Teachers giving detentions left right and centre to wrong pupils.

[Smowball]

Now I know how overworked teachers are, and how difficult it must be to teach a class of noisy kids, but what do you do when the teacher gets it wrong? I dont know about other schools, but in my son's school, during the lesson if the teacher feels you are misbehaving and are due a detention then the childs name is put on the board. At the end of the day a detention slip is written out and given to child to take home and show parent.(they have to give 24hrs notice)
My son came home from school on monday, told me all about his day. How well Geography had been, he had been praised on how much he had wrote. So he was very upset when the next day he was given a detention slip in relation to that very lesson, for bad behaviour and not doing his work. This teacher had even posted praise on the new online Sleuth comment system saying how well he had done. I called the school and asked if the teacher in question could call me, which he did. He was adamant that my son had played up,not done his work etc. I explained what my child had said, and about his good comments, but he wouldnt budge from his opinion and said the detention stood and he would have to miss the football tournament he was in. When I asked who he was playing up with he said a boys name that he said was sat nxt to him. I knew that my son sat alone that lesson - when I pointed it out he said "Oh, erm...maybe Im thinking about a different child. Ok, forget the detention."!!

So what are you reslly meant to do when you know the teacher is in the wrong??

[Berkshirelad]

I would just point out that you are mistaken in your belief that a school must give 24 hours notice. The new Education Act (2011) specifically provides for same day detention.

[Mosaic]

So, you complained to a teacher and have had your complaint listened to and acted on. maybe the title of the post needs to be changed?
Well done you and well done that teacher.
And just make sure your lad isn't actually using you as his patsy - all kids play up at one time or another. With respect, you do not know who your lad sits next to in lessons as you aren't there. You only know what he tells you.

[factor-fiction]

I know that mistakes do happen but I'm not sure your title of "Teachers Giving Detentions Left Right And Centre To Wrong Pupils" follows from your experience.

I'm sure your child was identified mistakenly but in many cases the pupils go home with a story that it wasn't them, even when it certainly was, and many parents seem to believe the child.

It's good to know though that you ask questions of your son about detentions- in my experience too many parents don't care and the pupils never show up for detention, causing me more work in ringing home, rearranging it, ringing home again...

[wardlaw]

As a retired teacher with 40 plus years service it does well to remember that even we can make mistakes. In this case the evidence quite clearly shows the teacher to be in the wrong and he has, albeit clumsily apologised and withdrawn the detention. Forget about it and move on. It does seem to me though that the teacher needs some help with classroom control.

[vulcan]

Unfortunately detention is the only deterrent that Teachers have. In my day a swift clip round the ear would have sorted the problem and there would be no question of punishing the wrong child. I've no doubt that human rights will be mentioned but I've often wondered why cameras cannot be installed in a classroom.

[MartinBev58]

I got a life time detention.
I only went to speak to a girl at school on my first day and found out a few minutes later she was the daughter of the headmistress.
I was married to her 14 years later.


Martin

[factor-fiction]

I've often wished I could film a few lessons and then show the film to those parents who believe that their little angels always work hard and don't believe they eat crisps, play on phones, draw willies all over their mate's book, throw equipment on the floor, wind up other students, argue back, etc

[ummmm]

lol Factor - I never believe my kids.

[vulcan]

Martin, do you still call your FIL sir ?. :o)

[cathfromsaron]

teachers are human and should be treated as such! put any concerns in writing and make sure you follow your letter up with a visit to the headteacher!

[Smowball]

Lol oh dont get me wrong - im sure my "little angel" tells porkies with the best of them. He has had detentions before and admitted he was over chatting, or whatever. He just happened to not be in the wrong this time. As for the 24 hour notice thing - im only going on what it says on the detention slips - it says teachers have to give the parents/carers 24 hrs notice. Dont know if thats correct or not.

[Smowball]

P.S I wouidnt be a teacher for anything, talk about a stressful job!

[ladybirder]

Why is it necessary to go to the HT cath?

[MartinBev58]

Hi vulcan42

It was my mother in law who was the headmistress of my school.
My father in law was the headmaster of another grammar school in the area. As it happens is was my mother's / father's first choice school for me but they were very happy I got into their second choice grammar school and I probably would have not have met my wife.
Unfortunately both my mother in law, father in law and wife has now passed away.
Even though it was a grammar school we always had to address the teachers by their names eg Mr or Mrs Jones.
Teachers used to call the pupils by their first names with the exception of a few for example there were 4 Martins in my class so we were called by our first and second name.
I can remember taking my mother in law to the hospital on several occasions and a few of the nurses said I must have been a very perfect child at school and she laughed at this.
I can however remember I was welcomed to their home within 2 weeks of going to her school and both my mother and father in law were always very pleased to see me but showed it more outside school.
One thing I always remembered was my mother in law saying goodbye to all of the other pupils when we left but she did not say goodbye to me.
My mother always said their second choice school was always where I was meant to be.

Martin

[vulcan]

Martin, thanks for replying and my apologies for getting it wrong. I had mislaid my reading glasses and thought it said Headmaster.

[Buenchico]

Well at least your son's teacher only got the wrong pupil. A deputy headteacher I worked with, in a Sheffield comprehensive, once got the wrong school!

After loads of battles to get the kids to queue up properly at the bus stops outside the school, he went outside one afternoon to find a boy blatantly standing apart from the (otherwise orderly) queues. Absolutely furious, the deputy head marched the boy into the school and proceeded to give him a dressing down. It was quite some time before the terrified and tearful youngster managed to blurt out that he attended the junior school next door!

[Mosaic]

Buenchico - my dad taught at an inner-city primary school in the early 1960s. The headteacher walloped a boy across the head for running across the girl's yard after lessons had started -- turns out he wasn't even from that school but was bringing a message from another school.

[SueMoneyRowley]

I think they probably give 24 hours notice as a courtesy, but pupils can be kept in detention the same day. You did what you should have done when a teacher is in the wrong - approach the teacher initially, but if you get no satisfaction, then go higher - to the head and then the governors.