Teachers - do you get upset by this?

[Lara2]

I've been teaching for over 20 years now and am constantly surprised (I bloody well shouldn't be)how awful some parents are to their children.

We've been rehersing our nativity and have doled out all the tickets. We had a few left and asked one parent (who has 2 of her boys in it - Y1 and Y2) if she wanted some tickets, as she hadn't put in a request and we were about to dish out the last few. She said she wasn't coming - no explanation, nothing. She lives 5 minutes walk away, can bring the youngest child too. Her boys (the oldest 2 included) all have behaviour problems, but are just sweet lost things really. I was SO upset when I was told she wasn't coming to the play. Her boys need her so much - but it's the youngest ( a girl) who gets all the attention. Luckily, one of our Y1 teachers has her grandma coming to watch, so we are telling the boys that she's coming especially for them. If she wasn't, I'd draft in one of my relatives!!!

I was at a year 2 play watching my child and I took along the camera to take a picture afterwards and one little girl said "Can you take my picture so I can show my mum, she said she can't be bothered to watch this crap"
I nearly cried on the spot. :(

oh mrsweasley thats awfull, poor little girl :(

How about this?
A YR child has been told that granny and grandad won't come to the play unless she gets on the sunshine today.
Teacher is told by child minder to put her on the sunshine.

Stoatsrevenge I didn't understand your post!

Being on the sunshine is the chidren who have (tried?)to behave, made an effort, been kind etc. It's a picture, there's also a cloud and a rainbow - part of a behaviour technique to encourage children.

stoatsrevenge and MrsWeasley, so sad, but so common.

We have a child in Year 2 who goes to our nurture group - mum came to see him in the nativity, collared our deputy afterwards (she'd just done her lovely, weren't you amazing speech to the children)and asked where she got her boots from!!!? Now, they are fab boots, but there's a time and a place. Not one word about how she enjoyed the play, or how well her son had done - and he'd been brilliant. And she wonders why he has to go to nurture??? :(

When I was at secondary school,I had no-one .
my mum had just died I was sleeping on a settee with my stuff in carrier bags in a house where I wasnt really wanted.

I had no clothes that fitted me,I was on free dinners and I didnt have a 'place'.

Mrs Makin head of English took me under her wing ,Mrs Dombavand (a friends mum)held my hand and bought me chips welcomed me into her home with her much more popular daughter
.....Mrs Makin overlooked everything I did at school and took me on lots of trips outside of school and took me to her home too.....Mr Saunders and Mrs Heneghan took me to C&A and bought me a coat :O).

These people werent just teachers they were carers they taught from the heart and I will never,never be able to thank them enough.

jollyoldsnickschick - your post made me cry. Thank God for teachers like these. They are still out there, and they put children above all else.

Lara its now gone full circle as a nursery nurse (when I was in work) I helped children on the side as a mum I often brought other childrens clothes home by 'accident' and have been able to pass on shoes and things.

On Sunday I was asked to attend an end of year community prize giving not only did ds3 receive an award but me too!!!!......for the support I give the local teens theyd spoken to the pastor and asked for me to be recognised it was fab!!!!

So by helping these children today you are also helping children of tomorrow too.

The kind word, the nudge in the right direcdtion - teachers can make a HUGE difference to a child's outcome; it's just very sad that there's not a way of saying thank-you.

I'm now a super-successful adult, despite a violent and emotionally abusive home. My secondary teachers were brillinat (how on earth did they know??) - Mr Bruce, my wonderful Maths teacher for kindly pointing out that I could do my homework in his classroom or in the library if home was 'difficult'. He didn't say a word when I told I'd "lost" my maths textbook - my father threw it in the fire when I refused to look after my brother so that I could do my homework. My Guidance tutor who told me that I was maybe normal for girls in my village to choose things like Home Ec for 'O' levels, but I could get out of the village if I did sciences (I now have a science PhD).
Our PE teacher who said that no matter what 'others' said to us, we were going to do PE and all feel good about our bodies. She pioneered pupil choice for PE,introducing aerobics.

Teaching, it's not about the long holidays

Highlander I always think that Im thanking my teachers by passing it on .....all the kids I help will one day help somebody else too.

good point Jolly

Although I started this thread when I was feeling quite low, it has ended up giving me such a boost. The smallest things will make such a difference - I remember why I decided to be a teacher. It was never just about the education, it was about the whole child and their future and eventually their lives as happy, successful adults. :)