what makes a bad teacher?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My question is how do you know this much about the teacher? How do you find out what "tone" the teacher uses. We are at a new public school this year and my second grade son "hates" it. I wish I felt like the teacher was helping him with his transition. I figured we just have to give it time, but I really wish there was some way for me to figure out what kind of teacher he has. Asking my son for info is liking pulling teeth and I work full-time so it is not easy for me to volunteer during the day. I guess as the year goes on, you just start to get a better idea of how the teacher works.

I knew about the teacher's tone of voice early on because DD kept saying that she had a "mean voice." Then I heard it myself one day when I was in carpool line and I was kneeling down behind the car door, tending to my baby and the teacher couldn't see me. I heard a little boy walking along with his teacher telling her a long, cute story. Then I heard the teacher snarl at him in the meanest, angriest voice telling him to stop talking so much. I looked up and it was DD's teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great question! And I am a teacher. 1) Little or no sense of humor, and/or ability to laugh at oneself. 2)burnt out/uninspired/bored teachers. 3) Teachers w/ poor skills in communication, orginization, creativity. 4) judgemental teachers who are unable/unwilling to recognize their student's strengths. 5) teachers who focus more on their student's weaknesses. 6) those who do not differentiate their teaching styles/behavior management for individual students.7)those who simply do not care. 8) cold, uncaring teachers.....I could go on....

As a long-time teacher/educator, I agree with all that you've written. It is especially disturbing to see poor elementary school teachers because their students are with them for extended periods of time. In particular, have no tolerance for any teacher who humiliates and "shreds" a child for any reason. Those teachers should be required to go through additional training with subsequent observations on a frequent basis or forced to leave.

Please please tell me: how do these bad teachers keep their jobs? Don't they have an underperforming reputation, not only among parents, but also within the administration? We have all experienced these bad teachers, and yet, they still keep "teaching" our impressionable children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten teachers in private school last year...here is what made bad:

* Not understanding/believing the development of young children and having appropriate excpectations of children's behavior - one teacher was constantly - I mean almost every minute - correcting 5 yrs olds for things like fidgideting, not sitting with crossed legs, speaking in a manner she didn't like, etc. It was really too much.

*Unable to communicate with parent - got defensive when asked for updates on child's progress and even the most basic question about curriculum

*Liked the "popular girls" and made sure to select and single them out for leading anything and everything and admitted to me as a parent that she did so

*And lastly, not having children themselves. I know that there are those who will swear up and down that makes no difference but it really, truly does - especially in an early childhood setting like Prek, K, 1st -3rd.

I'm a teacher (high school), and I'll say this much - that BEFORE kids, I had the energy and time to devote to the most creative lessons. With kids, I am no longer anchored to a classroom. Instead I work with kids (1-1) on a pull out basis. Being a mother/father does NOT a fabulous teacher make! I prefer to have energy for my own kids, too, and that wasn't happening when I was FT with 150 kids and my own small children at home.

ugly truth

[Anonymous]

* frustrations taken out on the children in the class (yelling, ranting, abusive talk)
* sense that rules are shifted for different children (playing favorites)
* children are humiliated in front of other children or scapegoated
* general sense that teacher is out of control/crazy/angry all or a lot of the time or with certain kids
* threats (behave or I'm going to give everyone a math test)
* no sense of order to the school day; children can't predict what will happen that day or on M-T-W-Th-F
* teacher is overly emotional/attached to children/loving
* teacher talks about personal life/issues/prejudices

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great question! And I am a teacher. 1) Little or no sense of humor, and/or ability to laugh at oneself. 2)burnt out/uninspired/bored teachers. 3) Teachers w/ poor skills in communication, orginization, creativity. 4) judgemental teachers who are unable/unwilling to recognize their student's strengths. 5) teachers who focus more on their student's weaknesses. 6) those who do not differentiate their teaching styles/behavior management for individual students.7)those who simply do not care. 8) cold, uncaring teachers.....I could go on....

As a long-time teacher/educator, I agree with all that you've written. It is especially disturbing to see poor elementary school teachers because their students are with them for extended periods of time. In particular, have no tolerance for any teacher who humiliates and "shreds" a child for any reason. Those teachers should be required to go through additional training with subsequent observations on a frequent basis or forced to leave.

Please please tell me: how do these bad teachers keep their jobs? Don't they have an underperforming reputation, not only among parents, but also within the administration? We have all experienced these bad teachers, and yet, they still keep "teaching" our impressionable children.

I wish I understood this. The teacher I described earlier in this thread, who was throwing pencils across the room in a rage, is still teaching in the same private school to this day. When I first spoke to him about the issue and then, getting no where with him, I went to the head of the school, we became known as "trouble-makers." The head of the school took the teachers side and defended his actions. It's difficult to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:* frustrations taken out on the children in the class (yelling, ranting, abusive talk)
* sense that rules are shifted for different children (playing favorites)
* children are humiliated in front of other children or scapegoated
* general sense that teacher is out of control/crazy/angry all or a lot of the time or with certain kids
* threats (behave or I'm going to give everyone a math test)
* no sense of order to the school day; children can't predict what will happen that day or on M-T-W-Th-F
* teacher is overly emotional/attached to children/loving
* teacher talks about personal life/issues/prejudices

Ha! Reminds me of a law school professor. (except for the overly emotional part).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great question! And I am a teacher. 1) Little or no sense of humor, and/or ability to laugh at oneself. 2)burnt out/uninspired/bored teachers. 3) Teachers w/ poor skills in communication, orginization, creativity. 4) judgemental teachers who are unable/unwilling to recognize their student's strengths. 5) teachers who focus more on their student's weaknesses. 6) those who do not differentiate their teaching styles/behavior management for individual students.7)those who simply do not care. 8) cold, uncaring teachers.....I could go on....

As a long-time teacher/educator, I agree with all that you've written. It is especially disturbing to see poor elementary school teachers because their students are with them for extended periods of time. In particular, have no tolerance for any teacher who humiliates and "shreds" a child for any reason. Those teachers should be required to go through additional training with subsequent observations on a frequent basis or forced to leave.

Please please tell me: how do these bad teachers keep their jobs? Don't they have an underperforming reputation, not only among parents, but also within the administration? We have all experienced these bad teachers, and yet, they still keep "teaching" our impressionable children.

I wish I understood this. The teacher I described earlier in this thread, who was throwing pencils across the room in a rage, is still teaching in the same private school to this day. When I first spoke to him about the issue and then, getting no where with him, I went to the head of the school, we became known as "trouble-makers." The head of the school took the teachers side and defended his actions. It's difficult to understand.

simple. he kissed the head master's ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great question! And I am a teacher. 1) Little or no sense of humor, and/or ability to laugh at oneself. 2)burnt out/uninspired/bored teachers. 3) Teachers w/ poor skills in communication, orginization, creativity. 4) judgemental teachers who are unable/unwilling to recognize their student's strengths. 5) teachers who focus more on their student's weaknesses. 6) those who do not differentiate their teaching styles/behavior management for individual students.7)those who simply do not care. 8) cold, uncaring teachers.....I could go on....

As a long-time teacher/educator, I agree with all that you've written. It is especially disturbing to see poor elementary school teachers because their students are with them for extended periods of time. In particular, have no tolerance for any teacher who humiliates and "shreds" a child for any reason. Those teachers should be required to go through additional training with subsequent observations on a frequent basis or forced to leave.

Please please tell me: how do these bad teachers keep their jobs? Don't they have an underperforming reputation, not only among parents, but also within the administration? We have all experienced these bad teachers, and yet, they still keep "teaching" our impressionable children.

I wish I understood this. The teacher I described earlier in this thread, who was throwing pencils across the room in a rage, is still teaching in the same private school to this day. When I first spoke to him about the issue and then, getting no where with him, I went to the head of the school, we became known as "trouble-makers." The head of the school took the teachers side and defended his actions. It's difficult to understand.

simple. he kissed the head master's ass.

What about in the public school system? How do these horrible teachers keep their jobs in a public school? Especially a public elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Tenure! And the other side of the coin is that private school teachers have relatively fewer rights, and virtually no course of action if they are unjustly fired. And sadly this happens more often than you would think....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tenure! And the other side of the coin is that private school teachers have relatively fewer rights, and virtually no course of action if they are unjustly fired. And sadly this happens more often than you would think....

But how do these horrible teachers last long enough to get tenure? Or, is it that good teachers gain tenure and then knowingly teach badly once they gain tenure. Ew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tenure! And the other side of the coin is that private school teachers have relatively fewer rights, and virtually no course of action if they are unjustly fired. And sadly this happens more often than you would think....

But how do these horrible teachers last long enough to get tenure? Or, is it that good teachers gain tenure and then knowingly teach badly once they gain tenure. Ew.

Well, your supposition makes no sense. Bust your ass, be devoted and creative, care about your students, work long hours, and then the minute you get tenure just decide you're going to suck now? As if.

[Anonymous]

Was just pondering this very question this week. My oldest came home the first day telling me that his teacher was mean, and didn't like him. I was floored. He cried, and told me he was never going back. My dh was ready to head straight to the school. But, knowing that it was the first day, and this was her first year at this school (relocated from out of state) I decided to tell ds to make sure he was making the best impression, and to do his best to follow directions. The second day, he came home saying his day was better, but insisted the teacher told him NOT to bring home his assignment book. I decided to leave her a voicemail to find out as I could not find an email yet. Anyway, she picked up. Of course, she told me the kids were supposed to bring the assigments home, and proceeded to tell me about the first day. She admitted, unprompted that ds had interrupted class no less than 10 times with silliness, distraction, etc and she had felt badly that she had to keep calling him out. Anyway, she apologized to me, and him the next day, and I talked with him about expectations, etc. Word on the street is that this teacher is mean, strict, etc. But, as a former teacher, I am trying to give her time. I have discovered, that different teachers work for different types of children. Hoping it works out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tenure! And the other side of the coin is that private school teachers have relatively fewer rights, and virtually no course of action if they are unjustly fired. And sadly this happens more often than you would think....

There's no tenure in VA. I am a public school teacher who has seen my share of bad teachers. I think often times it is laziness on the part of administration because in order to actually let a teacher go, you have to give them poor evaluations, follow up with a plan for improvement, and get into the classrooms of these teachers multiple times to see if they are improving. It takes a lot of work and administrators (at least in my school) just don't seem to have the time or desire to do all that so teachers just stay where they are. Or if they do get let go, they are often just moved to another school. Sad, but very true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was just pondering this very question this week. My oldest came home the first day telling me that his teacher was mean, and didn't like him. I was floored. He cried, and told me he was never going back. My dh was ready to head straight to the school. But, knowing that it was the first day, and this was her first year at this school (relocated from out of state) I decided to tell ds to make sure he was making the best impression, and to do his best to follow directions. The second day, he came home saying his day was better, but insisted the teacher told him NOT to bring home his assignment book. I decided to leave her a voicemail to find out as I could not find an email yet. Anyway, she picked up. Of course, she told me the kids were supposed to bring the assigments home, and proceeded to tell me about the first day. She admitted, unprompted that ds had interrupted class no less than 10 times with silliness, distraction, etc and she had felt badly that she had to keep calling him out. Anyway, she apologized to me, and him the next day, and I talked with him about expectations, etc. Word on the street is that this teacher is mean, strict, etc. But, as a former teacher, I am trying to give her time. I have discovered, that different teachers work for different types of children. Hoping it works out.

I don't get this. Your son flat out lied to you about the assignment book. He also distorted what happened on the first day of school into an issue of the teacher being mean to him rather than her rightly letting him know that he couldn't continue to disrupt the class (10 times on the first day????). And you are graciously going to give HER some time because she's "mean and strict" and possibly a bad teacher,

And your DH was "ready to head straight to school" just on a 6 year old's word that his teacher is "mean"?

Lady, you take the cake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was just pondering this very question this week. My oldest came home the first day telling me that his teacher was mean, and didn't like him. I was floored. He cried, and told me he was never going back. My dh was ready to head straight to the school. But, knowing that it was the first day, and this was her first year at this school (relocated from out of state) I decided to tell ds to make sure he was making the best impression, and to do his best to follow directions. The second day, he came home saying his day was better, but insisted the teacher told him NOT to bring home his assignment book. I decided to leave her a voicemail to find out as I could not find an email yet. Anyway, she picked up. Of course, she told me the kids were supposed to bring the assigments home, and proceeded to tell me about the first day. She admitted, unprompted that ds had interrupted class no less than 10 times with silliness, distraction, etc and she had felt badly that she had to keep calling him out. Anyway, she apologized to me, and him the next day, and I talked with him about expectations, etc. Word on the street is that this teacher is mean, strict, etc. But, as a former teacher, I am trying to give her time. I have discovered, that different teachers work for different types of children. Hoping it works out.

I don't get this. Your son flat out lied to you about the assignment book. He also distorted what happened on the first day of school into an issue of the teacher being mean to him rather than her rightly letting him know that he couldn't continue to disrupt the class (10 times on the first day????). And you are graciously going to give HER some time because she's "mean and strict" and possibly a bad teacher,

And your DH was "ready to head straight to school" just on a 6 year old's word that his teacher is "mean"?

Lady, you take the cake.

Are you the same poster as 20:00? If so, you take the cake. We're all just trying to work with teachers, who should not have poor performance reputations even if they have tenure.