When teachers are nasty to students

[Anonymous]

Assistant teacher detains entire class after final bell because two students left early or something.

I was waiting in parent lot for dd to take her to doctor. DD informs assistant teacher of this fact. Teacher’s response: “Do I look like I care?”

I get somewhat regular reports of adults in school speaking to students with such a tone. I think I am finally ready with examples to raise this with the principal. But gut-check me here. Until now I have told dd to just ignore it and let it roll off her back. But I think I am done.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the kids are this way because they are being taught to be nasty by their teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Assistant teacher detains entire class after final bell because two students left early or something.

I was waiting in parent lot for dd to take her to doctor. DD informs assistant teacher of this fact. Teacher’s response: “Do I look like I care?”

I get somewhat regular reports of adults in school speaking to students with such a tone. I think I am finally ready with examples to raise this with the principal. But gut-check me here. Until now I have told dd to just ignore it and let it roll off her back. But I think I am done.

I was a teacher. That is an unacceptable response. Sarcasm is never acceptable with young kids. However, teachers are human and it could have been an especially rough time. There may be a backstory that explains this. Your child may have embellished the response, too. You need to talk to the teacher before you take it up a level.

[Anonymous]

Kick ass, take names. Don't expect the assistant teacher to own up to it.

[Anonymous]

I think teachers who hold the students after the bell rings are the biggest a-holes.

My daughter has a teacher who routinely does this when a few students can't keep their mouth's shut. Instead of just punishing them, everyone gets punished. They get 5 mins after each bell ring to get to class and this teacher holds them back 2 extra mins. so that they're left with 3 mins. Of course this class is in the east wing of the school and her last class of the day is in the west wing of the school, which is the longest trek in the school. When she's held back in that class, she doesn't have time to visit her locker in the east wing and make it to class on time in the west wing, which means when the end of the day bell rings, she has to fly back across campus to her locker and then fly back to the west side where the buses load because her bus is one of the first to pull off. She's missed her bus twice this year because of the teacher holding the class back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assistant teacher detains entire class after final bell because two students left early or something.

I was waiting in parent lot for dd to take her to doctor. DD informs assistant teacher of this fact. Teacher’s response: “Do I look like I care?”

I get somewhat regular reports of adults in school speaking to students with such a tone. I think I am finally ready with examples to raise this with the principal. But gut-check me here. Until now I have told dd to just ignore it and let it roll off her back. But I think I am done.

I was a teacher. That is an unacceptable response. Sarcasm is never acceptable with young kids. However, teachers are human and it could have been an especially rough time. There may be a backstory that explains this. Your child may have embellished the response, too. You need to talk to the teacher before you take it up a level.

I agree with all of this. It’s not acceptable but please get the entire story. I never hold students after the bell and would say that if asked. I’m remembering a time when a significant amount of food wrappers and trash was left on the floor and I held students until they picked up their garbage. I was uncharacteristicly angry and frustrated that day because they were refusing and saying they had to leave because they would be late. All I wanted was for them to pick up their own garbage that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I could see me making a snappy comment I would have regretted later. I didn’t but it was a very bad day.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the teacher was at her wits end with the whole class. It wasn't good, but I assume there are issues in general with the class. I'd let it go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the kids are this way because they are being taught to be nasty by their teachers.

Or, more likely, their parents.

[Anonymous]

What is the great school rating

[Anonymous]

That's very strange. My daughter's school never holds students after the bell. It's not allowed. The students who ride the bus have only a certain amount of time to go out and board before the car bell rings. All buses have to be off the lot before the kids who are being picked up in front of the school or who walk across the crosswalk to the excess parking lot are allowed to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the great school rating

7, but who cares? Ratings are stupid

[Anonymous]

OP,

I suggested that you speak with the teacher. Before you do, you need to know what you hope to get from the conference.

Do you want the teacher to apologize? Will you be okay if she denies it and explains what happened with a different slant than your child's?

If you go over her head, what do you want? Do you just want a change in tone and behavior or do you want the teacher gone?

Be aware, that teachers are people, too. They make mistakes. It's one thing if this is an isolated event. It is another if it is an ongoing problem.
If it was an isolated event with this person, I would suggest considering staying quiet. You do need to pick your battles. If it is an ongoing problem with her, please be careful--she may be on the edge. Give her the benefit of the doubt. See what she says.

If you are not satisfied with the response from the teacher--and/or she should deny it, then you have a decision to make.

My advice is to consider this carefully. Is this important enough to go to the next level? Do you want your child removed from the class? If you want the teacher fired, that is highly unlikely to happen.

[Anonymous]

I would make a formal complaint to the principal and the principal's hierarchical superior, and demand that the teacher apologize for her words to the entire class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I would make a formal complaint to the principal and the principal's hierarchical superior, and demand that the teacher apologize for her words to the entire class.

I would not do this unless I talked with the teacher first. Listen to her version first. OP's child may have given a slanted version of events.