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Original poster

Bit annoyed with teacher over spellings

104 replies

MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 20:14

I know its trivial and I probably need to be told to get a grip but I was a bit surprised by what happened at pick up earlier.

Yr4 child has spelling test tomorrow - so I always check when he comes out of school on a wednesday that he has his spellings so we can double check he knows them tonight.

So he comes out without them - I send him back in to get them from his desk. He comes out and tells me he's not allowed to get them.

I assume he's got the wrong end of the stick so go down to his classroom - his teacher is at the door and I ask if I could get his spellings. Teacher says 'I've already told him its not a good time he should have asked earlier so he'll just have to try his best'.

I said ok and walked away but am a bit annoyed.

I know DS should be more organised but really would it have been so hard to grab his spellings from his desk?

Go on tell me she is absolutely right and I'm being totally precious I can take it Wink

Will add that spellings not his forte so he really does need to practice them a lot.

Oh and should add the school pride themselves on parents being able to have chats with teachers at pick up so I wasn't breaking any rules.

OP posts:
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fouranddone · 06/03/2013 22:03

Clam, not your classroom no. The room is part of the school and contains my sons work. I would be having a serious chat with the ht if my child's teacher refused me entry 5 mins after class had finished to retrieve forgotten homework!

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 22:04

Clam - I would never push past. Really I prefer to work with teachers and generally have a very good relationship with all the staff.

And you know I have 2 other children at this school - I am not interested in making enemies Wink

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 22:04

Suddenly has the fear the teacher is on here.

OP posts:
ipadquietly · 06/03/2013 22:05

???? Shock
Why can't you just accept that it was a bad time for her? That's what she said, so why doubt her?

Just accept that she was busy/had an urgent appointment either in school or out/ was worried about something/ had had words with ds earlier about remembering things/ had to rush off because a member of her family was ill / had to meet with a parent/SENCO, .......

There are a whole host of reasons for her saying it was a 'bad time', and it seems to me that you're being disrespectful to insinuate that she's lying.

What are you going to gain by mentioning this to her? Are you expecting her to come clean and admit that she was just being awkward, or are you expecting a full explanation of why it was such a bad time with details of her personal/ professional obligations?

exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:06

There are some very strange reactions on here! The barging past leaves me a bit shocked! If she said it wasn't a good time there must have been a reason- maybe she had a weeping parent in there, maybe the room was being used for a confidential meeting - there could be any number of reasons.

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 22:08

I am expecting her to let my son get his spellings when there were still other children in the classroom who wouldn't be leaving it for quite a while.

Did you not read the thread ipad?

I wasn't asking to talk to her, get her to test him, just to let him walk 10 paces to his desk and remove the list from his desk.

I don't know - perhaps you're right and that was totally unreasonable and she wasn't just being awkward.

OP posts:
exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:09

It also shows me why I wouldn't want to be a Head when parents go storming off to see them over totally trivial matters.

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 22:09

There were no weeping parents, there was no meeting. There were many children in the classroom as there are every day until 4pm - getting ready for the after school clubs at the school.

Am I typing in invisible ink Wink

OP posts:
penguinplease · 06/03/2013 22:10

but how can the teacher justify "its a bad time" without offering some kind of alternative and if there were other children in the class how does that statement actually work?

Its a bad time for all the reasons you list can't really be the case here as what difference would it make if she pointed out to the parent where to get the spellings. When I had to go in and do this for my DD I had to write them down and take them away. Took me 2 mins max. Other kids in the class. Teacher left the room. Problem sorted.

Also why not mention it? Can't the teacher make sure the kids have their spelling lists as part of the process of giving them out. Assuming its not a frequent issue for OP and her son I still stand by thinking the teacher was just being an arse. Yes they have lots of issues it could have been but shock horror some of them are just fuckers and thats that.

penguinplease · 06/03/2013 22:11

FWIW I expect the ht to deal with all matters whether they appear trivial to one person is not necessarily the case for others.

fouranddone · 06/03/2013 22:12

The OP has stated several times there were:
No child protection issues/discussions

No weeping parents

No meetings

The classroom was still half full with children, on that fact alone the teacher couldn't be hurriedly heading off anywhere. So no that was not a good enough explanation for 10 sec in the classroom to collect spellings. Everyone has bad days but why should OP's son miss out? Will he get any punishment if he gets a low score on his spelling test? Will he have to sacrifice his break time to sit it again?
Very, very unfair!

SummerRainIsADistantMemory · 06/03/2013 22:12

The last time ds1 had to pop back for something he'd forgotten his teacher gave him sweets to give to his younger brother!

Sorry, totally irrelevant!

Sounds like the teacher was in a mood and you and your ds got the brunt of it.

Hulababy · 06/03/2013 22:12

If a parent pushed me out of the way of a classroom , especially whilst I had children in my care, then it would be me having a serious chat with the ht!!!

exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:12

Which is precisely why I wouldn't want to be a Head penguin .

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 22:13

Umm when did I say I was going to storm off to the head. I will address it tomorrow at parent's evening in a nice way.

DS has been at this school for 6 years and I've never once felt the need to escalate anything to the Head but the bottom line is I want my DS to learn his spellings.

OP posts:
Hulababy · 06/03/2013 22:14

"Will he get any punishment if he gets a low score on his spelling test? Will he have to sacrifice his break time to sit it again?"

TBH if he does then there is more to worry about than a teacher not letting the child return to the classroom isn't there?

I really do wish spelling tests would be scrapped entirely from schools. They serve very little educational value as it, but many parents believe them to be such a massive deal.

exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:14

Unless the teacher comes on we haven't a clue. The most likely explanation is crossed wires and her not understanding what he wanted .

penguinplease · 06/03/2013 22:15

me too, nor would I want to be a teacher.. but seriously I think it was a bit shit and can totally see why OP was perplexed.

I would love to see a parent in my local school actually care enough about their kids to barge anywhere but thats a whole different thread..

exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:15

Lots of schools have realised they are a waste of time. They can learn them, get full marks and forget them.

fouranddone · 06/03/2013 22:15

Hula baby if the teacher wasn't been such a prat then I wouldn't need to 'storm' off to the ht with my 'trivial' matter!

ipadquietly · 06/03/2013 22:16

penguin Let's assume that this teacher isn't a fucker and actually wanted all children out quickly because she was in a hurry to go somewhere. She didn't want anyone back in, because that would mean extra delay.

I suspect she was saying no to the OP's ds because he always takes his spellings home at the last minute, and as the OP has said, needs to organise himself without weekly prompts from his mother.

And as for taking all matters to the ht - where do you think the ht gets all the information from about a child?

Hulababy · 06/03/2013 22:16

exoticfruits - exactly! Complete waste of time. My school doesn't do them at all.

exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:17

Luckily I have never had a parent barge past me when they have been on asked not to - I think it is pretty unusual.

Original poster
MrsCampbellBlack · 06/03/2013 22:17

He won't get punished but he does struggle with spellings so it is important that he does well in the test for his confidence as well.

But anyway - I will ensure he is more organised and we will not leave it to the last minute in the future.

And really thank you for all comments.

OP posts:
exoticfruits · 06/03/2013 22:17

They have found much better ways to teach spellings Hulababy.