right or wrong teacher

[mrs fussy]

Hi everyone, please any teachers reading this i am not rying to offend anyone hear me out. How much effect do you think does a teacher have on a child, as my son has done very well before this year at school with minor problems, he hits this year and bam its all over behaviour a problem(so they say) this was all wel handeled in his previous years, and we have no problems at home could this all be do you think due to the way he is handedled and spoken too a teacher freind of mine has said yes she thinks this is definatly the case with my son and rather than move schools which is something we considered, wait for next years teacher she advised me to keep him off school as much as i possibly could until then, what do you all think can a teachers personality really have this much effect on a child in their class especially an emotional one like my son. has it been staring me in the face all along what the problem is. Mrs F x

[David Matthew Baker]

Teachers can effect how a child behaves. You just need to look at a class in secondary across a range of different lessons to see that. The lessons with the least problems (at my mainstream secondary) tend to be the ones with a teacher who is fairly strict and consistent. That said the students do a lot of grumbling elsewhere around the school about this type of teacher. They do get quite a bit of work done though. The question then is how much they remember as they tend not to enjoy the lessons very much.

 

The next type of teacher is one who is enthusiastic about their subject and knows how to relate to the children. In this type of lesson the students normally do well and don't display many behaviour problems. You do get more issues to deal with in those particular lessons though. Again being consistent in your actions helps though. The lessons tend to be enjoyable and hence the students can sometimes link content with things they did in the lessons. Hence helping to aid recall.

 

I find the problems arise where you don't have either interesting lessons. Normally it is a case of the teacher not been able to relate to the students or not realising they need to drop to the level of the child. That or a teacher who just doesn't put their heart into teaching any more and is disillusioned. These lessons either go over the heads of the students or are so theoretic they bore you to death. (Metaphorically speaking of course.) In this type of lesson behaviour really becomes an issue as the children don't understand the work so lose all interest and hence find other ways to occupy themselves.

 

Of course it isn't always as clear cut as this but generalising a bit these tend to be the categories I find people fit into. The other things that can cause issues with behaviour are things like bullying or bad management of behaviour. In these cases children can learn the bad behaviours. If they don't get told off for them or find that this is the only way to get attention they tend to repeat them. Then learn to use them. Some students can be very manipulative with their behaviour. Picking and chosing who to behave for. One student at the moment we are having to bribe using support in lessons. If he behaves he gets the support. He likes the support and the main reason it was provided was due to his behaviour so this seems to be working.

 

In summary though a teacher has a great effect on how a child behaves. At primary I expect the effects are magnified as they will learn even more what effect certain behaviours have and what they can get away with. I hope you get a better teacher next year. All the best, David.

[mum22boys]

Hi,

 

I sympathise. We too have had a VERY bad year. It got so bad for M that we seriously considered changing schools. In fact we even visited schools and had picked one. This was just a few weeks ago.

 

Something, don't know what, told us to not do it yet! So we took the decision to leave him at his current school to see how things went for the remainder of the year (til xmas time).

 

We were beside ourselves with m's behaviour like you are. In year 1 he was ok in class and erupted once out of class in my company, something which made the school think it was down to me!

However, Year 2 has been very different. Although we thought his teacher would be good for him she has proved otherwise. She has very little understanding of him. She tries to insist he does drama she tries to disapline him 4 days after the event because she was ill for 3 days. She just doesn't get it. I have tried explaining to her but she just can't grasp it and as a result he has had a bad year. He frequently kicks off in class and it can take 3 LSA's to calm him. No one understands the problems he has with change and he has been left literally in the classroom when she has taken the other kids to the hall!

 

We as i said decided to give the school one last chance. Especially as M's diagnosis was only 3 months ago. We thought, ok lets see who the next teacher is. What a result we had. Last Friday I was asked to collect him as he was ill. It was the day the reports go out and when they find out their next teacher. I asked for his report and the Head asked me if she should tell M then or wait til monday. I said tell him now. She went and got his new teacher and took him to see his new classroom. This is a major turnaround for us as before diagnosis this would not have been done.

 

His new teacher is trained in special needs. We are yet to find out who will be the LSA, but i feel hopeful the school will place someone accordingly. Also as his behaviour had got so bad when the AA teacher came in she was concerned by what was going on in class.

 

Has your child an AA teacher that can come in and you can talk to? Don't give up hope, we nearly did but next year i feel will be better for M with a change of teacher and i'm sure the same will happen for your child.

 

Hope all goes well with what you decide.

 

mum22boys <'>

[mrs fussy]

The next type of teacher is one who is enthusiastic about their subject and knows how to relate to the children. In this type of lesson the students normally do well and don't display many behaviour problems. You do get more issues to deal with in those particular lessons though. Again being consistent in your actions helps though. The lessons tend to be enjoyable and hence the students can sometimes link content with things they did in the lessons. Hence helping to aid recall.

 

Yes this is certainly the type of teacher that my child had in reception and in year 1 and to a certain extent year 2 they were brilliant, the way i remember teachers from school.

 

I find the problems arise where you don't have either interesting lessons. Normally it is a case of the teacher not been able to relate to the students or not realising they need to drop to the level of the child. That or a teacher who just doesn't put their heart into teaching any more and is disillusioned. These lessons either go over the heads of the students or are so theoretic they bore you to death. (Metaphorically speaking of course.) In this type of lesson behaviour really becomes an issue as the children don't understand the work so lose all interest and hence find other ways to occupy themselves.

 

This certainly sounds like this year my son has gone from loving school to virtually hating it, your referance to drop to the level of the child is kind of the case but in my sons case up to the level of the child, he is if i may say extremely bright(doesnt get this from me)i suppose to a less for want of a better word mature teacher this could be quite threatening (my son told me that he once went against his teacher doing a test of timed questions on the computer, there were 12 questions he answered his in 14 seconds it took his teacher 16 seconds, she never told me this BTW i wonder why!!!)

The other things that can cause issues with behaviour are things like bullying or bad management of behaviour.

 

In summary though a teacher has a great effect on how a child behaves. At primary I expect the effects are magnified as they will learn even more what effect certain behaviours have and what they can get away with. I hope you get a better teacher next year. All the best, David.

Thankyou David, cant you come and teach him please, with someone like you he would thrive, and thankyou for your kind words i do hope we do for his sake he has so much to offer. Mrs F x

[mrs fussy]

Hi,classroom. This is a major turnaround for us as before diagnosis this would not have been done.

 

 

 

Has your child an AA teacher that can come in and you can talk to? Don't give up hope, we nearly did but next year i feel will be better for M with a change of teacher and i'm sure the same will happen for your child.

 

Hope all goes well with what you decide.

 

mum22boys <'>

I am sorry for being dumb what is an AAteacher? Mrs F x

[David Matthew Baker]

Thankyou David, cant you come and teach him please, with someone like you he would thrive, and thankyou for your kind words i do hope we do for his sake he has so much to offer. Mrs F x

 

I've not quite sorted out the class control at the moment. Too nice at the moment. Hence the kids walk all over me if the teacher leaves the room. Hopefully it is just me not wanting to step on teachers toes as I often seem better at it when a supply teacher is in. That said as a support assistant I think building a close relationship with the students you are working with is a good idea. Also seems to be what is done in special schools so I might be okay. Have still got a lot to learn though before I will be happy infront of a class. Mind you always have been my own harshes critic. (I think we all are really.)

[KateBall]

I have found with my ds that the nature of the teacher does make a big big difference. We had a terrible time when he was in a class with a teacher who said things in a very sing songy voice - and a bit lovey dovey. Another teacher was quite similar and when she took his class - he couldn't cope with that either. My ds knows very quickly who to respect and he just doesn't respect this type of teacher - nor the type that speaks to him in a certain way. He responds to extremely firm boundaries and no nonsense with short and to the point explanations.

[mrs fussy]

I have found with my ds that the nature of the teacher does make a big big difference. We had a terrible time when he was in a class with a teacher who said things in a very sing songy voice - and a bit lovey dovey. Another teacher was quite similar and when she took his class - he couldn't cope with that either. My ds knows very quickly who to respect and he just doesn't respect this type of teacher - nor the type that speaks to him in a certain way. He responds to extremely firm boundaries and no nonsense with short and to the point explanations.

yes sounds like my son, and the respect thing so true if you dont show them respect they dont give it and thats the way it should be children should not be spoken down to and my son is one who wont be.dont blame him. The firm boundaries too so right, you are describing my son, but i think the tone you use is important you can be firm without belittleing, this is how my childs classteacher is this year she belittles. Mrs F x

[Pets74]

first off can anyone explain the initials used like ds cos i don't know. we had a tough time with transfer to high school which we expected, and then he got a really good teacher who was totally trained and experienced. then she left and we had the tantrums again until the new bloke started. he gets a lot out of my son, whereas one of the females puts him down as a trouble maker, as she doesn't actually seem interested in him. he has a crush on another teacher and has limited access to her as a result. but on the whole he seems settled now. he has one favourite teacher, who he will work for and listen too and not scream or have a tantrum in front of. i want to know her secret

[Bard]

ds darling son

dd darling daughter

oh other half

dh darling husband

etc!

[mum22boys]

Hi Mrs Fussy,

 

Sorry shouldn't have abreviated it. Autism Advisory teacher. Does your child have one? They usually take a child on when referred to their services by the school.

 

mum22boys

[Pets74]

ds darling son

dd darling daughter

oh other half

dh darling husband

etc!

thank you

[Suze]

Hi mrs f, one particular teacher had a huge affect on my son and brought about a breakdown, awful time for him and he was moved up a year the next year when he should have stayed in the same class.Having the correct approach can make a massive difference to our kids well being,for instance he is now at high school and 4 years ahead in science because he loves his teacher. best of luck suzex

[Flora]

Teachers are key to how much our kids enjoy school and their behaviour.

 

My son struggled all the way through school but it didn't really come to a head until the last two years of primary school when he had a teacher who handled him really badly. In addition to all the no no's she did regarding handling children with ASD she constantly called him selfish and uncooperative and one year since he came out of her class he STILL talks about it now.. she did alot towards the demise of his self esteem and confidence and if you could hold one person majorly accountable for a failure of a child in mainstream school she would be it for us.

 

Ben is going into her class next term, I just pray that the total difference in his personality compared to his brother means he is not in her line of fire. Needless to say I will be watching the situation like a hawk.

 

So, yes, teachers are very important in influencing every single aspect of our children's time in school, the same that parents are responsible for every aspect of the home life.

 

Flora.

[wilson]

Hello,

 

This is a very interesting discussion. I teach very disaffected youths, most of whom have extremely negative experiences of learning. I would agree entirely with a comment made earlier, that a 'firm but consistent' approach is probably the best for the age group I teach and the behavioural problems the students have. However, that said, it is interesting to see how easily the students adapt their behaviour to different teaching styles, personalities and even subjects (with some of the best behaviour displayed in 'hands on', clearly vocational subjects). Yet people with ASDs find this sort of adaptation extremely difficult. I wonder if enough is being done to provide your son with a stable learning environment. For example, does he have a named support assistant who will be with him in the oncoming year?

[mrs fussy]

Hello,

 

This is a very interesting discussion. I teach very disaffected youths, most of whom have extremely negative experiences of learning. I would agree entirely with a comment made earlier, that a 'firm but consistent' approach is probably the best for the age group I teach and the behavioural problems the students have. However, that said, it is interesting to see how easily the students adapt their behaviour to different teaching styles, personalities and even subjects (with some of the best behaviour displayed in 'hands on', clearly vocational subjects). Yet people with ASDs find this sort of adaptation extremely difficult. I wonder if enough is being done to provide your son with a stable learning environment. For example, does he have a named support assistant who will be with him in the oncoming year?

Hi Wilson, im a bit dumb but what do you mean by hands on clearly vocational subjects?, that is the problem there isnt a stable enviroment and he has now got support provided by school but she stressess him out and he is scared of her, they are at the moment trying to get him statemented and i feel they are just letting him get into trouble without trying to prevent things to provide evidence.(this is just my view)where as in the previous 3 years they have done everything they can for him.(my son is not diagnosed and im not sure he should be although he does show some autistic traits, these dont effect his home life. Mrs F x

[av16]

As a teacher myself I have seen how some children thrive with one teacher but another can ahce a terrible effect on them. I try really hard to get to know each child as much as possible and I always look for a reason if a child displays any different/challenging behaviour. It probably helps that I like children too! (Sometimes it seems to me that some teachers don't.)

Good luck to any worrying about the new academic year - I will have a new year group with several children with special needs of different types so it can be a bit daunting for us too

[mrs fussy]

As a teacher myself I have seen how some children thrive with one teacher but another can ahce a terrible effect on them. I try really hard to get to know each child as much as possible and I always look for a reason if a child displays any different/challenging behaviour. It probably helps that I like children too! (Sometimes it seems to me that some teachers don't.)

Good luck to any worrying about the new academic year - I will have a new year group with several children with special needs of different types so it can be a bit daunting for us too

Yes i can appreciate it can be daunting and i know there are mostly wonderful teachers out there, but as you say some that dont like children and thats the sort my son has had this year with disasterous effects! good look with your new year group Mrs F x

[wilson]

Hi Wilson, im a bit dumb but what do you mean by hands on clearly vocational subjects?, that is the problem there isnt a stable enviroment and he has now got support provided by school but she stressess him out and he is scared of her, they are at the moment trying to get him statemented and i feel they are just letting him get into trouble without trying to prevent things to provide evidence.(this is just my view)where as in the previous 3 years they have done everything they can for him.(my son is not diagnosed and im not sure he should be although he does show some autistic traits, these dont effect his home life. Mrs F x

 

Hi Mrs F.

 

Sorry, if I wasn't very clear. The boys I teach are quite a lot older than your son and have daily practical, vocational workshops (e.g Hospitality and Catering, Industrial Cleaning etc.) as well as classroom based education. They tend to behave better in these classes not only because the subjects are practical, but because they see the relevance of the skills they learn to their lives. Yet, on reflection perhaps that part of my comment was not particularly relevant to your son's situation, sorry. It really does sound like something has gone wrong this year. As for getting a diagnosis, my son was diagnosed over a year ago, and school life has been a lot easier for him and for us since the dx was made. The school know what they are dealing with and do make an effort to support him in appropriate areas, we also get advice from the Autism outreach workers.

 

I hope the next year works out better.