Why are teachers so rude?

[Van34]

I will preface this by saying I do not have kids and therefore my last interaction with teachers was when I was at school. I'm not going to let my teenage years cloud my judgement.

I have recently taken on a job that involves visiting schools (think cleaning supervisor, but not) I spend a couple of hours walking round with the team, talking about challenges, reviewing paperwork and doing a general checks. I don't have to interact with the teaching staff at all (thank god). But I find them so rude. They think nothing of just butting in mid conversation, no "sorry, I can see your talking, could I just ask X a question" they just start talking. They stare with a frown constantly and consistently. They don't thank you or the children for holding doors open for them. And they never smile back if you smile at them...

It takes me back to being at school all those years ago and now I wonder if it wasn't just me hating the place. I wonder if the teachers were all like that too.

This isn't an isolated incident. I travel to many schools and they are all the same...

Yes, that's always been my experience. Plus, mostly, they always give over and above, in my experience as a parent.

The moment a cleani g supervisor arrives I stop what I'm doing and bow.

I was just thinking about schools and cleaning companies. How appallingly they treat their cleaners, how they lie to schools about what they will provide v what actually happens. They expect cleaners to clean huge areas under a lot of pressure. All the cleaners over the years who have cleaned my classroom have been lovely. I always get them a present at the end of term and get to know them.
But the company and supervisors are unrealistic and often downright lie. They are all about getting contracts by lying and exploiting hard working cleaners.

Abrasive is not a bad description.

...all teachers, that you have ever met?

This and also the 'are you meant to be where you are for the times you are?' posts.
How long ago did you leave school that you're still holding on to this resentment?
From your last post We were deep in conversation yesterday about a troubling incident to be rudely interrupted by a teacher
Are you working with pupils at risk of being excluded who share your resentment of teachers?

That's terrible about the cleaning companies, @Firenzeflower . It makes me wonder if they're using low waged and migrant workers to increase profit with no consideration for their workforce?
See, OP? We can all draw conclusions which may or may not be fair, based on limited information.

And it's unfair to tar everyone with the same brush

And yet that’s what you decided to do.

Sometimes, when people who don’t work in schools come in, they don’t see that everything needs doing at lightening speed. If you were “deep in conversation”, perhaps you hadn’t noticed someone waiting for a pause so they could get something done.

You're not wrong. They under quote and over promise. The cleaning, catering, maintenance, caretaking staff all do a wonderful job that is often looked down on and let down by their management company.

We're really busy.

My son in law is a teacher. I've asked him about this.

I'm told it's in his contract that he must take every opportunity to seek out visitors to the school and find ways of being rude to them. Butting in is one of the most common techniques apparently. Others include talking about visitors within earshot and blocking cars in in the car park.

They have a Visitor Rudeness Form to fill out. This is a key performance indicator requiring monthly returns to Dept of Education and contributes positively to school league tables.

Apparently, it's something of a struggle to maintain a lead over the counter-balancing measure of pupils and parents being rude to teachers.

@Paisleydad - thank you for that information. I'm wondering if ofsted have a rude-o-meter so that they can gauge everyday rudeness in schools?
About half a million teachers to ensure consistent rudeness is quite a task.

Ha maybe so.

Don't start me on car parking... not sure where they thought all the teachers would park when they built those tiny car parks!

OP when was the last time you had to go the whole working day without time to go for a wee?
Are they rude or are they just in a rush because if they're not at their lesson or duty spot in time and something happens when they should be there they could lose their job?
You may feel your job is important but I'm fairly sure that unless it's going to give them more time to actually do their job they've got much more important things to do. The flag example may have been the only five minutes that person had that day.
What you're seeing is a group of people so stressed out that they're almost at the point of burnout

Last time I had to interrupt a conversation with our amazing site supervisor was because a child had pulled a piece off the toilet mid meltdown.

I wasn’t about to go and tell the stranger who she was talking to what was happening but it was important she knew quickly. So yes I interrupted the conversation to be able to pull her to one side to fill her in!

I am there for maybe an hour. I walk around with the team and I leave...

This sounds quite peaceful, relaxed. So you have one focus?
“Walk”? Teachers don’t walk. They rush. Constantly. You appear totally unaware of the pressure they’re under which is why they’re impatiently interrupting you.
Most people’s eyes open in amazement at the speed of schools once they’re through the doors during a working day but not you eh?

@Paisleydad good to see the standards being held up!
I hope he records on all paperwork the only reason he took the job was the short 9-3 day and long holidays!

I find teachers as a cohort bossy and arrogant. The God complex thing. There are some nice ones with manners but there are a disproportionate number of bloody awful ones.

When I say walk...I actually mean amble.

They're just in a hurry and need to get shit done
...now. because they've just been asked to sort out yet another thing, whilst on the way to photocopying having got way laid by a child who fell over so they took them to reception, who then gave them that job.
And now you want them to wait meekly while you supervise your mysterious job, all the whole they are now late for that meeting they were supposed to take the photocopying to...

It might be helpful if you actually said what your role is for context.

How many do you know on a personal level?
Do you have an opinion on nurses or engineers "as a cohort"?

Are you visiting new build schools by any chance? The psychitecture of many of them are terrible. If you’re in building management, where the companies wriggle out of doing much needed maintenance or corrective work I can totally understand why you’re getting short shrift even though it’s not you personally stopping works taking place or getting substandard work done.

I've worked in loads of schools and so not find that at all....

Maybe it a you problem.

This.

Are you in teaching? Or do you just float in and out merrily like I do

Are you ofstead?