To ask teachers what your pet peeves are?

[Collettegirl]

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

Indeed. I have a daughter just like this. Beautifully behaved most of the time as she is very invested in fitting in but thet are times when things are just too much and if I pull her up on an inpatient tone there will be a meltdown of catastrophic proportions. Those are always best avoided.

Thanks for the eye roll George now people know not to take anything for you post seriously.

Parents who make unusual requests. I once had a parent ask me if there was anything I could do about the dinners on offer at lunchtime as her son was a fussy eater. Send him with a packed lunch then!

Impatient obviously.

Parents who think rules don't apply to their child because their son/daughter don't like it.

Parents who insist on seeing the Head for the most minor of things, completely bypassing the class teacher/office. I'm talking about things like their child having had tonsillitis over the holidays and needing antibiotics (Head: see the office about that please), or their child wanting a new place to sit in class (Head: see the class teacher about that please).

Parents who don't return Parents' Evening forms on time (or even a few days late) but then expect to be squeezed in on the day and complain that they're having to wait around to see their other child's teacher.

Thanks for keeping the thread Caroline 😆

Parent Whatsapp groups where the person 'in charge' gives false information.

crunchy DS2 has been told by the school nurse that he has to drink a full water bottle at school every day, to expand his bladder so he stops wetting at night.

Just the sheer amount of BLAME that we get.

Too many students getting good grades at coursework- our fault, we are cheating
Now too many getting good grades in the exam- our fault, we are only teaching to the exam
Students who don't show any care about their books despite me reminding them? My fault and picked up on during 'book looks'
Students with poor attendance getting lower than their target? my fault- for not catching them up
Students not doing enough homework- my fault for not setting it
Students (in same class) stressed at the amount of homework - my fault for setting too much

It's the continual lack of the benefit of the doubt, the rush to blame and the continually shifting goalposts and new initiatives - and I actually cannot remember the last time someone said to me 'Well done Crochet- you did a really good job there'

That's the most grinding for me- nothing is ever quite good enough- and I am never left alone to just DO THE JOB that I am trained for and actually do love.

user doesn't have great fine motor skills, he certainly couldn't do shirt buttons at 4. Blame the school for changing a sensible uniform for a ridiculous one.

Next year he'll have to wear a tie. I'm dreading it.

The eyeroll is because I would presume that it is taken as read that as the teacher of 20 children (I only hand my own over to parents, don't see the others) I'd know them all pretty well. I know which ones are on the edge of meltdown and which are just bloody rude to their parents.

I'd have thought it was obvious but

Yes Crochet. The blame game.

Endless observations/ learning walks/ book checks/ 'oh-just-thought-I'd-pop-in-with-my-clipboard days.

I can DO the job, you're driving my anxiety through the roof this way and you seem surprised that I want to leave?!

Shinigsta I'd love to. Their school has compulsory school meals.

@ShiningSta

All about standards. Work doesn't look good when done in gel pens, and then they start writing in them during class if you don't pick them up on it
To be honest with you, gel pens in school had never crossed my mind before I read your post but I totally get your point.

Do you mind me asking - is it the range of colours that is the problem or is it all gel ink pens??

Thank you so much!!

@PersianCatlady.

The colours. I've come across homework that was done in lime green once.

When you report to a parent about something their child has done in school to be disruptive, rude to adults or over physical with another child etc and they respond 'Oh yes they are like that at home ' like that makes it ok, excuses them and we should just accept it.

The colours. I've come across homework that was done in lime green once
Excellent - thanks!!

I must admit that I love gel ink pens for making revision notes and the like because if I make them in all different colours, I can sit in a exam and literally see my notes in my head.

However, I would not dream of writing in an exam in anything other than black ink.

Perfectly can you get a clip on tie? Does your child have SN or suspected? Packed lunches can be a reasonable adjustment.

Used to be a teacher.

Mine were - playground duty. I was a teacher not a nanny.

And: having to do whole school assemblies. I don't mean my kids taking their turn to do somehting but those assemblies as a teacher, in some schools, you are meant to 'take'. I hated them.

@Persiancatlady

Oh yeah by all means, I don't mind the children highlighting work with a highlighter or gel pen to make it stand out.

Mistoffelees. I didn't know the behaviour charts were a school wide thing.

This is the only thing I have complained about to my primary school, naming and shaming so clearly! My DD has never had her name on the 'sad' side but the thought of it has caused many tears and unnecessary anxiety.

@Mayhemmhumma.

Behaviour charts are used as an incentive, clearly it worked with your daughter.

I used to work at an After School Club - we'd pick the kids up from the school and walk back to the hall...

Calling to ask why their child wasn't picked up - when child not booked in that day... They forgot to book but we should just know
Annoyed we don't take children who don't go to the school eg in a nursery (Because we only take children reception and up)
After reminding children to make sure they have everything, on parent pick up they say they forgot something, again this is now staffs fault
Not paying fees
We have a lost property box, if its not in there we don't have it
Asking children to share the toys we have here... apparently certain toys here belong to certain children and only they are allowed to play with it (no)
Rocking up 15mins after we close every day and annoyed when asked to pay late fees
When we do Inset Days or Early pick ups not giving their child a packed lunch and expect us to buy it and then not pay us back
Asking if we'll take a pram to and from the school for a totally fine 6 year old, it makes it easier for mum on pick up from us....
Parents who think their child does no wrong, even after shown bite marks on a staff members arm
During cold weather not providing coats/gloves then asking why their child said they were cold on the walk home
Asking if we would babysit out of hours, we are not allowed, putting in a formal complaint when we said no and have explained why
Signing child up for a school club and expecting us to go back to pick up the child - clearly states in our paperwork we do one school run
When parent is late 'oh you must need to walk this way home so please walk them up to me at the train station'
Asking us to pass notes to the teachers they don't want to do
screaming at us when their child is around something they are allergic to, even though when asked on the registration form if they child has allergies not filling it in, when shown the form they were too busy to do it fully
Children who need to cut all the paper up into tiny bits and cry its unfair when asked to tidy up
Fake crying