to want to shove my portfolio etc up a certain teachers nose?

[Joash]

Never thought I'd post on an AIBU - but this has been annoying me since 3.15.
I am qualified to postgrad level (and beyond). I have managed youth centres, advice centres, worked as part of the legal community service partnership, developed area wide projects for the NHS, educaton services, I have developed support packages for pHD students and university professionals, I have had training projects, had projects and traning packeges published and disseminated across red brick uiversities, I have Worked with MP's on projects, and worked nationally in various roles, etc, etc, etc.
Why do people automatically lump me in with certain groups of people?

My Grandsons teacher has put me forward to join a bloody family learning course (almost identical to one that I was active in developing in South Yorkshire a few years ago) in the belief that I might learn something from it.

I asked her "why me?" - her reply - She felt that I might learn something from it and explained that many of the who started at this level have gone on to atend college and gain some qualifications after never before having had the advantage of a decent education!!!!

SO I asked her "On what did you base your assumption about me?"
Her; "Err, you are part of the group who come from a certain part of town, and have not had the advantages in life that some of the people from other areas have had. WHo knows, you might even be able to get a well paid job earning about £10,000 a year eventually, once you've worked your way up."

CHEEKY COW - I have just printed off a copy of my CV, all my certificates and awards, and photocopied my portfolio from my freelance work as well as my own and DH's P60's for our final years work (totalling £76,000 in earnings) and they will be 'shoved' under her nose in the morning along with the residence ordeer for GS and the court order which clearly stated that my DH and I gave up our jobs and moved to the other end of the country to ensure GS's safety away from the father that beat him up when he was five months old!!
Perhaps I should include the training package that I developed for the CAB around not making assumptions about people.

oooo what the teacher say???

She asked I had given the tutors some things that I thought might interest the other 'mums' on the course I was on, becasue she would hardly call that developing courses.
So I grabbed a bit of her patronising attitude, smirked at her and said "No Darling, I was paid just under £500 for developing a 9 week intergenerational learning project targeted at parents and their primary school children. Of course that was in 1986 - since then my fees increased considerably and the last programme that I devised netted me £9,000 for a 12 week intensive personal development programme, that I feel she would personally benefit from and as I had retained copyright I was considering approaching the new school head regarding delivering the programme within the school!!"
I then went and made an appointment with the head - aarrgghh, what have I done.
I've been feeling smug, now I'm just starting to panic.

Well done-fantastic!!

Well done. I hate to be patronised.

It makes me feel like saying "I Am Scruffy Not Stoooopid!"

ooh she sounds a cheeky one that teacher! well done for getting your point across, and I hope you haven't dug yourself a hole you won't want to jump into!

oops.... just shows you what happens when we act in anger. Sorry about the job, but perhaps you would have been bored so it may be for the best.

You will now have to go through with this meeting with the head, but because you have time to prepare you can do wonders with it. I would mention your being upset about being lumped into a group on te basis of your postcode rather than being asked if the particular course would be appropriate for you. Suggest he/she mentions at the next inset or staff meeting that teachers should be more sensitive about the home situtations (for want of a better word) of pupil's families and not to make assumptions.

fireflytoo - apologies, I didnt make myself very clear in my last post. Can I ask who you think was acting in anger? She was just patronising and I was annoyed and extremely irritated. Her assumptions about me were not based on any 'postcode' evidence - but on the way I look and the people that I associate with (and by doing that, she was also doing a diservice to my friends).

As for the job - Perhaps I've misunderstood, but you seem to have the same opinion as the interview panel... my point is that it is not down to other people to make the assumption that just because I was applying for a job that is not at the same level as my previous work, that I am or overqualified or over experienced to do a job that I would have quite clearly not applied for had I not believed it to be what I am looking for - which I made explicit at the interview. I certainly would not consider applying for anything that I would be easily bored by - I could go and work in the supermarket at the end of our street if I wanted to be easily bored.

I was also not clear about my meeting with the head. It is not about the teachers patronising attitude, it is to discuss the prospect of delivering some personal development sessions within the school.

My turn to apologise Joash. My misunderstanding was about your appointment with the head. I thought you meant that you made that in hurry while still irritated.

I totally agree with you about the interview panel. Was just (thoughtlessly?) pointing out what may have happened. I do know what you mean. I have been in positions where I would have been quite grateful to do a job I was overqualified for because I needed the money and also because I don't actually mind gettng my hands dirty.. IYSWIM.

On the whole I should really apologise for what now seems like laziness in my choice of words in my post. I used "post code" as a sort of grouping word. I must plead that English is not my first language and I still get things messed up when I can't find the exact words to say what I mean.

Good luck.

Had a quick run through things today and she wants me to do a presentation for the governers on Monday evening - Oh Bum!!
Actually, I really enjoyed todays meeting. I didnt realise how much I missed the 'sell' bit of freelance work. Off to have a quiet veggy night before starting to develop the presentation.

sounds like her 'rubbing you up the wrong way' has paid off then!!

i hate when people do things like what happened to you, i live quite close to a surestart in a fairly rough area, we have a mortgage on a stunningly beautiful house just outside of this bad part, and i attend some of the toddler groups on the estate....when i fist joined i was offered lots of 'young mums courses' ie maths GCSE's, computor skills etc....i got fed up of turning them down politley with 'no thanks, i dont need it' after being asked for the 20th time!! i took in all my qualifications from school, i got all A*-B results in 12 GCSE's, i got 2 NVQ's for computing, and i also had up to level 3 hairdressing qualifications and eventually just said i'm very intellegent, have all these qualifications and i am a SAHM because we can afford it, i'm not on any benefits do dont even qualify for these 'free courses' which i'm already qualified for anyway...

they took it politley and now i teach an evening class in hairdressing once a week for young mums in the area who do want extra qualifications!!- sometimes being abrupt helps!!

glaskham - well done you!!