A note from your child's teacher...

[mibarra]

Originally Posted by *KaiMom* When someone calls from an unblocked number it's almost automatic for someone to save the number for future use=permission to call them at that number. If the op has such a problem with parents calling then why give out the number; and yes when you call from an unblocked number you are handing out your number. That's probably why doctors don't call you from their home numbers.

See, I disagree, but maybe I'm odd. I don't save numbers in caller ID like that, and always ask "Is this number ok to call you at?" before saving it. I feel like so many things I consider good manners/common courtesy are falling by the wayside in our technology driven age....

[s@hmommy]

Originally Posted by mibarra See, I disagree, but maybe I'm odd. I don't save numbers in caller ID like that, and always ask "Is this number ok to call you at?" before saving it. I feel like so many things I consider good manners/common courtesy are falling by the wayside in our technology driven age....

I am guilty of saving peoples numbers when they call me, especially if it is someone I may need to contact later. I would never call my childs teacher at home, but if she happened to call me I would probably save the number assuming it was her classroom phone (all classes at dd's school have their own phone). And i usually make phone calls in the evening after dh is home, so I could have done this without intending to!

[dudleypippen]

I once (early in my career) answered a page from my cell phone without blocking the number. Big mistake. Months later the patient called me with some random, minor question. Months after that her FRIEND called me with a question and told me that the original patient had given her my number. Not cool. While yes sometimes I give my number to "pet" patients I expect them to respect my privacy and family time and not call me all hours of the day and night. I especially hate being friended by a patient on Facebook so that they can ask for refills or samples. I think many people lack common sense and don't understand boundaries. I agree with OP, being called at home about a minor issue is inappropriate. Yes, she made contact first but that doesn't make it a free for all.

[IndoorKitty]

Originally Posted by *KaiMom* When someone calls from an unblocked number it's almost automatic for someone to save the number for future use=permission to call them at that number. If the op has such a problem with parents calling then why give out the number; and yes when you call from an unblocked number you are handing out your number. That's probably why doctors don't call you from their home numbers.

Nope. That's incorrect and inappropriate. If I were your child's teacher and you did this to me, I would politely tell you that I'll speak to you tomorrow, and then I'd hang up on you and turn off the ringer/block your number. When I spoke to you the next day from school, I'd have the principal on the line with me. This is a level of presumption that will not endear you to your child's teachers. Do not do this.

[Rhianna'sMommy]

I don't know about others but if a call comes up blocked, I don't answer it. So the teacher/dr/whoever would have to leave me a message and a number to return their call. So if you want to get ahold of me in a timely manner, don't block your number. I do save most numbers that come into my phone, but not for the purpose of calling that person back. I actually do it with teachers and others like that so their number registers on my phone if they call again. I screen pretty much every call that comes in so if I don't recognize the number I rarely answer. So if you call me, I program the number so I will answer next time you call.

I live in a small town so things might work a bit differently here. Every teacher dd has had has encouraged me to call anytime with whatever questions I have. I've had pretty much all their phone numbers. Dd's current teacher lives 2 blocks from us so we run into fairly often when we're out for walks. While I've never seen a reason to call a teacher - I prefer email - I would never have guessed so many teachers were adament that no one call them at home.

[jbug_4]

Originally Posted by *KaiMom* When someone calls from an unblocked number it's almost automatic for someone to save the number for future use=permission to call them at that number. If the op has such a problem with parents calling then why give out the number; and yes when you call from an unblocked number you are handing out your number. That's probably why doctors don't call you from their home numbers.

Calling someone from an unblocked number is not giving permission to call them in the future. They could be calling from any number of places- might not even be their number. Just because someone doesn't block their number or whatever number they happen to be calling from does not mean its an invitation to use that number.

[cdeweese]

I don't think there is a situation emergent enough to call a teacher at home. You can leave a message with the school, email the teacher, etc. Calling the teacher at home is not likely to save anyone's life. It may not be a big deal to some, but since I come from a family of teachers it's irritating to me.
Also, every school I know of hands out a list of school/classroom numbers to parents in the beginning of the school year. If that number wasn't on the list, it shouldn't have been used.

[swismiself]

When my husband taught high school as a long term sub, he had parents call as late as 9:30pm. We hated it, and he eventually took another job.

[qsefthuko]

Originally Posted by IndoorKitty You have some unusually available doctors and plumbers. (I never been able to get a plumber to show up on the day he said he would, let alone after hours.) I think that has skewed your expectations. It is not standard professional behavior to give out personal contact information to patients or clients. A service person (plumber, locksmith) who chooses to answer a business phone after hours is agreeing to work after hours (usually for an inflated rate.) Setting aside the unusual behavior of your doctors, by giving you a cell number and saying "call me" they are explicitly giving you permission to contact them in this way. The OP did not give out her cell number and say that parents could call her with questions. She used her home phone to contact parents over the summer and the parent presumed that it was okay to call because the number was on the caller id. This is a presumption far beyond what most people would expect when making a work call from a non-work number. If you don't believe that calling teachers at home is inappropriate, then you are mistaken. It is. No amount of justifying or complaining about the school system's autocall changes that.

I was saying the comparison didn't work. I have never lived in a large town so that can make a big difference as to availability. The town where I was at when I had to call the locksmith was only 5-6000 in population. I have no clue what a locksmith generally charges. I have fortunately never had to call one befor or since this one and only time. I was then charged somewhere between $50-$70. It has been almost 12 years since then.

I do not call my Dr. in an emergency even if I have a number to call. I call 911. The ER can then call if needed. I also wait to call the plumber until descent hours. As you said I would expect to pay higher prices.

I have no idea if it should be acceptable to call a teacher after hours. I cannot however think of even one reason I would need to do so. As I mentioned earlier in the e net of a death in my immediate family it would not even occur to me to call the teacher. What is the point?

I was not complaining about the automated calls. There have been several times I forgot the children had a day off but was reminded when the call came in. Truthfully I appreciate them. I think in our busy days they are a nice reminder. However I guess if pressed to say if a parent calling a teacher at home is appropriate I would have probably said yes because these calls led me to think it must be appropriate. Again though I cannot think of even one reason I would have my child's teacher on an emergency contact list.

[OneFishTwoFish]

Originally Posted by swismiself When my husband taught high school as a long term sub, he had parents call as late as 9:30pm. We hated it, and he eventually took another job.

But how did they get his number?

I don't know....while I personally wouldn't call a teacher at home (mostly because I WAS a teacher before having kids) if the woman had the number and it was only 7:30 I wouldn't be so upset. If I was super busy and didn't recognize the number I wouldn't answer anyway. When teaching, I always assumed that the general rule was not to call parents from your personal number (or to block it). I wouldn't put the blame on the parent in this way.