What do you think of these school situations ?

[Wigisfashion83]

I work in one, just wondered what you thought of the following.

1. A teacher from next door coming in to tell the class to be quieter, as her class were working on an assessment. The class were animated, not screaming and shouting or anything but chatty, and we were also watching a documentary. I may be unreasonable but I think it undermines the member of staff and the teacher doesn't get to decide the noise of other classes, if they are not SLT.

1. A student telling another within earshot of you that he would like to do something violent to you. This happened to me and I reported it. The student had a quick telling off but the detention I issued him was removed, so I requested that it is reinstated. Yet, if our students said such things to SLT, they would be out of the school before they know it.

1. Teaching a class (cover) and their form tutor pops in. They are a year 7 form. The teacher coming in is known to be a bit cold, but she doesn't even acknowledge me or the fact that it is disturbing my lesson. She literally doesn't even look at me, just comes in the room and talks to her students for about 10 minutes.

The SLT and HOYs have previously deleted some of my detentions which I find incredibly undermining, they don't even tell me. I asked another teacher if this was commonplace and he said they do it sometimes.

I have only challenged the student detention thing, I think the 3rd example shows that I am undermined sometimes and need to be more assertive.

Let 1 and 3 go, not 2. But...Are SLT trying to give you feedback, it doesn't sound as if you are respected there. Are you in step with the ethos of the school or are you too picky? Just wondering why they ignore you, do you give loads of detentions?

Not all of the detentions are ignored, there are some teachers who virtually never give detentions but not many, I don't know what it is.
I emailed about the detention and haven't had a reply yet.
I have been offered behaviour management and hopefully has helped.

I was given a form group to cover long-term, the head of that year then requested that this was instead given to a 'regular' class teacher, so it was taken off me.
I never questioned this but I assume he thought that she would be better with them.

#1 is rude and undermining. The teacher should have asked you if you could ask the class class to be quiet. The posters above who have done it are rude too. Going in to tell the class to be quiet makes the teacher look like a dick.

#2 is even worse.

#3, you'll always have one like that in every school.

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't do #1 in front of the class.
3 has never said anything rude to me directly and as I said I don't work with her so I will continue to ignore her and she can be as rude as she likes.

#3 may really care about the form and i'm sure she does, but she is not SLT or in welfare/behaviour, she doesn't have enough importance to enter lessons to check on students, nor do/would I.

But if you’re in a union you can flag this up with them. And don’t get me started on the fact that if something horrendous happens they will pay legal costs.
Did you fill in a form that required you to state if you were a member of a union?
If they know you’re not in a union you’ll be fair game.
I know it’s old fashioned and somewhat contentious to extoll the virtues of being a member ,but there’s no way I’d set foot in a classroom in this day and age without my membership.

How much are they roughly per month/year ? I really do need to look into it.

Sticking your head around a classroom door and saying ‘do you mind just keeping it down, we’re doing an assessment ?’ is not being rude, it’s asking for a bit of courtesy for your own class, particularly when your own students are saying ‘will you tell them to shut up miss ?’ That’s the way I always do it, not shouting at someone else’s class.

Are you an NQT? New to the school? What’s your background?
I’ve never had a problem with a colleague remonstrating with a class I’m teaching. In all my 25 years. It’s colleagues that ‘walk on by’ that have always pissed me off.

@iHaveACold

#1 is rude and undermining. The teacher should have asked you if you could ask the class class to be quiet. The posters above who have done it are rude too. Going in to tell the class to be quiet makes the teacher look like a dick.

#2 is even worse.

#3, you'll always have one like that in every school.

I agree with these.

Why have you not looked into it? Were you not given this information before you finished training?

I pay £16 a month for NASUWT

Thanks for the price info, I will join one.
I think that teachers helping you if you are struggling with a class or a student is great, having your back so to speak.

Number 1 is sort of understandable
Number 2 is appalling.
Number 3 is rude.

1. I don't think this is unreasonable; nor do I think it's undermining you.

1. This doesn't sound reasonable and seems like it may undermine your authority with the kids.

1. Really rude and unacceptable. I'd have a quiet word with the form teacher and if it happens again, address her directly, "good morning Ms x, what can I help you with?"

1. Irritating and they should have asked you politely to quieten your class down.
2. Aargh! no wonder there are so many violent aggressive brats around!
3. You need to be far more assertive and quick off the mark in those situations. I would have interrupted the teacher and said (loudly) “ahem can I help you?”

I think #1 is absolutely normal but #2 is bad and #3 is very weird (and rude).

Actually I agree with you it would have been better to have a word with you at the door about number 1 so you could quieten them down yourself

There are very mixed replies with regard to #1 but seems to be a general consensus for 2 and 3.

What about #4 ?
Was given a form on long-term cover but head of year took it off me and gave them to a regular teacher (not cover). Didn't tell me this, it was passed onto me via somebody else'
Probably no point overthinking it but just curious.

1. You go up and have a word with teacher or ask them to step out a second and have a word.

1. What is reason for detention being removed?

1. Rude. It's fine if you need to speak to your form but you ask teacher - again quietly.

I HATE staff who undermine others but it does say more about them than you!