Teacher giving wrong information

[Questions1ww]

I’m just wondering how you all would react and if my reaction is normal. I was helping DS with his homework and he started getting upset with a question’s answer given by a book so I checked lots of sources and it’s correct but he’s adamant his teacher told him something else and even showed me his school book which he told teacher told him and rest of class to copy down. I reassured DS the answer is in fact correct and we spent a considerable amount of time checking different sources etc. I explained teachers are just humans and they get it wrong sometimes after trying to figure out that maybe he mis heard her or maybe misunderstood. He is very quiet and won’t say anything to her and truthfully I won’t be either as I feel it’s something we very quickly cleared up and I do studying with him after school so I can help him clear up any misunderstandings quickly.

I don’t think any good will come out of talking to the school, the teacher seems very lovely and I can’t be 100% sure she did actually mis-teach them or just a misunderstanding. It’s been a few issues I’ve noticed. I work in the field this subject is so maybe I’m noticing it a lot more but it’s very small things in some subjects such as for example one thing she apparently told them that a certain thing insect is a vertebrate but a quick think or even a Google search would tell you it’s not as it doesn’t have a spine so is an invertebrate.

I’m wondering what the rest of you would do? How would you raise it if you were going to? As I said I probably won’t as I’m worried about any fallouts etc. and I can easily go over any misconceptions at home with him. But on other hand I can only do this for one or two subjects as I am not very good with English, maths and computing etc. so can’t really help much with these subjects of which English and maths are obviously more important.

You cant force people to train to be teachers, so what's the answer to the lack of them?

Putting up with what they do, I wouldn't want to be one.

I have to agree with a PP I know of a Secondary School where none of the English teachers have an English degree, and that’s not even a shortage subject! I thank my lucky stars that at the moment my Secondary aged kids are being taught mostly by teachers who have qualifications in the subject. I don’t hold out much hope for my younger children who are 8. Unless there are significant changes I worry they will have a very different experience of education.

i guess I would try and contact the teacher. Possibly the Head of Department.

Excellent point. My DS said the same about Science at A level. According to his physics teacher they teach basic concepts at GCSE (especially the lower sets) and
that Science evolves.
He enjoyed doing 3 sciences and A level.

I would send a polite email his teacher as her to contact you.

She probably isn’t a subject specialist. I would encourage him to ask to speak to her to ‘check his understanding’ at a break or lunch, so he’s not pointing it out in front of everyone, which gives her an opportunity to reflect on her knowledge in this area and how she wants to tackle it with the rest of the class. This will make her less likely to feel defensive or caught out, and she’ll respect that he took initiative to further his understanding.

All from the POV of being a fallible secondary teacher myself!

Might it be as simple as the teacher having written vertebrate instead of invertebrate? My SIL tells of teaching French with Ofsted in and writing 'mon mere' on the board and not realising all lesson. It was an honest mistake, she knows really.

Otherwise, OP, just mention it politely to the teacher. I'm sure they'd want to rectify it with the class once they're told?

Then the mistakes are not ok. Wondering if the school has a shortage of Science teachers or whether others are having to fill in? A gentle email to the teacher is a good place to start and if that goes nowhere, ask for a meeting.

Not even vaguely possible, I'm afraid. I have a degree that was 50% school subject Never thought I was going to teach. Did a PGCE in Middle school education which promptly disappeared. I taught my subject and a couple of others for 37 years-with excellent exam results.