to query this nursery teacher disciplining DD2?

[spongebobsquareeyes]

DD2 is 3 and attends school nursery 5 days a week for 2.5 hours every day. I'm the first one to admit she is hard to handle and doesn't always listen but I use time out with her and she is starting to understand there are consequences to her actions.

Another parent stopped me in the playground after drop off today and told me she had a stay and share session and that she didn't like the way a particular teachef dealt with DD2s behaviour. The children were picking library books to take home and were sitting in the circle time area. DD2 wasn't sitting still and was getting up to look at what books other children had. The teacher in question was apparently quite harshly telling her to sit down and was getting more and more annoyed with DD2 the more she kept doing it. She then got up, marched over to her, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down to the front.

[spongebobsquareeyes]

Posted too soon.

I know DD2 needed told but surely there are better ways than manhandling her? I'm furious.

Should I ask her about what happened? I'm close to writing a letter to the headmaster.

[SamSmalaidh]

Grabbing and pulling children is never ok, unless you are pulling them out of danger (I say this as a nursery teacher by the way!).

I would definitely query it with the teacher/head. I would ask if the school has a safe/positive handling policy.

[Sirzy]

Ask what happened. It could easily have been taking her hand and 'enc

[spongebobsquareeyes]

I'm in Scotland btw if that makes any difference to how I would deal with it, what authority I would go to.

[Sirzy]

Ask what happened. It could easily have been taking her hand and 'encOuraging' her to go to where she needed to be.

[Sugarice]

Go in and ask the teacher how your dd is doing, is her behaviour giving her cause for concern and take it from there.

Is this other Parent someone you know well?

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

You need to find out exactly what happened. For all you know she could have just held her by the hand and firmly walked her to her chair. Totally different than man handling her.

[TotallyBS]

It's a bit of a non-event as far as I am concerned. Your DC ignored repeated requests to sit down. What was the teacher to do?

[spongebobsquareeyes]

Thanks sam. Safe and positive handling, will remember that.

[spongebobsquareeyes]

Yes, I do want to go in and ask the teacher about it, in a non confrontational way. Just ask how she is getting on.

I know the other parent okish I suppose, i know she already has issues with the care the nursery gives. I've had no issues so far.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

See if she already has issues with the nursery she is going to exaggerate the situation.....

Yes go in and speak to someone and ask exactly what happened.

[Sugarice]

Take what the parent said with a pinch of salt, she may be stirring the pot.

[Flobbadobs]

One persons manhandling isn't always the same as another's. speak to the teacher first then go from there.

[mercibucket]

is this other parent a stirrer? perhaps suggest she speaks to the head about what she saw. my guess is she will then back down, but if she was genuinely worried shevwould do it
definitely ask if theres anything you can do to improve your dds behaviour tho

[DeWe]

If she has issues she's going to see it all in that light.
Like if someone irritates you you find everything they say annoying even when you agree with them really.
She may also want you to come and join her in complaining.

[spongebobsquareeyes]

Totally, yes I acknowledge that DD2 was misbehaving and ignoring requests to sit down, I'm not disputing that something needed done. I've just never had to deal with anything like this before, DD1 was fine at the same nursery with the same teachers.

[SamSmalaidh]

Usually schools have safe/positive handling policies in place for dealing with children who have behavioural issues and may need to be moved or restrained for their or other children's safety. Usually teachers should not be physically intervening with children (3+, obviously it will be different in daycare settings with babies/toddlers) because they are annoying them or not doing as told. I'm sure if you ask about their policy on handling children they will tell you that they definitely don't physically grab or move children.

[spongebobsquareeyes]

Very true about the other parent having a tainted view about the nursery, I never thought of it that way, thank you. Like I say I have never had an issue with the nursery before and now I have some outside opinions on the situation I've went from furious to a bit puzzled!

[Lovelygoldboots]

Some parents will stir for their own reason. You should of course talk to teacher but don't take other parents word as gospel. If you have not had previous issues with teacher then I wouldnt read too much into what other parent said. Don't make her issues your problem.

[jamdonut]

Sounds like she is trying to get you on side if she already has an axe to grind. Children do get moved sometimes,usually by taking them by the hand and moving them to a spot nearer the teacher. It is not usually forbidden to do that. If a child refuses to go then you wouldn't keep pulling,and you would have to try another tack, but most children will go compliantly when you take their hand.

And as for speaking harshly...sometimes it is necessary. No amount of gentle "please stop doing that" is going to stop some children. As long as it is not continual . Do you not think staff can get exasperated sometimes? Do you not ever get exasperated,especially if you are sending her to time out?

[RubyGates]

Did she move your child because she was about to stand on another child who was sitting down nicely?

If she had been asked repeatedly to sit down and was ignoring the instruction then that's one thing. If she was endangering the other children who were listening and sitting, what was the teacher supposed to do in the end?

I think you need to know more about the situation.

In our tiny library it only takes one non-listening child to cause chaos for all the others; while I wouldn't condone harshly grabbing a child as a matter of discipline, if the child was about to be injured or injure someone else I wouldn't hesitate to remove them and discuss the proper way to behave in a library afterwards.

[ppeatfruit]

spongebob I have no axe to grind; but I must say as an EY teacher that i've seen some very unpleasant and unnecessary disciplining by some nursery teachers. Your DD is only 3 FFS. I would talk to her and see how she is when going in to the nursery. Does she like it?

[Smartiepants79]

Also, has your daughter mentioned it at all? Did it bother or upset her? I would be more concerned about it if this was the case. As a primary school teacher I do occasionally 'move' children by taking their arm or holding on to the sleeve of a jumper. With some children it is necessary if they are in a little world of their own or being particularly stubborn.
Speak calmly to the teacher and see if you are happy with what she says. If not take it further.
If you have never had issues before I would take it with a pinch of salt.
Are you able to have a stay and share session?

[spongebobsquareeyes]

Absolutely jamdonut, DD2 is frustrating sometimes and I find myself saying things through gritted teeth! And I can totally see her compliantly going when she has been taken by the hand so maybe that's what's happened. Even though she persists in misbehaving if the teacher took her by the hand and sat her down she would have sat there and not moved (I hope). Also, yes I would expect them to speak to her firmly. I fully support teachers disciplining if need be, was just shocked to hear that DD2 was possibly grabbed.

It seems out of character for this teacher because she's always seemed to have a soft spot for DD2, just last week she rebraided her hair for her when it was coming loose.

Feel a lot calmer now, will have a quick chat with the teacher when I pick DD2 up. Thank you everyone.