To start this thread about teacher's experiences of OTT parents as there are frequent posts by parents about teachers!

[Mammajay]

I was in my class with a group of students when the door opened and in stepped an angry parent with an Alsatian dog pulling on the lead. The mum was demanding I returned her 12 year old daughter's radio which I had confiscated the day before due to her disturbing the lesson with it. I wanted to tell the mum to p... off but being a professional, I carefully removed it from my desk, returned it to the mother and asked her to ensure it was kept at home in future. That girl dropped out of school later. In the majority of cases, parents need to support teachers who are trying to maintain discipline so that they can teach and students can learn. Other teachers' examples of OTT parents???

I once gave a girl a detention, 24 hour notification etc., in the day itself it had snowed very heavily and her sent her home at the normal time. From my window I had seen her mother slip sliding along the road, looking like she wasn't a happy bunny, I sent the girl out of a different entrance and 10minutes later the mother came panting upstairs, soaking wet to 'get Joanne, I'll report you to th'Council'. Once she'd finished I told her that her daughter had gone home at the usual time and would she like the phone number of th'Council.
At a Parents' Evening a couple came in and sat down, as we were talking his mobile rang, he got up without apology, and went to stand by the window to arrange a golf game. He then expected me to repeat what I'd told his wife and later complained to the Head about my rudeness because I refused. When the Head called me over to listen to his complaint about how important his phone call had been I was able to repeat the time, the golf club and the partner he was playing with!
Another child said her father said I was talking rubbish telling them that multiplying by 10 meant add a nought. I suggested she asked him to multiply 2.5 by 10 using his method. Apparently I did a part-time job and didn't know what I was talking about! He was a Vicar and I couldn't help but laugh when she said it.

I fondly remember the Yr 10 parents evening when mother refused to accept that son did bugger all in lesson and swore at me regularly. i gave the example of "he told me to f off earlier today and then threw his book at me". Mother claimed loudly that her son would never swear and would certainly never throw anything. Son denied it and shouted fuck off at me and threw his parents evening booklet at me. In front of a packed room of parents. Mother shouted that he never swears and I must be lying or deranged. Son again shouted to me to fuck off and said I was the shittest teacher he'd ever had. They were both then removed by SLT. Happy times.

As a parent I must be the exception to the rule as I always support the teacher/school.
My dds are adopted, lots of issues, and both were excluded numerous times, the youngest permanently. I have never argued or challenged teachers’ authority.
My dds’ version of events usually differed massively from that of the teacher but knowing my dds were compulsive liars, I always backed the teachers.
I have huge respect for teachers. It’s not an easy job, and they must have the patience of saints to cope with some of the mouthy little brats, let alone their parents.

If parents are rude, shout at or try to attack staff, I have the pleasure, as the Chair of Governors, of banning them from the premises unless for prearranged meetings.

We are lucky to have the amazing staff we do have in school and they are not there for people to abuse when they are working.

I have So MANY! I was collecting these for a book years ago. As a taster, this week I had a shouty parent barge in at 8.30 and demand to see me. I toyed with the idea of winding her up further by making her make an appointment but decided not to let it fester. My crime was to 'break every health and safety law in the land' because I'd asked her 17 year old daughter to go home and change for being dressed as a stripper instead of in our usual 6th form dress code. She lives 500 yards from school with no roads to cross... And the student signs out every break and lunch to go home! I am not ashamed to say that I said I was looking forward to her complaint and if she continued to slander me (I am a bully blah blah, all the students hate me yawn.. ) then I'd be making a complaint of my own. Still waiting for my complaint...

Anything that is identifiable is going to get you in to trouble if its picked up by the parent and fed back to the school.

Tweak a few details and you're fine.

What are the consequences for parents who post about teachers?

Teachermaths

Tweak a few details and you're fine.

Yes by all means make it non identifiable.

What are the consequences for parents who post about teachers?

Not really the point. The point is that if you post and its identifiable etc.

I had a student call her dad and burst into my classroom, demanding I speak to her dad on the phone.

Erm, no...

I had a student tell me she would take her phone back from me, even if it was in my hand.

Erm, that would be assault.

Parents backed up their kids - I remain flummoxed.

I had a parent threaten me at the classroom door, in front of other parents. My crime? Reminding her daughter to bring her PE kit. Apparently I should’ve felt lucky because she’d stopped her husband coming to see me. I wish he had - I would’ve loved to see the hero threaten a 5ft 4 teacher in front of all her pupils.
They both sat in embarrassed silence at Parents Evening, had nothing to say or ask, and although I got no apology, it was clear that they had calmed down and were a bit worried about what I was going to say. Cowards.

This is my last year teaching. I'd give myself carpal tunnel syndrome if I tried to explain why or retell some of my horror stories. I had a student give me a concussion back in February. The family were just awful about it. That was my breaking point. Props to my fellow teachers who to return year after year, no matter what.

Not a teacher. Just adding my support as this thread is bloody interesting and I’m appalled.

On a lighter note, the teachers at dds school are in the main pretty brilliant and in the main I don’t think we can thank them enough for their hard work with our children.

If only these entitled parents had a clue about how much you do, they’d be in awe - I have friends, who are in the profession and the scrutiny / attention to detail is mind blowing.

We had a set of parents who emailed to complain that the staff didn't smile enough at them on the playground, and that was poor customer service

I love working in education but the constant whinging and complaining about the most tedious things means we have to battle to deal with the more important issues. I've received some ridiculous emails from parents today. The vast majority are absolutely lovely and I genuinely enjoy working with them, but unfortunately as always, the minority take the majority of your time.

Not a teacher but taught kids. Had a parent march up and shout lots of verbal abuse at me because I had reported to SS that her 5 year old DS had told me that he babysat his 3 year old DB every evening until his mum got back from work. Gran picked DS up and dropped the 2 of them back home and then left.

One parent told me in all seriousness that standing on the desk was part of his culture and so I had no right to object.
Another accused me of implying her child was a thief after she was caught leaving school with my phone in her bag

Oh gosh. So many! The biggest one was against my partner teacher. They had a wattsapp group slagging him down because he made the class stay in for 5mins. The stuff written in there was so disgusting, one parent took it to the headteacher. I've been yelled at because I told a child they couldn't wear nail varnish to school, because I confiscated a pellet gun, because the homework I gave was too hard. I've been asked to give extra homework by others. One parent came storming into my classroom with her slippers demanding to know who I think I am sending them a fine for their kids being on holiday. I had to tell her politely that I didn't issue any such fine .. that wasn't part of my job. I've also had some amazing parents who have been supportive.

12 years in the profession and my absolute favourite has to be:

"My son doesn't really enjoy your lessons and you can't REALLY expect him to behave if he doesn't like you. Perhaps you could dress in a more... feminine way on days when you teach his class?"

That was a day when 'no' was very much a full sentence. I laughed that father right off my Parents Evening table.

I taught SEN for a while and one parent complained that I gave their son homework because "he's a fucking idiot. Homework isn't going to help him is it? It just makes my evening harder doing the work". I didn't know where to start so referred them to the head. For reference the homework wasn't A-level maths, it was simple tasks like 'draw a picture of your dinner' or 'circle the birds in this picture'.

That Parent who used to regularly email me with their rants about perceived slights against their PFB. Every email after midnight. Every email followed up at 7am with a complaint to the Head about my lack of reply.

My favourite was the father complaining we had let their child down as they wanted to be an actor but we'd never cast them in a school production. When it was pointed out to them that their child had never auditioned in the 7 years they'd been at the school he said we should have just offered them a part as they were that good.

Oh, and the father who threatened to report me to the local rag for bullying his son. I greatly enjoyed pointing out that his 6ft tall son (I'm 5'2) had gone to hit me just as SLT arrived to remove him from the classroom for threading behaviour towards other pupils (the joys of putting yourself as a human shield) and that I'd happily discuss with the local paper the violence teachers face. I never did get to do that interview.

How did the parent, with the dog, get into school?

Most are now nearing Fort Knox in their front door arrangements.

School was having a blitz on uniform. I asked a student why she was wearing non-uniform, got a lengthy Vicky Pollard-esque monologue about why. I asked politely if she could untuck her jumper from the tops of her jeans so that it was less obvious that she was wearing non-uniform. She refused and ended up with a detention for the prolonged arguing and reference was made to the uniform. I recieved a complaint that I was bullying her and we ended up wasting a significant amount of time going through the records of various sanctions and why to prepare for a meeting with the parents to prove that I wasn't bullying her.

The ridiculous thing after going through the stress of these kinds of meetings is that the outcome is that you promise to do what you should be and actually were doing anyway, and the pupils make promises that they should actually behave in a reasonable way

Apparently I shouldn't have issued a detention for the pupil loudly banging my glue stick on the desk while I talking to the class. I had just spent £30 of my own money on that class set of glue sticks because the school had no budget for them, and no pupil bought them and somehow OFSTED and the MAT expected beautifully presented books with all work glued in

Early days of phones in school... I confiscate a phone in line with policy... pupil sends a message via their mates phone so the parents turn up to reception to claim the confiscated phone and kick off because I haven't taken it down yet... I'm sti teaching the same class and haven't left the room!

School policy, no coats in school (including coridors). Lesson 2, I ask pupils to take their coats off. Later HoD comes in saying there's been a complaint about having to take the coat off and the classroom was too cold. I pointed out that I was only following the school's own rules and while the classroom was not the warmest due to a chronically malfunctioning heater, I had survived working in there on my own in the previous hour.

So, so many over the years. Too many management teams indulge the indulgent parents then wonder why they struggle with a certain core of pupils and pass the buck back to the classroom teachers.

I've been out for a few years as I wanted to have some quality time with my own kids instead of wasting time on a few where the chances of fruition was minimal. I miss the actual teaching, and most were lovely to know and even teach, but there is too much unnecessary distraction away from what actually benefits pupils in the classroom and ultimately my kids needed my time more. Too many young people leave the education system having never faced the natural consequences of their choices and attitude and it's often very late by then.

Why can't you mention Ostend?

Is it some secret code that only teachers understand?

I'm not a fan of Ostend but if you are on the way to Bruges its inevitable.

I despair of some parents. Have watched two mothers over the years both with an only child go head to head with teaching staff over their little darlings. I do wonder if these children now leaving school will ever cope in the workplace and if their mothers will go marching in to defend them when their employers have to deal with them.