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Secondary education

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Original poster

Silly things teachers think will work

369 replies

NAR4 · 17/11/2012 13:59

One of the teachers at my child's school (he is in sixth form) thinks giving out yellow cards and red cards for 'bad' behaviour in class will somehow motivate 17 year olds.

At my 14 year old's school (a different school) he was asked to write a letter to Father Christmas during an English lesson. The teacher was dead serious. REALLY?

I pressume that nether of these teachers have children of their own, but should surely have been taught at uni that these things were completely age inappropriate.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 18/11/2012 23:18

Brycie there is no indication that that was ever their opinion.

You just read it into what they said. That's not the same thing. And they corrected you but you then tried to claim that that was them changing their mind. Which apparently you know better than them.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:18

Evil didn't say "doesn't have a clue" - she said "doesn't have any idea".

TheFallenMadonna · 18/11/2012 23:18

Actually, I was referring to this thread, and EvilTwin's responses to the OP that you keep quoting, and not the thread that you are now referring to, that I don't think I can have been on...

Which is probably why bringing up another thread is bad form. Confusing, anyway.

EvilTwins · 18/11/2012 23:19

Thanks noble "they" think that you are right, and that Brycie is wrong.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:20

Well you guys are just proving my point all over again.

not a teacher, therefore has no idea
why would she know? it's not her job (ie not a teacher)

seriously you are tying yourselves in knots again - just to disagree with me that these statements do not imply that parents don't know anything about teaching because they aren't teachers

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:21

It's not a case of me knowing better - it's a case of being able to read, decode and comprehend.

senua · 18/11/2012 23:21

why would it be offensive to suggest that someone who isn't a teacher might not understand techniques used by teachers?

Because you are implying that teaching is some arcane secret that is only imparted to the chosen few.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:22

Fallen - I'm very confused by that!

Evil - you really don't like being caught out do you ? Well look, so long as you acknowledge that parents have worthwhile things to say about teaching and education - that's great! Result.

TheFallenMadonna · 18/11/2012 23:24

Or that what I do is informed by my training, experience and expertise, which is not necessarily shared by parents.

A bit like other jobs really.

Arisbottle · 18/11/2012 23:26

I remember the other thread, I was on it! I don't remember it in quite the same way as Brycie does. I do remember Brycie overstating what teachers were saying on the thread. We were saying that in all cases of disruption students should not be removed, which Brycie took as teachers never removing students.

A little like on this thread, according to Brycie teachers think that parents have nothing to conribute to their children's education. I do not think we have said that.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:27

Raven AK I've just seen your ref to the other thread. And that really IS misrepresentation! Perhaps we should link?

chibi · 18/11/2012 23:29

do you know, i don't think i would ever look at someone's job, and after a cursory glance, assume i knew as much if not more as they did about what they do, and how they do it

I accept though, that most people reckon any idiot could do my job, fair enough.

i am a parent too, and i very much want the best outcomes for my children too, but although no one knows my children better than their parents, i am not an expert in teaching her how to read, or motivating her in a classroom of 29 other children etc etc.

EvilTwins · 18/11/2012 23:29

Brycie - YOU (that's YOU, not "all parents", YOU - an individual) have become personal and offensive. You continue to misrepresent me. I never said that I think that "parents" (as a group) don't have worthwhile things to say. You extrapolated that. My point was, and always has been, that the OP was out of order saying that the technique being used by a teacher was "silly" and that it "wouldn't work". She had no basis for her assertion.

It stands to reason that someone who is trained and experienced in a job, be that teaching, floristry or dentistry, knows more about it than someone who isn't. I don't really see how anyone can disagree with that.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:30

Aris: yes EvilTwins said "OP is not a teacher therefore doesn't have any idea" and "why would she have know anything, she isn't a teacher".

Do you see? So being as how this thread is so fresh, and your interpretation is rather fuzzy and not quite accurate, we can probably assume the same about your interpretion of the other one as well. Smile

But obviously I'm a parent so it's de rigeur to disagree. And agree with the teachers.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:32

How have I become personal and offensive? Please copy and paste.

You said "not a teacher therefore doesn't have any idea"

a person has no idea because of not being a teacher

how on EARTH is this open to any other interpretation?

I've said it's great that you want to withdraw that and acknowledge that parents do have something worthwhile to say. Smile

Please go ahead and report me. I honestly don't mind. I know I haven't been personal - I've only talked about your posts.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:33

Except I did twice say "you really don't like being caught out do you".

I'll happily withdraw that and say actually i think you're incredibly measured and never contradict yourself at all.

EvilTwins · 18/11/2012 23:33

Actually, here's what I said:

"The thread title - "silly things teachers think will work" was foolish, IMO. The OP is not a teacher, and therefore has no idea whether such things are "silly" or whether they "will work". She clearly wanted other people to pile in with other examples of "silly" things, which is both patronising and openly inviting negativity."

So not that the OP "has no idea" but that she specifically has no idea whether such things work. Which she doesn't. Given that she hasn't researched them - why would she? Not her job.

Careless editing isn't clever, Brycie.

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:34

Oh and

"It stands to reason that someone who is trained and experienced in a job, be that teaching, floristry or dentistry, knows more about it than someone who isn't. I don't really see how anyone can disagree with that."

I never have. But then, that's not what you said.

EvilTwins · 18/11/2012 23:35

Yes I did. You're misquoting me. As I proved in my previous post.

chibi · 18/11/2012 23:35

brycie i am teaching steroeselective methods of synthesis and their importance in drug design where the products are optically active tomoz, any thoughts? i really want to do it right and stretch my more able students while supporting the ones who will struggle. How would you do it?

Brycie · 18/11/2012 23:36

Yes - she's not a teacher so she has no idea if these things will work.

I quoted in full earlier, and only shorted it for shorty shorthand purposes.

Same difference. She's not a teacher, therefore nothing useful to say on teaching / discipline methods.

Arisbottle · 18/11/2012 23:36

I have two children still at primary school, I teach secondary. I see it as no slight on my intelligence or parenting to believe that their teachers know more about educating my primary aged children than me, because they are experts in their field. I know my individual child better but am rather clueless about teaching young children to read, write etc. I also could not teach such a wide range of subjects. That does not mean that i do not make suggestions to their teachers. For example one of my children was being a madam in class and I thought the teacher was being a touch soft. I made this opinion known but accepted that my daughter's teacher was trained to deal with young children in a primary environment and i was not.

My eldest son has SEN, again I know my son very well however when we had appointments with the ed psych , the doctors etc I accepted that they knew their fields better than me. That did not mean that I had nothing to contribute and often they would ask me what worked at home.

ravenAK · 18/11/2012 23:37

You are, of course, welcome to link if you think it adds anything Smile.

But I'd rather you came up with a concrete argument to bash us with, rather than yet more woolly meta argument based on your recollection of a long-dead thread which other posters remember quite differently.

It just doesn't get us any further forward, & only leads to further accusations of pearl-clutching when your assertions are politely corrected.

EvilTwins · 18/11/2012 23:37

No, love. She's not a teacher and therefore not qualified to say whether or not red card/yellow card is silly. Why would she? Not her job to know these things.

FromEsme · 18/11/2012 23:38

Parents only think about THEIR children, what THEY need. A teacher has to balance what each individual needs with the needs of the whole class.

It is fucking difficult.