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Original poster

Advice on a Sleeping Teacher Please...

19 replies

RockinHippy · 03/11/2014 20:56

just that really, but I'm not sure whether to raise it with the school or not - I'm a bit shocked TBH

yr 7 DD came home tonight & told me that they had a different teacher for a particular lesson, she doesn't think it's a supply teacher as the teacher knew the school well enough, but the school is huge, so I'm not sure she would really know if it were a regular supply.

The given lesson project was weak to say the least & I know from a teacher friend it's a bit of a filler, as in, don't know what to do with the class, occupy them for an hours sort of thing. No actually teaching involved at all.

Ironically he was only talking recently about using the exact same tactic when as a supply he was faced with a group of kids he felt didn't want to learn & would play up, so it definitely a killing time, keep them occupied sort of exercise as opposed to actual teaching. DDs class are not like that & mostly love this particular lesson & look forward to learning, DD definitely does.

The teacher left them to it, sat down, relaxed - & promptly fell asleepShock slept through the whole lesson & the DCs were late getting out of class because they couldn't wake the teacher.

?????

OP posts:
MillyMollyMama · 03/11/2014 21:32

And this is the school you fought so hard to get your DD into as I recall? What an earth are the leadership group doing allowing this to happen? They can't be too bothered about children making progress if this is an example of a supply teacher lesson. Do supply teachers bit have to teach the planned lesson or are they babysitting? I think the children should just have filed out and left the teacher there!

I think you had better hope this supply teacher was a one off and also that the regular teacher is not off sick for any length of time, now, or in the future! If it happens again, or if it is long term supply, complain.

clr2014 · 03/11/2014 21:36

you're having a laugh??? No? A scene from Waterloo Road. You need to pick up the phone... Shock

superram · 03/11/2014 21:37

I panicked when I read this but am relieved I left my year 7's lots of lovely work.
I would raise it with head if year as supply needs to never be allowed to return.

Pointlessfan · 03/11/2014 21:38

I got all excited then, I thought a sleeping teacher might be something you could buy to help children with homework or something! A bit like how speed bumps are called sleeping policemen!

Bunbaker · 03/11/2014 21:44

One of DD's friends goes to a private school. A teacher fell asleep during one of her lessons as well.

TheBatteriesHaveRunOut · 03/11/2014 21:48

Tell the dcs to play buckaroo on the sleeping teacher.

TheBatteriesHaveRunOut · 03/11/2014 21:50

.....with pencils, pots of glue, random classroom crap etc.

VenusRising · 03/11/2014 21:52

I had three teachers who fell asleep, one used to pop into the back room after seeming really dozy with renewed energy (turns out she was injecting insulin and was having blood sugar lows)

The second one lit up a fag in class every Monday morning and drank up his coffee while we read poetry, quietly. He reeked of booze, but was a very good teacher. He needed about 20 mins of a snooze to get the coffee through his system.

The third teacher was so lazy she'd read the newspaper and doze off, while we climbed out the windows and walked around the school grounds for the class.

I always thought it was normal!!

Coolas · 03/11/2014 22:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

admission · 03/11/2014 22:26

I can only conclude that the pupils are infinitely better behaved that most year 7s. In many schools such a sleeping teacher would have been targeted for some pranks like a new mustachio or different coloured hair etc. With modern phones surely somebody took photos? If not I wonder whether this is completely true. I like to close my eyes at times but I am still awake, it is just resting my eyes. Is it possible this is what happened?

skylark2 · 04/11/2014 08:48

If they couldn't wake him, it's a bit more than just dozing off.

I agree that you need to inform the school. Not just as a complaint but so they are aware that this teacher may have a real problem.

secretsquirrels · 04/11/2014 15:29

Tell me they took a photograph?

Hakluyt · 04/11/2014 15:31

I assume there are photographs?

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 04/11/2014 15:49

I went to an independent school, one of my teachers often fell asleep. We also had another teacher who would get drunk at lunch time, so afternoon classes were given an activity to do while she locked herself in a store cupboard.

inthename · 04/11/2014 17:50

hmm, please double check this with the school as it sounds more like a 'hypo' than just falling asleep and the kids may need to know to go and fetch an adult (witnessed a friend do just this a few days ago and was told by ambulance crew that she was diabetic and had gone into a hypoglycemic coma, which looked exactly like she had 'dropped off' at first).

paddyclampo · 04/11/2014 21:59

I agree with inthename

I'm a teacher and am also Type 1 diabetic. This has happened to me before, thankfully the students all knew and got help.

Did he wake up eventually?

EvilTwins · 05/11/2014 07:50

Perhaps he suffers from sleep apnoea. In which case, he shouldn't really be in charge of a bunch of kids. There MUST be photos... Definitely raise it with the school.

If he seemed familiar with the school, could it be that he's a cover supervisor rather than an external supply teacher?

PurpleAlert · 07/11/2014 18:26

Unless he was ill, this is really outrageous.

I was supporting in a year 4 class last week where the class teacher had left a lesson for the supply to do but the ICT suite was unexpectedly out of bounds and the supply literally didn't know what to do. I suggested some comprehension cards but she said no because that would mean she would have to mark the work!

In the end she just gave them some drawing to do (without really explaining what she wanted them to do) and then promptly ignored them and then sat using her laptop for the next 30 minutes leaving me and one of the LSAs to go round and chat to the children about what they were doing. They got a bit noisy at one point and she did absolutely nothing to stop them- it was left to me to shh them up a bit- which they did. She may as well not have been there- total waste of money!

When I first started teaching (many moons ago) supply teachers used to turn up with a bag full of lessons suitable for a range of ages that they could just pull out and deliver. This one had absolutely nothing. Talk about money for old rope.

Then on the way out she had the audacity to complain that the school had gone down hill and there were too many children in the class to deal with (it is a big class but they are lovely and really well behaved.)

She said she wouldn't be back- good job too as we wouldn't have her!

Original poster
RockinHippy · 20/11/2014 14:09

Thanks for all of the replies Flowers - apologies for posting & disappearing - we are having a lot of internet trouble here, plus it's been a bit of a full on few weeks for various reasons.

I ended up letting DD mention it to her form teacher - seems there has been a lot of ill health at school, lots of staff & DCs have been off as a result, so I am hopeful that was the reason & I figured raising it diplomatically by way of DD expressing concern for this teachers health, rather than complaining was the way to go - no idea what the outcome has been, but DD hasn't had this teacher again, so hopefully it's a one off with good reason & if not it has been dealt with.

I'm pleased to say that DDs class really did behave that well, bar a couple of the boys standing up & dancing in front of the teacher to test if she was really asleep - they got on with the project & chattered quietly amongst themselves, mostly shocked that this was happening at all & no, no photos - a very lucky teacher to fall asleep with such a well behaved class - I've seen them discuss it since though, so it did definitely happen

Milly yes the same school - & after a couple other incidents over this few weeks, I am blown away by how good the school is, well worth the fight & DD absolutely loves it there :)

She's had more recent trouble with verbal & minor physical bullying on her bus journey home - the culprits being a couple of boys who are in another firm their & are from the primary we had to take her out of as they just weren't tackling the bullies effectively at all - we used the publish bullying hotline links - by the next morning the HoY had dealt with the boys with full force - after what she's been through already, I was in awe at how tough they were at dealing with it & they also made sure the boys didn't think it was DD who had told tales, but an older DC had witnessed them bullying her - which was true, but DD was worried

Same goes for her having an accident & injuring herself in school - they have been absolutely fantastic over it, so much so I feel worse for leaving her in her first primary as long as I did - so many lower limb fractures, sprains & ligament tears, yet turns out this is the first time a teacher has ever carried her to the first aid block - DD was so amazed that they did that as she's been left to hop there before & I had no idea as it was so normal to her :(

Thanks again for your input - I got so used to been "that parent" at her old primary, I was worried I was stuck in that mould & my tolerance was low, but I'm happy to give this the benefit of the doubt & deal with it subtly as it foes look most likely it's down to a spate of bad health - I've had the same flu bug & it's left me even more exhausted that usual & put DH in bed fir a few days

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