How do you tell a teacher they are meh

[Anonymous]

I am a little lost but believe you are a fellow teacher and not a parent of a student this teacher has. If you are a colleague you don’t say anything about them being harmful, you start thinking about how you can help them. Yes we all know that some people are not suited but they are there, and if they were not, it would be a long term sub.

With 15 years experience, I would walk in the classroom tomorrow, strike up a conversation and ask what help they need. Maybe it’s advice, maybe it’s help with a lesson, ideas of where to get good resources, ect. With decades of service you should have others in the building you know are great teachers - you don’t gossip to them - you go and tell them they should also stop by this teachers room and ask how they can be of service.

Instead of judgement, choose positivity. It will help this teacher and it will help you in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am a teacher supporter, but I have to say I am not impressed with one of my DC's teachers. Its this person's first year teaching and it's an advanced middle school course. The back to school night presentation was a little shocking - this person has a harsh personality and did not interact with the parents at all (just gave a speech and said goodbye). Not sure I would say anything to the principal but I'm bummed for my kid.

This is your evidence of a harsh personality? Maybe they were told not to interact with the parents at BSN after the Year from Hell for teachers. You sound like a Karen.

BTS was interactive with literally every other teacher. Haven’t you attended one? Teacher was shaming kids for not having supplies, with a snarky attitude. I felt awful for the kids who can’t afford his specific requests. He was (mind you week 2 of in person middle school for many kids) being sarcastic about their inability to use an agenda or take notes- which they have never been taught. His sarcastic demeanor was evidence enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous




I am a little lost but believe you are a fellow teacher and not a parent of a student this teacher has. If you are a colleague you don’t say anything about them being harmful, you start thinking about how you can help them. Yes we all know that some people are not suited but they are there, and if they were not, it would be a long term sub.

With 15 years experience, I would walk in the classroom tomorrow, strike up a conversation and ask what help they need. Maybe it’s advice, maybe it’s help with a lesson, ideas of where to get good resources, ect. With decades of service you should have others in the building you know are great teachers - you don’t gossip to them - you go and tell them they should also stop by this teachers room and ask how they can be of service.

Instead of judgement, choose positivity. It will help this teacher and it will help you in the process.

[Report Post]

OP is a troll. It's pretty obvious that they are not a teacher.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher supporter, but I have to say I am not impressed with one of my DC's teachers. Its this person's first year teaching and it's an advanced middle school course. The back to school night presentation was a little shocking - this person has a harsh personality and did not interact with the parents at all (just gave a speech and said goodbye). Not sure I would say anything to the principal but I'm bummed for my kid.



This is your evidence of a harsh personality? Maybe they were told not to interact with the parents at BSN after the Year from Hell for teachers. You sound like a Karen.



BTS was interactive with literally every other teacher. Haven’t you attended one? Teacher was shaming kids for not having supplies, with a snarky attitude. I felt awful for the kids who can’t afford his specific requests. He was (mind you week 2 of in person middle school for many kids) being sarcastic about their inability to use an agenda or take notes- which they have never been taught. His sarcastic demeanor was evidence enough.
[Report Post]

What school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you tell a new teacher they are doing more harm than good?

TBH that's like 99% of teachers that your kid will have throughout the course of their school career so not much you can do ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is every teacher’s worst nightmare. Too dumb to have a clue what goes on in the classroom, but more than willing to make vague “meh” editorials. We’ve all had that parent. Hopefully the new teacher has a good mentor to turn to.

Actually , I’m a teacher. Few decades in. Sometimes people should not be teachers. Other careers that people should really not default to law enforcement, psychologists OP

You’re a teacher, a few decades in, yet you’re consulting an anonymous group of people in a forum oriented towards parents to ask how to communicate with a new teacher — what you claim is your own profession. If this is true, then you must have slept through a few decades if you don’t know when —or how — to talk with administrators, master teachers, and others whose responsibilities include providing guidance in educational settings about your concerns.

Poorly done trolling — one hopes.

Cute. But why would I try to get a person fired? Also, where is the teacher complain about the teacher my kid has board?

Nothing in my post mentioned trying to get anyone “fired”. Comprehension fail? More concerned than “cute”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is every teacher’s worst nightmare. Too dumb to have a clue what goes on in the classroom, but more than willing to make vague “meh” editorials. We’ve all had that parent. Hopefully the new teacher has a good mentor to turn to.

Actually , I’m a teacher. Few decades in. Sometimes people should not be teachers. Other careers that people should really not default to law enforcement, psychologists OP

You’re a teacher, a few decades in, yet you’re consulting an anonymous group of people in a forum oriented towards parents to ask how to communicate with a new teacher — what you claim is your own profession. If this is true, then you must have slept through a few decades if you don’t know when —or how — to talk with administrators, master teachers, and others whose responsibilities include providing guidance in educational settings about your concerns.

Poorly done trolling — one hopes.

Cute. But why would I try to get a person fired? Also, where is the teacher complain about the teacher my kid has board?

Nothing in my post mentioned trying to get anyone “fired”. Comprehension fail? More concerned than “cute”.

Op please tell us the county. Or what grade the teacher teaches? Please op. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would a public school teacher GAF about your thoughts

I mean, seriously. OP is just a parent (in this context -- I realize OP also identified as a teacher, but come on).

Parents should stay in their lane.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, you can have the best teacher that everyone loves, and they and your kid's personalities just don't mesh.

You're not going to win the teacher lottery each year of your kids' schooling. It's just nine months. Unless they are truly harming your kid (which, in that case, you meet with the principal to switch classes), you just try to work with them to make sure your kid gets through the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you can have the best teacher that everyone loves, and they and your kid's personalities just don't mesh.

You're not going to win the teacher lottery each year of your kids' schooling. It's just nine months. Unless they are truly harming your kid (which, in that case, you meet with the principal to switch classes), you just try to work with them to make sure your kid gets through the school year.

Op isn’t talking about her child’s teacher. She is talking about a teacher on her team or a teacher she is mentoring. You would be surprised by how bad some of the teachers are. It’s really hard when you have to work with someone like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you can have the best teacher that everyone loves, and they and your kid's personalities just don't mesh.

You're not going to win the teacher lottery each year of your kids' schooling. It's just nine months. Unless they are truly harming your kid (which, in that case, you meet with the principal to switch classes), you just try to work with them to make sure your kid gets through the school year.

Op isn’t talking about her child’s teacher. She is talking about a teacher on her team or a teacher she is mentoring. You would be surprised by how bad some of the teachers are. It’s really hard when you have to work with someone like that.

+1 and unfortunately, IME, the worst teachers are usually the least likely to accept any suggestions or pick up in any mentoring bc they think they are wonderful. Make sure harder for both parents & coworkers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you can have the best teacher that everyone loves, and they and your kid's personalities just don't mesh.

You're not going to win the teacher lottery each year of your kids' schooling. It's just nine months. Unless they are truly harming your kid (which, in that case, you meet with the principal to switch classes), you just try to work with them to make sure your kid gets through the school year.

Op isn’t talking about her child’s teacher. She is talking about a teacher on her team or a teacher she is mentoring. You would be surprised by how bad some of the teachers are. It’s really hard when you have to work with someone like that.

+1 and unfortunately, IME, the worst teachers are usually the least likely to accept any suggestions or pick up in any mentoring bc they think they are wonderful. Make sure harder for both parents & coworkers

OP here. This is the winning answer. Especially , when they have chosen to help the children out of the kindness of their heart instead of just staying retired from their first career

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, you can have the best teacher that everyone loves, and they and your kid's personalities just don't mesh.

You're not going to win the teacher lottery each year of your kids' schooling. It's just nine months. Unless they are truly harming your kid (which, in that case, you meet with the principal to switch classes), you just try to work with them to make sure your kid gets through the school year.

Op isn’t talking about her child’s teacher. She is talking about a teacher on her team or a teacher she is mentoring. You would be surprised by how bad some of the teachers are. It’s really hard when you have to work with someone like that.

+1 and unfortunately, IME, the worst teachers are usually the least likely to accept any suggestions or pick up in any mentoring bc they think they are wonderful. Make sure harder for both parents & coworkers

OP here. This is the winning answer. Especially , when they have chosen to help the children out of the kindness of their heart instead of just staying retired from their first career

If you are their mentor you do what you can to help them improve. At the same time you document what you know, what you are seeing, and do your best to make admin aware of the issues. I know of at least one situation where admin took a chance on a sketchy teacher, her mentor tried really hard to help her, but ultimately she wasn't offered a contract for the next year. That's about the best you can expect. (She never should have been hired to begin with but that's a whole other story.)

[Anonymous]

OP sounds kind of, well, “meh” themselves (OP sounds about as good at interpersonal relations as the teacher in question sounds about teaching), but I do wish that there was less defensiveness about improvement in teaching. It seems like a lot of teachers just don’t want to improve and thanks to unions, they don’t have to.

Teachers need better training during their undergrad years, better support (including more time to plan!!), better pay, and somehow there needs to be a bigger emphasis on getting better at teaching. For everybody, not just teachers who aren’t good at it.