve - parents who view teachers as free child care rather than professionals shaping the future of their child.

Oh oh! One more! Parents who take their children out of school for weeks of holidays when their child is behind and has poor attendance already. These parents always expect me to put together a mountain of holiday work. I always do this because if their child falls further behind, it is I who will be in the shit, but the work is rarely completed.

Snoreyhell

Do you work in my school?

Aaargh. I think l was definitely THAT parent quite a few times! DS1 had quite a few issues when he started - all sorted out now - due in no small measure to all the help he had from some amazing teachers along the way.

to you all.

Ha! Or you could try saying “those with dates and titles underlined will be leaving first”

apple I was once left with a reception age child at home time, his Mum was 20 minutes late. She arrived and did apologise, then said "I saw a friend and we were chatting , it would have been rude of me to hurry off"

What about your poor boy sitting alone in class waiting for his Mum?

Very old infant teacher here, 1978-last year.
Parents-

1. You have lost my child’s jumper. Is it named? No but it is chewed on the cuffs so you will know which one it is.
2. Parents who are rude and aggressive at the door in front of other parents in the morning. It makes me feel uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
3. My child has head lice again, what are you going to do about it?
4. Bookbags full of letters and unread correspondence.

Government-

1. New exciting ( reinventing the wheel) initiatives which are heavily invested in and then disappear after one school year. ( eg Write Dance)
2. Lack of time to teach children a particular skill/knowledge before having to move on to the next thing to achieve ridiculous targets. Eg no time to consolidate or let children practise / rehearse/revise/experiment etc.
3. Lack of art/music/DT/dance/PE in infant years. Up to the early 2000’s I did these daily with reception and year 1.