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Secondary education

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Original poster

Teacher doing online shopping during lessons

65 replies

Dancergirl · 23/04/2015 21:30

Dd1 is in Year 9 at a girls' indie. We have been generally very pleased with the school so far and dd is happy and doing well.

There have been a few odd teachers who aren't as good as others but you get that in most schools I imagine. But dd has been complaining recently about the Geography teacher. Apparently he doesn't spend much of the lesson teaching, or sometimes none at all, but gives them worksheets to do and tells them to research the answers on the school's moodle.

Now dd tells me he is looking at clothing websites, M&S etc, during lessons. Of course this is completely unacceptable but I hate complaining! Would you complain and to who? Dd's not doing Geography GCSE so it hardly seems worth it.

OP posts:
Tryingtokeepalidonit · 23/04/2015 21:45

I don't know the circumstances but a pupil once told their parents I was on Right Move during a lesson not teaching them. Well they were doing a task and I was preparing a lesson on writing to describe- pupils had to match estate agent descriptions to images. When the HT told me about the complaint I was able to show the IWB lesson plan. The parents were very embarrassed Since it is Geography this could be lesson planning.

JeanSeberg · 23/04/2015 21:48

What do you hope to achieve by complaining? Genuine question

guilianna · 23/04/2015 21:51

Trying, that sounds like a great lesson!

ElizabethHoover · 23/04/2015 21:52

i flick through the news sometimes when kids working

LynetteScavo · 23/04/2015 21:52

I think the question is if your DD is making good progress in geography, whether or not she's taking it as a gcse. I would me more worried about the amount of worksheets than an M&s website. (One primary teacher of DS used to play computer games when the class were doing a test, but the DC made fab progress.)

ElizabethHoover · 23/04/2015 21:55

tell DD to stop nosing at the teachers laptop and get on with some work

PettsWoodParadise · 23/04/2015 23:14

So Elizabeth are you proposing to create identikit kids who never question a thing and as I see from other threads parents who have no right to question their DC's concerns? It sounds a bit bitter to me. I appreciate your stance and get the impression you are passionate about your profession, however there are always two sides to every story and quite rightly the original poster is asking for some advice. If we all sat back and ignored things then the world would be a very nasty place indeed as we'd only ever care about ourselves and not the impact on others of ignoring a situation or injustice, on the other side of the coin if we worried about every little detail no one would ever get anything done!

SilverBirch2015 · 23/04/2015 23:18

Are they actually a qualified teacher?

pieceofpurplesky · 23/04/2015 23:28

Probably not silver in an "indie" (I really hate that term).

I have been accused if reading a trashy book about witches by a pupil during a test and 'playing games' on the internet whilst pupils did a test. Twas the crucible and the games were a new spelling package for SEND kids to use!

SilverBirch2015 · 23/04/2015 23:45

I did wonder whether this "indie" with some teachers not "as good as others" was maybe using non-qualifieds to help cram through the worksheets.

You don't really hear of worksheet only lessons in state secondary's anymore.

Original poster
Dancergirl · 23/04/2015 23:45

I thought I would be getting some proper advice rather than sneery comments but thank you petts

Look, I'm not the sort of parent to wade in with minor issues but in the case of the teacher, it's not a one off scenario. How can looking at socks on M&S' website be related to the lesson? Dd says her friends have noticed too. But more importantly, it seems they are spending large amounts of time getting on with independent work with the teacher basically babysitting. Is it too much to expect a teacher to teach a lesson?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 23/04/2015 23:53

You're paying for a teacher to teach your DD so if you think he is not doing that then you are perfectly within your rights to query that.

They'll be able to check if he's shopping in lessons because the Internet will be monitored.

coolaschmoola · 23/04/2015 23:55

Depends what you think teaching a lesson actually means. If you think it is standing at the front delivering education to learners that approach is not great. Lessons should be a mix of delivery, group and individual tasks, including worksheets where they have a benefit to the lesson objectives.

If you want to complain do, but you may end up with egg on your face.

I can think of reasons why a Geography teacher might be looking at socks - country of manufacture, carbon footprint of a sock would be good....

SilverBirch2015 · 23/04/2015 23:55

Seriously though, you do need to find out why not having proper structured lessons.

The online browsing is not so much the issue here, can you talk to a head of dept to find out more about the context of these frankly lazy teaching methods? Is he a qualified teacher?

Although I am not a fan of private education, this is certainly not what you pay fees for.

SilverBirch2015 · 23/04/2015 23:56

*properly

ElizabethHoover · 24/04/2015 07:32

remember though, when deciding if to complain or not, whether this will be the most serious thing you have to raise this year.
IMO its best to keep your complaint quota for something that is really serious - if that is is, then fine. Otherwise you run the risk of not being taken seriously.
Boy, wolf etc

Moreisnnogedag · 24/04/2015 07:59

Oh fgs. Since when do parents have to think of their "complaint quota"? I'm sure the OP wasn't planning on going in all guns blazing, just more of a 'is this ok? Because the girls in the class aren't getting it and are talking negatively about the teacher'. Y'know, this whole education partnership thing?

This teacher may not be very good and may be coasting along because everyone is too worried about having 'egg on their face'. I certainly had a teacher like that (but he was also the hockey coach so was allowed to poddle along).

Bonsoir · 24/04/2015 08:13

I definitely agree with the concept of a "complaint quota".

After 8 years at DD's school I am an active member of a parent group of close friends which agrees about issues that need tackling with the school's management. We take turns making the complaints so that none of us get scapegoated or labelled as troublemakers/whistleblowers (and ignored) as has happened to some parents.

SirChenjin · 24/04/2015 08:22

Yes, raise this with the school. You don't have to complain as such - you simply raise it with them ie "I am concerned because DD has informed me that Mr X is looking at shopping sites during lessons. Can you tell me what the school policy re this is" (or words to that effect) Don't even hesitate. He's paid to teach, not to shop, and only by a massive stretch of the imagination could shopping with M&S online be linked to planning geography lesson plans.

BlueBelle003 · 24/04/2015 11:30

I don't think I would be happy with my DC teachers lesson planning/shopping whilst supposedly teaching them, I thought teachers had spare periods during the day when this could be carried out. If a teacher has their head stuck in a computer, would they notice a quieter child that may need assistance with the worksheet or others that may be taking the opportunity to have a chat etc. I wouldn't object though in test situations as a teacher shouldn't be giving assistance and is there to ensure the test runs smoothly.

BlueBelle003 · 24/04/2015 11:30

I don't think I would be happy with my DC teachers lesson planning/shopping whilst supposedly teaching them, I thought teachers had spare periods during the day when this could be carried out. If a teacher has their head stuck in a computer, would they notice a quieter child that may need assistance with the worksheet or others that may be taking the opportunity to have a chat etc. I wouldn't object though in test situations as a teacher shouldn't be giving assistance and is there to ensure the test runs smoothly.

BlueBelle003 · 24/04/2015 11:32

sorry posted twice - I blame the computer it has a mind of its own!!!

Original poster
Dancergirl · 24/04/2015 13:55

I thought so too blue. Even if it WAS to do with lesson planning, and I very much doubt that, surely the lesson is for carrying out the lesson rather than planning. I don't know if secondary teachers get PPA time but I would expect teaching to be going on during a lesson rather than planning.

OP posts:
HelpMeGetOutOfHere · 24/04/2015 14:12

I have to agree and say that lesson planning shouldn't be carried out during another lesson. perhaps in exceptional circumstances such as when the class has a test and they are still observing the class, but not during a worksheet lesson. Surely standard procedure for this is for the teacher to walk around and check how pupils are getting on and keep an eye on them?

I'm not criticising teachers before I get jumped on, but from talking to senior school teachers that teach my sons, they do have scheduled 'free' lessons and aren't teaching all day every day. I'm an accountant and I have scheduled diary slots for preparation in between meetings with clients and managers, I wouldn't be preparing for another meeting in a meeting or ordering new knickers on m&s for click and collect.

starfish4 · 24/04/2015 14:47

My DD's registration tutor has one session marked out a week for them to read, during which she does her nails and cuts her split ends!! You could argue reading is something important and should be encouraged, but I half wonder if it's so she can chill out and pamper herself!

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