Do all head teachers act like dictators?

[robinw]

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Sounds like a ridiculously defensive reaction to a perfectly reasonable proposal. Of course, parents are not always aware of all the relevant issues when they propose changes, but we are all adults for goodness sake. What is his reaction teaching the children about reasoned debate? He may as well say, "It's my school, so there!"
He sounds like a man under pressure, perhaps not convinced he has the full support of staff or parents.
In the past my kids went to a school led by a similar character. The minute he heard any criticism, real or imagined, he would flip out, and all reasonable discussion went out the window. I heard recently that he went on early retirement, having lost the support of the staff. People can't get away with that kind of behaviour for ever.

At my ds's school, they were restricted to only allowing a certain number of seats in the school hall for the Christmas play due to fire regulations, do you think this may also be the case in your dd's school? If so, the Head should tell you rather than make you feel like 'naughty school children'. Sounds very unreasonable of him to say that he will walk out of further meetings if there is any criticism of the school. Your comments about not enough seats was hardly criticism, and even if it were, he should be adult enough to take constructive criticism if it could improve things for everyone.

The issue of there not being enough seats is extremely important for the parents, who want to watch, and the children who like being watched. Otherwise why have a school play? At my dd's school, the play is put on 2 days in a row so that all parents can attend and have to specify on a little form which one they will attend. Your headmaster has a problem which is nothing to do with the seating issue and everything to do with being on a power trip.

Fire regulations could be at the root of all this, though why the head didn't tell you is beyond me. Perhaps he was under huge stress that day and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Even so,it seems very rude. A school play is meant to be very special event - and quite an emotional one.

Robinw, if the head has a real attitude problem, have you thought about contacting past members of the PTA - those whose children have now left the school, but have some years worth of experience here behind them - to see how they found him and if they discovered a way of handling him?

Today we found out that our Head is leaving in September, "is she going to Hogwarts?" my husband said! Just about sums her up.

Recently when my DS needed hospital treatment and he slipped on a highly polished floor at school, she completely denied that the floor was slippery without evening looking at it! R.

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