Reception teacher doesn't look up when we arrive

[Dannie]

DD just started school. Her teacher's new to the school, but experienced elsewhere. I'm very concerned because she doesn't make eye contact when we arrive in the morning. She keeps doggedly on doing reading practice. So I cheerily say 'Good morning', hang up DD's coat and leave her standing looking lost (well actually I go and deliver DS1 then come back and peer through the corridor window to see if the poor mite's OK). This is not typical of the school, DS1's teacher last year used to greet DD by name as well as DS1.
Not encouraging parents to loiter is one thing, but ignoring the kids strikes me as a bit OTT. Or am I expecting too much?

Our school doesn't allow parents in the building at all in the mornings -- you're allowed to drop them off at the playground, although they prefer you to drop them outside the school gate! When the bell rings, the children line up in classes and the teacher comes to get them and walk them to the classroom.

I think this was in response to the numbers of infant parents who felt the need to accompany strapping 6 year olds into the classroom and help them with their coats and generally hang around getting in the way.

If we really need to speak to the teacher before school (eg. child slightly under the weather) we have to catch the teacher as she goes out to the playground to get the class.

But your school has a different system, and I agree the response seems odd. Apart from anything else, surely part of teaching the children good manners is to encourage them to make eye contact and greet adults politely? Very strange.

For me Batters has hit the nail on the head with what is odd here. Why is this teacher doing something as important as reading practice in an open-door setting? Surely she realises that even if you restrain yourselves from saying good morning, all you parents and children even coming into the classroom are going to distract the little reader?
Ds' timetable for Reception last year specifically said "bring your child to the classroom where they will be welcomed" and indeed they were. OK just for the first couple of weeks, then we did personal handovers in the playground, then we did school gates as soon as it was felt Reception were bedding down OK.
Also agree with Frogs that not making eye contact with someone who greets you is an odd example to set to small children, who need a lot of guidance on social niceties.
Hope you can get to the bottom of this Dannie, it would worry me too.

when ds1 was in Reception last yr, either the teacher or the teaching assistant always stood at the door and welcomed children and parents in. Parents helped children put lunchbox away and hang up coat etc, then left.

There are many times when you need to speak to the teacher e.g. X is going home with Y for tea tonight so Y's mum will be collecting him.... or X had a headache this morning so I've given him calpol - hope he's not getting the bug doing the rounds....and so on

Share your concern over the safety of your dd - and this is the angle I would bring up with her teacher. Maybe ask what their policy is on establishing which children are present in the morning - prior to registration. As soon as you have dropped her off you need to know someone else is responsible for her and you need this teacher to acknowledge this.
I also like cab's idea of getting your dd to greet her. I often urge my ds to say hello to his teacher so maybe you should vocalise this encouragement in the teacher's earshot. I would be very surprised if she still didn't greet your daughter in return afterwards.

Just take a deep breath and go in and say to the teacher "could you just say hello to dd when we come in in the mornings. I think it will help her to settle". Say it pleasantly, with a smile. You've got nothing to lose, and you're not asking much!

It probably hasn't occurred to her.

But agy, why shouldn't it have occurred to her? Are you saying there's something wrong with her? It's just occurred to me that she may be one of those people who are so shy that they are socially disabled by shyness. Don't know what you can do about that though.

How weird. It would pee me off too and I think I'd get assertive at this point. Damn rude imo.

Agree it sounds strange, but there may be more to it. Our dd1 had a teacher two years ago who seemed a bit odd at first, rather distant and cold - in the end we discovered (she actually told the class in her first week) that she had hearing difficulties. I think she found parents daunting, although was confident enough to tell her class how she needed them to behave for things to work, and once she got to know everyone she was lovely.

Actually the hearing theory could be a good one. I have a hearing loss myself and often don't hear people entering a room. There are also times when someone speaks to me and it takes my brain a minute or two to filter through what the person has actually said. Is that a possibility here?

It's certainly not something I would want to try, that's for sure.

And if she did have a problem with hearing surely she would be compensating for this by making eye contact and smiling/ saying hello.

Meanbean - of course I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the teacher! Just suggesting a solution. s

Thanks for all your advice. I think she's come from a school where they all arrived at once. DD says she sings 'Good morning everyone' when they start for the day, so she's probably got a time-honoured morning routine. But it must be a bit galling for DD to go into DS1's classroom where we're greeted enthusiastically, then go into hers & be ignored. just realised there's a parents' meeting in a week's time which might be a good opportunity to raise it if I haven't tackled it before then. Might get DS1 and DD both to march in on Monday morning and say 'Good morning Mrs Thing'

It does sound like a case of each teacher having a different morning routine. Perhaps the new reception teacher is unaware how much her routine contrasts with others at the school? So it would be a good thing to politely highlight the differences in greeting your two children experience. And the safety issue too. But at least you know the teacher does say 'good morning' everyone in the end!

My son had a new reception teacher last year, a very experienced woman but she could be a bit dour. I assumed she was a little nervous and this made her appear more stiff and formal than some other teachers.

My dd's school is run similarly to yours Dannie in that drop off (into the classroom) is between 8 and 8.30. The teachers, in every year so far (recep to Yr3), have always said hello to dd by name and greeted me as well. In year 1 the teacher was sometimes (if it was near 8.30) listening to a child read but still said hello to all arrivals. I agree with you that it is bad manners and think it would be a good idea to say something at parents evening.

In the end I mentioned it to DS1's teacher who's the head of lower school as we were having a chat about DS1 anyway. Came in the following morning, was greeted warmly and felt loads better, even though it was probably an act. In fact I felt so good, I went straight to the headmaster to complain about the new sign that spells "Enquiries" wrong
Er, before you all assume that my children are at the worst school on the planet, I'm really impressed with DS1's teacher who has realised that his refusal to eat school dinners is affecting his concentration. We're now doing a start chart thing
But I have to be very positive and constructive at parents evening so DD's teacher doesn't dismiss me as a serial moaner.