what are your thoughts on..

Teachers yelling at students? In particular, primary school students?

what would you do if you heard a teacher yelling at a class or a couple of students in a class. I'm not sure if I'm over reacting or not.

Sat outside DD's class yesterday with some other parents and heard this awful screeching/yelling and thought it was the teacher telling a story and being quite the actress about it. Turns out she was yelling at a couple of kids in DD's class. It was that bad, that I think all of us sitting out the front were quite uncomfortable being there hearing our kids teacher yelling the way she was. I can't stop thinking about it. Had a chat with DD, and she tells me that one of the boys was in trouble for naughty all week and the other boy was in trouble for being miserable all week - what do you expect when you yell at the kids like that though?

She went on at these two boys telling them that when they come to school on monday that they better be acting like they are in year 4 and not in prep because she has had enough of them being like this! Poor kids are probably getting use to the new teacher. After the day 8 numbers were done, the school had to let go of a teacher and it was DD's class that lost their teacher, and had them replaced with the teacher they now have...yelling at them too!

(Was also told a couple of days before I heard her yelling, that this teacher was super peeved off that she had been taken away from her prep class and given a grade 4 class to teach)

I so badly wanted to walk in there yesterday and ask her why she was yelling at the kids? As a parent I understand how much kids can stretch our patience, but really..to yell at them like that! She is suppose to be the adult in that room!

Anyway, a bit of a vent there, but also interested in hearing other opinions on this one. I understand that sometimes teacher yell. But this was not a simple raising of the voice! She was practically screaming hysterically.

I even feel bad for the class next door that would have heard it all as well.

I would give her the benefit of the doubt - those 2 boys had probably been testing her all week and she had just reached the end of her tether. Teachers have to deal with some very difficult kids at school - kids that probably aren't getting the good example and discipline they need at home, and act out in class all day, which makes it very difficult for the teacher to teach effectively and give enough attention to the other children in the class. I was friends with my son's prep teacher last year - she is just a lovely lady, wonderful to her prep kids, but even she had a hard time with a couple of the kids in her class - and was heard yelling a few times. It happens. And the other kids understand - you would be surprised how well they understand. They know why the teacher is yelling and they don't take it personally.

Yeah, you're probably right there Bon, thanks :) I've only heard it once, but was told by another mum (that I've only met once) that she has been yelling quite a bit over the last 2 weeks she has been with the class.

Ok persoanlly, I really hate it when I see/hear teachers yelling at students, especially primary students.

I'm not a teacher, but obvisouly I am a parent, and I dont yet at Claire (she;s only 2 though). I've never yelled at her and I hope I never have to. I feel that by yelling, you are escalating the situation beyond where it really needs to go. I mean kids can be really testing, especially 9-10 year olds, and yeah yelling does get them to sit up and pay attention and get the idea that they're doing the wrong thing.. but seriously, if I heard my kids techer yelling alot, I would serisouly be really annoyed and unimpressed. I just dont think its appropriate and to an extent it would sort of say to me that that teacher does not have good control of her class.

Just my opinion though! As i said, I dont have a school aged child.

I completely agree with Bon. You have to give her a break. I am a teacher and let me tell you I am a very patient one at that but sometimes having a stern word to some children is the only way to get the point across. It would be different if she were doing it all the time but sometimes when you have tried everything else you are out of options. Teachers deal with alot of rubbish sometimes and it is normally the same kids who continue to do the wrong thing, take teaching time away from the other kids in the class and it is just not fair. I know that last year I yelled at a few kids in my class in front of the rest of the class as I needed to make sure that the other children knew that that type of behaviour is not tolerated.

Please dont judge a teacher until you have walked a mile in their shoes. I am sure as a parent you have yelled at your children at least on one occasion and you would be horrified to think that your neighbours might call DOCS or be judging you because of it when they have no idea why you were yelling.

On a side note, I would hope that the teacher would be professional enough to deal with the change from prep to year 4. I am sure if the teacher next door continually heard another teacher screaming then they would approach the teacher and ask if trhey could help in anyway.

Yes, I've yelled at my DD, but nothing quite like what I heard coming from that room. I'm sure if I yelled that loud, that I would be feeling like my head was about to explode. I have nothing wrong with a teacher having a stern word, but it was far from being that.
Another mum who was there was laughing at the start, she thought the teacher was role playing or something. I think we were all sitting there with the same stunned look on our faces lol.

I also just wanted to add: Stern words - I think thats fine. Some kids just need to pull their heads in and be put into their place and for some of those kids, normal talking just doesnt cut it.

Sorry but I disagree. No break necessary. Paris has had 3 teachers, and none of them have yelled. In fact our principal doesn't approve of raising ones voice at a child. And as such there are particular guidelines for behaviour and discipline in place. And I have friends who are teachers (one also teaches children the same age as her own daughter, if something would make you yell surely that would LOL) who also say it is completely unnecessary. If they are resorting to yelling then they must not have good policies in place for the teachers to deal with trouble students. And as for getting children's attention all the teachers paris has have their own inventive way that is positive to get a child's attention.

Paris and I have an understanding if a teacher ever ever yells at her she is to tell me straight away. I will not tolerate it. I was verbally abused by a teacher when I was at school, for literally no reason at all and it did scar me for the rest of the time at that school. She was a bully, she bullied the good kids and she bullied the kids who were more talkative, excitable etc. Its not on.

I would talk to the teacher first, and ask if everything is ok, even go as far as to offer other ways to deal with children. Yelling is only ever a response to your own frustration (unless someone is far far away and you are projecting your voice LOL) and that is not a good habit for a teacher to get into.

ETA: I agree a stern voice, or an assertive voice is fine. Children do need to know that the teacher is to be respected and listened to. Screaming like a banshee however is not ok.

It depends what your definition of yelling is and what you are saying. It is different to verbally abusing someone.

You dont know what those kids have done and what has led the teacher to do what she has done and relying on what your child has told you is not always the best thing. Take for instance when you ask them about what they did at school for the day...do you think they tell you every detail on how or why they did something? How are they to recall the exat details and background to a situation thatr isnt even directly involving them?

As Nic said she has only heard it once and the source of her other info is not really a reliable one. \

If she were a good teacher, I am sure that she would have used it as a last resort. I know that I have plenty of other methods that I use to get a point across or to stop a certain behaviour in a positive way before having to resort to yelling at someone.

I kind of agree with Bon. Perhaps she has been copping a bit from these kids and needed to give them a serve.
I think though it could be her undoing though because if these kids are a bit cunning they could be doing it on purpose to stir her up.

I have no problem with yelling.
Uncontrolable screeching on a regular basis, I would have concerns.
The kids are ol dnough to know how to behave, and old enough to deal with punnishment. I was yelled at at school, in a class environment, many many times, and there was always a reason for it. It got our attention and I still remember it, so it has a long term impact.
There is huge difference in my mind between abuse and yelling. Obviously had I been the victim of such abuse, maybe there wouldnt be such a huge difference, I dont know?

I think give her the benefit of the doubt. If you are concerned maybe mention that you overheard the exchange and hope that the yelling isnt a regular part of the class. Maybe that will remind her to be more aware of her levels.

As for the rumors of how she feels teaching the class, dont buy in. and dont allow you views of her to be coloured by idle gossip. The woman is a teacher and human being and deserves to be respected by the parents as well as her students.

Thought I would come back an update. I heard the teacher having a word with the whole class last week. She was really good with them, she was assertive, no yelling or harse words at all.

Then yesterday she was yelling at a student for forgetting to take her homework home and said (read: yelled) to this girl that it was her fault for not taking the homework home,(the girl lost the sheet in the classroom) that she would still have to do it all that night and return it the following day like everyone else was suppose to, and that she didn't feel sorry for her at all and to stop crying!
Then she went on a rant about how if she forgot her work for the class for the day, how she wouldn't be allowed to say 'oh oops, I forgot', how she has to remember to bring her stuff to class, so why shouldn't this particular girl remember to take her homework home? She actually said it wasn't fair that she has to remember to bring in class work and that this student thought she didn't have to remember..
I don't know...I don't like the way she is speaking (or should that be screaming?) to them, and for the record, my DD isn't even getting into trouble, the teacher practically fell over herself the other day to tell me that DD is doing really well in class and she has no problems with her at all!

I do understand and agree that the teacher should be respected by her students, (and yes, parents as well) but just because they are 8-9-10 years old, doesn't mean they don't deserve some respect from her either. Maybe that is just me though? I believe respect goes both ways, you don't automatically 'earn it' just because you are older than someone else.

DH and I had another chat about it this arvo, and he suggested I approach her and ask if everything is ok? I don't think I could do it, not yet anyway... Told him I am thinking of waiting until we have our parent teacher interview this term, and then report cards next term. Then I can re-evaluate what is going on in the classroom. I just don't want to leave it till it is at the point where DD is sick of going to school and hearing the teacher yell at single students or the class in general. I don't want her to come out of this year hating the idea of school and it being a horrible place to go...

We had some really difficult kids at school, but we never had a teacher yell like that.
Raised voices yes, occasionally, but never directed at one child. To the whole class & no more than a few times through the whole of school.

I did see a sub teacher slap a student in the face lightly in year 8. No excuse for that one, but I totally understand why she did it. The student had been really disrespectful through the whole class, then when we were leaving she asked the girl to go to the principle. As she walked past the girl got in her face & called her a s**t.
Although we all knew it wasn't right, not one of us said anything.

I am with you, that the teacher seems to be going too far. There are plenty of things they can do. There is no need for screaming like that.
Send them out, to the principle, detention, lines, in a corner, pickup 10 papers.
What happened to all those punishments we got at school? Do they still do them?