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Related: Coronavirus forum, discuss everything related to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.

Online lesson etiquette for parents

38 replies

SincerelyBygones · 14/01/2021 12:22

DC has a live comprehension lesson each day in a small group. The children are in KS1, so parents have been asked to remain in the room with the children. The group follows the same topic for a week, and the same key vocabulary comes up each day. The children are asked to take turns to read aloud and then to use the vocabulary in their individual discussions.

When they are asked to read or use a certain word (topic-related, so doesn't necessarily come up in ordinary conversation), the teacher has 'mis-corrected' each child and she makes them say it her way, which she clearly believes to be the right way. But there are no alternatives to pronounce this word and she is unmistakably, bizarrely incorrect.

I thought at the outset that she was just having a one-off funny half hour. But now it is Thursday and she has been saying the word incorrectly all week.

I've no idea if this was happening before the school closures so don't know if it's a one-off. I appreciate that is somewhat unfair on the teaching staff to have to be observed teaching a lesson in this way, but that is the just the way it is right now.

What if it happens if this occurs in the future? Is there an etiquette for this? I have considered sending her an email, but it's hard to correct pronunciation in an email, and also it seems kind of personal. I could avoid mentioning it to her at all because I've told DC the correct pronunciation each time it has come up, but I'm not sure whether the other parents are picking up on this, especially as one of the parent's first language is not English.

Teachers and parents of online students: what is the best way to deal with this new situation? Even if it is a one-off for us, it is bound to be happening in an online classroom somewhere else out there, so I feel there ought to be a procedure to follow.

OP posts:
namechange202086 · 14/01/2021 12:24

Tell your children the correct pronunciation and leave the bloody teacher alone.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 14/01/2021 12:28

Could you give a couple of examples of corrected pronunciation?

Letsgetthroughthis · 14/01/2021 12:29

Leave it!!! Poor teacher. Teach your dc how to pronounce it properly and to be understanding that others even teachers can make mistakes. Critical thinking skills, empathy and non-reactiveness are important live lessons. Super learning opportunity. You simply cannot correct the teacher, it would be so unkind and rude. Do you think tecahers enjoy online learning or having 60 parents observe a lesson and judge? It's a nightmare for them. Be kind FHS.

vickylou78 · 14/01/2021 12:30

Is your child in reception?as they do teach things phonetically which sound odd at first but then in year one they teach the proper pronunciation and spelling.

What word was it?

usedandabusedx1000 · 14/01/2021 12:31

I want to know the word. This would drive me nuts!

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 14/01/2021 12:31

Is it a dialect/accent thing?? A scone/scone issue?

Squeakypotato · 14/01/2021 12:39

We need to know the word I think.

Scone/gone
Scone/alone
Tongue/rung
Tongue/wrong
?

foxhat · 14/01/2021 12:48

We don't know that you are correct in how you pronounce it so hard to comment really but if teacher is genuinely 'wrong' (and not just different to you) then I would contact them again and if they don't reply contact the head.

be really wary about this though as some words have a variety of pronunciations and much as people want to always be right and police people doing things 'their way', this does not actually make others wrong.

Whiskysoda · 14/01/2021 12:53

We need to know the word and your pronunciation op. Otherwise this post is useless. But I agree with others, teach your child the way you say it, ignore teacher.

SincerelyBygones · 14/01/2021 13:18

The word is 'cholera'.

The teacher is pronouncing it 'choleria' every time. So with an extra vowel syllable at the end.

OP posts:
SincerelyBygones · 14/01/2021 13:21

@Letsgetthroughthis
You simply cannot correct the teacher, it would be so unkind and rude. Do you think tecahers enjoy online learning or having 60 parents observe a lesson and judge? It's a nightmare for them. Be kind FHS.

No, I do not think teachers enjoy online learning, or having 60 parents observe a lesson and judge. That was the whole point of my post, if only you had bothered to read it properly.

OP posts:
CloudPop · 14/01/2021 13:34

As an aside, what a strange word to be included! It would bug me too - everyone has endless sympathy with teachers, must be hellish for them, but this is a tricky situation all right.

Accidentaltransfer · 14/01/2021 13:35

I think it's best that you correct your child and leave the teacher to be corrected by SLT. Imagine if all 30 children's parents got in touch with little comments/corrections on the lessons. It would be incredibly disheartening and very difficult to continue confidently teaching online.

Getitdonesharpish · 14/01/2021 13:37

It really doesn’t matter. Just let you child know the correct pronunciation.

Wearywithteens · 14/01/2021 13:42

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

ClaudiaWankleman · 14/01/2021 13:42

The teacher is pronouncing it 'choleria' every time. So with an extra vowel syllable at the end.

I can imagine how grating this would get to have to listen to.

I don't think you should correct the teacher though. I can't even imagine how you could correct them without coming across as a horrible person.

Cattenberg · 14/01/2021 13:43

I wouldn’t correct the teacher. This is a word that comes up so rarely in speech that it doesn’t really matter. I’d tell your child that although Ms Green pronounces it that way, most people pronounce it this way, and leave it at that. And then maybe tell them about John Snow and the pump handle, if they’re old enough to understand.

In Year Six, we once played a game of making as many different words as we could from certain letters. I came up with “dun”, a word I’d read about to describe a horse’s coat. Dun wasn’t in our children’s dictionary, so the teacher told everyone there was no such word. My Dad later told me that I was right and the teacher was wrong, but he didn’t tell the teacher. There was no need, really.

minty133 · 14/01/2021 13:49

@Cattenberg

I wouldn’t correct the teacher. This is a word that comes up so rarely in speech that it doesn’t really matter. I’d tell your child that although Ms Green pronounces it that way, most people pronounce it this way, and leave it at that. And then maybe tell them about John Snow and the pump handle, if they’re old enough to understand.

In Year Six, we once played a game of making as many different words as we could from certain letters. I came up with “dun”, a word I’d read about to describe a horse’s coat. Dun wasn’t in our children’s dictionary, so the teacher told everyone there was no such word. My Dad later told me that I was right and the teacher was wrong, but he didn’t tell the teacher. There was no need, really.

John Snow and the pump handle?? What? Confused
vickylou78 · 14/01/2021 13:54

Blimey Cholera it's not an everyday word. Can't think it would bother me at all. How often would that come up in normal conversation!!
Just leave it! If it was an everyday word then I'd perhaps correct my child. But really wouldn't bother me.

MedusasBrandyButter · 14/01/2021 13:56

Dr Snow found which pump was the cholera infected one, and when the handle was removed, the outbreak ended! It's a great story.

www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/removal.html

WhatKatyDidNxt · 14/01/2021 13:58

Tricky one. But ultimately she’s wrong and it’s concerning she thinks it’s right. It’s clearly not?! I wouldn’t be thrilled with my children going around for the rest of their lives thinking it is

PegasusReturns · 14/01/2021 14:02

This drives me mad, but I don’t know that I’d bring it up.

I was in a vendor presentation this week and the lead pronounced expedited as ex-pedia-ated all the way though.

He must have said it 40 times!

Wearywithteens · 14/01/2021 14:03

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

Letsgetthroughthis · 14/01/2021 14:09

@CloudPop

As an aside, what a strange word to be included! It would bug me too - everyone has endless sympathy with teachers, must be hellish for them, but this is a tricky situation all right.
A tricky situation? We're in a non cholera pandemic and you think a teacher mispronouncing the word cholera is tricky?
vickylou78 · 14/01/2021 14:10

Ive just googled and seems it's just a different spelling of cholera (maybe Spanish). And in one Wikipedia type page was used to describe a person with cholera diarrhoea.

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