secondaery teachers-do you think you really know your students?

[brimfull]

ie. what type of family they come from?

standard of living?
aspirations?
religion ?

just interested as it came up on another thread.

I would be surprised if dd's teachers really knew her well.

I think its part of working in a school, as a teacher or support staff. It's like currency in a way. The more you know about a child, the more respect you seem to get from them! Knowing what football team they support is a great way in! If you bump into them in the corridor and can say, 'good result yesterday Jonny!' or 'how did the dance comp go then Lily?' then they tend to respect you even more! I bank an snippet of information I can and it works wonders!

I teach sen and make a point of knowing them as I feel it helps me understand them.....
I probably have 125 kids that I have four times a week.
And I KNOW when phones, mp3' are on. Sometimes I choose to ignore the rude children who openly flout the rules.....

I asked dd (yr 12) and she says some of her teachers know her quite well.Her favourite ones I think

tatt-why so cynical?

I teach 'A' levels only and teach about 100 students a week - so I certainly know the basic facts about all of them. For some, who want to reveal more I could tell you their siblings, homelife, what they want to do at uni, and where they want to go, religious beliefs (but then I teach religion) and ethical views... but then other students are much more private and wouldn't reveal so much information about themselves, and that is fine too. Despite knowing one heck of a lot of information about some students, I know that I only ever know one side of them, that they can be very different outside of college, with friends, at home etc...

I feel I know a fair amount about all the children I teach, and some of them I know really well.
Some children aren't keen to be 'known' in great detail - and that needs to be respected.

LOL at the poster who whines about her 'polite' children misbehaving in an underhand way. Perhaps she needs to speak to her own children rather than whinge on MN.
As was pointed out, it's impossible to teach effectively while watching every child in the class in detail for the whole hour of the lesson - and that's true of a class of 15 as well as a class of 30. If a child wants to surreptitiously get their mobile out under the desk, they will. Unfortunately, some children aren't interested in trying to regulate their own behaviour at all, and often this is linked to having parents who don't promote self regulation. It's easier to blame the teacher for the fact that your child is rude and lacking in self control than actually addressing the root of the problem

fizzbuzz what makes you think the teachers haven't been told? They have, more than once - but their coursework gets done, their grades will be OK and the teachers don't care. Easier just to pretend you don't see it.

As for being cynical - product of the teachers I've met recently. When I was at school my head teacher certainly knew everyone well and teachers knew how to manage a class. The one teacher who recognises what my children are like is also one who has been teaching a long time.