Independent School Teacher Pet Peeve Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7. "My 2nd grader is fluent in French. Will she be stuck in the same class as the other 2nd graders for French or can she go to the high school French class?"

See, this is such tea party anti-intellectualism, and such a stupid complaint (same with the other two similar complaints - "my kid is advanced in [x];" "my kid is smart".

If a child is indeed proficient in a language (or other subject, frankly) offered by the school - why on earth is it obnoxious to ask if they can attend a class where they'll actually learn something? Especially in a city like DC which is full of smart parents & kids, full of kids who speak or begin to speak another language at home, etc.

Because in high school French, kids are learning to conjugate and decline. The class has a totally different focus. It's doubtful your French snowflake is ready for advanced French grammar when he hasn't had the English equivalent yet.

That post hit a little too close to home, PP? If anyone's guilty of anti-intellectualism here (e.g., simplifying things to the point that your analysis becomes inaccurate), it's you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please stop restraining yourself. It is so therapeutic

Yes, please post away. Maybe the parents should spin off and report the most hilarious questions heard at Open House or Back to School Night?

[Anonymous]

11. My child brought this book home from the library this week, but it is FAR below her reading level. Please set up a special shelf in the library containing reading selections just for her ... they should be interesting, challenging, and also help to build her vocabulary for the SAT test she will be taking TEN YEARS FROM NOW!!!

[Anonymous]

12. Parents who come to lunch and spoon/fork feed their 6 year olds.

13. My child lost their library book somewhere in the school. Can you find it?

14. I didn't have time to brush my child's hair. Parent then hands you a comb in carpool line.

[Anonymous]

"The reason my kid did badly on the placement test and is in a lower math/reading group is she didn't understand what would be on the placement test."

I'm a parent and saw this. Her kid now gets a preview of the placement test sent home and, to level the playing field, the rest of us do too. I suppose so we can help our kids study?

Please, more teacher pet peeves!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12. Parents who come to lunch and spoon/fork feed their 6 year olds.

13. My child lost their library book somewhere in the school. Can you find it?

14. I didn't have time to brush my child's hair. Parent then hands you a comb in carpool line.

C'mon. 12 and 14 didn't really happen, did they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:12. Parents who come to lunch and spoon/fork feed their 6 year olds.

13. My child lost their library book somewhere in the school. Can you find it?

14. I didn't have time to brush my child's hair. Parent then hands you a comb in carpool line.

C'mon. 12 and 14 didn't really happen, did they?

They sure did. #14 was a number of years ago. #12 was last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:12. Parents who come to lunch and spoon/fork feed their 6 year olds.

13. My child lost their library book somewhere in the school. Can you find it?

14. I didn't have time to brush my child's hair. Parent then hands you a comb in carpool line.

C'mon. 12 and 14 didn't really happen, did they?

They sure did. #14 was a number of years ago. #12 was last year.

As the parent of a child with a significant eating disorder, I would assume there was a good, and private, reason for a parent coming to school at lunch and who help with feeding. As for teachers who poke fun about it publicly, I'm not sure I see a good reason for that.

[Anonymous]

If the parents are that annoying to you, get another job!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:12. Parents who come to lunch and spoon/fork feed their 6 year olds.

13. My child lost their library book somewhere in the school. Can you find it?

14. I didn't have time to brush my child's hair. Parent then hands you a comb in carpool line.

C'mon. 12 and 14 didn't really happen, did they?

They sure did. #14 was a number of years ago. #12 was last year.

As the parent of a child with a significant eating disorder, I would assume there was a good, and private, reason for a parent coming to school at lunch and who help with feeding. As for teachers who poke fun about it publicly, I'm not sure I see a good reason for that.

This child did not have an eating disorder. I would never post if the child had food issues. The parent was treating the child like a 1 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the parents are that annoying to you, get another job!

Oh come on, teachers don't have to be the only profession that's not allowed to gripe about work annoyances in order to do a good job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the parents are that annoying to you, get another job!

Oh come on, teachers don't have to be the only profession that's not allowed to gripe about work annoyances in order to do a good job.

I agree, is your job, or your days staying at home, so perfect that you never complain?

[Anonymous]

My pet peeve is parents who get their child tested but refuse to share the information with their teachers. And they are usually the ones who are unhappy because we're not meeting their child's needs.

[Anonymous]

I work at big 3...

#1 the 5-10% of parents who are so annoying they make me want to quit my job on some days and make me not want to interact with parents ever.

#2 the admin kissing the ass of the parents who are major donors - to put everyone mind at ease the teachers do not treat their kids differently from joe schmo's kid

#3 your child really isnt gifted... they are likely above average to well above average, but in my years of teaching I have very rarely encountered a truly gifted child

#4 working at a place I could never afford to send my child and having the school make no real effort to level the playing field in terms of FA/remission

#5 parents who make excuses for their children and do not listen when you voice a concern

#6 students leaving the cafeteria a mess for the dining/custodial staff to clean

#7 making 60k a year... yes I have summers off, but I am so exhausted every day I wonder if it is worth it

#8 the "you havent responded to my 2 calls this morning so I am just emailing you to ask..." "you havent responded to my email..." emails/calls. I am teaching! give me 24 hrs please.

[Anonymous]

If the negatives of the job outweigh the benefits, then I do believe you should work in a different school environment. You are going to find a higher concentration of more demanding parents at private schools and also in public schools serving wealthier, better educated neighborhoods. It has always been that way and always will be. If you don't like it, teach in DCPS.