So very angry right now!!

PhoenixDF

I'm saddened to read that your daughter is finding hard to come to terms with the death of her father a few years ago and I honestly hope that she comes to terms with it soon.

However, I think you and a few others on this thread are being a bit over the top with what you expect from a teacher and overall the school.

Obvioulsy the teachers have to make lesson plans and try to take into consideration each individuals needs to each lesson but the cause of a family members death from 4 years ago wouldn't have been informed to this particular teacher.

From what I've read you've got other issues with the school in general but in this instance I honestly can't see a single thing that the school or teacher has done wrong.

On a more personal opinion about teaching in general: It seems in the last 20 years the role of a teacher isn't simply to give children a good education but they also act as a social carer, worker and therapist to some extent all whilst 1 in 5 newly qualified teachers quit due to bullying and harrassment from the students themselves.

I think we need to give the teachers a break as each year our nation's kids are getting higher grades but yet we mock them by stating their exams have been made easier thus we're effectively saying teachers jobs have become easier and they have less to do.

There are some parents out there who need to take a look in the mirror to see who really is to blame for why their kid acts a certain way in school or bullies other pupils or teachers.

By the way, I am not a teacher but some of my friends are and the way I've seen pupils (and even parents) talk to them as their leaving school is disgusting.

IMO, teaching is a noble career and I take my hat off to anyone who deals with that amount of flak each day (same applies to doctors, nurses etc)

Big_Alf

milliebear00001 wrote: »

When did history, geography, science, art, RE, PE etc etc become 'fancy stuff'? I am pretty sure they were on the curriculum when I was at school - quite a long time ago!

My daughter is 8. She can read, write and add up beautifully. Not really worth me sending her in from now on then is it?

As a parent, quite aside from my own professional interest, I would be truly horrified if I felt that most people thought 'being educated' simply meant churning out kids who can only read, write and add up.

By the way, your four year old might well have been taught literacy skills and numeracy skills via Chinese New Year. That's the way it works in Early Years education. Perhaps s/he was encouraged to 'write' a menu or add up a table bill. Maybe s/he was encouraged to count the number of people 'visiting' the 'restaurant'. Perhaps s/he practised his/her pencil grip by drawing a picture of the whole thing, or colouring a dragon. At the very least, he/she'll have got to experience something new from another culture - is that not of value in your four year old's life? Wonderful things go on in EY classrooms, knowledge of which many people lack.

:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

Totally agree with your sentiments regarding your daughter. Now she has the BASICS I'd definitely think about ending her to University now to learn all the 'fun' stuff. :beer:

I am very anti 'production line' education and it is always sad to see parents really fail to see the bigger picture. Or worse, they dont even ask or try to understand the reasoning behind why something is being taught.

As is so rightly pointed out above, there are numerous skills that may have been taught during the Chinese Banquet. Ironically, due to an activity like this encompassing so many core components of the EYFS, more time is probably made available to focus on the 'basics' (whatever the basics are, could someone please elaborate?) .

In the past week we have covered (with 3 & 4 yr olds) the Solar System, Vincent van Gogh, Beethoven, built an 8ft Eifel Tower out of recycled bottles and cooked flapjack.

I dont expect to see meritatan jnr coming through the doors anytime soon

Despite there being some major derailments here I hope the OP is able to take on board some of the advice given and channel it in a positive way to help her daughter in the future.

Spendless

Derivative wrote: »

This does seem rather strange.
Almost everyone by the age of ten has had a relative die, though perhaps not as close as a father.

How could they be expected to call parents about every lesson?

It must be pretty unusual though to have a pupil whose Dad died on Christmas Day whilst the child was alone in the house with them? It must be pretty hard on the OP and her DD each Christmas and the lesson has taken place not long after the anniversary. I can certainly see why she's upset. It also sounds like she's unhappy with the school over other incidences, from the phrases used in her opening post eg 'the last straw'.

I am thankful to her for fetching something to my attention though. I also didn't realise diseases were talked about in Science. It's nearly 30 years since I left Secondary school and we never though I took O'level Biology. Mr S had Cancer a few years back, was never a high risk factor (his consultant had the lab double check results as he really thought they'd mixed them up) and is still being monitored. I shall make sure DS's teacher is aware of this before it's brought up in lessons.

Oldernotwiser

Quite honestly, I find all this business about teachers knowing all the ins and out of their pupils' lives rather spooky, even if it were practical. In the case of a death 4 years ago whilst not even at that school, it seems to me to be quite ridiculous.

the_pink_panther_2

Yes... teacher is expected to foresee all possible emotional implications for approx 150 students they teach. Parent doesn't have to foresee for, I think 3 kids in this case. Can't really blame the teacher.

Spendless

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Quite honestly, I find all this business about teachers knowing all the ins and out of their pupils' lives rather spooky, even if it were practical. In the case of a death 4 years ago whilst not even at that school, it seems to me to be quite ridiculous.

I should imagine that even if the school has 2,000 pupils, they;ll ony be the ONE that witnessed their Dad dying on Xmas Day when they were 10 and no-one else was there.

Oldernotwiser

Spendless wrote: »

I should imagine that even if the school has 2,000 pupils, they;ll ony be the ONE that witnessed their Dad dying on Xmas Day when they were 10 and no-one else was there.

But there'll be others with equally traumatic events in their past or even in their present. I really cannot see a primary school passing that kind of information on to a secondary and I don't actually see the desirability of their doing so.

How long is this child going to have to bear the label of being the one who "witnessed their Dad dying on Xmas Day when they were 10 and no-one else was there"?

koalamummy

I understand that I am going to get flamed here....but this issue is serious enough that I dont actually care. My oldest son is a similar age group to OP's daughter. In a school with the ridiculous achievement levels my sons has this girls life would be made a misery Not because the children are that unpleasant...in truth they arent. However, the sensitivity your daughter seems to require deviates from the commonly accepted, thereby making her different and far more open to peer attack.