To ask teachers what your pet peeves are?

[Collettegirl]

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

I knew a reception teacher who complained about children turning up in nappies, Cotswolds and the parents were wealthy. None had special needs either.

The glue sticks disappearing. All the time.

No bad coffee for us - freshly ground only in the insulated Bodum cafetiere. Those of us who drink it do bring it in ourselves, but well worth it! One of the many joys of working in a small school.

There is only one staff loo...

In Australia kids wear their sports kit to school incl sneakers for the whole day once a week. I think this is both primary and secondary schools. I was a bit surprised at this since DS gets a bit sweaty running around in the heat but I guess it saves the getting changed problems.

DS6 can't tie his laces , he doesn't actually own any shoes with laces and he has no interest in learning to do it, I just send him in ones with Velcro.

Parents who send little Johnny to school with no coat when it's -3 outside because they have driven half a mile to school and expect special provision to be made so they can stay inside.

Kinsorino I agree. It far more common the other way around. Denial of SEND can be for a number of reasons and manifest in different ways but a common reasoning for some parents is that it's the school at fault.
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At no point have I suggested that older children in nappies is a result of bad parenting. No, I don't know how you identify the child of a feckless parent over a child with SEND. However, I do sympathise with staff when a child needs to be changed regularly (and often there is more than one as some schools seem to have clusters of them). This sympathy is from a purely logistical stand point. There is often no extra staff, no real space to do it and no time in which to do it . All children must be 100% engaged and making progress at all times or you're are a failing teacher. Taking the time to change a child means you aren't doing that. Which leaves an impossible situation for the teacher. That obviously isn't the fault of the child but that is why I have sympathy for the staff.

Lids for glue sticks disappearing. Glue sticks are like gold dust at my school - no money to replace once the September consignment has been used.

If I see a glue stick without a lid the whole classroom goes on lockdown until it is found.

Maths teacher here.

Parents who are amused as they admit "I couldn't do maths at school/I didn't like maths" and think that makes it perfectly ok for their child to make no effort whatsoever to try and learn basic maths skills!

Also "when are we ever gonna use this in real life?"

A friend who is a reception teacher says by the end of first term she has taught various children how to dress themselves. If a teacher with little time can teach a child how to dress themselves, then I doubt in most cases this is SN.

YouTheCat you DO know that all children with SN are different? Just because your child with SN was able to be potty trained at 3, it doesn't mean that they all are

Wow, people really are taking offence to this very quickly!

I had a horrible email from a parent a couple of weeks ago asking why I couldn't find their DD's coat. Actually, I had looked for her YEAR 11 daughter's coat (just to help her really), but it wasn't labelled, is exactly the same as about a billion other coats and I have limited time to go traipsing around looking for coats.

The parent accused me of taking the coat for my own similar aged child. Did I get an apology when her DD came in the following day wearing said coat (which she'd left on the bus)? Did I hell.

"When are we ever going to use this in real life??"

"Tommy, if I only ever taught you what you were going to use in real life, we'd be out of here by 9.15am and you could go home and practise rolling a spliff. Now sit the fuck down. We're looking at Goethe."

Parents who allow their DC in Junior School to have social media, and then complain when it causes trouble.

Yes, I do know that. I understand that some children with additional needs will struggle and that some may never manage. But 9 children out of 30 still in nappies is not down to them all having additional needs.

teentime yes we have, we have even had a child choke on a grape. Thankfully it ended well.

Our nursery is from 2 to 4, it takes about 10 minutes to set every ones lunch out adding cutting grapes adds more time it's anoying and it's just safer as even though we sit with the children whilst we all eat it's hard to keep eyes on every single child eating.

Not really understanding why dc are still in nappies it the daytime at primary school unless SN. It can't be nice for them and poor teachers and TAs.

Teachers, you are awesome.
I'm sorry I send emails evenings and weekends - they are sent when convienent to me, I don't expect a response til you are at school.
But, if you have no intention of marking homework, please don't set it (primary, all electronic, unfortunately I can see exactly what you have marked and what you have ignored).

Actually pens. Pens that aren't there, pens that mysteriously explode, clicky pens (stopitstopitstopit!), pens that get dismantled, pens that get chewed, MY pens that are borrowed and then chewed or lost.
And year 11 girls who believe it's their God given right in the run up to mocks and GCSES to spend the whole lesson discussing prom plans. The prom in July.
Tractor magazines and googling tractor pictures. (Rural teachers will understand)

@classroom lock down over a missing glue stick lid. I do the same!

Crappy stationery supplies. School trying to save money by buying the cheapest, most useless pens, pritt stick, pencils etc. They last no time at all then are not replaced. So I end up buying supplies. The most basic things just so I can do my job.

My ds was 4 when he potty trained. We had obviously tried before hand but to no avail. Then he just suddenly decided. No idea why.
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He's 8 now and still needs his bum wiping because he struggles. Needs help dressing and self care.
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Even though we put effort in to teach him these skills, I'm under no illusions that he is working to our timetable.

Year 7-9 who come to the lesson wrestling, flipping bottles, shouting, arguing (boys) or sulking, complaining, stropping (girls). I'd love parents to be a fly on the wall. They would be mortified.

My son would do a lot of the ‘peeves’ and teachers would get frustrated with him. He was undiagnosed until 6. Even after diagnosis, teachers still get frustrated with him!

This thread is going to piss people off. My DD couldn't do up her shoes or zip when she began reception.

Then you buy velcro shoes and coats with buttons. That's what I did because I know teachers don't have time to dress 30 children.

SandLand

It's my school policy that I have to set homework, but not that I have to mark it

Oh and no pencil, pen ... bag.
Or those that have a pen which they have taken apart so that the ink is all over their hands, bag and table.