When teachers are nasty to students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've learned the hard way through my younger daughter's grade school experience last year that teachers can be mean girls, too. The other kids pick right up on it, see an opening, and start bullying other kids.

I would contact the principal and say the teacher's response was sarcastic and unacceptable, and that your DD had an appointment. Stand up for your daughter. You are her advocate.

Gross!!

The worst mean girl behavior I saw in high school was from a teacher. She had her favorites and they hung out outside of school (I know, gross, but it was well known) and made fun of other students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've learned the hard way through my younger daughter's grade school experience last year that teachers can be mean girls, too. The other kids pick right up on it, see an opening, and start bullying other kids.

I would contact the principal and say the teacher's response was sarcastic and unacceptable, and that your DD had an appointment. Stand up for your daughter. You are her advocate.

Gross!!

The worst mean girl behavior I saw in high school was from a teacher. She had her favorites and they hung out outside of school (I know, gross, but it was well known) and made fun of other students.

As in I remembered one day they were taking orders for tshirts for a fundraiser and she made nasty comments about the sizes girls ordered. And she mocked some girl for not being as "smart" as her sister. All in front of other students, in a sarcastic tone.

I flew below her radar but man, I hated that teacher.

[Anonymous]

As in I remembered one day they were taking orders for tshirts for a fundraiser and she made nasty comments about the sizes girls ordered. And she mocked some girl for not being as "smart" as her sister. All in front of other students, in a sarcastic tone.

That is unacceptable--and a long way from the comment that OP described.

[Anonymous]

I have seen so many incidents of this at George Mason High school in Falls Church. Teachers and staff are disrespectful to the students and parents. I've also seen this at Pyle Middle School in Bethesda (especially in the front office). I speak up when I witness it. But it doesn't matter - the Principal of either school didn't do a thing. The Principal at Pyle seems afraid of the staff, even.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on my volunteering experiences, I would ask for more information about the class and other students (if you don't really know). Some of the kids in my son's class are horrible. Constantly disobedient, when corrected they sneer, they are disrespectful. It bothers the other kids and when I volunteer, I have corrected firmly and been sneered at or mocked the moment I turn my back. I have watched the kids treat the cafeteria staff terribly and ignore correction. It is truly horrible and I have asked what the discipline is (the different levels of discipline) and really, there isn't one. They cannot take recess, they do not call parents because they get chewed at and it results in nothing, they will not suspend, they will not in-school suspend. There is no effective discipline and the kids know it and the teachers are both powerless to discipline the kids and tired. The one thing the teachers consistently do is punish the entire class. It drives my kids crazy and it drives me crazy. So I would try to dig in with your child. Ask if there are kids who are constantly disruptive because if that is the case, your situation is bad because the teacher has very few tools, her patience is understandably worn down and when she uses the only tool she has, she gets backtalk from a "good kid." I would ask more or volunteer or ask volunteers what it is like in the trenches. I am sure that there are kids in my kids classrooms that think I am mean. I am not mean. I just do not think kids should be totally out of control and rude and I call them on it. My job is not on the line so I point my finger, use stern voices or raise my voice. Most teachers NEVER raise a voice or even use a stern voice so maybe all it takes to be considered mean these days is to be stern and firm.

I think that post has a lot of accurate observation.

[Anonymous]

Based on my volunteering experiences, I would ask for more information about the class and other students (if you don't really know).

How do you plan to do that? Who would you ask?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:eh, punishing the entire class like that by holding them after the bell and then speaking sarcastically to a kid who explained that she would be late for a doctors appt if she didn't leave soon.....that seems pretty out of line. What if kids who had done nothing wrong missed their bus?

I would tell your daughter that you are going to email the teacher about this and make sure that you have the full story about what actually happened.

IF the teacher made the statement that OP says, that is inappropriate. However, if it is not an ongoing problem, this is something that should be dropped like a hot potato.

I find it hard to believe that the teacher kept them very long--unless it was to clean up a mess. Hint: most teachers are as anxious for the kids to go home as the students are. It was likely an excuse the child made because she stopped and chatted with a friend. From the mom's reaction, it sounds like the kid knows how to push her buttons.

I'm also suspect that the girl might have fudged this story about the teacher a bit so that she wouldn't get into trouble for dawdling.