AIBU Teacher plays "Boo the child"!!

[BubbleBath365]

Looking for some straight-talk please. Name change here, as post possibly outing.

My child is a 10-year-old in year 6.
Her class teacher has form for being rude and has a weird sense of humour. DD happens to be in the top class for maths, where they are pushed to work hard.

Today the teacher invented a game where at the end of the class, she picked on different children to call out answers to the maths questions set. If you had not completed a question (this may be either because you did not know how to do it or because you were slow), she told the whole class to boo the child, which they did with great gusto.
2 children got booed - DD and another child, who shrugged it off. DD is a gentle, mild-mannered and well-behaved child who really tries hard at maths, as she knows she needs to work at it. DD came home in tears, but did not cry in class (of this I am glad) - she was completely thrown as she had never been booed at.

Teacher is aware that DD lacks confidence in maths and has said so to us at the term-end meeting with parents - 3 weeks ago. Why would she pick on her to answer the question?
She has humiliated DD (and others) in class before (I am speaking of academic achievement - not bad behaviour) - so there is a pattern here.

I am furious. How can this be the right way to 'teach' a child? Is this a normal 'game' to play in class?
I plan to complain to the school - to me this looks like bullying.
I have spoken to the teacher on previous occasions, but she is very convinced her 'teaching methods' are fine.

Sorry about the long post - any advice appreciated.

YANBU - go and speak to the school. This is not the right way to teach a child.
YABU - shrug and let go

Wtf is wrong with the teacher

@LoveQuinnOhDearyMe
Thank you, I was thinking of speaking to the other child's mum at the school gate tomorrow. But she probably won't raise this matter with the school. Her DD is very good in Maths and confident (good for her) and this incident probably affected the other child less (she shrugged and laughed when the booing happened).

Op good for you for escalating and standing up for your daughter, you are doing the right thing

This teacher is most unprofessional and if a parent complained I'm sure Head would speak to her.

My children were set for maths from year 4. I would be very surprised if any 10/11 year old wasnt set for maths in any multi form entry primary school.

Please keep us posted. We are behind you.

Hope your DD is ok.

This is awful I’d be fuming and straight in to see head tomorrow. Hope your DD is ok what a horrible thing to happen to her.

I'm a teacher and this behaviour is disgusting.It contradicts the values any caring professional would have.Please alert the head teacher to this. That teacher is effectively encouraging mob mentality and bullying behaviour.

This is bullying. It isn’t legal in a workplace, and it’s even less acceptable in a school.

Formal written complaint to school demanding meeting with head and the teacher. Be very clear to both of them: this teacher is a bully who takes delight in humilating primary age children in front of the class and encouraged the class to boo quite children with anxiety issues and has told a child to draw their mother then ripped up that drawing with a slow smile. Say this is sadistic and illegal behaviour and either it stops this second or you put in a formal complaint to Ofsted seeking an emergency inspection on safeguarding grounds. After that meeting, write to the head summarising everything you said and request a formal written response.

I'd be incandescent over that.

Speak to the HT

@Mixkle
Thank you for your advice.
I am going to draft a letter to the Head tonight. I've also looked up Teacher's Standards online (based on a PP's advice) and I am going to read up as much as I can.

@Sortyourlifeout
Thank you for your messages - will send an update tomorrow.

I’ve worked with a teacher (deputy head) like this. When I reported her bullying of children to the head, the two of them had a right old giggle about it.

It happens.

I would be making a formal complaint.

Oh my God that’s really awful OP. That teacher is a bully. She’s getting kicks out of humiliating kids. She shouldn’t be in the job. Straight to the head with you OP

As an ex-teacher and a parent of a primary child, I would absolutely complain about this.

It's archaic teaching and there's no way the teacher doesn't know they're playing with fire there.

I'm pleased you are complaining in writing, you need to formalise it.

This is not something to be minimised, it is a really unacceptable thing to do.

Tell your dd you are on her side and you think the teacher was wrong.

Please keep us posted, OP. We are behind you x

Terrible behaviour from the teacher but I don't think out equates to.a broken system ,I found teachers and school,s in general l.to be a far more caring and child centred,for my own kids ,my oldest is 16 in year 11 then they were when I attended school ,I started primary school in 1978, and left secondary school in 1990.

I'm a teacher. That's just horrible. I'd speak to the teacher and email the head. Sounds like someone who doesn't actually like children

Awful behaviour. Definitely complain. Your poor daughter, I hope she's ok now.

Ludo19 · Yesterday 18:14
This type of humiliation was common place when children got the belt....I thought times had changed??”

completely unacceptable. My mother was the only child in council housing at her grammar school in the 1950s and was regularly told by the maths teacher that “her type” had no place being there. I had hoped things had changed and that humiliating pupils was a thing of the past. Complain, until you are listened to.

That’s appalling. It might be this teacher’s idea of a ‘joke’ but it’s no way for an adult to behave.

That's the sort of thing I'd remember for the rest of my life.

I can still remember instances of getting told off by teachers in year 1 and 2.

So this incident would have stayed with my and probably affected my confidence for years.

I worked in a school for a short while and vowed to never again because it was so disgustingly obvious the staff got a kick out of humiliating the slow children (ones with learning difficulties). It makes me terrified for when my children start school. No one dared to question them either (not least me who was only on placement, I know I should've spoken up now but they bully staff as well children)

That's absolutely, inexcusably awful. Your poor DD :( I would be livid. I hope you manage to see the Head today.