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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Teachers drawing on children?

133 replies

Talktomyselfforhours · 18/05/2024 07:48

I might be totally overthinking this so hoping for a good sounding board with fellow mumsnetters!

DD is in Year 3 at school and has quite often come home with smiley faces drawn on her hand, she told me the teacher draws smiley faces when they've done good work or behaved well.

AIBU to think this isn't right and teachers shouldn't be 'marking' the kids? I'm probably over thinking it but surely there are other ways of doing this that doesn't mean I've got to scrub these off each night? And yes she would have a wash etc but pen marks take a little more work and she does have quite sensitive skin. It's a biro pen that's being used. Quite happy to be told to get over it!

OP posts:
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kittensinthekitchen · 18/05/2024 16:33

I don't understand how within 3 minutes of writing the OP, you'd had a conversation with your child, realise you'd misunderstood/misheard and edited the post to correct yourself?

Vistada · 18/05/2024 16:29

lindsaybob · 18/05/2024 08:33

Do you mean that you think OP’s daughter is lying about the smiley faces being done by the teacher? Or do you mean that you think the whole post is fake?

Show quote history

The former

shams05 · 18/05/2024 16:17

Are you sure it's not a stamper? DD in nursery sometimes comes home with a smiley face stamp on the top of her hand.
It's easily remedied, just ask the teacher if she could have a sticker instead as the ink irritated her excema.

LetsGoRoundTheRoundabout · 18/05/2024 15:04

I wouldn’t like this either OP. As an occasional thing maybe, but not a regular occurrence. It’s not vastly inappropriate, it’s just not something I’d feel quite comfortable with.

Balls banned from the playground, on the other hand, I have every sympathy with! I have to hear whines about the school football politics every evening…

Allthegoodnamesaregone1 · 18/05/2024 14:52

whistleblower99 · 18/05/2024 14:45

If you don’t stop posting in response to my posts to personally attack me - I’ll report you. Fair warning.

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You could stop you know.
It's an open forum.
Just stop yourself instead of trying to tell me what to do.

whistleblower99 · 18/05/2024 14:45

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

If you don’t stop posting in response to my posts to personally attack me - I’ll report you. Fair warning.

Allthegoodnamesaregone1 · 18/05/2024 14:42

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

whistleblower99 · 18/05/2024 14:41

Allthegoodnamesaregone1 · 18/05/2024 14:12

You said hands as well.
So no, you were being ridiculous.

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Yep. Or the logical step. If one part of the op is completely made up and swiftly edited to hide it. The rest could well be too. So nice try. It’s also why I don’t think ops should be editable. People respond to what they see. Then posters like you miss half the reason for a response.

How about you stop being ridiculous and think logically. It may help.

CaptainMyCaptain · 18/05/2024 14:37

JMSA · 18/05/2024 11:58

That's so strange ... if indeed it is the teacher.
What's wrong with a good old-fashioned sticker?!

They cost money - usually the teacher's own.

Boogiemam · 18/05/2024 14:23

A tiny little bit of antibac hand gel and biro melts straight off. I wouldn't have a problem with this tbh, stickers are expensive and kids love doodling on themselves, there's no harm in it imo.

Allthegoodnamesaregone1 · 18/05/2024 14:12

whistleblower99 · 18/05/2024 10:41

I was right though. The teacher drawing on knees was indeed bullshit.

Edited
Show quote history

You said hands as well.
So no, you were being ridiculous.

Buttons0522 · 18/05/2024 14:07

As a parent I wouldn’t like this as biro is a pain to scrub off.

As an educator and youth group leader there is NO WAY I would be drawing on a child. Some will see at is an overreaction but there’s no way I’d risk the hassle of a reaction, accidentally ‘hurting’ the child (anything can be misconstrued if somebody wants it to be), a parent not being happy with it…

Allthesea · 18/05/2024 13:56

I remember that happening to me as a child 35 years ago, and I didn’t like it.

greengreyblue · 18/05/2024 13:37

A stamp is a much better idea as is the choice of where to put it.

Shinyandnew1 · 18/05/2024 13:29

We always used to use stampers instead of stickers and the child could choose if it went in a book or on their hand-they nearly always chose their hand!

-Then the other day she came home with a circle on her knee

Did you clarify who drew the circle on her knee, @Talktomyselfforhours ? Was it your child? The teacher? Another child?

QuantumPanic · 18/05/2024 13:25

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 18/05/2024 07:57

Yes, it was edited. If you hit the edited button on the op, you can see both versions.

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Thanks! I had no idea about this feature.

Feelingleftoutagain · 18/05/2024 13:23

Why not ask teacher about it? Explain about the sensitive skin, as an ex teacher I've never heard of this, personally I would write on a big white sticker exactly what the child had done right and stick to their top so it was the first thing the parents saw, the child got to choose the pen colour, but like I said ask the teacher about it

greengreyblue · 18/05/2024 13:22

It isn’t a choice between sticker and drawing on hands. Does this teacher not have any clue about suitability of rewards? The school would have an agreed system . Behaviour charts, class points, marble jars to fill towards a reward, housepoints etc

greengreyblue · 18/05/2024 13:20

Aside from a waste of ink, if they are writing on hands, they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing as access to pens would only be in lessons in a primary setting.

Ioverslept · 18/05/2024 12:58

liveforsummer · 18/05/2024 10:35

My teacher in the school I work in gives out stickers and lots of the kids have those annoying grubby round sticker marks all over their jumpers that are so hard to get off. I bet the parents would love a smiley face on their hand instead. No need to scrub it - just wash normally and it will fade. Not sure why it's important to discourage kids from drawing on their skin either. My dc do it all the time, I'd never thought it was a problem or something I should be stopping?!

That's interesting, my. Child comes home most days with biro all over his hands, sometimes face and clothes too. Those 2 are accidental but the drawing/writing on hands he does himself and I don't understand why teacher doesn't discourage it. I think it looks terrible and don't like children writing on their hands, which they often do on purpose. Each to their own I guess!

Choochoo21 · 18/05/2024 12:21

JMSA · 18/05/2024 11:58

That's so strange ... if indeed it is the teacher.
What's wrong with a good old-fashioned sticker?!

Because they’re expensive and the teachers have to pay for them themselves.

They also tend to be a bit rubbish and fall off 5mins later.

This is the same thing, apart from it’s free and the kids all know it gets washed off and so they can’t get upset if it falls off and they lose it.

Original poster
Talktomyselfforhours · 18/05/2024 12:15

whistleblower99 · 18/05/2024 10:41

I was right though. The teacher drawing on knees was indeed bullshit.

Edited
Show quote history

It was a misunderstanding rather than BS.
This was the main reason for me posting initially as it had been playing on my mind since it happened, I've know about the smiley faces for a while and I thought it odd but ok, nothing to stress about. When I thought she was getting circles on her knees for bad behaviour that's why I came to Mumsnet to see what others thought as I thought it inappropriate. Turns out I made a mistake which I quickly tried to rectify but there had already been responses and then in true MN fashion it becomes a bigger issue than the original question as you become a liar or have no common sense to know children can tell fibs 🙄
It was MY misunderstanding but unfortunately I couldn't delete my post completely so just edited to remove the knees - I was still keen to hear if drawing on kids hands was normal practice which sounds like it is done elsewhere. Not the end of the world and something I can quietly approach the teacher about. Thanks for everyone's thoughts, much appreciated.

OP posts:
SnowdaySewday · 18/05/2024 12:11

So your DD was swinging on a chair, which is dangerous and something that she should have known by year 3 she shouldn’t have been doing. She make even have been warned before the circle was put on the board so she was also disobeying her teacher's instruction.

DD may not have been lying but she has also successfully deflected your attention from her misbehaviour.

Tell her that you expect to see a smiley face on her hand for something positive at least 3 times next week. Baby oil or baby lotion should shift the biro marks or you can use it to reinforce proper handwashing.

MrsSkylerWhite · 18/05/2024 12:05

I’d prefer a sticker too. Biro is a bugger to get off.

Yellowbananasarebetterthangreen · 18/05/2024 12:01

whistleblower99 · 18/05/2024 07:51

That Is not the teacher. It is your child and they are lying. Absolutely no way is a teacher drawing on hands and knees.

Where did she mention knees lol (unless it was previously in the op and then edited)
Yes this absolutely does happen! Ive seen teachers do it/had my own kids come home with smiley faces on their hands.
Just because you havent seen a thing it doesnt mean it doesnt happen!