I wouldn’t be a teacher for all the tea in China. And I drink a lot of tea.
Not because of the kids, but the parents. I think it must be a tough gig, and I don’t care how long the holidays are.
The current crop of parents (I’m one) is more engaged with their kids than previous generations, and that’s great. We want to know who our kids’ mates are, what their mates’ families are like. And we want to know everything about what’s happening at school. Above all, we want our kids to be happy. But is that happiness coming at the expense of teachers’ satisfaction? Does it matter? Of course it does. Because teachers are important and if there’s no joy in the job, they’ll leave. I think we need to back off a bit – take a leaf out of our parents’ book.
When I was at primary school, mum knew my teacher’s name (but rarely her first name) and possibly where my classroom was. That was about it.
Teachers hit me reasonably regularly. Sister Carmel* would use a plastic gladioli (snatched from a vase at the feet of a statue of Our Lady) to whip girls on the backs of the legs. I never told my parents, because they’d be furious. Not with Sister Carmel, but with me. In those days, parents sided with the teacher.
Now, the pendulum has swung the other way. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but it must make life tough for teachers trying to maintain order with the result that teachers (many of them presumably good ones), are leaving in droves.
American teacher and writer Ron Clarke wrote an article on CNN.com entitled, ‘What Teachers Really Want To Tell Parents.’ He writes in part
Today, new teachers remain in our profession an average of 4.5 years, and many of them list, ‘issues with parents’ as one of their reasons for throwing in the towel. Word is spreading, and the more negativity teachers receive from parents, the harder it becomes to recruit the best and the brightest out of colleges.
So, what can we do to stem the tide? What do teachers really need parents to understand?
We are educators, not nannies. We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don’t fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer. I have become used to some parents who just don’t want to hear anything negative about their child, but sometimes if you’re willing to take early warning advice to heart, it can help you head off an issue that could become much greater in the future.
Trust us. At times when I tell parents that their child has been a behavior problem, I can almost see the hairs rise on their backs. They are ready to fight and defend their child, and it is exhausting. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I tell a mum something her son did and she looks at him and asks, ‘Is that true?’
Well, of course it’s true. I just told you. And please don’t ask whether a classmate can confirm what happened or whether another teacher might have been present. It only demeans teachers and weakens the partnership between teacher and parent.
Please quit with the excuses. If you want to help your children be successful, stop making excuses for them. I was talking with a parent and her son about his summer reading assignments. He told me he hadn’t started, and I let him know I was extremely disappointed because school starts in two weeks. His mother chimed in and told me that it had been a horrible summer because of family issues they’d been through in July. I said I was so sorry, but I couldn’t help but point out that the assignments were given in May. She quickly added that she was allowing her child some, ‘fun time’ – it wasn’t his fault the work wasn’t complete.
If you don’t want your child to end up 25 and jobless, sitting on your couch eating potato chips, stop making excuses for why they aren’t succeeding. Instead, focus on finding solutions.
Be a partner instead of a prosecutor. It’s OK for your child to get in trouble sometimes. It builds character and teaches life lessons. If we give a child a 79 on a project, that is what the child deserves. Don’t set up a time to meet with me to negotiate extra credit for an 80. It’s a 79, regardless of what you think. This one may be hard to accept, but you shouldn’t assume that because your child makes straight A’s that she is getting a good education. A lot of times it’s the bad teachers who give the easiest grades, because they know by giving good grades everyone will leave them alone. Parents will say, ‘My child has a great teacher! He made all A’s this year!’
Wow. Come on now. It’s usually the best teachers who are giving the lowest grades, because they are raising expectations. Yet, when your children receive low scores you want to complain and head to the principal’s office.
I had a child cheat on a test, and his parents threatened to call a lawyer because I was labeling him a criminal. I know that sounds crazy, but principals are telling me more and more lawyers are accompanying parents for school meetings dealing with their children.
We know you love your children. We love them, too. We just ask you to trust us, support us and work with the system, not against it. We need you to have our backs, and we need you to give us the respect we deserve. Lift us up and make us feel appreciated, and we will work even harder to give your child the best education possible.
That’s a teacher’s promise, from me to you.
Of course, there are horrible teachers. People who have been in the job too long, whose wisdom and experience are clouded by crankiness. They’re hanging out for retirement.
My memories of Sister Carmel have faded (although the gladioli story is a favourite with my kids). My great teachers left a more lasting effect. The ones who fostered my love of reading and told me I could write. Gina Brosnan**, is one of them and is still at my old school 27 years after I left. I see her occasionally and am always struck by her dedication and enthusiasm. I hope people like Mrs Brosnan are still becoming teachers, and more importantly, they stay teaching.
Who was your favourite teacher ? What is that makes you remember him/her?
* Not her real name
** Her real name
Comments
233 Comments so far
Absolutely agree with the above article! I am lucky enough that I have managed to foster a really great relationship with most of the parents whose children I teach (I am a high school teacher in Western Sydney). I work very hard to keep them in the loop, using strategies like sending emails to parents when I give homework or assessment tasks, which also means their children (and the parents) are unable to say not enough notice was given, they didn’t know about it, they lost their diary, or any other of the raft of excuses given for non-completion! I make sure that I make at least 1 positive phone call to a parent every week, as I find that if you have told them something great about their child’s progress and performance before, they are much more likely to listen if there is an issue!
This aside, there are always parents that approach the teacher defensively (even before I’ve opened my mouth!) and there are always parents that think that because they have the ability to reproduce (congratulations) that they are as (or more) qualified in education and child psychology as a professional with at least 4 years of university education on the subject. Thankfully, I have found these parents to be rare and found that, when approached the right way (‘we’re in this together’, ‘very unusual behaviour for him’, ‘really is such a bright young man’, ‘usually so pleasant’, ‘what can we do together to help her?’), most parents are really great allies!
Basically, parents just want to know that you like and value their child and are trying to HELP them rather than just BLAME them, and teachers just want parents to respect their professional judgement and support them in their dealings with your child.
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Much of this debate seems too polarised. It’s ridiculous to make teachers into some kind of saintly beings. They are just people. Some of them are good at their jobs and some aren’t, just like hairdressers, doctors and builders.
Some teachers are very ignorant people who lack insight and wisdom. Some are excellent and inspire their students. Most fall somewhere between those two extremes.
Teaching should be a higher profession. You should have to get higher entry marks to get into teaching courses and then you should be paid more to be a teacher, instead of looking at your school leaving marks and then saying, ‘Well, I guess I’ll be a teacher.’
I loved the male teachers I had for the last three years of primary school — all beards, long socks and shorts and gentle conduct. But, I was a good girl who did my work, so I only know them from my perspective. It’s impossible to know how they dealt with ‘problem’ children. I hated the boiler, Mrs M, I had for grade 3, who used to smoke at her desk (!), shake my friend off her chair because she didn’t know the maths answers and who yelled at me because she said I was telling another friend the answer when actually I was saying something else. My friend said, ‘If you don’t tell me, I won’t be your friend.’ And I replied, ‘Well, if you won’t be my friend, I won’t be your friend.’ (Genius comeback, I know). But, no, Mrs M, 35 years later, I was NOT TELLING HER THE ANSWER!!!!!
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Adding to my last comment, just to bring the story into the modern era, this is exactly when Mrs M could have done with my mother going into the school to tell her to get a grip on herself. I now wonder if there was a tipple to go with those cigarettes. The thing is, my mother probably wouldn’t have gone to the school over that and I may not have even told her.
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My dear child,
First, well done for getting good marks and also your degree.
Second, now you can learn to properly comprehend what you read.
Sadly, you missed all my points.
I said that some teachers are good and some are not, just as in other professions, therefore the debate need not be so polarised. I don’t think anyone could disagree with that.
How parents view particular teachers has nothing to do with whether they believe the teachers work for them. If you become a parent, you will not stand by when an ignorant or incompetent person interacts with your child in a manner that you find intolerable.
The argument about the marks is relative, but it wasn’t the core sub-topic in my comment. Teachers are not paid as well as many professions. Again, this is a fact and it does impact on the product delivered.
The fourth paragraph was a personal anecdote from my history, which you didn’t need to get judgemental about. I don’t know what the ‘protocol’ was then either because I was 8 but I’m sure that smoking at the desk, throwing books out of windows and shaking children off their chairs was not correct protocol. Wouldn’t you say so too? I’ll give you one guess.
As for my experience, you completely missed that point. The issue wasn’t about talking in class. It was about the teacher having a go at me for supposedly telling my less academically inclined friend the answer that she was supposed to provide. It has nothing to do with protocol and everything to to with being sensitive and respectful. In other words, don’t tell a child they are doing something/or did something that they didn’t do.
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University entry scores are based on popularity of the course, they are not set by universities. The more people wanting to do the course, the higher the entry score. Many universities have quite high scores for entering Education degrees. When I entered mine 5 years ago at Sydney Uni the minimum score was 84 UAI (now ATAR). Many of my peers had achieved scores about 90 and some above 95. I do not know anyone who made it through the minimum 4 year degree (now minimum 5 year degree) that went into teaching because they looked at their UAI and thought, ‘I guess I’ll just go into teaching!’
And having your mother ‘tell the teacher to get a grip’ is totally inappropriate! Teachers DO NOT work for parents. Parents ARE NOT consumers of a product provided by schools. Parents are more than welcome to engage constructively with the school system and community and most teachers (myself included) welcome this kind of engagement. Apart from anything else, if it is against the rules for you to speak during class, you spoke during class and a reprimand is a reasonable measure. I would be FAR more concerned about shaking a child off her chair, but I wasn’t around at this time and am unsure of protocol!
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Inspired by my own teachers, I decided to become a teacher, but became a highschool-teacher statistic a few years ago.
I too, as a student teacher, called a parent to let her know that her son had been behaving strangely in class. Her response was that I must have done something to him to make him unhappy.
In my first teaching job, I was given yard duty a couple of times a week, and charged with ensuring that a specific area, populated by big, tall year 12 boys, was kept clean. In spite of my best efforts, these boys consistently left their rubbish on the ground, on the bench, next to the bin – you get the idea. Anyway, I tried to get them to use the bin (given that it was right in front of them) but was physically surrounded and intimidated. I took it to my head-of-department, who actually told me that they didn’t want to make an issue of it, because it would just create issues within the school!
Later on, at a different school, I was confronted with whole classes of students who thought it acceptable that they not learn any of the subject that they’d enrolled in. I ended up spending most of my time as a crowd controller.
Things came to a head when I tried to bring up what I’d been experiencing to someone higher up, only to be told that I was creating more work for them, and what did I really expect them to do anyway? They then went on to play the blame game, blaming me for bringing it up, and my colleague (a fabulous teacher and leader) for incompetence.
I quit teaching altogether, and did some other things, and have only recently returned to teaching, though as an adult educator. I now love my job. I still encounter a few obnoxious people here and there, but the majority of my students want to learn, and the people that I work with are supportive. That’s made all the difference. Though I sometimes wonder what could have been, I don’t think that I’ll ever return to high-school teaching; there’s just not enough support. I know that I’m very lucky to have had alternatives.
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Over the years I’ve had some pretty awesome teachers, but now that I’m at the very end of Year 12, I think I’ve just realised how much I really do appreciate them, and how much time they do put in to make sure their students are doing well.
I think some teachers should definitely get paid more!
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I think we are in danger of losing the joy of learning in schools because of the attitude of parents and rude kids. And then there is the issue that so much time is taken getting kids to listen that much learning time is lost. I have just retired and am seen as a teacher who ha good class control. God help the new recruits!!!
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my mum and dad are both teachers, so totally agree with the “things your teacher wants to tell you” list up there. now that we’re all older, they feel okay to ring and have a whinge about terrible parents/children they deal with, since we’re no longer in that town/school (went to the same school my mum teaches at, but she refused to be a teacher for any of her kids – too weird!)
things from the local copper coming in for his parent-teacher interview, being really aggressive, in uniform (even though he was on his day off) with a gun on him and radio blaring the whole time, refusing to sit down and standing over the top of my mum the whole time!
to really lovely parents who say when they run into them down the shops how excited their kids are to be having my mum as a teacher next year, and that they’re so pleased that she’ll be taking their children
having been a teachers’ child though, i would never go into school level teaching myself – i’ve seen how much shit they get put through by parents and kids, and how much unpaid/out of hours work they do – mum has always done a solid 10 hour day on sundays doing lesson plans and marking kids’ work, as well as being at school from 8am till 5pm for the 5 working days of the week!
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There were many times throughout school and primary school especially that my mum questioned my sister’s and my teachers. I’m glad she did because, quite frankly, some teachers were just incompetent.
For example, my year 2 teacher couldn’t add fractions so had to get a boy (who was a new migrant from Indonesia) to teach the rest of the class.
Kudos to all those GOOD teachers out there because I will remember them for the rest of my life.
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Shout out to my favourite teachers -
Mrs Hoffmeister – my grade one teacher at Rainworth SS
Mrs Shakespeare – grade two teacher Buderim SS
Mr Bundeson – grade six teacher
Mr Mason – Ancient History teacher at Immanuel
Mrs Thomson – Drama Teacher at Immanuel
A good teacher makes learning a delight and adventure.
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I have been a teacher for the past 9 years and I absolutely adore my vocation, but it is a crazy amount of work, frustrating and totally exhausting. I have always had good relationships with my parents as I really come at any situation labouring the we are in this together point of view. I make it clear that I am an advocate for the kid and that my feedback is with the view to helping them be the best they can be. Whenever I have a potentially tough interview I come prepared with what particular thing is problematic and set about formulating an action plan with the parent for school and home. There is no point in giving criticisms without offering solutions. I make an action plan where I have jobs to do as well as the student and the parent with a follow up date planned so that we are accountable. The oarents are always onside when they feel that you have the child’s best interests at heart. I am yet to have a problem with a parent using this approach.
That said, I work in a very prestigious school overseas, and increasingly we are expected to parent these kids too. Parents work long hours in high-powered positions and are just not around, don’t have the energy or do not have the parenting skills to teach their children manners. The kids I teach are sweet but under-parented resulting in very little impulse control or self-discipline and a sense of entitlement. Behavioural issues mean that a ridiculous amount of time and an even larger chunk of my energy is taken up “controlling” the class rather than being able to teach rich lessons. When 20 out of 25 of my class have a behavioural, emotional or learning issue – or combination of the three, something really has to give.
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Gina Brisbane is an amazing teacher! She was my Ancient History teacher. Her lessons on how to evaluate sources have not been equalled by any of my lecturers from three years of journalism.
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My husband and I are both teachers, and we are very close to contributing to the shocking teacher retention rate. Both of us have taught for 2 years and put up with the most unbelievable amount of crap. Parents, some of you would be absolutely shocked to see your children in the classroom. I wish I could have videotaped some of the things that I had to deal with.
I am on my way to becoming a university academic which is still teaching but with writing and research as well. And it means that the people who are in the class (generally) want to be there.
My husband is also looking for a new job, as he is sick of teaching too. He will probably move into IT or education recruitment.
Student behaviour is the most depressing thing about being a teacher for me. The constant interruption, getting students quiet, trying to make yourself heard. It’s impossible. In my first year of teaching, I came home everyday without a voice because I had to raise it so many times. I developed better classroom management after a while, but I still had to put up with verbal abuse and sexual harassment on a daily basis. It was common for teachers to have their things stolen and nothing was done about it. Who wants to work in an environment like that!? Especially when you busted your gut for 4 years at university.
It sounds horrible to say, but I can’t wait until I never have to step foot into a classroom again.
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That’s so true. It makes me so mad when all we hear is that the problem is ‘teacher quality’ there is no mention of the fact that teachers get abused, verbally, sometimes physically that it is hard to do the actual job. And comments about your body, your underwear, boys making pelvic thrusts at you, in any other context would be called sexual harrassment. Pins on the seat, may seem like a harmless prank, but the consequence of not seeing these in time could cause unthinkable physical harm. I was hit by sticks in the corridor and a ball to the head which almost caused concussion. There is no consequence for these kids. The only punishment is suspension which never ends in expulsion because the school does not want it on its record books or ‘transparent’ website. This transparency leads to more obfuscation than ever. In the past, schools were more free to get rid of these kids. Now that’s over and they stay on, robbing other kids of their education.
Imagine going into an office job, but just as you walk in the other workers say ‘f off’ instead of good morning. They empty your files on the floor and turn your desk upside down. You go home and have to do three hours more work. Then your co-workers families come in and have a go at you. In the papers they complain about your lack of quality. That’s teaching.
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I have homeschooled my son last year. My view of teachers and their jobs have shifted a bit since this happened. He was 2 years late (due to the fact that we had been living in a foreign country the 3 previous years), and placed in his age group at school, regardless of his level. I fought for 3 months with the teacher, trying to get her to give me the EXACT lesson they would be doing that week, so that i could help him at home (2 years is not minor…) but she kept being vague. Questioning my son’s friend, i learnt she was putting him in a corner with DRAWINGS and lines of letters (just because the netherlands have a different way of forming letters to the french way …..apparently learning to form his letters the french way was worth losing a month of french lessons…) , my son being an aspie was also badly bullied, so in the end i decided it wasn’t worth it and took him back for homeschooling. I succeeded in making him move up 2 years this way, but he still is a year late of course. SO, i tried putting him back to school this year: they want to put him back with his age group, regardless of level. Again. Wondering what to do here, I can’t homeschool him forever, i have to work right? All this to say i’ve lost my trust in teachers in the course of these last years. It’s all fine and dandy if yor child is conform, but god help you if he is different…..
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I loved my third grade teacher Mrs. jensen… she put her heart and soul into teaching and encouraged us in every way. She made learning fun!
My least favorite teacher had prejudged me because of my family’s faith and structure, and showed obvious favoritism to the other kids while shortchanging me. Sad… but I worked hard and was the top student in her class regardless. At least that’s the one place she was fair, in scoring papers. I’m not proud of it now – but I did put cracked eggs in her desk on the last day of school.
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Im 30 and still haven’t quite come to terms with how my grade 5 and 7 teachers treated us (i loved my other teachers) On retrospect the grade 5 teacher emotionally abused us…. won’t go into to too much detail but ‘humiliation’ was key to her teaching style. She actually imitated a child (who i now realize most likely had high functioning autism) and called him a ‘spastic’ while we all sat there in complete shock. I think my mum also felt bullied by these teachers and did all of those things that Ron Clark has suggested…. i think she sometimes regrets not trusting me.
Favorite teacher Mrs Hoffman (Science) she knew my strengths and weakness, she knew my learning style and we worked great together. I was shocked that despite not seeing her for over 12 years she sent me a wedding card after hearing i was getting married. Amazing!
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My Mum used to call out other parents when they gave a teacher a hard time in those group parent nights. She ALWAYS sided with the teacher. Even if she thought something was a bit harsh, she’d never criticise them in front of us.
The only time she intervened was in year 6 when I was put in a class with none of my friends (I had a group of 12+ friends at that point and not one of them was there) and mostly made up of girls who had bullied me the entire year previous. Even then, she understood the reasoning for me being there (it was a composite class so the kids had to be capable of independent learning) and was very nice about it.
I can’t remember any other situations where she questioned the teacher (at least to my knowledge).
Kids have to know the teacher is the boss. If a parent has questions or concerns, they should take them up with the teacher away from the child. Thats what parent-teacher meetings are for. If a kid sees their mum run off and abuse the teacher without getting both sides of the story, then they’re just going to run rings around them.
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I sent a note home about a Yr12 student’s behaviour: he stood up and yelled something rude and homophobic out the classroom window whilst I was teaching then sat down and got his phone out, ignored my instructions to put it away and did minimal work the entire lesson. His mother called up and abused my supervisor because her son said he didn’t do it, and clearly she believed him. Do you have any idea how convoluted the process is to send a note home? So no, I do not undertake the process lightly and I don’t make a habit of lying about the poor behaviour of my students.
A student said “Here’s my F*&@en sheet, b*@^*” and threw the paper at me. When the parents were called in for the suspension process, the student denied everything, parents sided with student and nothing happened to him, not a thing because I couldn’t produce an adult witness who had heard him say it.
Reports comments have become generic and non-committal because you are not allowed to convey your professional opinion in case you offend someone with the truth.
I am asking for parental support when I speak with you; I am not criticising you for your child’s misbehaviour. I need your child to behave in my classroom so that I can get on with teaching instead of crowd control.
When I give your child a zero for an assessment task they fail to submit, you are not helping them by writing a note to say they were sick the day before it was due when they had 3 weeks to complete the task and have known the assessment schedule since the first week of the year. Help me teach them the lesson of time management and planning.
Yes, I am one of those young teachers who may not make 5 years in the profession because it is not worth the daily tussles with students, parents and colleagues, who don’t want to fight the good fight.
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Sounds like you are dealing with not only difficult parents but also an executive that are not supporting you and putting their foot down to ensure that there are consequences for the students’ behaviour. I worked in a school where this sort of thing happened – a student was to be suspended and the parents would come up to the school and tell the principal that they didn’t want their child suspended and, lo and behold, they were back in class. And this happened over and over and over. It got to the point where we had students who would throw furniture, assault teachers (hair pulling) or sending threatening emails (personal experience with that one) and NOTHING was done. It was a NIGHTMARE and the kids just got worse and worse because they knew that by the time it reached the executives they would get away with it.
You are completely right – we are teaching them more than just academic lessons – they are also learning about responsibility, time management, consequences for not choosing to complete assignments or turning up to detention etc. Parents are severely letting their kids down when they make excuses for them all the time or fight those consequences.
I hope you stick around, or manage to find a school where you get the support you deserve – we need more teachers like you.
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Interesting topic and I”m loving reading all the comments!! I can really relate. I’m a qualified primary-school teacher but I’m currently working in adult education. I work for a government organisation that helps new migrants in Australia learn English and settle into life. Anyway i kinda fell into this role…after finishing my primary teaching degree I went to live and work as a teacher in Asia and did a bit of backpacking too. Upon returning to Australia i found it very hard to get a school teaching job here due to the bias that I had ‘wasted my time’ overseas (even though i taught over there). Most schools seemed to see my international experience as a negative for one reason or another.
Anyway I eventually managed to find a great role (my current job) in a job that I love that I found advertised on the Internet. It’s a very multicultural organisation that LOVES hiring people from different backgrounds, people that have worked overseas and travelled and people that have studied foreign languages. The company loved my international experience and the job suited me to a T.
Anyway now that I’ve got this job i really don’t think I want to be a primary teacher anymore. I love what I”m doing teaching adults and it’s so much easier and just as rewarding. There’s no discipline, no dealing with parents, not as much correction or report-writing (but still some), no yard duty etc.
After teaching in Asia (where the kids are much better behaved and the system is very different) and teaching international adults here in Aus I went back to do substitue teaching for a while. I coudln’t handle it!!! Most of my friends from my teaching course are full-time primary teachers now and my hat goes off the them, I don’t know how they do it. I could barely survive teaching rounds. Anyone who says a teachers job is easy has no idea. Juggling 25 students with completely different needs, discipline problems, learning difficulties, corrections, administration, reports, parents…..and the list goes on, its’ enough to give anyone a nervous breakdown!!
Teaching is a profession that really should be more valued and should be paid a hell of a lot more. To all the people that scoff and say it’s easy, I’d love to see them try it for a week and see how they go! To all those great teachers out there: remember you are making a difference in people’s lives and those children/teenagers will remember you for years and years to come…
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25 students – I wish. I usually have over 30!!
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Mr Baerd – History teacher. Fostered my love of Modern History PLUS he was a muso back in the day. So he started up our school rock band which I also sang in with a few of my friends. He really pushed for arts excellence in my sport obsessed school. One of my mates who was an excellent bass player but terrible at school told me in year 12, the only reason he was still at school was because of Mr Baerd.
My principal in primary school who taught me year 4,5,6 (small school) and he was fabulous. Hard but fair and he did push my abilities even then. I was frightened of him, but I liked him? I think for a 10 – 12 year old that’s a pretty good balance to get!
I had quite a few poor teachers but the good ones were simply excellent who taught me that hard work can get you there. I wasn’t the smartest student in school however these teachers found my strengths and got me to push them to the boundary. They helped my get into uni in the direction that used my strengths. It’s funny because thinking about it now, when I got to uni doing subjects that I loved and was interested in, I excelled. That, I think, is a great thing.
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I think I am a way better parent because I was a teacher. I imagine had I not been in the teaching position I would have been an awfully overbearing parent. Sad but true
But now I understand that the teachers know my child in a completely different way to how I know him at home. I respect them and support them fully. They do school and I do home.
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My favourite teacher wa in grade 5. He’d been a high school science teacher previously, so we used to come in after lunch once a week to find the classroom set up as a mini lab. So cool. I did my best ever for him.
Just one word to teachers, if a parent has a child with an acknowledged behavior problem (like ADHD), the occasional positive comment (about anything really) wouldn’t go astray. Oh and never ring the parent on a weekend, yes this did happen. It’s bad enough dreading picking up the phone during the week. Other than that, the job teachers do is brilliant.
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Is a phone call on the weekend really that bad? I would be impressed that the teacher cared enough to use their leisure time to discuss my child.
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“if a doctor, lawyer or dentist had 30 people in his/her office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some whom didn’t want to be there and were causing trouble and the doctor/lawyer/dentist without assistance had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then they might have SOME conception of the classroom teachers job”
-Donald Quinn
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Hello teachers. I figure there will be a few of you reading this so can I ask you a question? My son is is Year 2 at school and is in love with his teacher. The teacher is really lovely, very friendly and is always telling me funny stories about things my son has said in class. Anyway, the question is would it be strange to invite the teacher to visit our house for coffee sometime? My son is dying to ask her over, he’s been on about it since the beginning of the year but I’m not sure if inviting a teacher to a students home is the done thing? Thoughts? (she always says hello and stops to talk when we run into her out and about so it’s not strictly just a school relationship, if that makes sense).
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Anon I think it is a lovely idea but I doubt the teacher can accept. The school would have an issue and teachers need to be cautious as it can backfire when parents become friendly. Other parents may see the relationship as favoritism in the classroom and it is an issue of equity.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. You have a lovely idea, but perhaps setting up a coffee morning with other parents might be more favorable.
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Thanks for your reply. I think the coffee morning with other parents is a good idea
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I’m not a teacher but perhaps when the child is no longer in that class you may be able to invite her over for coffee?
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One of our mums organised a drinks night….we all went out and invited the two teachers. It was great b/c parents got to catch up and we all got to tell the two teachers how great we thought they were. we did this at the end of the year and it was great.
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Haha love this! We used to play social tennis with my sister’s prep teacher and he would occasionally pop round to have a drink with my parents. Didn’t affect the student/teacher relationship in any way, but then again my sister wasn’t in love with him!
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Teachers need parents ON SIDE. Also, if you pay for a private school, that doesn’t mean teachers are a commodity. We will not ‘supply’ high grades if your kid does not earn them. Defending your kid for everything will not make them better in the long run, and you’re the ones who will have to experience the fallout of that.
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I had great teachers in the upper school (9-12) of my school, not so good in in the lower (4-8). I put this down to environment. There seemed to be something wrong with the teachers environment in the lower school, they seemed to dislike each other. Sometimes it’s not the kids, or the teachers, it’s the environment they work in.
I had good teachers at the crucial times, Years 11 and 12, and they helped me get great marks. I’m very thankful.
One thing with teaching that bothers me is it is still seem by some as the profession of last resort. I went to uni with some people who stuffed around, didn’t know what to do, then went onto to do postgrad teaching for lack of anything better. And with very low uni marks too. That is worrying. If demand for teachers wasn’t so strong then these people could be weeded out.
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I think we’re a long way off from being able to navigate the distinctions between disatisfaction with teachers and the disatisfaction we have with the system. The current education, though popular, politically defended and accepted as a given unchangeable fact of life, is outdated, and outperformed by other pedagogical approaches. I struggle with teachers who claim to be professionals, yet cannot cite other pedagogical approaches, their philosophical grounding, their performance, the pros, the cons or acknowledge the potential benefits to adapting educational models to suit different groups of children and their various learning styles. If a teacher is doing their best to mediate in a difficult system, but understands that there are better ways and is trying to advocate for these, then I have no issue. I struggle myself, with the dance between ideological human rights advocacy and actual resource allocation. These factors rarely meet. But if a teacher defensively sprouts educational ‘expertise’ …. I’m a little worried … I’m the ‘expert’ of my kid … A teacher’s advice is certainly not as valuable to me as a doctor’s (and I’ll get a second opinion there also) but more so than a lawyers, (indeed, lawyers don’t rate very highly with me … that kind of collective ignorance of systemic power and privilege disillusions me!!) I won’t be ranting for better grades (as I’m ideologically opposed to grading/assessment based education), I won’t disbelieve a claim of bad behaviour, but I may try to encourage a teacher to understand it in context (oh, how many teachers lack a sense of humour, an understanding of developmental boundary pushing, or comprehension of the impact of disadvantage on the life, emotion and development of a child!!) I will encourage my child to respect school, their teacher, their community, as I try to instill they respect all people, all communities. I won’t be ranting for exemptions, but I will advocate to alter assessment protocols if I feel they lack educational value, or they compromise the emotional development of my child, or they squash my child’s desire to learn.
I don’t send my children to mainstream schools because I think it’s the best choice. I send them because I have few other options that I am able to facilitate. I do however, like their location within the democratic philosophy of entitlement to free thought. (I hope one day schools embrace this concept more fully). I have well researched, well informed ideological oppositions to many popular educational practices, but teach my children to navigate them, rather than disrespect them. I instruct the same regarding politics, social and cultural stereotypes/assumptions/generalisations, or media information and sources. I judge teachers, not by their performance, or their assessment of my child’s performance, but rather by how much my child likes them. Afterall, what I most hope for from education is the development of collaborative, relational, interdependent learning, exploration, curiosity, respect and imagination. If a teacher can encourage my child to trust them and work with them … they win many points. They also win points if they talk to me respectfully, appreciate my insight, whilst refraining from condescension. (condescension is sadly, too often my experience).
Parents are bound to be painful (I am painful by my own admission) … but we are part of the job … just like working with statutory obligations, carers, inadequate resources, ministerial directives, burnout, inadequate remuneration and media harshness are part of mine. Parents are finally realising we can participate in education in a way that we hope can change it … because we know it’s not working! I’d leave teachers all alone if education worked for ALL kids, but it doesn’t. So, just like I’ll keep pushing for change, and be the bad guy, the moody colleague who calls her peers to push themselves further than humanly possible for the rights of others, I’ll be the pushy mum at a school, who badgers teachers, principals and engages other parents in conversations about collective change. Until human rights are valued in their entirety. Until education works for ALL kids.
p.s. OMG what kind of privileged school does the writer work at that lawyers seriously get brought to parent/teacher meetings?? OMG!!
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Are you a teacher? You can spout theory all day, but can you TEACH?
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Completely agree here Emilie…Theory is simply theory and research is research unless you have the experience to back it up.
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Sigh, your position and ideology sounds like a lot of hard work. I respect your comment. Still, from where I stand (well outside the classroom and curriculum) I’m happy for my kids to be part of the mainstream crowd. I love them and their individuality, but I try to tell them they’re no more special than anyone else. No school or teacher is perfect but kids and parents have to work with it. I couldn’t care less about homework, for instance, but I tell my kids if the teacher sets it, they must do it. ‘The system’, can’t be all things to all people. Most people come out as functional citizens and good people (and that’s been happening for a long time) so most teachers must be okay.
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I am ideological. Unapologetically so. And it is a lot of work. I don’t strive for perfection, but I do strive for conversations that permit free thought, alternative approaches, collaborative effort. I will probably die defeated and depressed … but striving … always striving. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the tortuous work that must be teaching (I did actually contemplate it, and I have a very good teacher friend, with whom I share much philosophical, practical and social discussion with regarding teaching practice – she too will probably die defeated and depressed but striving – either that or, we will both give up and go work a bar somewhere on an island in the sun!). Meanwhile, I work in my own tortuous sector, with some of the most disadvantaged people in our country, and it simply isn’t enough that school works for “most” children. It simply isn’t. Education should work for all.
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I’m with you 100% Kate.
I think the idea that kids don’t have to conform sets them up for a very difficult life. you can be an individual, but the world is full of systems and rules that you need to bend your individuality to meet.
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Teachers probably hide when they see you. What degree do you have?
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Personally I learnt more about ‘teaching’ during my prac weeks than I learnt during the theory portion of my degree. You can know things but you can’t really ‘know’ until you’ve done it.
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My HSC marks qualified me for medicine, lawyer, engineer etc. In my day we had to pay our way through Uni. Since I couldn’t afford that a teacher’s scholarship seemed the only way, I had to guarantee 3 years of teaching to “pay back “ my bond, after which I was going to move on. Instead I loved it. I spent hours working out lesson plans( in science), I had a child who had remedial problems , another who was very intelligent but couldn’t learn to read: this made me more conscious as to how I dealt with children with problems. I worked out extra work for the gifted and so on.
I think I did well as I had many parents give me appreciation: verbally and in gifts, I had many students contact me after they left school to tell me how they were succeeding. This isn’t to say how good I was just to show I worked hard for a career I loved. I retired because my retired husband wanted to travel.
This year, 5 years after retirement, I did some casual work at 5 different schools. I was shocked to find that the feelings that I had noticed before I retired were worse. Good teachers disheartened by poorly behaved students, parents that supported their child no matter what (and this has little to do with their intelligent level, probably the highly intelligent parents were worse), little to no support from executives who are concerned with the political fallout if they supported the teacher, excessive marking and reporting for the teachers to do (more than what I did as a new teacher years ago).
I don’t want my grandchildren to go through this system!!!!
We need to support the 90% of students who wish to learn, we need to help support those teachers who wish to teach and not fight students all day. I feel parents that refuse to acknowledge their child’s misbehaviour might need to be a casual teacher for a week.
I have spoken to teachers at other schools and the outcome seems to be that they don’t do all the innovative things they would like to do as they are too busy controlling those few problem students, marking and filling out reports.
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My daughter is in Year 9 at our local girls high school which is known as having a excellent academic reputation. So much so there is a waitlist. However, my daughter has complained since day one about the poor quality of education she is getting there. This she puts down to the small % of girls who are disruptive and simply dont want to be there.These disruptive girls are in every class. The teachers spend the majority of the classtime trying to control these girls and neglecting the rest of the class as a result. They also seems to be a high number of substitute teachers which I would put down to stress. I do not blame the teachers I think they do their best in difficult circumstances. But its sad when the hardworking students suffer as a result of behaviour issues concerning a small number of students.
I wish we could afford to go private.
(we are not Catholic and did not consider this option)
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Having worked in both private and public systems I can tell you there are disruptive and highly disruptive students in both the public and the private schools.
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I think you’re right about the disruptive behaviour being in both public and private.
I’ve taught at both public and private and from my experience the behavioural expectations at private is much higher and poor behaviour just isn’t tolerated.
As a casual teacher, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to get things done!
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I like to put a lot of thought into “teacher presents” at the end of the year. I know they don’t expect a present but they do deserve one, and my kids also like to participate in the gift giving.
For the teachers out there what have been your best gifts, aside from the rewards of teaching our “delightful children”?
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I can’t tell you how much thoughtful presents from parents and students mean. I was fortunate enough to work in a wealthy area of Sydney, so come end of year most parents were in a financial position to show their appreciation for the hard work you’d done throughout the year. I received some truly lovely gifts from some parents. The best, however, was a Swarovski necklace with crystal apple pendant – I have a bit of a thing for apples (which extends to a tattoo on my right arm), so I was absolutely chuffed at this gift. I adored teaching the children of these parents and received much support from them throughout the year, and that gift meant a lot to me. I hope in 20 years time or so, I hear those children are doing well and making great lives for themselves. Ultimately, that would be the most satisfying thing.
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I give giftcards for things like the cinema and bookshops. Around $25-30 each. I know it’s very impersonal but at least they’re getting something they will use. Along with the giftcards I give a card from myself and my husband thanking them for all their hard work and also get my son to make and decorate a card and write a few sentences. The one he did last year was very sweet, he wrote how much he loved his teacher and that she shouldn’t be sad that he wouldn’t be in her class next year because he would still come and visit her.
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A card that expresses how much you appreciate them is always welcome and costs little. One of my most treasured possessions is a little statue of an owl given to me by a parent. Normally I hate what I tend to call “dust collectors” but this brings me joy whenever I see it. And a bottle of wine is always welcome
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I’m still a student teacher, but the best gifts I’ve received so far have been simple hand made gifts from the students who don’t seem to openly show their appreciation often. Little, meaningful things are my favourite, even just a card or an honest thank you.
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A beautiful Burberry wallet- all parents chipped in and bought it for me. I was so shocked I’ll admit I shed a tear.
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The best present I received was a $300 voucher to the nearest shopping centre. 10 parents chipped in for it and it was awesome! Went and bought a mimco bag.
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I work as an executive teacher and often bear the brunt of angry, frustrated and hostile parents. Yes, I agree with many posts that not all teachers are perfect. But there are also many parents who have unreasonable expectations of teachers. When teaching in a high school setting it is not unusual for a teacher to have 150 students, and may only teach those students for only a semester. Teaching, assessing and reporting on that volume of students, even simply knowing their names, is a huge undertaking. So yes, it’s possible they might forget to contact you about unsubmitted work, or may seem a little harried when you try to have an impromptu parent teacher interview, teachers are human, not perfect. I appreciate that parents love their children, that they would even kill for them, but the parents who have blind faith in their child’s perfection and insist on bullying the staff who do not share their perspective contribute to the high rate of teachers who leave the profession. The best thing you can do to enhance your child’s education is maintain a strong, supportive relationship with the school. Teachers will go above and beyond to support you and your child when they feel valued, appreciated and believe that you consider them to be professionals, not babysitters.
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I’m interested to know what you mean by executive teacher? Thanks
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A deputy or assistant principal, usually.
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Or head teacher
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Got it in one
Different educational systems call them different things but basically it’s a step up from the classroom teacher and below the deputy.
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well said!!!!
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Especially those impromptu interviews that parents want to do in the supermarket: would you ask your doctor about that strange rash whilst they are trying to get some milk and bread?
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A teacher I used to work with in Sydney posted that article on Facebook recently, so it’s obvious this (American) article has struck a cord.
That particular teacher is a dedicated and wonderful teacher, as were many of my colleagues in Sydney. I chose to leave the teaching profession about two years ago and have never looked backed. There were some wonderful, fulfilling moments to be had, but for me they did not out weigh the pressure, overwork and badgering I got from parents. In fact, it was my switch from a public school to a private boys’ school that really finished me off. After starting my working day at 7am and often not leaving school grounds until 6pm, without ever getting on top of everything, there were many days I came home and burst into tears.
I am now doing what I really love — and what I am far more suited to — writing (among other things, such as being the director of a writers festival) . However, as that doesn’t pay the bills, I also work in an office three days/week. And while I find it repetitive and not in the least bit challenging, I like it because of the lack of pressure and criticism. I don’t go home cranky from managing poorly behaved students and I can walk away at 3pm and not think about the job until 9am the next morning and all the stuff I should be doing and which used to take up hours on the w’end – marking, lesson planning, meeting parents, supervising Saturday morning sport etc. I am the first to admit teaching was a struggle for me — but I know I gave 100% when I was there. It is a thankless profession and very undervalued. There’s not much prestige in being a teacher. I hated going to social events and saying I was a teacher. You may as well have admitted to cleaning toilets for all the respect you’d earn. You do it because you love it and you think you will make a difference, that’s it. Maybe the holidays which — I’ve always said to the detractors — teachers not only earn, but need if they are going to remain sane.
I now train teachers how to use interactive whiteboards, which I quite enjoy. But whenever I walk into a classroom now to do a training session, the only thing I feel is an enormous sense of relief that it’s not me doing the teaching anymore.
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I got to work at 7 and just got home at 6 and have more work to at home now. Yes I’m a teacher and get very depressed (diagnosed) at times over the whole ‘thankless’ situation. Yes I earn the holidays but I also spend the majority of them working. There’s no way I’d cope in the classroom otherwise.
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And hence why I don’t teach any more. I wish you well, though. Make sure you take care of yourself. No job is worth your mental health.
I have a huge amount of respect for teachers. I just don’t want to be one any more. And since I’ve quit, I’ve met a lot ex-teachers in other professions who feel the same way.
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I think you’ve said it really well, and I can truly empathize. I manage a small team at work, mostly dedicated and hard working, have their moments like everyone. The last few days I have been feeling a bit frustrated and excluded. Caught their little looks and glances on occasion and feel sad about it. I am now just imagining getting that kind of thing every day from students, parents, others. Like you say, the lack of community respect. I commend all good teachers
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One of my favourite moments in teaching happened when a mother wanted her daughter given more marks in English because she’d sold bandanas on Bandana Day.
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Love it!
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The funniest example of a parent thinking their child is an angel that I have witnessed as a teacher:
A year 8 boy (who I shall call Michael) has a rather volatile and defiant personality, and as a result he finds himself in trouble quite a bit. One day Michael was being his usual charming self, and managed to get himself on the wrongside of a teacher (Mr S). Michael storms out of the classroom and calls his Dad to complain that “Mr S is picking on me, I didn’t do nuffin wrong”. Dad comes storming up to the school at lunchtime and demands to see Mr S. He then starts launching into Mr S yelling “All yous teachers are just picking on ‘im!” He gets so worked up that he almost ends up punching Mr S.
Later, while Mr S is recounting the story to the rest of us in the staffroom, another teacher pipes up: “Michael? I just busted him on the oval trying to light grass on fire with a deoderant can.” This was literally occuring at the same time that his Dad was complaining his kid was an innocent victim.
Priceless.
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I had a boy who hacked into the school’s network and wiped most of the system. When his dad was hauled into the school and the boy suspended, the dad complained it was the school’s fault for not having sufficient firewalls. There were quite strong firewalls, but beside that-we should be able to have a certai level of trust…
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My best was a parent that told me if it wasn’t videoed it didn’t happen. As a science teacher I had a prep room, this was years ago when we had less worries about parents in the school. I offered him I peep through a window from the prep room to witness how his child behaved during lesson. During the lesson I had to talk him out of beating his child up after he witnessed said child’s behaviour during lesson.
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Funny story but I don’t see why it was necessary to ridicule their working-class accents. Not all of us have had the privilege of growing up in middle-class families and learning how to speak ‘properly’.
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Lol! Pretty sure there are members of the working class that have enough respect for the English language to use it properly. Ironically, using English properly is something this child should be learning in school. Considering the child’s persona described here, I doubt he is the model student.
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I didn’t intend to riddicule the accents, but I do apologise because it probably wasn’t entirely appropriate. I just know the student so well having taught him for 1.5 years, so as I was writing I was imagining him saying it and wrote it down exactly how it sounded in my head. Sorry to offend.
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NOT recounting it just as he said it (ie ‘improving’ it) would have been more prejudiced, it at all. Oh dear – you got him for a second year?! You should only ever have to teach those children once!!!!
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Yeah, I had him for the first 1.5 years of my teaching career. His class was notoriously difficult- I had several experienced teachers tell me it was the single worst class they has encountered over their deacdes of service, which made me feel less guilty because I struggled so much with them. I now think that if i survived them, I can survive anything as a teacher
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Perhaps if this student spent more time on task and less time misbehaving then he would be able to speak correctly.
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It’s weird i have actually been thinking about this subject a lot recently. I was a terrified child who had some fantastic teachers and a terrifying principal (Sr Julie) Not all of my experiences at school were positive and i was around a year or two younger than every one else. But i got straight A’s except for my handwriting and every year because of my age they talked of keeping my down but couldn’t because of my marks. The point i am making is that school suited me the structure of it and all. I spent the last five years teaching on weekends at a performing arts school and you heard it all. The comment about not being nannies but being educators i could’t agree with more. i had one child in her first year with me was a nightmare (she went to a very fancy private school) the following year sadly her parents had a massive financial tragedy and the child was at the local state school and she became a joy to teach. What i found fascinating was i was really hard on her and she still loved me. I was tough but fair (teaching song and dance to 4 yr olds is like herding cats) and every year they were unsure but as soon as they realised that if they played by the rules i was fun fun fun to be around. One child i taught had one of the most intense stories of birth up to age 4 when i met her. She was among my biggest challenges and for 3 years we plugged away her father even asked advice on her regular schooling. They wanted to keep her down a grade i tol him i thought she was a bright child that needed a different angle to be taught from. They enrolled her in an alternative school and at the end of her time with me she presented me with a card which had a picture of her and i from the first concert. She has come leaps and bounds in the last 2 years and a vastly different soul to the one i first met. So as much as it can wear you down i am going to get my primary teachers degree and go teach some more not just dancing on weekends. I did have one teacher in all my schooling that i hated and i was the biggest teacher’s pet who has EVER lived. My mother firstly took the teachers side and then started to realise it was a personality issue as it was my ballet school she tried to change classes and couldn’t . So she made a deal with me if i went without complaining she would buy me th Sesame Street Encylopedia each week.i just think if a teacher is having trouble with your child ask yourself why with out emotions involved and maybe it is the teacher but maybe just maybe it’s time for the child to learn to adjust.
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My eldest son got in trouble by his teacher late last term. My son and a friend had teased a poor boy in the class (more than once) and was held in all week during lunch. I’d received an email from his teacher telling me what had happened. I sent an email back to his teacher thanking him for letting me know and as a consequence my son lost some privileges at home too. Each day when he mentioned what he did at school, he also mentioned being kept in at lunch. Each time he did, this I asked him if he’d learnt a lesson. He has not teased this boy again and thankfully learned an important lesson along the way. By no means was I upset with the teacher – he’d witnessed my son doing with wrong thing and dealt with it. As far as I’m concerned, good teachers aren’t paid nearly enough. And where do they get that endless supply of patience from? I’d like to steal some please!
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See, I think what you did was totally ‘normal’.
But most parents these days see it as a) a big deal (its just a tiny bit of discipline, calm down!) and b) can’t seem to understand that being naughty/doing the wrong thing is just a part of growing up. I think sometimes they are so self interested that they assume they have to defend their children’s innocence because it reflects badly on THEM.
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Thanks Dee
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Abolsutely, well done mmmbubbles. I know some parents, who in the same situation, would have been up at the school in a flash and would accuse the teacher of bullying their child for trying to show him some discipline.
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Oh why can’t more parents be like you mmmbubbles?
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I wrote in a note in a student’s diary about his poor behaviour in class and that I had given him a lunch detention. The mother’s response? ‘I hope you made sure he had time to eat’! Way to miss the point, mum!
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Thanks Lu and Megan – sometimes it’s nice to get a thumbs up for the decisions we make as parents.
HSteacher – wow, she really did miss the point. Funny though because the thing that sticks in my head is how much my son loves this teacher despite getting in trouble. He knew he was in the wrong and just had to suck it up. I think it also impacted him more because he’d let down a teacher he has a lot of respect for.
United we stand – divided we fall!
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I agree with so many comments here. I have recently retired from teaching which was a job I enjoyed until recent years when it has just become too demanding. Not enough hours in the day and never feeling like you can relax because there is always more to do. I’ve never really had a problem with parents, it’s more the excess paperwork, reporting and so on which basically has come about as a result of demanding parents and accountability issues. Don’t get me wrong..we should be accountable. It’s just that there are not enough hours in the day. Add that to the pressure to score well in all the testing that goes on that it it is pressure for teachers and children. As the author noted, we are responsible for so many things that parents once did that our curriculum is very crowded.
I am special ed trained as well as primary and agree with those who have said that more resources such as aides are required for integrated situations to work well.
As far as the comments regarding “A” grades are concerned, I must remind people that this is an American author. My experience there as a parent is that A is what is expected, as satisfactory. An A in Australia means outstanding in primary school. They are different systems. Also the litigious nature of the American culture means that the teacher parent dynamic is often different to here.
One more thing, I can’t imagine a teacher talking about getting home to their own children if you have made an appointment. If you have just rolled up after school with the expectation that the teacher will have time for you then that is different. Kindergarten children often think we sleep at school….but we don’t!
I love children, I love many aspects of teaching including working with parents. I was always one for more PT interviews, not less. It’s too late halfway through the year for you to tell me what I need to know and vice versa. As a parent, I loathed interviews where teachers would get out work samples and results and walk me through them. My time would be up before I ever got to ask the things I wanted to know which was usually social type things and communicating about the idiosyncrosies of my own children etc I already know how they are academically.
One thing I do know, I would be horrified if any of my children went into teaching. My parents were teachers and were happy for me to do the same. Sadly, they feel differently now too.
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I am a teacher and love my job. However, could not agree more with this article. Some (not all) parents, these days, are siding with their kids in an ‘us against them’ mindset and (big suprise) the students I have the most trouble with in terms of behvaiour and not reaching their potential are the children of these parents.
However, for the most part it is a wonderful job (just wish all parents could read this post to gain some perspective).
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I’m a sec. school drama teacher in a boys school. I love what I do, I think the pay is pretty good, as are the holidays. I cannot stand it when teachers whinge abt pay/holidays as they are just inviting people to take pot shots at our profession- & most people don’t need much of an invitation! I love my job, I find most of the parents great. The students are beautiful (except on a hot day after lunch- sweaty 16 yr old boys!) & I get to be a part of their learning, development & life. I guide them & nurture them & push them. It’s not an easy job but it is so rewarding.
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Awesome read…. Especially after the teacher bashing that happened to do with the strike last week! Do you think I could publish it in the next school newsletter???
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As long as you credit it appropriately
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My best friend is a secondary teacher. Sadly, the only time I get to see her are during a few weeks over summer, and 10 days in the spring and autumn school holidays. The rest of the time she is on camping tips with her classes (winter holidays), or marking and preparing for classes (evenings, weekends, and during the school holidays).
I count my blessings that teachers like her are still teaching: I would not have the fortitude to work such long hours and weeks, in such a challenging environment, and have to put up with so many snide comments about how easy teachers have it.
Looking back, as a child in Melbourne, there are three teachers in particular that I remember clearly, as teachers that inspired not just me but my class mates as well. All of them had high expectations of their students, were ‘tough but fair’, and got more from us students than any other teachers.
Ms Bowen, a secondary drama and english teacher from South Africa, who taught also taught us and made us ask questions about justice, morality and the natural environment.
Miss Snape, a secondary english teacher that I had only for one year, but left a lasting impression by asking her students to perform to the best of their ability, and helping them to do so, including the most difficult and troubled of us.
Mr Henderson, a primary school teacher who helped us learn that music was not just about notes, but could also be an expression of joy, or sorrow, or social commentary, and something anyone can be a part of.
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I really feel for teachers. My Mum is a teacher and I find it so sad that her confidence has been completely eroded by the lack of support she has – from the students, from parents and from the community. Every time someone is doing poorly in her class she immediately blames herself – “maybe I haven’t done enough to inspire my students”, “maybe I’ve marked too harshly”. She never used to have such low self-confidence but after 30+ years in the industry it is definitely taking its toll on her.
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I have noticed a lot of comments regarding the fact that a lot of parents believe that their child is perfect. Sadly I don’t believe that this is something only teachers have to deal with. Think of sports clubs and coaches too.
I clearly remember an example a couple of years back involving a golf club (my friend worked there). Basically two ‘lovely’ children were attempting to kill the ducks on the course while out playing their rounds. The club responded by banning the children from playing there for the next 6 months. This resulted in the parent then coming in and complaining that ‘now I have to drive them to the golf club in the next suburb every weekend!’. They were asking for sympathy and suggesting the penalty was unfair as the parent was being inconvenienced! I would suggest that the parent should have said ‘tough luck kid, you were doing the wrong thing, and the punishment is that now you have to do without your golf for the next six months’! The kids would have learnt nothing from the incident because of the behaviour of the parent!
When did we get so scared of enforcing consequences? I’m not surprised at all to hear that teachers are having to deal with this. I think people need to accept that, just sometimes, their child does deserve punishment for doing the wrong thing! Reasonable punishment is not a bad thing!
If my child misbehaves I would hope that they get into trouble. This is how it should be.
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My husband coaches junior cricket. The stories he tells (and I see) would make your hair curl- like parents coming onto the pitch during a game to complain that little Tommy was in, not out, or parents whining that their kids should be given more of a go even if he was just bowled (it’s cricket- sorry, but that’s hwo it works. Try tennis) and a parent threatening to sue him once if his kid wasn’t picked for a GF team.
The common link here? Parents. Poor, poor teachers.
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My kids go to a fantastic catholic College where the Head master DOES say all the above things. Its fantastic and puts parents right back in their box.
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I had the best teacher in grade 11, Miss Abel her name was, and she taught me Modern History and I LOVED HER. I also loved Ms Waldron (I think that was her name) who took me for history and English.
Both fantastic teachers, encouraging and both very influential. I daresay I have them to thank for the nice view I have over Brisbane from my office right now
Mind you, I had one absolutely horrible teacher. In Gr12, the English assignments were marked by the different English teachers. One of the English teachers, and I have no idea why, she never taught me, informed girls in her grade 12 drama class that it was her goal to “bring me down” and “make sure I didn’t get an A”. Sure as day, straight A student I was, I got Bs with the assignments that went to her. My dad was also diagnosed with cancer in grade 12, so what a super nice lady she was.
Apparently, the girl who was my main competition for the English prize, was in the drama class, went to the English co-ordinator, and informed them of what said teacher say. When I expressed my gratitude, her response? “Well,if I’m going to beat you, I’ll need an even playing field won’t I?”. So funny now I look back at it.
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Teachers should be paid triple what they are. Four times! Last year in Broome Cam had an absolutely magical teacher (she was aboriginal/Japanese which isn’t important, but I have to mention because it is such an amazing looking mixture!)… she picked up Cam’s drive to learn in about two days and extended her, challenged her and fed her mentally for the rest of the year. Cam absolutely blossomed and we are still reaping the benefits now she is back in Melb.
As for me- I am a writer because my year 12 English teacher insisted that I should be. Thank you, Pat Drummond.
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As a teacher – I believe we have to be advocates for all children.
When we trained – I never remember reading the clause that stated we would only teach well behaved kids. Think back to what YOU were like as a child!
It is vitally important to have a good relationship with the students in your care, AND their parents. This way communication is OPEN, HONEST and NON THREATENING.
If, as an educator, you have a good relationship with your parents, they will see all feedback (positive and negative) as valid – in my experience this eliminates that angst. The students also realise that you are there for them, They tend to trust you and listen to your feedback at the classroom level –
I certainly believe, as a parent, that I foster independence in my children – but there is more than one way of parenting, and who is to say which way is right? It’s needs to be what works for that parent, that child and that family.
Have you heard of ‘Happy wife, happy life?’ How about…
Happy kids, happy classroom, LOTS of genuine learning!
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Oh Anita, everyone here was a perfect child and therefore has perfect children!
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That’s a great point Anita. So many teachers are scared of parents because of a small minority who are unreasonable or unhinged. It’s a real shame for the rest of us who would like to have a good relationship with the teacher and support them however we can. I find helping out in the classroom and in the school is the best way to get to know the teachers, then they start to share information about my children and often have really great insights to offer (even when they’re hard to hear).
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I can’t stand the interaction between most parents and teachers these days. I just want to scream at the parents ‘get out of the way’. I have friends who are up at their kids school twice a week having meetings complaining about how an incident was ‘handled’. Every time a snide comment is made in the playground there is a bullying meeting. How are these children ever to learn resilience or problem solving with mummy and daddy bolting to school every five minutes?
Praise be to all teachers. I really don’t know how you do it.
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Oh Dee of Adelaide I could not agree with you more.
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I was walking home yesterday past the school round the corner. There were TONS of cars (which I find funny in itself – apparently illegal to walk!) but no parents around. There was literally one Mum sitting out the front at the gate. I assume the rest were all inside somewhere?
And I’m writing my application to do primary education for next year! What a glutton for punishment I am!
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Ha me too!! and i just got burned teaching singing and dancing. Amazing how much punishment can i handle??
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Where are you applying to? I’m applying to Wollongong to start next year.
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Monash although i may end up doing it off campus as i’m single and somebody got to keep working to pay the bills ha ha!
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And if I hear another person complain that their child is bored and the teacher doesnt appreciate how bright their child is….I think I might scream!
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These parents make me YAWN.
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But it is true in *SOME* cases…
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only if the teacher isn’t doing their job. Usually the kid is just misbehaving
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Some kids pick up things much quicker, and the teacher is still teaching the rest of the class. I know this because I started school already knowing how to read, which caused problems.
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Yes Lulu, but the amount of parents that brag about their children being so bright is relentless To top it off parent complaining to the teachers they are at the wrong level and should be in a higher group. .Please if you child was so exceptional they would be considering upgrading them to a higher grade. Most kids are of average intelligence.
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If the poor teachers had to provide ‘extra’ work for every child I’ve heard complaints from their parents about them being bored and an unappreciated genius they would be basically doing it for every second child in every school. Its very common these days to change schools because childs genius is unappreciated. I know one poor kid who has been to 4 primary schools in search of genius recognition!!
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My sister was reading at 2 (freak of nature) and it completely went against her. If she wasn’t the youngest of 5 she would have gone insane. However her maths suffered because the teacher assumed she was bright. I HATE to say this but she was the one teacher who simply ignored this child and when she was being bullied by other kids the principal ( a nun) told her to turn the other cheek. But i believe this is an isolated event
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I was one of those kids, and I got sent to the year above me’s reading and maths groups. Everything else I did with my class.
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I can only talk as a high school teacher, but when I teach a class (32 students) I have to make sure that I am meeting the learning needs of all those students, which is what we call ‘differentiating the curriculum’. If a student in my class isn’t learning then I’m not doing my job.
(And hence why I’m a big advocate for smaller class sizes – it’s amazing how much more you can achieve with a class of 26 or 27 (or 24 – i can only dream! lol) as opposed to 32. Plus, it is much much easier to deal with behavioural issues when the numbers are at that level.)
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But Lu didnt you know that every child these days is ”
Advanced”. I think every conversation I had with a new parent I met during my kids primary years, began with the comment that their child is “Advanced” and how advanced they are. Used to drive me mad.
(no offence to truly gifted children)
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Karen, I agree. I have participated in class room help for a few years now as there is maybe one child out of 24 in a class that is exceptionally bright, otherwise all are at the standard level they should be at. Parents need to stop sounding competitive & ridiculous in front of other parents. You child is only wonderful & unique to you. Not to anyone else.
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I actually was, and so were a few of the other kids. In Year 3 we made up a composite class of 3/4 kids. No biggie. And our oldies certainly didn’t carry on to anyone else about it.
Then again, by Year 3 most of our parents were back at work and not taking us to and picking us up from our desks every day. We WALKED to and from school OURSELVES!!!!!
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My mum admitted to me yesterday that she had considered me a bit dense until I started topping my classes! The peril of having bright parents, I guess.
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Yes, that is very funny. If their child is misbehaving in class it’s because they are some sort of misunderstood genius. And this is in grade 2!!!!
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15 years ago my parents were up at the school twice a week begging my teachers to do something about the bullying. The school told them it was character building and my teacher told me to harden up. Then she put me purposely in groups with the kids she new bullied me and told me she hoped I could sort it out and make friends. After one particular incident, where a group of boys I was pared with for a group project dragged me behind a building and beat the living crap out of me, I changed schools.
I’ve had some incredible teachers in my time, and I’m grateful for them. Really though…Praise be to all teachers? I don’t think so.
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I was politically persecuted by my teachers for being an anarchist – I’m pretty sure there is something in the U.N. charter protecting my right to political freedom.
My tenth grade social sciences teacher was one of those life-changing type of people though – one of the biggest influences on who I was to become as an adult.
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I love, love, LOVE the teachers at my kids’ school. I haven’t hit a dud one yet and I’m pretty sure that is largely due to our fabulous principal who leads her team so positively.
The bond between a child and their teacher is so special, and as a mum I think it’s my responsibility to do whatever I can to foster that bond. It goes a long way with not only the child’s academic learning, but to develop their reasoning, emotions, social skills, confidence etc etc.
On the last day of school each year I take a photo of my children with their teachers. The faces always look the same – a bit tired and frazzled, a bit sweaty with the coming of summer! But it’s always obvious in their matching smiles that both teacher and pupil have been through something real. I love it.
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What a great idea to take a photo with the teacher!
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Idea: stolen.
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Well I’ll tell you the rest then…
I take a photo of the kids at home on the first morning of school and then another when they get home on the last day. The contrast is absolutely hilarious! And, of course, there’s the teacher photos which always make me think there’s sand in my eye
Another tradition I started is a celebration dinner on the last day of school. First, I buy them a book (an age-appropriate classic with heroic/clever characters) and wrap it up. Then my husband gets the kids out of the house (usually to buy pizza) and I quickly blu-tack up a selection of the kids work, awards and photos from the year on a wall near the dinner table. I set the table like a little party and when my husband gets home with the kids I put on some loud daggy music and blindfold the kids at the front door. They’re lead through the house on a funny dance and then they have the big reveal of their work on the wall, the table all festive and a gift to unwrap. It’s the best fun ever and they look forward to it all year
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You win mother of the year. For ever
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Bahaha, I’ll be sure to let the kids know
In actual fact, I’m just super nerdy about school n stuff!
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I think I love you even more …. You are the ideal parent & some seems it’s due to the awesome ideal school team as you give full credit. Every school needs to read this post.
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I cannot wait until my son goes to school so I can completely and blatantly rip off that idea.
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Go for it!
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What lucky kids, that is so lovely!!
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Gosh, I just teared up reading this!
Hope it is OK if I steal your ideas? Our son is in his first year of school, with the most brilliant kindergarten teacher (backed up by a fabulous principal & teaching team) and i am already feeling sad about saying goodbye to her at the end of the year.
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Of course you can steal them! Knock yourself out
I find the end of year pretty tough with the goodbyes (my kids are fine though!). So this is a really nice way to wrap everything up.
The bit I really love is buying them a book. They have loads of other books but the end of year book is the most special one. They’re building a little library of hardcover classics that kind of relate to their ages and interests. My daughter has Pippi Longstocking and The Secret Garden etc in her collection now.
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I would like to say, that without my daughters concerned teacher who spoke to me about behavioural and learning issues with my daughter, we may never have picked up on a very serious health issue.
yes she was moody and lethargic at home,but it wasn’t until her teacher spoke to me about her change in behaviour and struggling with school work (completely opposite to how she had been previously) that we were prompted to get a proper check up done- and found out our daughter had coeliacs.
getting her diet right and communication with her teacher to catch up in the work she was missing has made a big difference.
all I can say is all the teachers my daughter has had have been wonderful. I do treat them like the expert when it comes to educational issues- exactly the same way I do for a Dr on health issues.
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Kate- you and I went to the SAME school. Mrs Brosnan was my english and ancient history teacher! I loved, loved loved her and Peter schlenker (who would have taught you too? )
between the two of them they totally set up for university and Life.
I saw Gina at christmas time this year- still teaching at bridgo !
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sorry, not shouting, just excited. what a small world.
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Ha! What year did you finish? I graduated in ’84. Gina was at the function I went to a fortnight ago – and her husband Dennis was flipping the burgers at the BBQ. She came to my last book launch too.
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’98. I can’t believe we had the same teachers 10+ years apart. Although it is an absolute testament to what a lovely little school it was (is) the high quality of teachers and the very limited staff turn over. most of the teachers who where there when i graduated still are there.
I think it has to do with the strong discipline (around uniforms, being on time, behaviour) combined with a very liberal education.
I have very fond memories of the school- it was a lovely safe environment and fostered a real sense of community and social awareness.
Gina is responsible for fostering my love of history, and she was brilliant in encouraging me and developing my writting and analytical skills. Because of the care she and Peter schlenker took and interest they took in me as a person, when I hit university, I completely hit my stride- it was no diffrent from the standards they they had fostered and demanded of me in senior school.
you can also blame her for my current career- she indroduced me to debating and “strongly encouraged” (ie called my parents) to go in the bond mooting competitions
so lovely to see Gina is still involved with “her girls” .
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