Being quiet in lessons? Year 12 report

[Stugs]

Dd is in year 12. She's just had a written report which her school does once a year. She's doing PE A level and one of the teachers wrote that "Snugsdd is quiet in lessons, and one if the quieter pupils in the class, however despite this she has an excellent grasp of the topic and performed well in the recent tests".

She had a really good report with Excellent for learning for all subjects/topics apart from that one which was Good.

I'm really happy with her report and she knows I'm proud of her for getting her head down and working hard (she's been unwell). She's working at grades B mostly with the odd A. She's needled by the comment as she doesn't think she is quiet at all!

This is just a question to (genuinely!) ask if you are a teacher why is being quiet in lessons a bad thing? She says there are two very loud girls who play solitaire (!) in lessons and shout out who the teacher really likes as they do the sport that he teaches- this is just what dd has told me obviously not sure how true that is.

No one is saying anything about teachers, having a class full of chatty clowns etc.
This is a comment about dd. If she is very quiet, whilst accepting it, it's something to address, so she holds her own at Uni, in the workplace, in life. That's all.

Teachers tell boisterous ones to calm down. Teachers tell quiet ones to be more outspoken. That's all it is. It IS constructive criticism.

It's not a problem to be quiet in class (I've sometimes found myself struggling to get a full Year 12/13 class to speak at all!) I think it will have been mentioned to elude to the fact that they aren't asking for support very much, and possibly don't ask/answer questions unless targeted specifically for response. This isn't an issue, it's just something parents may not know.

I take it as being quiet in Class may be that she isn’t taking part in conversations or debates etc or is too timid to answer

My daughter gets the same every report/parents evening. She is an introvert like me and will only speak when she feels the need to. Teachers know that she has the answers when they ask her so they don't seem concerned. They just ask that she makes sure if something isn't clear she will speak up

It’s interesting as well that sometimes you’ll see people on here and elsewhere say that their teachers didn’t know them at all, it didn’t get to know them, and I do often think it’s a two-way street. I have small classes and there are students I know SO much about because they chat away to me, and so I always have something to say to them - “so how was that shift at work you were dreading?” or “did that exam go ok?” or “ooh, here’s the new haircut, it looks great!”

But some students have spent the same amount of time in the room with me and I couldn’t even tell you if they like the subject or not. Of course I try and chat and I’m always friendly but if someone never really opens up or responds you can’t work magic. I do always think that’s a bit of a shame. I don’t need to know everything about someone’s life but just…do they like college? Is everything ok? I know if I asked I’d get a tight smile and a “yes, thanks”.

Thank you for your post and starting this thread. I have a teenage daughter whose teachers have consistently reported since the age of 4 that she is quiet in class in negative tones. I feel that our schools privilege those who are extroverted and chatty and that they can be difficult places for more introverted children and young people. The book 'Quiet' gave me a deeper understanding of the world of introverts and their needs. I wish more educators showed an understanding of the particular gifts that introverts can bring to school environments. We can all benefit and the world - and classrooms - need both to function well.