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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Shouting teacher....

93 replies

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 14:46

I was in DS's school library today, and heard a teacher shouting from three closed doors away. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was obviously thqt he was shouting at one particular child, or a couple- it didn't sound, somehow, like a whole class rant (not sure how I know that, now I type it, but for some reason it was obvious). The child I was working with grinned and said "oh, there's Mr X off on one again"
Now I know Mr X, he is incredibly enthusiastic and popular teacher. My ds loves him and learnt loads when he was in his class. I knew he was a bit volatile, but ds found his classes exciting and lively. So maybe the shouting is just part of his style. But surely it shouldn't be?

OP posts:

Runningtokeepstill · 02/02/2015 15:07

Some teachers use what I'd call "controlled shouting" as a shock tactic. So normally, they speak in a low/normal voice even when displeased but occasionally do a shout which, being out of their normal register of communication, has a real shock effect.

But it sound like this isn't what you think is going on. And of course, teachers are human and sometimes, like parents will shout when they really know it isn't the best way to communicate.

However, you say the teacher is enthusiastic, popular, your ds "loves him and learnt loads" so maybe he does have a "shouty style" that isn't nasty or personal. Going back in the mists of time to when I was at secondary school there was an English teacher who looked a bit scary and was known to shout and I was worried about having him as my teacher. But he was great and didn't personally ridicule or humiliate anyone. He had a very theatrical style and used to give us tests on spellings and meanings of words we hadn't ever seen before and then shout at us in mock horror when we didn't get them right (with us all giggling while he pretended to be even more shocked).Many of these words quickly entered my vocabulary and even now I can recall most of the grammar I learnt by remembering him striding around the classroom shouting out things in a seemingly aggressive way (if you didn't know him). I now live hundreds of miles from where I went to school but strangely, quite recently I came across another adult talking about her English teacher and how she still remembered so much of what he said and we gradually twigged it was the same guy. Probably long dead but still making his mark in the world.

So perhaps you could ask your ds what makes Mr X shout and how his class reacted to it.

Tigerblue · 02/02/2015 18:23

It's hard to know what's behind the shouting. He sounds like a popular teacher. It could be that a particular child/children has done something totally unacceptable like deliberately hurting another child or is continuously doing something which is totally unacceptable to the school, the teacher has gone through the softly softly approach trying to explain why it's not right and is having to step the talk up massively in the hope the child will actually start to think there are consequences for my actions.

It's obviously raised doubts in your mind, so maybe that a discreet word with your ds and see what he says.

schokolade · 02/02/2015 18:29

it does sound a bit weird. but if the teacher is popular, and people like his classes that'd be good enough for me.

Pasteurella · 02/02/2015 19:17

One of my favourite teachers at school could be a bit 'shouty', especially if one of the boys was playing about and disrupting lessons (top class in English in a very middle class Sussex school btw, but a couple of the boys were a bit ....lively) . He was also funny as hell, and no one fell asleep in his lessons like we did in some of the more conventional lessons

Pasteurella · 02/02/2015 19:19

That was when we were around 14/15 though - it might be a bit different if we were 11?

How old are the kids involved?

suboptimal · 02/02/2015 19:20

I don't think shouting is the end of the world to be honest.

If you shout too much it ends up meaning fuck all anyway, so no harm done.

emkana · 02/02/2015 20:17

In all honesty with the amount of information you have on the situation I really don't think you can make any sort of judgement whatsoever.

Also you might have heard about the amount of pressure teachers are under, I think to expect them to be perfect human beings on top of robots is really a bit much.

Original poster

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 20:23

"Also you might have heard about the amount of pressure teachers are under, I think to expect them to be perfect human beings on top of robots is really a bit much."

I think I'll ignore that. But did you notice in my OP the reaction of the child I was working with? No? Thought not.

OP posts:

suboptimal · 02/02/2015 20:24

Yes, the child grinned. What's the problem?

emkana · 02/02/2015 20:25

Yes I did. And I know enough teenagers to know that a comment like that doesn't mean very much at all.

Quitethewoodsman · 02/02/2015 20:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 20:30

There are children who would be terrified by a very large man (not deliberate drip feed- just forget to say) shouting loudly enough to be heard 3 rooms away........

OP posts:

Original poster

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 20:33

My judgement is based largely on my son. Who is a robust and self confident child - but also very well behaved and hard working, so unlikely to have been shouted at.........

OP posts:

Quitethewoodsman · 02/02/2015 20:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pharoahinthebath · 02/02/2015 20:40

I agree shouting is not ideal - but it could be worse. I can remember sitting in absolute stunned silence in a science lesson, not because of anything our teacher was doing, but because Mr J in the next class along was thrashing the living daylights out some poor boy in his class.

emkana · 02/02/2015 20:42

I'm really not sure where you're going with this? Do you think the teacher should be disciplined?

Original poster

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 20:47

I don't know where I'm going either. And I am a governor. I think I was just wondering what the shouting tolerance should be. The child I was with thought it was normal. My ds said " oh, yes, he shouts a lot" it didn't sound out of control or end of thetherish. It sounded like a calculated tactic. And I'm not sure about that.

OP posts:

TheFallenMadonna · 02/02/2015 20:54

Generally, shouting is frowned upon. However. Teachers tend not to be popular if they are unfair or unnecessarily scary as even the children who are not on the receiving end will see the problem. It sounds like it's his schtick, as you say.

suboptimal · 02/02/2015 20:54

I think calculated tactic shouting is far better than out of control shouting.

Out of control shouting is exactly that - someone has lost control, both of the classroom and of themselves. Not professional and not good.

Tactic shouting presumably gets results or you'd end up with out of control shouting. Plus the kids know the difference and a tactical shouter just ends up with a shouty reputation. You've said yourself that the kids like him.

emkana · 02/02/2015 20:55

I am baffled that you can tell from hearing somebody shout three doors away whether it was end of tetherish or calculated.

And I really think there are far worse things a teacher can do than shout. Especially as we are talking mostly teenagers here. Do you think there are hordes of intimidated little children at the school? I really doubt it. Most children get shouted at at home at some point and cope.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 02/02/2015 20:57

I don't know whether to take your post seriously, OP! This is a secondary school. With teenagers. Who can get out of hand very easily. I'm sure my school isn't out of the ordinary, but some of the pupils there NEED shouting at for behaving terribly. It's amazing how quickly te behaviour of the whole class can get out of hand thanks to just one oR two people playing up and not being dealt with quickly enough.

I wish more teachers would shout instead of taking the airy fairy can't-be-bothered-raising-my-voice stance and letting the class run riot.

There is a place for targeted shouting in secondary schools. It's part of disciplining an unruly class. It's most effective when a teacher does it who is normally very laid back and is popular. The class know that if sir/miss shouts at them then they've gone too far.

If someone shouts for the slightest misdemeanour then it becomes meaningless. Or if they shout because they're stressed, the kids will quickly latch onto that and play up to that.

It sounds like you don't have much experience of tough secondary schools?

emkana · 02/02/2015 21:01

Excellent post Curly.

cansu · 02/02/2015 21:03

What curly haired said. Sounds like you haven't spent much time in a real secondary school.

Original poster

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 21:16

It is a tough school. I've spent quite a lot of time in it over the past 4 years. And I have never heard anthing like this before.

OP posts:

CurlyhairedAssassin · 02/02/2015 21:34

Well if they were shouting that loudly then surely you could have heard what was being said and can judge if the actual words used were appropriate?

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