Has the teacher been a bit over the top in her report assessment

[treas]

Ds is a well behaved hard working Yr8 student who puts a lot of time and effort into all of his homework regardless of the subject.

One subject he does the teacher has told us that she considers him 'gifted and talented' in (pointless label I know) as he has produced GCSE level work and has always had top marks.

Ds's monitoring report has come back with this subject teacher stating that his homework is a 'cause for concern'.

At parent consultation evening we were informed that ds had not handed in 2 pieces of homework.

1/ A powerpoint presentation, which he had taken in on a dvd but there had been an 'IT issue' and the teacher had not been able to retrieve the work. Ds on coming home immediately burnt a new disc and returned it the next day but was unable to hand it in as he wasn't being taught the subject that day (teacher's decision, not his).

2/ Ds was one 13 out of 20 children who had misinterpreted the teacher's instructions and had revised how to do something rather than show how to do it on paper.

As a result he had a lunch time detention. At the time I thought it a little unfair as there was an obvious communication error between the teacher and pupils, but so be it.

So now my ds has a black mark on his report that will go up to his next school for things that I see as unfortunate incidents not totally down to ds, rather than blatantly not doing any homework.

Have to admit that I'm annoyed mainly because the teacher basically called ds a liar for telling me that the majority of children in the class had done the same as him for homework incident 2 and had to have a detention. 13/20 children to me is the majority of the class and I could see in her marking book the long column of red marks to back his statement.


So was the teacher a little heavy handed? And should we raise a query?

Ds of course feels it unfair as there are other children who don't appear to be punished for not doing homework at all.

Sorry so long, didn't want to drip feed.

[pastoralacademia]

treas That is exactly what has happened; I have witnessed it too many times.

[pastoralacademia]

It also might explain why you are willing to believe what your DS has said about the parent teacher consultation without considering that a) it might not be true and b) the parents might have been rude enough to warrant walking out on.
Oh it?s all one sided...it is everybody?s fault but the teacher, Really? I know you are a teacher but are you a parent as well?

[noblegiraffe]

Yes, I am. I didn't say it was everybody's fault but the teacher. And it turns out that it was entirely possible that the parents had been rude, so it wasn't really wrong to make that comment, was it?

[pastoralacademia]

Don?t you think she was unprofessional by walking out? She can handle the ds but not the parents!! Parents evening is a part of the job and you don?t walk out!

[confuddledDOTcom]

I've been reading the posts on here trying to figure out how the son got his first homework wrong I can see two incidents where the teacher has blamed the child for her mistake or an IT problem.

I got marked wrong once for a teachers mistake and I was the first person in years to get the answer right, it was only when I pointed it out to the teacher she realised. I could easily have just said it was one wrong on the whole paper but why should I be marked down for her getting it wrong?

I agree with pastoralacademia.

[noblegiraffe]

Was she unprofessional to walk out? Not necessarily. If she did walk out (going on hearsay!) then it would depend entirely on what led up to it.

Teachers have a right not to be threatened, harassed or abused. In those situations it is perfectly acceptable to walk away, or to go and fetch a more senior teacher.

If you don't think she could possibly have been abused or harassed or threatened, then I suspect you do not deal with members of the public!

It's also not unprofessional to call short a meeting which is clearly unproductive.

[pastoralacademia]

I have witnessed ?colleagues? accusing parents of being monsters when they were extremely polite asking valid questions. These ?colleagues? were offended about the fact that the parents were daring to ask them questions! Some teachers have no social skills, defensive and frankly incompetent, they hide in the this noble profession
Some teachers spend their time posting comments on chat room and answering emails during class as well!

[noblegiraffe]

I daresay there are poor teachers out there, just as there are poor parents.

Luckily I have only ever witnessed my colleagues behaving professionally. Have you reported your concerns about yours?

[pastoralacademia]

Are you sure you haven?t seen any unprofessional teachers?! Are you a keen observer? Do you talk to your students, TAs, parents? Obviously you have seen rude parents
Well if you really haven?t yet give it few more years, keep your eyes open then you?ll see it all.

[treas]

noblegiraffe - Not hearsay at all, event actually occurred.

At no point was there a mention of threats, harassment or abuse by the parents.

The rudeness I refer to is the fact that they actually told the teacher their son wasn't enjoying her lessons - not something I'd say to anyone although might think it.

[noblegiraffe]

Treas, you said you 'found out from DS' making it hearsay. I'm assuming your DS wasn't actually there either.

Pastoral - yes, I'm sure I haven't witnessed teachers being unprofessional. I think if I witnessed a teacher calling a parent a monster I might step in. What did you do?

[treas]

noblegiraffe - eye witnesses also. Ds heard from the parents involved son who was actually present when his teacher left.

[GlitKnit]

most schools internet dont allow chat rooms or tbh anything bloody useful to come up.

Ours had ebay banned at one point which was bloody annoying

[vigglewiggle]

Still hearsay. You didn't witness it, you have been told about it. The reason courts usually don't allow hearsay evidence is that it is notoriously unreliable as the story often gets twisted and exaggerated with each telling.

[pastoralacademia]

most schools internet dont allow chat rooms or tbh anything bloody useful to come up
Ours allows a lot even to the dc.
yes, I'm sure I haven't witnessed teachers being unprofessional. I think if I witnessed a teacher calling a parent a monster I might step in. What did you do? STEP IN? and do what?

[pastoralacademia]

btw, At a school where a friend of mine works, the HT has set up a meeting for the staff but no one bothered to turn up! What authority does he have let alone do something about a sloppy teacher....

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

WRT PowerPoint, was he supposed to burn it onto a disc?
Because my older DCs do these all the time and its either emailed, or on a USB.
maybe that was why the teacher couldn't see it?
Did everyone else hand in discs?

The second part, well, he got it wrong. Its irelavant how many other people also got it wrong, you were there to talk about your child.

It's not a big deal. No school is even going to read these black marks.
It's not going to hold him back is it?

And IMHO, in year 8, you do not need to be pulling the school up on things like this, it's your DS responsibility to prepare his homework.

[pastoralacademia]

in year 8, you do not need to be pulling the school up on things like this When should she? and what could she?
Accountablility ? When? I wish more parents get involved and ask questions.

[treas]

TantrumsAndBalloons - Yep disc was perfectly acceptable been doing this for 3 years for the teacher.

Therefore, discounting the dvd issue this left the problem of having learned something rather than write it. If the teacher had been clearer in the setting of the homework ds would have written the sentences required rather than learn them.

We are not worried by the other children doing it wrong also but surely this showed the teacher miscommunicated her needs from the homework.

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

Yes I get that it may have been miscommunication on the teachers part but some of the children did get it right?

I guess we all have different opinions on what would constitute getting in contact with the school, I would be more inclined to say to my son that if other children in the class understood he must not have been paying attention.

[treas]

TantrumsAndBalloons - don't worry, he's learnt his lesson.

7 pupils wrote sentences, 13 didn't. Teacher could have been clearer.

That said ds is going to write everything from now on.

[confuddledDOTcom]

As I said in my previous post, my teacher in Y10 had been teaching one question wrong for however many years she'd been teaching it and I was the first one to ever answer it right. Is it the fault of the pupils who all got it wrong as someone (me!) actually managed to properly read the question for themselves and get it right or the fault of the teacher for the way she has communicated it?

[lecce]

If I had ever told my parents that a teacher had walked away from my friend's parents having been told that said friend did not enjoy the lessons, I would have been told, very sharply, that I wasn't there and that it was none of my business anyway. My parents would also have probably said something about our being in school to learn, not be entertained. I cannot believe the way this story is being repeated as fact and the assumption being made that it is somehow proof that this teacher is not coping. OP, I really hope you have discouraged your son from gossiping like this about his teacher.

As a teacher, I have once been told that a child did not enjoy my lessons. I was an NQT in a fairly tough school and this child never shut up talking and, as I recall, took particular offence at not being chosen to answer questions if he had his hand up. I still remember that awful sinking feeling as I realised that this parent was not going to listen to any of my concerns about her ds's behaviour and was, in fact, blaming me. Yes, I was inexperienced and have since developed strategies for dealing with pupils like her son more effectively, but the way she dealt with it was inappropriate. I didn't walk away, but I certainly felt like it.

Teachers are not right all the time, no one is, but I don't think some parents realise the damage they do when they fail to see that it may be their child in the wrong. Btw, I know OP has said she will not complain to the school about the homework stuff, but I don't like the way this parents' evening is being viewed.

[pastoralacademia]

My parents would also have probably said something about our being in school to learn, not be entertained. They don?t have to be bored to death either or waste time in a class that is badly managed.

If I had ever told my parents that a teacher had walked away from my friend's parents having been told that said friend did not enjoy the lessons, I would have been told, very sharply, that I wasn't there and that it was none of my business anyway. a bit VICTORIAN don't you think?


I think if I witnessed a teacher calling a parent a monster I might step in. What did you do? How would you step in? What would you do really? I am still waiting for your answer

[pastoralacademia]

I can hardly hear myself think because ?my colleague?, next door, can?t stop shouting and is completely out of control. I feel sorry for her classes! Some of her parents mentioned that their dc don?t enjoy her class, she was offended.....really?!!