Teacher's odd behavior

[Anonymous]

We are new in this school and my kid's ES teacher constantly eat during the class. It's being going for a while now: teacher would bring a jar of candies and finish it by the end of the day. She eats in the middle of the teaching class. She drinks soda in front of kids as well. I am not against junk food, even thought we never eat it at home. My kid doesn't feel any cravings for what teacher eats (its just not our type of food). What bothers me that it is totally unprofessional to do it. My child keeps bringing it up almost daily, telling me what the teacher was eating today. So, obviously it is bothering my kid to watch adult chewing meal in front of the class. I think teachers get a lunch break and should use it for food consumption. It is probably OK to get occasional snack if you really can't get through between meals or have some medical condition that requires frequent meals.

I explained to my child that what the teacher does is unexceptable and unprofessional. You would not expect to get an appointment with a lawyer, doctor, etc. who would be chewing a junk food while listening to you.

What would you do? I have never ever complaint to school about teachers before and don't really want to go above her. She is not bad teacher (not great, just OK).

[Anonymous]

If the teacher is otherwise teaching your kid, this is such a minor thing in the grand scheme of things. Why you would tell your child that his or her teacher is unprofessional is beyond me. Maybe the teacher is diabetic. Maybe she's newly pregnant. You are in for a long long road if this bothers you. Also remember that your kid might be exaggerating how often the teacher eats. If it happens twice during the day, your kid might feel like it is all day.

[Anonymous]

She might have some kind of medical issue, but if she's eating junk, that seems unlikely. Are the children allowed to eat in class?

[Anonymous]

It's probably hard for a kid to watch when it seems that school rules don't let students snack, but teachers can do it. I agree with 13:25 - it's minor.

[Anonymous]

My first thought was diabetes or low blood sugar, but eating candy and soda is insane of that's the case.

But unless it was really bothering my kid, I'd probably laugh it off, that quirky Ms. Jensen, keeping Hershey's in business.

[Anonymous]

I might ask other parents and see if there kids have said the same thing. Kids sometimes exaggerate, maybe she's just had a snack here and there.

Even if your kid is not exaggerating I don't know that I'd do/say anything about it.

[Anonymous]

Or, you know, the person might need to eat small meals during the day due to a health issue.

I work in a cubicle (as do many of us typing away on DCUM right now). I can munch on whatever I want all day, and no one accuses me of being "unprofessional." Why? Because it doesn't actually impact my ability to do my job.

I love your analogy that teacher in front of a classroom of kids is the equivalent of an appointment with a lawyer or doctor, and that teachers should be held to the same "no snacking" standard. After every single one of these "apponitments" docs and lawyers can hang out in their office and get whatever snack they want.

To be clear, I'm not judging office worker, lawyers, doctors, OR school teachers. If they are doing their job, then MYOB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are new in this school and my kid's ES teacher constantly eat during the class. It's being going for a while now: teacher would bring a jar of candies and finish it by the end of the day. She eats in the middle of the teaching class. She drinks soda in front of kids as well. I am not against junk food, even thought we never eat it at home. My kid doesn't feel any cravings for what teacher eats (its just not our type of food). What bothers me that it is totally unprofessional to do it. My child keeps bringing it up almost daily, telling me what the teacher was eating today. So, obviously it is bothering my kid to watch adult chewing meal in front of the class. I think teachers get a lunch break and should use it for food consumption. It is probably OK to get occasional snack if you really can't get through between meals or have some medical condition that requires frequent meals.

I explained to my child that what the teacher does is unexceptable and unprofessional. You would not expect to get an appointment with a lawyer, doctor, etc. who would be chewing a junk food while listening to you.

What would you do? I have never ever complaint to school about teachers before and don't really want to go above her. She is not bad teacher (not great, just OK).

Wow, way to teach your child to respect his teacher.

[Anonymous]

I suspect that if your child is so focused on the teachers food that he's coming home and reporting on it every day, he is craving the food and, while it may not be your kind of food, it is his kind of food.

[Anonymous]

^ not to mention, how not to spell. =D

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I explained to my child that what the teacher does is unexceptable and unprofessional. You would not expect to get an appointment with a lawyer, doctor, etc. who would be chewing a junk food while listening to you.

What would you do? I have never ever complaint to school about teachers before and don't really want to go above her. She is not bad teacher (not great, just OK).

For one thing, I wouldn't explain to my child that my child's teacher's behavior was unacceptable and unprofessional. And not just out of respect for the teacher; also out of pure self-preservation, because of the likelihood that my child would raise their hand in class, the next time the teacher ate candy, and say, "My mother said that your behavior is unacceptable and unprofessional."

[Anonymous]

that is not odd behavior, I had a middle-school sub unzip & unbutton her pants to stuff a small teddy bear in her waist band, that was odd.


Maybe the teacher is quitting smoking or *gasp* might be busy during her lunch break. More than likely your kid's issues come from the fact that the teacher can eat/drink in class and it isn't "fair" that he can't.

[Anonymous]

the teacher is eating candy and soda in front of the class? that is just unprofessional someone in a job where she stands in front of a group of kids and should set a good example. no big deal to have a water bottle, for instance, or to snack on grapes. i am not saying this out of judgment for the food choices, bc I too drink a diet coke each day and eat junk food here and there. but teacher can eat that at lunch, in a free period, etc, not while she is instructing the students. however, it is minor to me and i wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

[Anonymous]

Why is it OK for you to tell your kid that the teacher is being "unprofessional". So now the kid thinks less of his teacher because the parents don't think the teacher is professional.

Rather than telling your kid the teacher is unprofessional, you could contact the teacher and tell the teacher what your child reports and how it is impacting his day.

[Anonymous]

Would you be bothered if she ate "your kind of food?"