Complaining about a teacher

Have you ever complained about your kids teacher? I am not very happy with my child's teacher but then at the same time I'm not sure how to approach the issue. It is a great school and my child is doing well there. I think the teacher is technically a good teacher but I also think that they are grossly unprofessional. There seems to be a lot of politics in the school and for the short time that I am there to drop off and pick up my kid I get the low down on who's doing what and a bitchfest about the other teachers and assistant teachers. This teacher also starts off conversations like "had a really crap day today, X kid was really annoying me" plus "I spoke to Y's mum about Johnny as I think he has a problem and his mum had a really bad attitude about my feedback". I think this is really inappropriate. There have also been a couple of incidents where she has stepped out of the class to make HP calls to sort out her own dramas and on one occasion my son wandered off and was found 10 mins later. I know this because I witnessed it. I did actually address this and a couple of other smaller incidents with her directly (and angrily) which she tried to deny.


I am sitting here still fuming and wonder if this is something I should take further but then my toddler is happy and I feel it is a good school. The other option is that there are other classes and I could move him. I don't want her to treat him badly because I've complained about her but then I feel quite strongly that she is very unprofessional and I think I am right as I am usually a very laid back person so for her to irk me, she must have really stepped over the line.

I would contact the Principal's Office and speak with him/her in the first instance. They will keep the matter confidential if that is what you want, but I would definately follow it through if you feel at all uneasy about anything at the school. Particularly the talking about other students and teachers. That is just unprofessional and at no time should anything ever be said to a parent about any issues within the school. The Principal can take it up with the teacher or monitor the situation for a time and you can remain anonymous. At the end of the day, it's your child's education that is the most important thing and if a teacher is neglecting their care of duty and not putting the children first (ie., taking personal calls during class time), then I would deal with the matter. Good Luck!

Allthough it's kind of awkward, I think you need to tell this teacher what you're thinking more in a direct manner. If she starts complaining about another child to you, just say something like "Oh, I'm sorry, but I really don't think you should be saying this to me..."


If she doesn't stop after the above, then move your kid to another class, or make a complaint.