DD telling all kinds of stories about her chemistry teacher that can’t possibly be true

[Anonymous]

DD 16 is telling us a lot of crazy statements about her chemistry teacher that I personally doubt very much to be true. They’re wild stuff! She alleges that this teacher tells the class details about her son’s AI boyfriend, reveals personal details about various students’ 504 plans for all to hear, and once sang about the Epstein files (?). Obviously these are false, but I don’t think they’re harmless lies. I think they’re harmful and mean, and some are about fireable offenses, I think. How to shut down the lying?

[Anonymous]

My assumption would be that DD is telling the truth. Confirm by talking to other parents whose kids have the same teacher. Proceed as needed from there.

[Anonymous]

Do you really have to crowd source this to an anonymous forum? Just tell her to knock it off

[Anonymous]

Why do you assume they're lies? The 504 confidentiality breach can be reported to the counselor, by you. They will tell the teacher to cut it out. Unless you just mean that students with extra time are publicly called to discuss it with the teacher. My kid with extra time doesn't mind that.

My kids have had all kinds of out-there teachers, and so have I. Unless the teacher says something hateful against a particular group or something sexually inappropriate, or has a breakdown in front of the students, it's not actionable.

One of my kid's middle school teachers had re-enactments of Aztec sacrifices, to go with their history curriculum. The class loved it. The victim volunteered every year. Another one was very sardonic and threw candy at the kids - my kid loved him. I had a math teacher who was so drunk we needed to help him put the key in the lock to open the classroom door. His math lecture was lit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My assumption would be that DD is telling the truth. Confirm by talking to other parents whose kids have the same teacher. Proceed as needed from there.

Me too. Why would OP assume they are lies before verifying is insane.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the teacher is a looneybin. You should complain. Our kids have had some weirdos, including a math teacher who was a toucher. They still all have their jobs though.

[Anonymous]

I can totally see a high school teacher make jokes about the Epstein files (not against the victims, but generally). I mean, the kids make jokes about the Epstein files!

What does the teacher share about 504s, exactly? My kid has unlimited bathroom breaks and extended time. Usually all 504s have extended time and that's not easy to hide, OP. But the other stuff can be dealt with in a more private way, although for DD, it's obvious to everyone when she gets up to go to the bathroom.

[Anonymous]

When I was in high school our first period Spanish teacher was late every single morning.
“Lo siento! I had a little too much vino anoche.”
One morning we were sitting there waiting for her and the principal came in to give us a talking-to, saying the teacher was “doing her best” and to please stop telling our parents that she was always late because we could “damage her career.”
She ended up being asked to resign when she got caught with a male student in her car and moved on to another job.

[Anonymous]

These are all weird enough that she probably actually is doing these things. How does your daughter feel about her teaching? Is she learning chemistry between the weirdness? If the learning is happening I might just let it ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My assumption would be that DD is telling the truth. Confirm by talking to other parents whose kids have the same teacher. Proceed as needed from there.

Me too. Why would OP assume they are lies before verifying is insane.

Um. Why would she assume it's true before verifying, and reporting it as such is what's insane.

I promise you the kid is making this shit up or at the least exaggerating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in high school our first period Spanish teacher was late every single morning.
“Lo siento! I had a little too much vino anoche.”
One morning we were sitting there waiting for her and the principal came in to give us a talking-to, saying the teacher was “doing her best” and to please stop telling our parents that she was always late because we could “damage her career.”
She ended up being asked to resign when she got caught with a male student in her car and moved on to another job.

What does this have to do with the stories the 16 yo is telling OP?

[Anonymous]

A lot of teachers go into this profession because they're highly social and tend to overshare generally.

I would tend to believe your child, OP, and not be bothered at all. None of what you say is shocking, except, from a legal standpoint, the 504 stuff. That would be something to contact the school about.

[Anonymous]

Does your daughter have a history of fabulism, OP? Is she a lying liar who lies in other ways?

[Anonymous]

My 10th grade science teacher ate a random sandwich out of the trash. Teachers are weird sometimes.

[Anonymous]

I don’t see why you assume these things are not true (or perhaps they are exaggerated a bit but otherwise true).

Not sure how much you have been around HS teachers (or if this is your first kid in high school?) but a lot of the teachers talk about their personal lives, talk about iffy topics, over share, are overly social with the students, curse, etc. And this, at a top rated UMC suburban public high school. I doubt my kids are making it all up. I’m on my third kid in HS. And don’t even GET me started on the shocking things HS coaches say…

The 504 thing is inappropriate yes. Does your DD have a 504? Otherwise I’d just ignore all of this. Will just make things difficult for your DD.