to not want my Son to be quiet?

[fluffypillow]

My DS came home from School with a sponsorship form today. It's for a sponsored silence.

He is yr 5 (10yrs), and is in a class with year 6's also.

They are to be silent ALL DAY, apart from break and lunch to raise money for book sets for the class. A total of 5 hours.

I think this is a complete waste of time.

If it had been a sponsored run, bounce, read, times table, skip, dance, swim etc.... then great! Any of these things would have enhanced learning/fitness, and would have been fun for the children.......but a sponsored silence?

My DS says it will be so boring, and I can't disagree.

I think his Teacher has very little in the way of imagination tbh or maybe she wants a quiet day

I don't think a class of children of this age should be missing time from their learning for something like this. I mean, they won't be able to do group work that day, or ask the Teacher questions. It's not right IMO.

Any other sponsored event would take no more than an hour from the School day.

I also feel a bit miffed that the School have reserves in the PTA account of over 12 grand, and the kids are being asked to be quiet all day, and to get their parents to fork out the money for new books.

I must add that we always support our DCs Schools very generously, but I think this is a piss take.

AIBU?

[AlmostAHipster]

I think it's a great idea. It won't kill them to be quiet.

[julieann42]

No your not unreasonable! Teaching and learning involves talking and discussions....one might say he might not being taught properly if not able to talk!

[KenLeeeeeee]

I did a 24 hour sponsored silence at that age and loved it! I had to be more creative about communicating & it made me think more about language barriers, etc. My family also loved the break from my incessant nattering.

[Tweasels]

Do you know for a fact the teacher came up with it and not the pupils?

[CailinDana]

I've seen this before in schools, it's hilarious. So incredibly weird and the kids are very hard on each other. We let them talk for the last few minutes and they were still very quiet - I think at that stage they appreciated the calm and even when they spoke it was very softly.

Didn't last though :)

If you are happy with people coming in and commenting on how you run your workplace, then YANBU. If not, then YABU. This is something that is up to the school to decide, it's not going to hurt the children to stay quiet for one day and you are being a bit silly really.

[MrsHoarder]

Also they learn to sacrifice something in aid if a good cause, which has to be better for the character then having fun for it.

Yanbu about the size of the PTA's reserves though.

[LynetteScavo]

It sounds lazy to me. But then I don't like sponsored walks either.

The pta need to sort out what they are going to do with the £12k...keeping anything £4k is silly IMO, unless they have a large goal in mind.

[EmmelineGoulden]

I think something like a silent day could be a great learning experience as a one off.

I don't agree with State schools using sponsorship as a way to hit parents up for cash for the school.

[OpheliaPayneAgain]

There's a novelty, complaining about quiet in a classroom so everyone can learn. Perhaps it could be uniformly adopted across the Uk and we could get some standards back.

[fluffypillow]

Definitely Teachers idea. Childrens suggestions dismissed.

I can just see that it will be an excuse for the more lively members of the class to be silly, and the better behaved children to have to keep it up all day.

Don't see why I should pay for the Teacher to tell my son keep his mouth shut all day.

If the money was for a charity, or really worthwhile cause I could stomach it, but not for new books.

[fluffypillow]

ophelia, if they were being sponsored to be kind/helpful/well behaved/do nice things for others for the day I would be thrilled, but not talking for a day achieves nothing. They can't learn properly when they can't ask quetions/work available is restricted to having to be silent.

[Mrsjay]

I can remember I did it in primary was fun and we ended up pointing and writing things down , 1 of the DDs did one for a charity a few years ago also great fun and peaceful YAB alittle U , saying that they could do something else and i am sure they get 'talk breaks'

[fluffypillow]

I just think they could do something more constructive with their time in yr 5/6.

[teacherandguideleader]

I make my tutor group do some things in silence - we have played some games and it has really helped develop their communication skills. By the end of a day I would imagine they would be being quite creative in thinking of ways to send messages without talking.

[BraaaaaainsButterfield]

IMO students are always very keen to do sponsored silences. I've known loads do them over the years. If the whole class is doing it and they know well in advance, it would be easy for the teacher to set appropriate work - a good bit of extended writing could easily take 2/3 hours (imagine them all stuck into an already-planned ghost story, for example), and then they could do some maths practice worksheets to reinforce concepts taught that week, finish off a project, model or painting, do some work for display, make 'neat copies' of drafted work - none of it busywork or a waste of time at all.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

YABVU it is a great exercise in self control and makes them aware of how much claptrap they talk.

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

YABU. Silence is Golden.

[kinkyfuckery]

5 hours is a long time. My DC1 is in P3 (age 7) and the whole school is supposed to be doing a silence next week - 30mins for P3 down, and 60 mins for P4 up - to raise money towards the new school library. I know my DC is going to struggle with it big time.

How does your DC feel about it?

[AngelWreakinHavoc]

yabvu. I agree with MrsCantSayAnything apropriate name for the thread by the way

I would deffo sponsor my kids to shut up for the day

[AngelWreakinHavoc]

AND do you really think the teachers are expecting complete silence?

[FariesDoExist]

YANBU at all

I would not be happy at all if my child was made to be silent in school for such a long period of time. I think it would be fine for an hour, but not all day.

[fluffypillow]

ok, ok, maybe I need to think about this in a different way then.

I hadn't considered that maybe it could be a learning experience in itself.

[HolyBrrrrrrBatman]

I think it depends on how it's handled. They could make it really fun/educational or it could be boring and a waste of time, see how it goes on the day.

[mymatemax]

Its great. Sponsorships should be challenging and dificult.
Also they will learn so much about alternate methods of communicating, sharing their thoughts without verbalising them

So many learnign opportunties.

[HolyBrrrrrrBatman]

and they can ask questions, but they'll just have to write it down/mime it.