Sucky Teacher....

[NotSoInnocent]

And the award for Sucky Teacher goes to my oldest's First Grade instructor.

First, my daughter is normally very active. In fact she gets in trouble for her inability to sit still and quiet. She is constantly moving.

Given this knowledge... what do you think should have happened when such a child sits in a corner with her head down all day and complains of a tummy ache, a head ache and not feeling well.

Perhaps... send the child to the nurse's office? Maybe take her temperature? Call her parents?

Apparently the answer is "Do nothing."

I picked up my daughter from school yesterday to find her pale, sweating and generally miserable. I was told how she'd behaved during the day and immediately took her home to take her temperature which was .... 104.8!!!! WTF??!!

I got her temperature down as fast as I safely could and held her hair while she threw up all night. She won't be going to school for the rest of the week as she's still running a slight fever. Had I been informed of her illness earlier in the day, I would have been able to take care of her that much sooner. I'm just sooooo angry!

This teacher allowed my child to sit in class all day while sick without taking any steps to help! How is that justified?????

[air914]

It's not - there are some people that I just don't understand why they become teachers - if you hate kids, this is NOT the profession for you!

My brother had a teacher who wore hoochie momma clothes, DIDN'T know the subject she was teaching (made several errors when talking to my parents about the subject she supposedly knows and is teaching), and she was complaining b/c basically my brother was smarter than she was and didn't show her a lot of respect........ (this was in middle school by the way). Unfortunately, despite her lack of proper clothing, manners, or teaching ability - this woman had somehow become tenured - the only reason I can figure it out is b/c she was a minority. I'm all for capable people being in the workplace but I don't think that has to be based upon your color, sex, or sexual preference.... I understand why affirmative action was started, but I think at this point the best person for the job is the one that should be hired - not the one you're hiring to "make quota"....

Sorry I don't mean to start a debate there..... just angers me when people are afraid to fire an incompetent person b/c of their skin color, sex, or sexual preference........

Anyway I'm sorry your child is sick and had to go through this - hope she feels better soon!

[draftermatt]

I hope you called the school and complained about the teacher.

[SnapAddict218]

I would speak directly to the teacher. While s/he probably should have noticed that your daughter was sweating, pale and generally ill looking, I'd want to know from them what the deal was. Not excusing this, but is her class very large? The trouble with large classes is that so many kids get left behind or over looked, and this is one of the ways.

In any event, I hope she feels better soon!!

[FormerCallingCardRep]

My 16 year old has a cardiac condition. At the beginning of the school year each of her teachers were given a fact sheet about her cardiac condition along with a written note from her cardiologist about her restrictions and that she was to be allowed to have a water bottle on her at all times.

About a month and a half ago I get a call from the school nurse that my daughter was on her way to the hospital. Her heart rate was at 240 beats per minute. Once I got to the hospital and talked to my daughter I found out that she was sitting in French class having chest pains and shortness of breath and her teacher would not send her to the nurse. Her teacher kept yelling at her that she did not bring in her midterms signed (I had forgot to sign them before I left for work). I was furious. They got her heart calmed down and I got her home later that afternoon.

That night the French teacher called me to tell me that my daughter did not bring in the signed midterms. I proceded to ask her why she did not let her go to the nurse. I then informed her that if it ever happened again that I would take her before the board of education. She knew that my daughter was a cardiac patient, she had a copy of the information, she had no excuse. My daughter sits right in front of her desk.

[air914]

FormerCallingCardRep - what was the teacher's reply to you? I'm curious.......

How are signed midterms more important than a sick child? Stupid teacher..... makes me want to homeschool if I ever have kids - or maybe just hire a private tutor (when I win the lottery)..... b/c I know I suck at math and I don't want to screw my kids up on that one...

[FormerCallingCardRep]

She kept on telling me that she was fine in class. I have talked to her friend who 1) is also a cardiac patient and 2) walked her down to the nurse's office and she said that my daughter was as white as a sheet even before she went into French class.

[tamezin]

This teacher allowed my child to sit in class all day while sick without taking any steps to help! How is that justified?????

My daughter's teacher can share the award. I came home from work about a month ago, my husband told me to take a look at my daughter (he can probably have an award for do nothing Dad).

My daugher was broken out in hives from head to toe. Not a minor break out, big angry red welts. She was beginning to have difficulty breathing. Her teacher let her sit in class all day like this, did not send her to a nurse, did not call anyone. I was furious. I called the school to talk to the school nurse, who was unavailable. I instead spoke to the principle who did not know the school policy for situations like this.

[reformedwaitress]

Some teachers are just not supposed to be teachers. You should teach your daughter that if she ever has this problem again she should try to talk to someone else at lunch or recess or a bathroom break or something -- go find a nurse or a principal. Even if it might "get her in trouble" it's better than her being there sick! You also might want to the principal about this -- if your daughter is / was contagious, this could cause problems at the school.

When I was in first grade, I was the same way -- I was a ball of energy. And one day I felt really really bad and the teacher would not let me go anywhere or call my mom. So at lunch I went to the other side of the cafeteria and told the other teacher I was sick and needed the nurse and she felt my head and immediately scooped me up and took me upstairs. I had strep throat and a fever of I think 103 so they called my mom.

That teacher got a talking to from the principal because I could have been contagious and contaminating the class / school. Strep throat did go around that year much worse than usual in our school.

[FormerCallingCardRep]

I think I jinxed myself. She had not had an incident in since the day involving the French teacher until today. She was in middle of her English test when it happened. She is now resting comfortably in her own bed.

[ditchdj]

As a fellow educator I have to weigh in. Being a teacher today is really tough. They have a lot riding on them now thanks to "No Child Left Behind" and more pressure to accomodate ALL types of kids (no matter what disabilities they have)and get those scores up and keep order in that classroom. That and schools are much more nonhesitant to fire teachers that they feel dont "perform up to standards". In some classes things go better when there's a co-teacher or a Special Ed instuctor helps during the day. Sometimes there isn't and it can cause a teacher to let a couple of kids "fall through the cracks" if not reminded of this. If your child is generally disruptive schools used to suspend them or send them to alternative schools that cater to your kid's special kind of needs. In order to save money and "civil rights groups" they just get lumped in with the other kids now. If, normally a child is disruptive a lot then the teacher responded correctly by placing the child and his or her desk in the corner to minimize that. I'm not excusing what this teacher did. She DID make a mistake in not sending your child to the nurse. But understand she likely did NOT do it just because she doesnt like her job or just "hates kids". She may have been flustered because several other kids have asked to see the nurse over petty things like having a headache or bumping into someone. When it happens a lot during the day it can be really easy to overlook something more serious.

What I would do is have a civilized discussion with the teacher about what happened. She will likely apologize, take it as a mistake learned, and be more careful in looking out for these kinds of things.

[NotSoInnocent]

If, normally a child is disruptive a lot then the teacher responded correctly by placing the child and his or her desk in the corner to minimize that.

If the teacher had been the one to put her in a corner because she was acting up... I would have been fine with it.

My daughter sat quietly... on her own. She wasn't getting up. She wasn't making noise. She wasn't being disruptive at all. She was being completely different from her usual self. The only time she spoke up was when she told her teacher that she didn't feel well.

The problem that I had is that the teacher told me that she had noticed the behavior change and the complaints about a tummy ache and head ache.... and still didn't send her to the nurse or have me called.

[tollbaby]

My son had what we *thought* was a migraine the other day (he's 8)... headachy, somewhat nauseated, and reacting VERY badly to any light. So I gave him some children's tylenol, let him go to bed at 6:30 and checked on him periodically throughout the night. (no fever). The next morning, he seemed better, said his head was still a bit sore, so I gave him some more tylenol, but he insisted he was fine to go to school (for my oddball children, there is no punishment greater than a PD day or *GASP* summer vacation).

Teacher calls me around 2:30. Turns out he's spent the ENTIRE DAY crying that his head hurt and he even threw up round about lunch time (he hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before though, so he only puked once). She was just calling to let me know he was sleeping in the nurse's office. errr... WTF? I'm coming to get him! but at that point, he piped up that he was feeling MUCH better and that he wanted to take the bus home with his friends, so the teacher passed him the phone and I chatted with him to make sure he really *was* feeling better... he got to take the bus home.

But seriously. My kid's crying and puking? CALL ME!!!! I'd have gone to the next town (where he goes to school) to pick him up!!! *grumble* Thank goodness, it wasn't a migraine.... but unfortunately, it was a virus and we passed it around to EVERYBODY at daycare *sigh* My daughter, luckily, has NOT caught it Constitution of a horse, that kid.

[reformedwaitress]

I asked my Momma, who is a pre-k teacher and has been for over 30 years, about this because I knew she would have a closer view on it than I would and she agreed that with a change THAT drastic (especially in a child that young) that the teacher should have at the very least taken the child to the nurse, but should have also called the parent.

I know that teaching today is difficult because of all the rules and regulations put on by the governments but that does not change the fact that teachers are responsible for the children in their care. A good teacher should be able to tell a change that drastic in a child -- especially at 6, when they have the same children all day every day. I'm not trying to start a debate and I'm not saying that all teachers are bad, but this teacher, in this situation, was very very sucky.

[CrazedClerk]

Some teachers I suppose feel their job is simply to teach and don't really put too much effort into caring about the physical health of the students they teach.