Think teacher has forgotten merit certificate: to email or not?

[MamOfTwo]

My DC's school award a merit certificate for good work/good behaviour etc to one child from each class per week. It's pretty obvious (to parents) that each child should receive at least one certificate in the year. However, I have a feeling that my DC's teacher has forgotten her (teacher is not that organised, and does forget things). As there are only two weeks of term left, should I email her or will I look like a loon? And how should I phrase the email? I'm really not being all PFB about her not getting a certificate but it is important to my DD.

[Haggisfish]

I would email if you can't speak yo her in person.

[isitnearlytheend]

My DS was in a similar situation re being overlooked for 'special helper' status. He wrote his teacher a lovely polite note asking if it would be possible for him to be chosen before the term was out and low and behold he was chosen the following week. And I barely needed to get involved.

[isitnearlytheend]

Realise in hindsight that not so easy with merit certificates but could DC remind teacher of a recent piece of work/activity they are particularly proud of?

[BackforGood]

If it's bothering your dc, then get them to ask the teacher, or tell the teacher they feel sad they've never had one.
If it's not / they've not noticed, then leave well alone.

[DeeWe]

I would catch her in person ideally or drop an email something along the lines of "DD's working really hard at the moment because she's desperate to get a merit certificate before the end of the year as she hasn't had one yet".

Now it might be that the teacher has made a mistake and thinks she has given one-say a week she was absent was her "turn" or something.
So that's just a gentle way of letting her know.

If you get your dd to ask then I think you're at risk of either the teacher thinking "I'm sure I have, she probably had it in September and can't remember" because a lot of children will swear blind they haven't had one when they have; or the teacher thinking "I can't give her one this week because if they tell the other children they asked for one and got one then they're all going to be asking next term."

[Notcontent]

I don't think it should be up to the DC to remind their teacher!
I would speak to the teacher or email as others have suggested.

[MamOfTwo]

Thanks all. I will see if she gets one this week. If not, I will email. Not sure quite how to phrase it - will probably along the lines of DeeWe's suggestion.

[JugglingLife]

In reception all children get a merit assembly but thereafter the gloves are off and children are awarded if they deserve it. Are you sure that every single child gets a merit certificate?

[JugglingLife]

I should have added 'in our school', and yes, sometimes their reasons for giving merits are questionable but that's a whole other thread!

[MamOfTwo]

Yes, Juggling - we are now in Y2 and so she has had one per year. Totally agree about the questionable reasons, though!

[manchestermummy]

Our school has a good behaviour scheme and dd got forgotten about in reception. Then again in year 1. Then the scheme was dropped after the first term of y1. It's back now and she's had it twice this year.

Why do I think she was forgotten? Because her teachers couldn't praise her behaviour enough. And dd reckoned it was the 'naughty' ones getting recognition. It made her very sad and she started to ask why she should be good at school when her teacher never noticed.

I was on the verge of saying something when the scheme was dropped. Dd still feels aggrieved that in three years at the school she's only had a good behaviour award twice: as she says, she's "never been on the sad side".