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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Does the size of a teacher make difference to their ability to teach?

211 replies

StrumpersPlunkett · 22/09/2018 09:33

Would you be concerned if your child’s teacher was of significantly reduced mobility due to being overweight?
If you are a teacher in early years/ks1/ks2+
Would it limit your teaching?

OP posts:
MaisyPops · 23/09/2018 08:26

Verbena87
I have, sort of.
At my friend's school there was a seriously obese teacher who students would see get into their car at lunch time and drive to the shopping parade about 500m from the school. Given they had an hour for lunch and it's was a really short distance, it became a point of discussion with students (and according to my friend staff noticed too).
Nobody said anything or teased, but it was noticed and people found it funny because it probably took longer to walk to the car park, start the car, drive and park than it would to walk.
Add in the fact students would comment on how teacher wouldn't ever help them, never left their desk etc by all accounts they developed a reputation with students (who were never rude to them but students discuss staff around school).

MaisyPops · 23/09/2018 08:27

In fact probably less than 500m.
It was around a 3-4 minute walk.

Verbena87 · 23/09/2018 10:04

maisy that’s kind of my point though - comments are usually about behaviour (driving tiny distances) and personal qualities (not helping, sitting at desk not engaging with students) rather than appearance.

EK36 · 23/09/2018 10:18

To me it doesn't matter if the teacher is fat/trans/gay or disabled. What matters is that they are good teachers and love working with children.

Wantapony · 23/09/2018 10:30

My DS has a subject taught by a morbidly obese teacher with mobility issues. I couldn't care less as long as the subject is taught with passion and enthusiasm (which it is.) My DS is unconcerned (secondary level single sex school.)

continuallychargingmyphone · 23/09/2018 12:32

I don’t understand why the teacher driving somewhere was worthy of comments maisy

Obviously it’s because she found walking difficult.

MaisyPops · 23/09/2018 12:46

Verbena87
I agree its personal qualities but (from admittedly 3rd hand info) it would seem that a link was made between member of staff always sitting down, not helping students, driving somewhere easily walkable, being lazy & their size (as in not being very obese might have meant they could actually have wandered aroubd the room to see students, they'd actually do their duty spot properly instead of hardly ever turn up and then sit down in one spot instead of actively covering their area).

Students notice a lot. I've had students notice when I'd changed my eyeliner colour. They draw conclusions. Some may be right and others may not be. Staff gain reputations in schools. Some are right and others aren't. That's school life.

Scientistic · 23/09/2018 12:54

Dc teacher in yr1 very overweight. Was a fantastic teacher. Good luck!

JacNaylor · 23/09/2018 12:59

Ok I am very large and teach autistic/challenging young people. I am mobile and fairly fit for my size though. I wouldn't teach early years now as although I can sit on the floor, I can only manage about ten minutes and getting up again is a struggle. It can be tiring at times but nobody (apart from angry youngsters) has ever commented on my weight. Why not volunteer and see if you'd feel able to face the many challenges presented by a career in teaching.

Racecardriver · 23/09/2018 13:01

Well unless it was the kind of can't walk across a room type of mobility issue then no. My sons teacher is well into retirement age territory. She fit for her age but hardly able to run a mile with a reception kid tucked under each arm. I think she may be the best reception teacher in the whole country. Definitely top ten.

DishranawaywiththeSpoon · 23/09/2018 13:03

My mum is a disabled teacher, she has reduced mobility obviously and she has no problems. She generally teachers ks2 but has taught ks1 if necessary and teaches ks1 1 day a week at the moment.

No one bags an eyelid when my mum can't sit on the floor with the reception children and has to sit on a chair.

She can teach pe, again no one bats an eyelid that she can't demonstrate everything fully. She can demonstrate hand movements for things like throwing, tennis, netball etc the only thing she can't do is run around or gym, but lots of teachers can't do that anyway. If she needs to she can get a child to demonstrate.

On the very rare occasions that a child has run off in her 20yr career in primary someone else has had to chase them, normally there is a TA at least next door. Again no one bats an eyelid that someone else will have to do this worst case scenario.

She can't restrain a child but she is very good at calming down angry children, she is good at discipline and I don't think she's ever had a situation where a child would need restraining under her watch (It has under other teachers at her school though)

She is a good, well respected teacher (i know this because i was taught by her) her disability impacts her ability to teach precisely 0. We can easily make allowances for disabled teachers to enable them to do their job so why can't we make allowances for someone with reduced mobility for other reasons?

When we teach heath to primary children we shouldn't be teaching them about weight, we should be teaching purely health. Most young children shouldn't have made the connection yet between overweight and unhealthy, I doubt that ks1 children will find it hard to learn about health from an overweight person Hmm

Also I knew every teacher who smoked when I was at primary and secondary, I was still able to learn about anti-smoking and healthy eating etc. From these teachers. Funnily enough my nutrition lecturer at university was v. Overweight. I was still able to learn about nutrition from her because I recognise that theoretical knowledge isn't always put into practice and there are a multitude of reasons why someone might be overweight.

ProfessorMoody · 23/09/2018 19:24

I manage to teach despite my masses of fat and my wheelchair, so I'm sure you'll manage, OP. I even teach PE, fancy that.

The last time I checked, body fat doesn't have an impact on behaviour management, knowledge, teaching skill and intelligence.

tealandteal · 23/09/2018 20:30

My DH had an official complaint by a parent that he was too tall and therefore intimidating. Someone else complained that his head of department had too strong an accent. You can't win so just do the best you can for the kids regardless.

MaisyPops · 23/09/2018 20:35

Bloody hell teal. Thats ridiculous.

Neither of those things have any impact on their ability to do their jobs.

There's no need for any complaining about personal attributes unless their ability to do their job was brought into question.

TheBeatGoesOnandOn · 23/09/2018 20:39

Only if they were a PE teacher as clearly they would struggle teaching the subject effectively if struggling with morbid obesity.

CheerfulMuddler · 23/09/2018 21:01

My DS's nursery keyworker is obese. She's utterly brilliant and he adores her. We noticed it, obviously, but we noticed how great she was with DS, how professional she was, and how much he liked her much more than we noticed her weight. We have no concerns whatsoever.

UnrelentingFruitScoffer · 23/09/2018 21:03

This reply has been deleted

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C0untDucku1a · 23/09/2018 21:06

Fruit ive reported that comment. Its appalling.

ProfessorMoody · 23/09/2018 21:09

Ahh Fruit. Bless your little mind, but my qualifications prove that I'm not actually stupid and my wheelchair is pretty fast Smile

I'm obese because of my medication, not doughnuts, but who doesn't love a Krispy Kreme?

MaisyPops · 23/09/2018 21:15

C0untDucku1a
Same.

It's one thing to consider how being particularly obese might impact on doing a job. It's quite another to be so unkind and nasty.

Deminism · 23/09/2018 21:31

I just care that my kids' teachers are kind and help them to realise their potential. Go for it OP

PrivateDoor · 23/09/2018 21:40

I absolutely would not have a problem with this at all. Good luck op.

Libertarian · 23/09/2018 22:08

Would it not just ne easier to lose the weight op? The vast majority of obese people (and I speak as one although I'm half way to my goal weight) are so because they ingest more calories then they burn.

TheWanderlust · 23/09/2018 22:14

Slightly controversial but yes.

My mum was a teacher of a reception class for 14 years. Her teaching assistant was significantly overweight which did cause her some mobility issues.

The school completed a wellbeing risk assessment and it was deemed unsafe for the teaching assistant to stay in the reception class. She was moved to year 2 where the children were bigger and there was far less floor work / running around during the day.

UnrelentingFruitScoffer · 24/09/2018 18:14

Being fat is medically proven to make you less mobile and to make you less able to score well on intelligence tests.