Shocked at DS's teacher this week!

[WellThisIsShit]

She made a mess of something last week, which I did mention (politely!) in an email in which I was covering a couple of other unrelated things.

I then found out that lots of parents were 'up in arms' about the problem and there'd been multiple complaints, from individual parents and group complaints. Plus an angry exchange on Monday morning in the play ground, when a parent went in full throttle, and the teacher reacted in kind. All of which was inflamed by the teacher making it clear she hadn't got a clue what the issue was, or even what the parent was talking about at all.

Anyway, big furore and much concern that the teacher isn't up to the job (I'm glad I wasn't at the school gates this week!).

The wider context is that this teacher is coming into a challenging situation and is under the microscope, as she was parachuted in two days before the start of term after another teacher left the school in a fix when they pulled out with no notice. So, ht did a lot of classroom/ teacher shuffling and DS year ended up with this completely new teacher, who is very newly qualified, and has never taught in the uk before (or lived here actually). The school is really demanding and I have often mused that the poor teachers must have to be excellent, every single day, just to keep up - utterly exhausting to think about! Also the parents are err, well, they are much more involved than alot of schools, I think, and they expect to be listened to more as well.

So, anyway, it was all a bit heated and some of the parents were gearing up to a vote of no confidence in this teacher.

All made worse by the teacher responding ineptly showing her inexperience at handling parents... being confrontational, refusing to back down on things that she really shouldn't have chosen to make a stand about, being patently untrue and embarrassing to watch unfold (like the time when she decided to be firm and immovable that there was no one of x name in her class when grandparents did the pick up, and of course everyone watching was aware that x was been in that class for the last 3yrs and was in fact clearly there! Utter cringe my awful moment!), etc etc.

So basically, situation going nuclear fast argh!

So, I was completely shocked to get a sensible, well thought out response to my email, explaining her rationale at some points, and openly taking on my thoughts at others. Admitted she'd got the particular thing X wrong, and why, and how she was moving on from it... and according to other parents who are more tapped into this stuff than me, the teacher has responded in that same way to all the other complaints too, written and also verbal, meeting parents etc.

Basically, I'm really impressed.

Takes a big person to come back from this. And tbh, I wasn't expecting it!

So really, I wanted to share it on here and do a little private cheer for her :)

I don't get this.... So she's an awful teacher, in particular did not recognize a pupil who's been inthe same class for 3 years. . Frothing parents are pitchfork and flame ready but you dear OP sent such a fabulous kind email..... Accepting her and gosh! she's not even from the U.K.! A forrinerr to boot! You win at mumsnet today!

Have you or the other parents not got anything better to do than hound a new member of staff, who bravely stepped in in an emergency and in a new country?
It's only been 4 weeks and already you were all going to 'vote ' her out whatever that means

Shame on you all.

A perfect example example of one of the reasons teachers are leaving the profession.

You and the other parents sound horrendous.

You sound an absolute peach! I was asked to manage a school that had failed it's inspection a few years ago and there were a number of parents of children like the ones you mention. Put it this way, they got a shock when I started as there was no way in hell they were bullying my teachers. I wouldn't put up with behaviour from parents that you describe above. The HT obviously has no backbone in your child's school and I'm appalled that you think it's acceptable to treat anyone the way you've described let alone come on a forum boasting about it.

Holy fuck you sound like a nightmare. The poor teacher.

I don't know where to start with this. Words fail me.

I have almost no interaction with my children's school at all. Two parent teacher interviews each year and an end of year report. Once in a blue moon I speak to the teacher about a specific issue, but it's very rare. I don't know the teachers email addresses.

It's fantastic, I highly recommend it. My children are being well educated, there is a low staff turnover so presumably the teachers are happy there. It's win win.

Well said Spider.

I don't like my daughter's class teacher much this year's. However there's no way I'd behave the way these parents have. Rallying others. Playground flare ups. Just no!

Why do a private cheer? Not brave enough to tell the rest of the parents? Mob. I imagine she doesn’t have much time to teach or mark with you lot emailing and going after her.

Totally agree with you couldn't pay me in diamonds to be a teacher. I work in a school and am sadly no longer shocked by parent's behaviour. This year we have a totally indulged nightmare brat new Year 7 whose Mum phones on the bounce every day. Doesn't matter that he disrupts nearly every lesson, it's getting to the point that it's more hassle for the teachers to discipline him as they would any other student than it's worth.

And you only have the other, nightmare parent's version of events about what happened during that "never should have happened" altercation.

I shit where I eat work locally so I'm always seeing parents in the local supermarket. When they try and talk to me about their kids I say what I can (e.g "wow he's loving his Rugby") but if they try and get me into anything more I politely tell them it's school policy to make an appointment. I'd certainly walk away from a whole gang of them confronting me - and be wholly supported by school.

I hope that the children are more mature than the parents. Poor teacher, I hope she had a large glass of wine last night and realises how pathetic the parents are being. Is the HT supportive of her?

If she’s only started at the school, how did she have x in her class for 3years? Just wondering ...

I'm confused you said she very newly qualified and then has recognised a child for three years.

Poor teacher cocked up we are all human and make mistakes. Why take the poor woman to task over it?

I can't just imagine the type of parents you are referring to.

So what did she do do, which was so dreadful? Have you never messed up in a new job? If that’s what she did.

I have no words.

Your patronising last three sentences.

You are bullies.

I don't expect you will return to this thread.

I'm not even going to continue - I think the above says enough. Poor teacher.

You all sound like a totally nasty pack of bitches if I'm honest.

But it's fine, try to hound out every teacher who you don't think is good enough for your precious darlings. By all means sit and speculate about thrir professional situation and be judge, jury and executioner.

Parents acting like that give schools reputations among teachers: Lovely kids and staff are brilliant to work with but watch out for the parents. They're vicious.

Poor poor teacher - who are you to tell her what she is doing wrong?! In no other job ae people subjected to this kind of abuse - absolutely disgraceful behaviour from the parents. That poor teacher is probably feeling under immense pressure on top of all the usual stress teachers are under - you should be ashamed of yourselves.

As a teacher it's heartening that the responses all recognise that this poor teacher has been bullied by the parents.

God knows what the poor teacher did "wrong" to warrant such vile behaviour but I am appalled at the patronising post by the OP. We have had lesson observations this week and actually had the discussion about the fact that in no other job would you be continually scrutinised and criticised. When I was pregnant with my first I had spent all night in hospital with reduced movements, was referred for a growth scan-i stupidly went into school and within 10 minutes was still subject to a formal lesson observation! So to then have parents making my life hell also would've been atrocious!

I think this thread is an example of gang mentality .

What did the teacher do? That would have a huge bearing on how acceptable the parents' reaction was. Teachers aren't some homogenous mass of perfection. They're just normal people and some are, indeed, useless at best and vile at worst. Maybe more details needed but could be outing I suppose.

I truly hope the teacher reads your post and all the well deserved support she's getting from others on here!

Who do the parents think is going to teach their children after their "vote of no confidence"? Where was the school leadership in all this? Sadly, in too many schools, headteachers are afraid of the parents and this kind of behaviour is allowed to continue.

You're OP does not once mention how the children view the teacher. Do they like her? Do they come out of school happy? Are they learning? It's all about her interaction with the parents, which, whilst important, is secondary to the needs of the children.

I've had a few issues with DD's teacher this year forgetting an important bit of info about DD. So I had a quiet word out of earshot and all is sorted - no pitchforks required. DD loves her though and is very happy to be in her class.

I'm a supply teacher and there are schools I go to where they can't keep a teacher for the parents. One I went to this week has had three teachers this year. Not including random supplies for a few days. It's week five! And they rang my agency and asked me to stay long term. I said no and so another supply would have been in there the next day.

Just posting to agree with everyone saying this is dreadful behaviour. Bullies, all of you.

Poor woman. And poor kids with parents like that.