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Original poster

would you/did you tell your child's teacher that YOU are a teacher??

35 replies

aniseed123 · 13/09/2014 20:58

Hello
My LO has just started school. I had an initial meeting with the teacher and she is lovely. at the back of my mind was the thought that 'should i tell her i also am a primary teacher?' I didn't tell her then as i didn't feel it appropriate, but I know parent evening etc will come up and when comments are made relating to learning, would you tell?

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Hulababy · 13/09/2014 20:59

We know which parents are teachers. We know a few parent's jobs tbh anyway - even if parents don't tell us often the children do.

hoobypickypicky · 13/09/2014 21:00

Your DC will probably let the cat out of the bag anyway!

I'd be tempted to hold back if they didn't, just in case I needed a trump card in times of trouble!

AlpacaLypse · 13/09/2014 21:00

I think I'd let my professional colleague know sooner rather than later, if only to avoid her feeling like a tit when she realises she's just wasted spent five minutes of valuable parent teacher evening time explaining what Oxford Reading Tree and Phonics etc are to you...

IndiansInTheLobby · 13/09/2014 21:01

This reply has been deleted

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Original poster
aniseed123 · 13/09/2014 21:03

well my LO knows i WAS a teacher but have not worked since he was born. I don't mind saying tbh but was just wondering. I guess it will come up anyway if i was to volunteer or anything

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Original poster
aniseed123 · 13/09/2014 21:07

yes don't want them feeling like i kept 'secrets'! will wait til the time is right. he's only been in school couple of days. seems like a good enough school so may not need the 'trump' card! tempting yes though! But yes i don't want them to find out later and maybe from someone else!
Thanks

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HumphreyCobbler · 13/09/2014 21:09

I would say. I once explained what a baseline assessment was to a parent that turned out to be a School Improvement Officer.

Original poster
aniseed123 · 13/09/2014 21:11

oops!!

OP posts:
Lesleythegiraffe · 13/09/2014 21:14

I live in a small town so everyone knew I was a teacher anyway, It has been awkward when I've seen spelling and other mistakes made by my children's teachers as apparently I could be accused of some sort of professional malpractice if I criticise another teacher

hiccupgirl · 13/09/2014 21:16

I told my DS's teachers when he went on the initial visits in July. It just felt rude not to let them know and it's not fair to leave them open to making a fool of themselves assuming I know not a lot about education or schools when I do.

My mum was also a teacher and all my teachers knew at my school. It really wasn't ever a problem.

HumphreyCobbler · 13/09/2014 21:21

I know, it was painful Blush
She just laughed and said it was good practice to be so clear for parents, she was very nice about it!

FlowersForAlgernon · 13/09/2014 22:48

I don't see how it's relevant.

Teachers shouldn't make assumptions about what any parent does or doesn't know. You don't have to be a teacher to understand NC levels or ORT or phonics or baseline assessment.

Teachers should treat all parents with respect. Not just fellow teachers.....

Sunna · 13/09/2014 22:52

I was always upfront about also being a teacher.

MidniteScribbler · 14/09/2014 02:41

You can let her know so she doesn't try and tell you general information you already know, but seeing as you haven't taught for at least five years, then be aware that a lot of things can change in that time. I had one parent going off at me one day because we weren't doing a particular thing, and it turned out she didn't even know the whole curriculum had changed since the last time she had taught.

FabulousFudge · 14/09/2014 08:52

I'm sure it'll be fairly obvious!

rockpink · 14/09/2014 08:57

My DC's teachers know I'm training to be one, I helped in their classes for weeks. Very inspiring.

13Stitches · 14/09/2014 09:18

Flowers "Teachers shouldn't make assumptions about what any parent does or doesn't know. You don't have to be a teacher to understand NC levels or ORT or phonics or baseline assessment. "

I'm a secondary teacher and though I know about NC levels (for my subject at the level I teach and a bit at KS2) I've no idea about the rest.

You're right that teachers shouldn't make assumptions and so should explain fully unless told otherwise by the parent.

I'll be letting DS's teachers know what I do as it'll have a day to day impact. starting with how we're going visit schools to choose one!

MrsKCastle · 14/09/2014 09:24

I have told DD's school, no particularly big announcement but it has come up in conversation. I think it's often quite obvious anyway, especially if you work on the same key stage, just through the kind of questions you ask or the comments in the reading diary.

FlowersForAlgernon · 14/09/2014 09:55

13Stiches - why will it have a day to day impact? Most working parents can't make school visits etc. Why is it relevant that you're a teacher?

Why is your job different from any other full time occupation? Or do you recommend all parents telling teachers that they work full time / that they're a doctor / a lawyer / a candlestick maker?

Doesn't this thread say more about how teachers treat parents than anything else?

Iggi999 · 14/09/2014 10:03

Teaching is different from many (not all) other jobs in that you can't take annual leave to visit the school, you can't juggle shifts around, you can't ask to leave early one day and come in early the next. Clearly there are other jobs with restrictions, but the set annual leave one is pretty significant when it comes to access to school.

FamiliesShareGerms · 14/09/2014 10:06

I'd mention it if it seemed relevant or there was an appropriate hook, but I wouldn't make a specific point of it

HumphreyCobbler · 14/09/2014 10:07

Explaining things to parents does not equal a lack of respect.

HumphreyCobbler · 14/09/2014 10:09

The only reason I would tell people I was a teacher was to save the teacher from an embarrassing situation like the one I mentioned above. It has nothing to do with value judgements about the parents.

Haggisfish · 14/09/2014 10:10

Yes, I agree with more of a lack of flexibility in trying to arrange school visits for teachers. Also, I don't think it is a thread about how teachers treat parents-I do actually find it interesting to know what all the parents of my students do as there are some really interesting jobs out there! I tell my children's teachers I am a teacher so they know that I know how ruddy difficult it is being a teacher.

FlowersForAlgernon · 14/09/2014 10:16

Schools should never expect parents to be able to come in. Many can't. For lots of different reasons. Expecting parents to come in whenever the school wants shows no respect to the parents.

I still don't understand what you'd say different to a teacher parent to a non teacher parent.

Seeing as parent's eve are all 'little Johnny is very happy here and I have no concerns' then it doesn't matter if the teacher is a parent or not.

If the teacher does have concerns, then parents eve isn't the time to bring it up...... well that's what I've read many teachers on here say.

If the teacher does have concerns, then I can see that you'd use more jargon if you knew the parent was a teacher. But if the parents has concerns as well they might well know all the jargon anyway. So you still can't assume what the parent does or doesn't know.

You can't ever assume you know more about something than the parent you're talking to.

You should treat all parents the same - how you'd like to be treated.