'lazy' is this a word teachers should use in reports??

[3076Worb]

My son is on daily report at the moment (mainly for his organisation and focus, as he has ADHD). One of his teachers wrote in his report yesterday 'Lazy. Didn't follow instructions and did not complete the work'
Am I being totally oversensitive? I don't think teachers should be using such emotive terms for any child, but esp. for someone who has ADHD. It seems this teacher has assumed his behaviour is down to laziness and not lack of focus.

Are you serious? You want to control which language this teacher uses to describe your son? Emotive language? Really?

In the gentlest possible way, OP, get a grip and focus on the issue at hand. It sounds to me like you're trying to put 'blame' on the teacher, instead of dealing with the real problem - which is your sons apparent laziness.

I think you can go too far with sugar coating. The teacher was required to give her professional opinion. I would be happy if it was clear and unambiguous.

What vino said, 100%

I work with children who are ADHD and ASD and I would never describe any of them a lazy. Firstly it unprofessional. Secondly, anyone who works with these children would surely appreciate the amount of effort they need to put in to do things that come completely naturally to most students. If they seem unengaged it's my job to help present tasks in a more engaging way or accept they have reached capacity and it's more productive to have a movement break or change task. Also I think it's important to use positive language when we talk about children, in our school we talk about positive reputation, because if you use negative langue it can effect how we think about them and become self for filling.

Does the teacher have a sufficient knowledge and understanding of your son's adhd to know what is laziness and what is due to the adhd? If it was being misinterpreted and unsupported then I'd want to know, but equally if he is being lazy, I'd want to know that too.

I think lazy is fine. It's not negative. We say "oh I had a lazy day" meaning relaxed, we had a relaxed or "do nothing" day.
Likewise, if someone is being lazy (taking it easy and not doing what they could be doing) then they ought to know that someone sees this, and they can do better and they (your child) should at least try. Be thankful a teacher is helping you to see what needs to be worked on with your child, and speak to your child about it.

Hahaha ‘defensive teachers’ more like defensive parents.

This is part of the reason why education is a shambles now. Teachers are criticised whatever they do. There are not enough hours in my day to consider ever child individually and tailor everything to all of them. There’s barely enough time to plan a basic lesson outline, get resources and mark books (never mind flipping assessments, reports, parental e-mails, data entry, running detention, running revision sessions for ungrateful kids, attending tge daily —pointless— meeting, doing break duty, data entry, managing behaviour in lessons and then spending a whole lunch break entering an incident you saw in the corridor on to the behaviour system and e-mailing all the relevant people).

So, yes. Teachers do get defensive when people who know bob all about the job get pissy over one word.

What’s your ideal OP? Sack the teacher? Public flogging?

Being on daily report is actually pretty serious.
if your child is being disorganised and lacking focus it means that the is not doing what he is told in class and probably that he is distracting others and stopping them getting on with their work.
rather than focusing on semantics, you need to examine your child's motivation and behaviour in class.
this is a problem with YOUR child, not your teacher's phraseology.

I hope the responses on here aren't from teachers. This thread makes me really sad.

NannyOggsKnickers - there is enough time to use language that doesn't alienate parents though that doesn't take time.

Sad why? Because a teacher put the truth on A report rather than sugar coat it? Get real. That adhd kid who messes around and does no work because he knows mummy will back him to the hilt because he's special... they're the bane of many a teacher's existence. So yes I would cut the teacher some slack and focus on the behaviour and effort your child puts in. Because... well you know... in the real world his employers won't give a shit that he has this and that... they'll only care about his work ethic and ability to follow instructions. Help your child to accept that they need to be the best they can be an don't accept them using their adhd as an excuse to mess around.

Id be happy for a teacher to use this word for my kids if they had indeed been lazy. One has asd. He can still despite this be lazy. I would rather them be kicked up the arse rather than remaining undisciplined because of a need to use flowery language which doesnt offend.

Pengggwn- even if that were true, which I doubt, calling him lazy isn't go to magically fix it. It's just going to create more division. He needs someone to look at why he is finding it difficult and offer real help not accusations.

Thatswot

You must live in a dream world and you clearly have no understanding of the huge time constraints already on teachers.

No one said calling him lazy would fix it. However on a report it is an accurate description of the pupil in that lesson. The teacher doesn't have time to unpick why, how and wherefore at the end of (or during) a lesson.

Let's get real, sometimes all kids can be lazy regardless ps SEN.

Jacobsbread - I hope the children you speak about are 'backed to the hilt' by their parents because they will need it. Thank god someone in their lives sees the best in them, wouldn't it be great if their teacher could be at least sympathetic to their needs too.

My ds has asd. I noticed that on an update (not a report) a subject teacher had written that he was lazy. I was about to get arsey then I thought about the subject and my son and reconsidered. Yes, actually he can be lazy when it suits him.

Pengggwn - no issues with calling them out in a positive way e.g. 'Come on Timmy I know you are capable of doing this work you did so well yesterday' but not using the word lazy.

Thatswot

Being backed to the hilt by parents has led to an ECHP being written where the parents statement is so far removed from anything that teachers, Ed psychs and even the child say. The parents truly believe their child can do no wrong because of his autism.

However when their child is shouting and bullying another student that has nothing to do with his autism... That's because he is never told he is wrong and he knows mum and dad will kick off if he is told he is wrong. School have had to work twice as hard to instil boundaries that aren't backed up at home.

I'm not a teacher. Qualified professionals should be free to express their view without having to go through second guess every word they use for fear of not causing "offense".

OP have you never experienced your son being lazy? Has he ever left is towel on the bathroom floor? Is that because you haven't made the towel rail stimulating or interesting enough?

Thatswot do you actually work in a mainstream classroom? Your ideas are so airy fairy!

Calling them our in a positive way is why so many kids are now scared of failure!

Thats My point is that although the wording was less than ideal it represents the teachers observation about how the student performed that lesson. And now you are encouraging the OP to see this as a major issue and tackle it.

So that means that said teacher, who is already short in time, is going to spend yet more time dealing with the OPs petty complaint rather than getting on with planning, teaching and marking.

I’m all for parental contact if there is a real issue to discuss. And it can be very valuable contact. But I am sick and tired of my time being wasted by parents who are looking to take offence at every little thing.

Teachers care about children and their outcomes, otherwise they wouldn’t spend so much of their own time doing all the things that cannot be done during the day. I sent my toddler to my mum’s yesterday rather than have a day out with her so I could mark Yr11 tests. I will then take these in on Monday (a non working day) so they can have them in time to revise for their mock.

My issue is the waste of time these petty complaints cause. And the massive lack of trust in the professionals who are giving up a big chunk of their home lives to educate your child.

Nannyogg I agree with you 100%

What's really scary is that most people are assuming that it's true - and the child is lazy.

The whole dynamic of what is happening in school needs addressing.

I've had similar conversations with my ds teachers. Usually along lines of:

Teacher: ds doesn't focus and hums in class - I have to keep intervening to keep him on task.

Me: how are the strategies working - he is getting back to talk quicker and refocusing for longer

Teacher: eh? I want him to focus in lesson. He needs to focus and concentrate.

Me: I 100% agree and would like to work with you to support this. Perhaps if you can tell me what strategies you use I'll be able to suggest ones that I've found work better?

Teacher: he's not focussing - I need you to tell him to focus.

Until literally have to say "ds has asd and severe problems with executive function. He has an EHCP describing how to teach such skills. I can't just say "don't do that" and more than you can tell X 2 who's in a wheelchair to "walk up stairs to classroom F2".

I'll admit it's very rare I have this conversation by there is every now and again a t aches who wants ds to just stop being disabled.

Using words such as lazy and unfocused and putting on report with not make it disappear.

So it's not entirely helpful here to assume either side is right or wrong. The only way to solve this is to ask the teacher what they mean and what's happening and then see what can be done to support him. Same with report - what outcome are they expecting from the report? What is it's aim?

It's also important to remember lots of children may 'annoy' a teacher in lesson. Some children may never get that reported - but if there's someone asking the question then it actively encourages something to think about the negatives.