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AIBU?

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Original poster

To complain about this teacher

54 replies

Gbi17704 · 06/03/2018 23:31

Hi,

My son has a supply teacher at the moment who is very shouty and sounds like his methods are from the 60s/70s. The school itself has some lovely teachers who are all very caring.

He has been picking on children since he started a couple of weeks ago, and seems to take great pleasure in making examples of them. My son loves school but he's so upset at the moment. Other parents have found the same.

Today, he took all the boys aside after the girls complained at break and told them that he couldn't swear because he was in a primary school but that they were all the word beginning with b.

Later, he screamed, what the hell do you think you're doing?

Would you complain? I think no matter what it's highly unprofessional and no teacher should be swearing or implying any swear word name calling to a group of children in his care.

Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
Original poster
Gbi17704 · 07/03/2018 06:41

The children are yr 6. They are scared. This teacher also taught the year below for a few weeks and they hated him. I have a feeling he is a friend of the headteacher.

My son doesn't want to go to school. He usually joins in in class discussions but is too scared to put his hand up. This teacher grabbed him by the sweatshirt shoulders yesterday and pulled him upright because he said my son was slouching.
I am afraid I don't agree that language is ok cause it's yr6!!! They might hear it outside the home but we most certainly don't use any bad language in our house, and I don't expect any professional to who is teaching my child!
Oh, and he also told my son to speak to his parents about moving schools if he's not happy. This is because my son was crying. Our children have been happy at the school for more than 6 years.

OP posts:
Pengggwn · 07/03/2018 06:42

I don't expect agreement. I said what would and wouldn't bother me. Anyway, it sounds like you have a basis to make a complaint. Put it in bullet points, be as specific as possible, try to avoid the vague and emotive stuff.

Pengggwn · 07/03/2018 06:46

Oh and bear in mind there may well be another side to the story. 'Grabbed him' might be 'repositioned him', which isn't inappropriate at all. There is no prohibition on putting your hands on a child's shoulders.

BookHelpPlease · 07/03/2018 06:52

What did the boys all do to make all the girls complain?

BoneyBackJefferson · 07/03/2018 06:56

Gbi17704

Report to the head.

But try not to be vague, go in with incidents that are dated and clear without emotional language.

Spikeyball · 07/03/2018 06:57

You shouldn't need to 'reposition' yr 6 pupils.
Write down what you have been told and go and talk to the headteacher. The likely scenario if all this has gone on is that the supply teacher won't be invited back.

Original poster
Gbi17704 · 07/03/2018 06:57

As I said before, I hate complaining and now feel that maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing if that's just repositioning.

What I do know is my son is not used to this kind of treatment by any teacher and never has been. He is an intelligent boy, is very good at recalling facts. He is scared to go to school, worried about what might happen.

Maybe making excuses for these behaviours is why this teacher continues to get to be the way he is.....

OP posts:
MrsElvis · 07/03/2018 06:58

If this is primary school are you dropping your ds in later this morning? I would go and talk to them this morning

Pengggwn · 07/03/2018 06:59

Spikeyball

I'm not saying you do need to. But it isn't grounds for complaint, there is nothing inappropriate about it, providing the contact isn't forceful or lingering (sorry - hideous word!).

MaisyPops · 07/03/2018 06:59

"Picking on" pupils is vague, teachers are accused of this when pointing out where pupil is out of line; be specific about unfairness.
Methods out of the 60s and 70s? Again vague.
"Shouty", might be true but just as often levelled against a teacher who is merely emphatic. More detail needed
Agreed.

I would speak to the head about this. Raise your concerns about specific incidents and ask the head to investigate. Keep your concerns as specific as you can. Avoid getting into vague speculation or your opinions of his teaching methods and certainly do not start getting other parents involved to do joint complaints or create a pack mentality.

Original poster
Gbi17704 · 07/03/2018 07:01

Hi,

I have drafted up an email that does not mention other parents, bullet points the incidents and asking for the head teachers comments. It is very factual, not emotional.

OP posts:
Spikeyball · 07/03/2018 07:03

Pengggwn the child is almost secondary aged. If you did that in a secondary school you should certainly expect complaints.

blueskypink · 07/03/2018 07:05

The thing is, any one of these incidents could be your ds exaggerating, but the more examples you give, the more likely it is that something is seriously wrong here.

Have you talked to other parents to see if they have similar experiences? If so, encourage them to put their complaints in writing too.

If the teacher pulled your ds up the way you describe then that is assault.

Given your DS's reluctance to go to school I would keep him off but be asking to meet with the ht this morning to tell them why and ask them to get to the bottom of it. I would still follow up with an email to confirm your concerns. Important to have a written record so that if this drags on and the ht doesn't do anything you can escalate your concerns and have an audit trail.

Pengggwn · 07/03/2018 07:07

Spikeyball

Whether or not I would expect complaints isn't the question. It's not something I would do (I'd prefer to avoid complaints) but it isn't inappropriate - the complaints would go nowhere.

MaisyPops · 07/03/2018 07:09

OP
That sounds good.
When raising issues with school, you generally get the best responses and outcomes by being reasonable.

If it helps, I've worked in a school where we had parents raise issues about a supply teacher. We were all too aware of the issues and were looking for someone else when the queries started. Eventually we ended up 'not needing' them.

Pengggwn · 07/03/2018 07:16

Sorry, I should say, not grounds for complaint unless the school has a 'no touch' policy. Mine doesn't.

Whatamuddleduck · 07/03/2018 07:25

Complain to the head. We had a teacher who sounds like this when I was in yr 4, I'm 36 and still remember it! She made me sit facing a wall for hours and wouldn't let the other kids talk to me- because I had said I didn't understand something. Mum noticed I was upset which was really unusual for me. She spoke to head. Head walked in on this woman going ballistic the next day and off school premises she went. Glad my mum said something!

KTD27 · 07/03/2018 07:30

I’m a teacher. Have been for years and taught year 6 for he most part of my 23 year career. Having worked in many different types of schools and areas I can hand on heart say NO WAY in the world would this be ok anywhere I’ve worked. I’d be in immediately. It’s not ok. He’s a child. Horrid man.

MaisyPops · 07/03/2018 07:33

Sorry, I should say, not grounds for complaint unless the school has a 'no touch' policy. Mine doesn't.
Neither does mine. It doesn't mean we'd opt to do it.

I'm very wary of people claiming 'you can't touch' because it gets silly (e.g. I watched a child push past a colleague on the one way system after being told to go round. The child then shouted that the teacher had touched him and pushed him in a very accusatory tone. I came down and backed my colleague. But it was quite worrying that the default position was to falsely accuse staff).

I've put my arm out on school trips to herd students back to the meeting point. On occasions i've moved quicker than them and they were lightly tapped. All perfectly fine. (Though if the students were like the one my colleague had I'm sure they could try to spin 'mrs pops pushed me')
It doesn't mean i'd use force to reposition or redirect a child in class.

There are enough things in the OP's posts to warranr asking questions.

Pengggwn · 07/03/2018 07:51

I'm not saying I would do it. And yes, I agree.

Snowyhere2018 · 07/03/2018 07:55

Are you saying the teacher referred to the girls as bitches? Shock

Yes complain. I have complained for less tbh.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 07/03/2018 07:56

So the boys were calling the girls bitches and you’re complaining because they were told off for doing that? Is that correct?

Eltonjohnssyrup · 07/03/2018 08:02

Snowy, I read it that the boys were calling the girls ‘bitches’ and the girls complained and the teacher told the boys off. The teacher did not repeat the word but said it began with a ‘b’.

If that’s what happened I really can’t see the problem with that and would be more concerned why my child thought it was acceptable to call little girls ‘bitches’.

Falconhoof1 · 07/03/2018 08:09

I had an awful teacher like this when at school. He was vile and bullied less academic kids. He was later sacked for assaulting one (after I'd left). I could never figure out why my parents didn't complain about him, so please do.

blueskypink · 07/03/2018 08:11

Eltonjohn - the op says -

Today, he took all the boys aside after the girls complained at break and told them that he couldn't swear because he was in a primary school but that they were all the word beginning with b.

Sounds to me like the teacher wanted to call the boys something beginning with b

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