Is new English teacher up to the job?

[MaresyDotes]

DD's English teacher left last term, she had her first lesson with the new one and came home rolling her eyes saying the class had to correct her, she was insisting Fiction meant 'true' and Non-fiction meant made-up! Apparently she did it in the next lesson, too (DD's friend is in that class). DD thinks she is Jamaican so I'm wondering if it's just a slight language error, but it does make me think .

I'm really hoping it's not going to be a problem, DD loves English and a bad teacher can change that...

She was probably really nervous on her first day. Give her more time!

I really hope you are right belinda! My first thought was that it was the sort of mistake I'd make (then beat myself up about it for days afterwards) but it seems odd she said exactly the same thing an hour later to another class.

It does seem a bit odd. I was being shown round a school the other day by a headteacher and the reception teacher was so nervous hat she was writing the number 3 backwards on the board for the children to copy. They kept trying to correct her but she couldn't see it! In the end, the lovely head managed to tactfully correct her by making it into a joke. I was so mortified for her!

What year is your DD in OP? Is she top set, middle, lower ability?

It's a thing most primary school children know, never mind a Senior School English teacher surely? It doesn't matter where she comes from, but I can understand you being concerned.

Sorry diabolo didn't see your post yesterday. DD is 14, year 9, in top set for English. I keep thinking, at least DD's class were old enough and smart enough to set the teacher straight; what about the year 7's who would probably just take her word as 'right'?

I would imagine that the teacher knew that fiction was not the same as fact.

Your DD has it wrong.

She thou get non fiction was made up? Easy mistake to make if shes been reading too many UK newspapers.

If this is the teacher's only error, put it down to nerves. But if she's not up to it then you'll soon hear through your dd. A class of 30 teens take no prisoners.

Thanks ClaireAll , don't think DD plus her entire class plus the entire NEXT class got it wrong though.

Kez

I think even low set Y7's would know the difference.

Average Y4 DS has just explained the difference to me.

Surely it must be nerves, but I would keep a close eye on this one.

Seriously, you don't think a teacher, English teacher no less, knows the difference between fact and fiction.

How could you possibly know who misunderstood her in several classes and were not influenced by peer pressure?

Claire you are making my point for me... an English teacher SHOULD know the difference.

It's quite simple - the teacher said Fiction was true and non-fiction was made-up. This is wrong. DD pointed it out. DD mentioned it to her friend at lunchtime, the friend isn't in DD's class but had the same teacher that morning, the friend said the teacher said exactly the same thing in her class.

The teacher mixed up Fiction and Non-Fiction. Why would I disbelieve DD? And what has peer pressure got to do with it?

I don't know. It doesn't sound very believable because it's barely an English teacher question. It's more like common knowledge. I find it hard to believe that anyone over the age of about six might get this wrong. I find it hard to believe two students talked about it at lunchtime. All sounds a bit odd.

But why was the teacher stating the obvious at this age? Children are taught the difference between fact/non-fiction and fiction in Reception.

You might recap or double check or be asking them to assign different texts to the right group.

I think it maybe mentioned at this age because the GCSE language exam paper is non-fiction. Bound to come up in teaching and she, being new, decided to define it (albeit incorrectly)

I just wonder whether she was doing a 'deliberate mistake' technique to check if the children were awake.

Joan I hope that's the case! I just really hope she's going to be a good teacher, DD loves English and is doing well.