Can I do anything here?

[SanFranBear]

DDs teacher left today after just one half term of teaching her because the Head was unhappy with her level of knowledge and her attitude to the pupils. We received a very open and honest letter from the school today.

I can't comment on her teaching ability but DD, whos 8, has told me something tonight which had I known earlier would've led me to make a formal complaint.

DD put her hand up and pointed out a spelling mistake in the teachers work on the board. So the teacher picked up DDs work and in front of the class, started critiquing it, pointing out DDs mistakes. DD said she felt embarrassed but I'd go further and say she humiliated her!

As she's now left the school, is there anyway this can be fed back? She was hired through an agency so I wondered if I can speak to the Head and ask for this to be mentioned?

I don't know if I'm over-reacting as she's now left and DDs new teacher, who I met today at pickup seems like a breath of fresh air and so I can't imagine this will impact DD long term. And whilst she did raise her hand and not just point out the spelling mistake, perhaps it wasn't great..

But I think that's an appalling thing for any teacher to do and says a lot about her style which other schools should be aware of before they hire her.

With the greatest respect, can what your daughter said be taken as gospel?

It’s not uncommon for children to excadurate (I can’t spell)
Could the teacher by any chance have just responded by saying we all make mistakes- and showing one of dds to her?

Also is there any way that your daughters comments could’ve been perceived as rude?
I am a teacher and I honestly can’t spell & some kids are so mean/rude - which leads to being sent out

I do believe DD - she's generally honest but you're right, i wasnt there. The teacher has left as well - it just seemed such a cruel thing to do. And I definitely believe it was in front of the class which was the worst bit I think.

I think it HAS been dealt with, hasn't it. There must have been lots of things like this which have led to the teacher being dropped.

If the teacher hadn't be let go yet I would have said definitely feed it back, because it is dreadful. Now though, I don't think it will make a difference. The agency will have been given a clear picture of how the teacher did.

Empowered I can't spell either and I take it as a great opportunity to model to my children how to compensate for a difficulty. I tell them to look carefully at every word I write and tell me straight away if I do it wrong, and if I'm not sure about a word we all look it up together. Lord knows why you are being so defensive about it and ending up sending them out! Why should children be missing their education because you can't spell??

It has been dealt with as she has now left. Given the explanation from the school, there were obviously other complaints so there is very little point adding another. Move on. FWIW the teacher did respond badly. If I make a mistake, I always thank the child for pointing it out. Learning how to handle errors like this is down to experience really.

Low, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, as a rule I am more than happy to take the corrections pupils give me, and we use it as a time to say, thank you and praise their great literacy/spellings & to point out that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. But, there have been several times I’ve had to remove children for pointing out my shortcomings in a rude or derogatory way. For example I Had kids in year 11 call me a stupid bitch who shouldn’t be allowed to teach if I can’t spell. I’ve also had a girl in year nine highlight a word I misspelled in all 16 of the text books we were using and a group of year seven top set laughed at me because they’d learned a word in primary that I struggled with and started saying I bet in the olden days miss was too poor to go to primary school, whilst we were doing a silent assessment (for what it’s worth I do think that their comments are hilarious, and I’m not someone to to take it personally.)
Sending them out isn’t me being defensive it’s just upholding the behaviour policy in my school. 🤔
And they’re not missing their education because i can’t spell, they’re just doing work in Internanal exclusion because of their poor behaviour not my spelling?

I am a teacher and I honestly can’t spell

Why do you think being able to spell is a prerequisite for teaching Littlewhistle?

I have a degree from Oxford from the days when all essays, finals etc were handwritten (I bet they probably still are) so no autocorrect to help. They didn’t give a monkeys. PGCE, Masters both unaffected by crap spelling- although obviously it is avoidable now in written submissions with the use of technology. I have plenty of very academically able friends and family members who can’t spell- they don’t seem to have been held back in life either.

I can teach other people to spell.

I'd find it rather difficult to teach children how to spell if I couldn't do it myself.

Just because you'd find it difficult doesn't mean it can't be done. I actually think it's great for kids to see adults finding something tough. Just as long as they aren't brats about it like in that post from @empowered.

OK, sorry Littlewhiste, I'll hand my qualifications in at the door on my way out.

Idiotic comment from empowered

The head dealt with it badly.

Leave it now.

Lowinthedoor I'm just trying to state a fact but please yourself

Yes, of course you do, Low

Not like anyone’s ever lied on the internet.

Actually lowdoor is talking sense and I'd love her to teach my kids with that attitude.

I'm an English teacher. I have always been shit-hot at spelling (not boasting, just true!). You might think that makes me a great teacher. But try to imagine me as a newly qualified teacher trying to understand kids who struggled with spelling. I had no way of relating to their struggles at all.

I'm a demon with a marking pen but it took me a long time to be able to properly support spelling because I'd literally never had to think about it.

What bit are you questioning @Blueflorals ?

Sorry, forgot to respond to OP. Yes, let it go, unless she's likely to appeal or the Governors still have to review it. If it's a done deal forget it. Just talk to your DD about it.

Argh forgot the @Lowdoorinthewal1

Lowinthedoor... ?

Well, Littlewhistle you appear to struggle with your reading!

I couldn't be arsed scrolling back up to find your name

I would leave it as it sounds like they are aware of the problems so an extra issue is not going to be needed.

Just to say I am a teacher and know I am an appalling speller however because I know I am I know lots of strategies to enable me to spell correctly, know which words I really struggle to spell, and generally know if a word looks wrong even if i am not sure how to make it right. As pp said a student spotting a spelling mistake is a fantastic learning opportunity. Not only in how to find out how to spell the word but to realise that we all make mistakes and how to move on from them. No one is perfect!

Nope- sorry lorisparkle, you have to quit too!

I'm going off in a grump now as I said something nice to @Lowdoorinthewal1 and she's responded to everyone except me.

This keeps happening to me on threads!

Sorry KingThistle! I genuinely appreciate your comment.

I'm knackered as we've just had back to back SATs and Ofsted- it's probably not making me the most constructive mumsnetter right now.

Shortest grump ever