Nativity disappointment why do teachers do it

[Bucketheadbucketbum]

Want to key stage 2 nativity today. It was 1 hour long! Approx 40 kids in it. Some children had multiple lines throughout the hour, on the stage for the bulk of the time, solo songs the works. Others had just one line and spent the rest of the time sitting to the side apart from group songs where they all stood up. I understand all parts cant be equal and it must be a nightmare to try and be fair but this was shockingly poorly distrubuted. Why would you do this as a teacher? So disappointing for the children and parents unless you happen to be one of the "stars" of the show.

Manner not 'Manor'

You sound like a bit of a pushy parent TBH. To a small child, any role is a bit deal and these performances are exciting for them. They build confidence and feel proud of themselves. It’s not meant to be about the parents 🙄 It’s for the children! Nobody cares how big your child’s role is so just let the child enjoy the experience!

@Goldenbear sounds like your made up, no doubt highly overpaid job requires some poor mugs to be teachers.
Carry on contributing to the disrespect and dismissal of conditions leading to teacher retention, I am sure the education sector you rely on will run smoothly without them.

And in no way does an architect get the kind of abuse and venom teachers do. What planet are you on?

The OP doesn't sound pushy sounds involved. No wonder state schools lag behind private schools when it comes to developing children's potential, they just seem to take easy root. Most children by year 5/6 are bothered but if they are not being obnoxious are just left with the lesser parts as it is not as easy to placate the obnoxious kids. Or usually, it is the obnoxious kids that are loud and they are trying to channel this in to something productive as in the classroom they are a bloody nightmare! Since when was loudness the only requirement for good acting!

State schools lag behind private schools because of cohort intake and fiddling results.

Volume, willingness to learn lines, parental involvement, child preference are all perfectly acceptable ways to cast a play.

Cos if they did it equally it would be like when you tell a class to each read 5 lines of Hamlet.

My mum had this in a play school she ran - they were 2. It was a summer event and she chose who was being which part. One girls mum was so cross and said well she better have a decent part in the nativity.

And to be perfectly honest, teachers choose the children who they know
will learn the lines with help from home
will turn up to every rehearsal
will actually turn up to evening performances
it is stressful enough putting on these shows without clock watching and worrying that your main characters will turn up on time, if at all

And the ones they like. Lets not pretend that some teachers don't like some children and won't use them for main parts even if they are the best. It doesn't happen with sporting events so much, if a kid is good at a certain sport they'll get picked, but with things like plays it does.

I doubt very much that things have changed that much from when I was at school - human nature certainly hasn't.

YouScumbagYouMaggotHeresKevinTheCarrot

'Made up', so data protection law doesn't exist and my advice and work hasn't stopped te schools being fined huge amounts from potentially serious data breaches. Ok then, I mean, you do realise that 'data' and it's protection/security in a school are quite key to the school running or even opening no don't you? Don't answer that I know the answer already. I am paid appallingly for the work I do but luckily for me I don't 'rely' on it ancan jump ship quite easily. When you thought I worked in school you assumed it was in a support staff capacity like a TA and referred to my 'unqualified arse', really exuding 'respect' there for your old fellow colleagues so anyone unqualified does not deserve your respect?

Again, you clearly have no clue about other jobs, as an Architect doing public consultations you can definitely get 'lots' of abuse from members of the public that don't like what you do, my DH has been physically threatened. If money is at stake people can get very arsey indeed. Way more than parents asking why for the 4th year running their child is overlooked. Of course teachers deal with lots of annoying people but the grass is not always greener and the parents aren't clients expecting certain deadlines and profit.

When my sons were at school the only way to get a decent part in anything was to have a parent who was in the teaching profession. The amount of sucking up that went on among them was stomach churning.

Yep and it's always the same kids that get the star parts. Really unfair and annoying to

No I didn't think you were a ta. I thought you were admin or consultants who have far too much to say and complain about working hard all the time whilst doing a very manageable workload.

I referred to your unqualified arse because you are not qualified to teach yet think you know it all.

It's certainly a pattern I've observed in staff of your type. Minimal contact with kids and parents and think you have all the solutions.

Of course the parents are encouraged to think of themselves as clients in state schools.

The teacher has to choose children who are capable of behaving appropriately, learning lines and speaking loudly and confidently on stage in front of an audience.

Some children are confident but very silly. Some children can learn lines but have quiet voices that cannot be heard. Some children are loud but cannot learn lines.

My sympathies to all the disappointed ones.
When I was teaching, my job was note-bashing the songs; other people dealt with casting etc., and I heard a remark I still remember from this.
As I launched onto singing practice, Year 2 excitedly told me of their given roles, until one glum little soul, when asked by me, replied, "Nothing; I'm just A People"

YouScumbagYouMaggotHeresKevinTheCarrot I've literally just said I don't work for the schools I work with them and so I am not 'staff' so I doubt you've ever worked i a school with staff who are onsite consultants- how does that work then with their abundant budgets! I do advise admin team members in schools sometimes, all of whom seem very busy, who again you obviously feel superior to- im not entirely sure why you would think the Head's PA should be working as hard as a Head of curricular teacher for about 2/3rds of their pay, renumeration doesn't work like that. I work with children and their parents quite a bit actually often the disgruntled ones as they want a Subject Access Request response when their initial request to the school has not been answered. If only my workload was manageable, I have noted how school's are not very good at planning, always fire fighting so as a consultant that makes things very tricky making the workload of everyone 10 times what it needs to be of only a bit of planning was carried out!

Anyway, I was answering in my capacity as a parent, I think it is unfortunate that the weary cynicism dominates thee educational workplace as it enslaves people and they are not receptive to change or ideas just see it as criticism.

Well I have never heard of the parent/client reference, it sounds like BS as has no value in the meaningful sense of the word, proven by posts on this thread that schools really don't want to hear anything from parents!

Just to be controversial, I am going to look at this from another point of view.

Every bloody year dd2 was the narrator.
Why? because

1. she can learn or read stacks of lines easily
2. she says those lines in a loud clear voice that can be heard at the back of the room (probably one of only 3 children in her year group could do this at that age)
3. they knew she would be there to every rehearsal and every evening performance.

dd2 hated it. She wanted a proper part, to be on the stage not at the side doing narrator bits, and more than anything, she wnated a 'proper costume'

In reception when she was the narrator, I asked her teacher if there was a costume for the narrator, and (amazing lady that she was) she saw the problem very quickly and said - I think the narrator should be in a sparkling party dress, do you think you have one of those dd2?
problem solved.

I wouldn't be the casting director for anything.

@Goldenbear could I seek clarification re you speaking in your capacity as a parent? I thought you sent your children to fee paying schools?

Yes I am and no I don't send my DC to private school. I went to prep school as a child. Althoughy youngest is 11 so the primary days are over for me.

That is not true. Kids are not stupid. They know who has the star parts and who has the other parts.

Thank you for the reply.

Thankfully Golden Bear I don't have to listen to parents withering on about their uniformed opinions anymore, whether it's blocks of text or in person ranting.

People like you are why teachers are leaving the profession and you'll be the first to complain there are no replacements.

God it's freeing not to have to listen to your crap. Thanks for the reminder why I left.

I literally help teachers and schools with stuff they have no clue about everyday, I try and make miracles happen I.e turn around massive F ups in a day, I am well aware of why this happens more than most as people expect quite a bit from schools. Usually, SARs are disgruntled parents who are cross at me as I am the point of contact so I do understand. I even said how good my DD's teachers at her junior school were, they were lucky enough to have a talented music teacher who was passionate and amazing- i told her so after an amazing event she organised . Our year 6 class teacher was given a £200 trainer shop voucher and the class TA £50 as they were great. I don't think anyone is leaving because of the likes of me.

I have some sympathy with the OP and didn't read her as pushy. I am not sure why you, YouScumbagYouMaggotHeresKevinTheCarrot have to be so offensive and character assassinate someone you have never met - it is exhausting just reading your replies.

And I'm not really uniformed with a daily insight in to school life, especially from the position of having to mop up the fall out from what is essentially a complaint about the school via SARs.

Well you are in the minority there the vote is very clear that op is bu.
Birds of a feather.