to expect my DCs teacher not to chat to other parents before handing all the children over?

[LouMacca]

I have just returned from picking up my DD and DS from school (same class).

It is cold, it is raining yet their teacher starts chatting to 2 of the parents who already have their children handed over just leaving my children and a couple of others standing behind her in the cold and rain!

Surely its not too much to ask that the teacher speaks to these parents after all the children have been handed over! Rant over.

Actually I think random shouting rather than shouting at someone seems a bit madder to me.

The chatting while kids were waiting would annoy me though. Our handover is the same and there is lots of chatter but our teachers appear able to multi-task, so can talk to parents and handover kids at the same time. I hadn't realised this was a special skill!

You need to teach your DC to be assertive, and move to where the teacher can see them.

I doubt the other parents were 'chatting' though. Most likely they had something important/urgent to tell the teacher and had to grab the opportunity there and then.

This annoys me too. I am quite small as well, so I have to get my elbows out a bit for the teacher to see me.

Some parents do monopolise the teacher. When I need to speak to her, I ask if i can have a word and then wait until all the children have been let out of the class to do so.

"You need to teach your DC to be assertive, and move to where the teacher can see them."

I am sure you will get right on that won't you OP? Assertiveness training for kids is surely the answer.

Thanks for replies.

lol steelfairy, will get right on it.

In reflection I will apoligise for shouting tomorrow but will ask that parents are told they must not monopolise the teacher before all the children are collected. Like I have already said I always wait until every child is gone but some parents are rude and pushy (and there are also a couple of crazy shouty ones at the school but I'm not one of them!)

Some parents have a strong sense that their DCs are the only ones who matter. I blame Thatcher.

(not you OP - the other parents)

I can understand the frustration, but it's possible that the teacher was just as annoyed at the situation. I dread the end of the day- our children don't wait in a neat line, they all cluster round me saying 'I can see my mum/dad/aunty', and I try to do the multi-tasking thing where I'm letting the kids go as fast as possible, listening to little x telling me about her birthday party and trying to tell little y's mum what a terror they've been all at the same time.

Also, I agree that parents should wait until the children have been collected- but in our school we always have a few lates, who need to be taken to the office, so they could end up waiting for ages. It's a bit of a no-win situation.