Is it normal for children in Yr3 to get yelled at a lot by the class teacher?

[saadia]

I have been volunteering in a local school today and have seen that the teacher shouts at the children quite a lot. She apologised to me but said that she had to do it to keep them under control. They are actually on the whole quite well-behaved and this may be due to her tactics. I was just wondering if this is normal. It is a fairly deprived area with a lot of children who have English as a second language.

[saadia]

I was not being critical of the teacher, I was wondering if maybe she had to do this to keep the class under control, and I am very grateful to the school for letting me in, but, to echo purplehighheels, all teachers should be very good at their job, there is a lot at stake for the children in their class.

[smartiejake]

I must admit to shouting in the dim and distant at my classes when I was very young and inexperienced and was not given the sort of support young teachers seem to get nowadays. (Thrown in a classroom after about 10 weeks of teaching practise and told to get on with it!)

But, as some of the others on here have said, when you learn a range of good behaviour management strategies, shouting is just not necessary and actually counter productive in the long run.

[purplehighheels]

I'm sorry foofi, but I think that view is totally unreasonable. I would be rather perturbed if my child's teacher wasn't happy to be seen working in the classroom.

The fact is that some teachers are NOT doing their best, and I think it is acceptable for that to be brought to attention.

I was warned before my ds started school last year that teachers were a defensive bunch, and boy were they right!

[foofi]

This is why I don't encourage parent helpers in the classroom - someone comes in a couple of times and is straight on the internet/phone/in the playground telling everyone what a rubbish teacher you are. Most teachers are doing their best and don't need judging by people who don't do the job themselves.

[sunnydelight]

I despise teachers who shout as a matter of course while having every sympathy with losing it occasionally if driven to distraction

One of the things that I first noticed about our school is it's calm, positive atmosphere. Good teachers don't need to shout to get their point across.

[Littlefish]

It is school policy where I work, that you don't raise your voice to a child. It's bloody hard work at times, but it forces you to keep a positive approach in the classroom.

[zenandtheartofbaking]

Dh and I visited schools when we moved. There was one which seemed to have a culture of shouting. It was horrible.
Up until then dh had been of the opinion that all schools were much of a muchness and it would be fine sending our dd there.
We walked out and dh, pale, declared we'd go private if dd was allotted a place there. Shock! (He's very lefty.)
I don't think it is normal and I used to volunteer in a school too.
Poor kids.

[spula]

LOL guilt trip

[AdventCandleQueen]

If a teacher shouts too much, then the kids just learn not to pay any attention to it. If a teacher is going to shout, it should be done sparingly and therefore to greater effect - the children realise you really mean what you're saying.
But shouting over the standard of work handed in is poor practice - much for effective to do a guilt trip

[schneebly]

very bad practice - there are much better ways of 'controlling' children. It is human to lose your temper te odd time but I think it is important that is isnt a frequesnty thing and that it is acknowledged by the teacher like spula says.

[BoccaDellaNativita]

I think I should have said that my child's shouty teacher was shouting (perhaps I should have said raising her voice and talking very emphatically) in a making herself heard above the racket way, rather than a screeching banshee who's lost it way.

[saadia]

No not an NQT, quite experienced I think. She yells as if in anger for example this morning when some of the kids handed in badly presented homework. I've only been there for a couple of days so it's difficult to tell, will have to wait and see. I am reluctant to judge until I get a fuller picture.

[TsarChasm]

Oh a 'shouty teacher'. God, I hate that. How depressing.

Dd's is a bit like that atm

[AdventCandleQueen]

Was she an NQT?
I had a terrible class (behaviour wise) in my NQT year and it took me a term or two to put into practise the behaviour management techniques that worked. Until then I was quite shouty. Bloody worked though!

[constancereader]

If you shout you have failed imo. She shouldn't be doing it to control the class. I feel sorry for her class, who would like to go to work in an environment where your boss shouted at you all day? In my early days as a teacher I did sometimes shout, but it never worked and I soon learned better tactics.

[spula]

As a general rule, a teacher who shouts is one who is losing control of her own emotions - but we are all only human and it does happen! If I shout at a class I explain to them later why, and often apologise (unless it's a REALLY bad day!). However, if as you say she 'has' to do it to control the class, that is a concern as there are many more effective ways. Shouting serves as a short term release, but not a long term successful behaviour management strategy.

[Niecie]

that should be 'believe' obviously.

I should have asked, was it proper shouting or was it talking in a raised/loud voice to be heard over 30 odd children?

I was also in school yesterday and the teacher used a tambourine shaker thing to get the children's attention. She shook it and they all stopped. Or she would clap out a rhythm and the children copied it. It also got their attention.

[BoccaDellaNativita]

My child had a very shouty teacher in Year 1. She had arrived in the middle of a term, after the previous teacher had left suddenly. This teacher too, I think, was shouting in order to assert herself. The class had several extremely disruptive pupils and the previous teacher was not (in my view) on top of the situation. I used to cringe when I heard the shouting but I can see that the teacher might have felt that she needed to be very visibly - and audibly - in charge.

[Niecie]

No I don't think it is normal.

Does the teacher really beleive that shouting at the children will help those who don't have a great grasp on the English language to understand better?

I sounds like she has lost control and doesn't know what to do to get it back.