4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Alis girls]

ES (13) came home from school today and he has a new French teacher and she is SCAREEEE In her 30's married 1 child , 2 stepchildren, ex trouble maker made good, ex army and mega strict. Now my question being in my 40's and a bit old fashoined is it normal for a teacher to give so much info about herself? All the french teachers I remember were all a bit well - odd and one was a pscycho who had a breakdown in later life. Apparently ES son said a friends french improved 10 fold because of this woman. We will see. The only thing I haven't been told his her dress size, however she wears hippy sounding clothes. This all in one lesson WOW

[Happy chickens!]

Wow - his French must be good if he understood all that!

[Janty]

The children at our school know a lot about me...mainly because I have been at the school for 11 years and most of the children know someone who was at school when I was attacked. I am also quite open with the children to a point. When the girls got freaked over their HPV jabs, I talked to them about when the doctors found pre-cancerous cells and some detail about the treatments that I had to go through.

 

I find that my open approach works well. There are a lot of children who will come and talk to me when they have problems or they have done something wrong. I have a drop in club at lunchtimes. The children know that they can come and talk, I have autistic children who come in and play lego and some children just come in as they know that it keeps them out of trouble at lunchtime.

[Guest]

You say ES has her as a new teacher but his friend has had her before? Its likely that he knew a lot of this stuff - or his classmates did and they may well have asked her! Being an open sort she might well confirm it.

 

We spend a lot of time drawing on our own lives for examples - we have to teach PSHE and for some of us teaching from experience is a good tool. I learned from an amazing head teacher who almost always related her assemblies to her own life - as a member of staff I sometimes wondered if all of those things had really happened to her or if she just found using "personal" stories a useful teaching tool.

 

My kids know I'm divorced (seperated) from an alcoholic ex. Divorces are often good to talk about with teenagers - many of them are dealing with those issues themselves. They know I have a son - there are pictures of him. They know my Dad died of lung cancer. They know I've lost a lot of weight and that my weight loss has left me with concerns over my own body image. And they know I've been to pole dancing classes - the last because I was seen there by a year 11 girl who went with her Mum! Kids who I havn't taught before sometimes ask me questions about some of these things as they have heard about them from others. There are many more things they don't know - some I occasionally choose to share as an empathetic measure with kids who are suffering.

 

Sounds like your ES is impressed with this woman - probably her reputation preceeded this lesson and it sounds like he is thinking she has a lot to teach him.

[Alis girls]

I think he knew she was strict but not much else - and it was in English!! I am probably old fashioned but then OH pointed out many of my patients know about my family life - although I dont tell them where I live for obvious reasons. i was amazed he had her life story in one lesson and all en anglais

[chickencam]

one of my son's teachers introduced himself to them this year, giving his age, and some other bits of info. This impressed DS and I think that sharing some personal experiences can help teenagers see their teacher as a person and if kept within the boundaries of discipline can help build an atmosphere of mutual respect.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I too am quite open with my students about having a husband, children (there are photos up), pets, and about some of my life experiences. 'Edited highlights' so to speak. I've never found that the kids abuse that knowledge, but would never give contact details or very personal info.

 

I went through both my pregnancies while I was teaching Biology - I would have found it impossible not to be open... especially with the y7s who were learning about reproduction at the time. We had a parent who was a midwife who came in with her Doppler, so all the kids heard DSs heartbeat. I've had lessons sidetracked by questions about all sorts of issues. I had a long, detailed, but very appropriate session with y11 on issues related to breastfeeding - I was still feeding DS2 at the time and they were fascinated to learn that I was at work but still able to breastfeed my baby. That was prompted by a direct (but not rude) question from one of the lads!

 

I've also found that word passes from student to student - I've taught there 14 years now and become part of the fabric of the place.

 

It's my role as behaviour teacher to get to know students really well - asking them about their home and family life. I find that if I am open about my own life, they relax and talk to me far more. My chickens and guinea pigs went in for a day and were handled by students, who were careful and gentle with them despite many having severe behaviour issues. My relationship with the students had a definite influence on their behaviour that day.

 

It may not be the way teachers used to behave. Many of my collagues wouldn't be so open. Some kids do forget that we go home to a life at the end of the day, and that being a teacher is just a job, and so do their parents. I'm sure some still think we get put away in the cupboard when they go home!

[PurpleTree]

I don't think I knew anything much about my teachers at all, and I don't think I would've dared ask. I know a few of them that are still there are on Facebook now and are 'friends' with some of their pupils.

 

My French teacher was crazy, with a quick temper. He'd first throw the chalk at you, quickly followed by the board duster - luckily I was never on the receiving end, but we all learnt to duck quick. He wouldn't speak any English in the lesson either unless he really had to.

[Alis girls]

Wow PT it must be the same teacher - was this in Leicestershire? We had blackboard rubbers and chalk lobbed at us and ducking was second nature. He also converted our names to french which made me cringe. Must be the same man.

[PurpleTree]

No it was in Cardiff in a Church of Wales school. When he was out of the classroom, I went on a few French trips, he was actually quite nice, if a little odd.

[Alis girls]

Hmmm sounds very odd. This guy probably had a nice side and seemed to refer the girls to the boys.

[sadietoo]

My french teacher was a nun...and that was all the information we had about her...Oh until they changed the wimples...and then we found out what colour her hair was..

[Couperwife]

Im honest to the children I teach about some things other things I do not tell.

 

for example, they know my name, my age, where I was brought up, they do not know that Ive been poledancing

 

somethings that I tell them I tell for a reason, I certainly dont go in and tell all first time i see them

 

they need to know why... and life experiences certainly help on the why part. I cant teach the "you must do this" and not add the "because..." part

 

cathy

x

[Alis girls]

Wow can you imagine if they did - you'd never hear the end of it Can't wait to meet ex- army scarey french teacher now. More exciting than mine ever were, mine were either psychotic or looked like Miss Jones out of Rising Damp