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AIBU?

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Original poster

DS punished for teachers mistake

208 replies

babynot · 06/03/2025 16:54

DS's(8) class were given a new work book at school last week with with printed labels on the front.
Imagine his name is something like Tommy but this book said Tom which he is never called and hates.

He told the teacher his name was wrong on the label and was told not to worry about it, he didnt ask and so wasn't told not to correct it but decided to scribble out ‘Tom’ and write ‘Tommy’ below. It looks fine, obviously not as neat as it would printed but you can clearly read what it says.

Teacher has left a note saying he needs to rewrite his work into a new book which has been sent home because he vandalised the first one. Its only a few pages of work but will take him at least 20 minutes to do

AIBU to think this is unfair and it’s not his fault they put the wrong name?

OP posts:
weathervane1 · 06/03/2025 17:38

I'm 60 now, but when I was around 7, our school had a lot of children come over from Malawi. My two new friends were called Riyaz and Rajesh. Our teacher decided to call them John and Peter as they were "proper" names. Think about that for a moment - can you imagine it being allowed now? I'd hope not anyway and yet.... in a minor way, your son's teacher has done exactly that - not by getting it wrong ... it happens, but by compounding the simple error by insisting that she wasn't going to change it and then punishing him for her mistake when a simple reprinting of the label would suffice. He hasn't vandalised anything - he's just pointed out that his name isn't John or Peter, but Riyaz or Rajesh.

Preggers101 · 06/03/2025 17:37

Can you help him? Photocopy his work, stick it in the new book, should take 5 mins max? Or can you help him remove the sticker from the new book and add it to the old book so it's not 'vandalised'

Applestrudeled · 06/03/2025 17:33

Poor of the teacher, unless there's more to the story. Sometimes there have been typos on labels I've used (often not typed by me!). If I'd assured a child I'd sort it, I wouldn't be massively impressed if they'd still made a mess on the front. I wouldn't make them redo the work but I'd probably point out their action hadn't been strictly necessary. Did the teacher definitely just say 'not to worry' and nothing else? How do you know what the book looks like now?

Simonjt · 06/03/2025 17:32

Cut the correct label off the new book and glue it onto the original.

elozabet · 06/03/2025 17:32

Teacher is wrong and rather petty in this situation.
Agree with Noblegiraffe - ask for a label over the top.

He has a right to the correct name being used.

BreatheAndFocus · 06/03/2025 17:32

YANBU. Why can’t the teacher just photocopy the work he did in the first book and stick it into the second book? As said above, I expect she’s under pressure to have all the work neat, but the fault was hers and she shouldn’t be involving your son.

Mumofoneandone · 06/03/2025 17:32

Tear the page out from the old book and tape into the new book. Teacher is out of order.

rainylake · 06/03/2025 17:31

babynot · 06/03/2025 17:21

Copy it out for him and write a note explaining you’ve done this as you didn’t want him missing his free time at home for her mistake.

Yes I'm tempted just to do this as I'm not happy making DS do it.

Don’t do that! Why should you spend your spare time making up for the teacher’s mistake? If you wanted to spend that time supporting his education there are a million better things you could do with or for him.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 06/03/2025 17:31

l’d carefully remove the one from the vandalised booked and stick them in the other.

However my worry would be they would make him to it tomorrow during his lunch break.

ThejoyofNC · 06/03/2025 17:30

I'd tell the teacher straight that he's not doing it and under no circumstances is he to miss any play time etc in order to do it at school.

With all the shit teachers have to deal with I seriously don't understand why she's choosing to create problems where they don't exist.

Cucy · 06/03/2025 17:30

Crunchymum · 06/03/2025 17:28

I'd be more pissed off they've wasted a book, as opposed to just printing a new label. Seems so wasteful.

Me too.

I would say this to the teacher and ask them to put a sticky label over it instead.

WearyAuldWumman · 06/03/2025 17:30

QuillBill · 06/03/2025 17:05

I'm a teacher and I would fight this one. It's not for the teacher to tell anybody to not worry about their name not being right.

It is an unrealistic punishment because everybody knows that a new sticker could just have been stuck on the book he already had.

I'm sure the teacher would not like it if you called her Miss Smi instead of Miss Smith but I would definitely be going to talk to her or him about this.

Former secondary HoD here. I agree. If a member of my staff had done this, I'd be having a word with them in private.

Crunchymum · 06/03/2025 17:28

I'd be more pissed off they've wasted a book, as opposed to just printing a new label. Seems so wasteful.

Pottedpalm · 06/03/2025 17:26

Pottedpalm · 06/03/2025 17:24

He was told not to correct it, but he did. Not ‘vandalism!, but he ignored/disobeyed an instruction.

Asrgh! I misread! He wasn’t told not to change it!

TwentyTwentyFive · 06/03/2025 17:26

Pottedpalm · 06/03/2025 17:24

He was told not to correct it, but he did. Not ‘vandalism!, but he ignored/disobeyed an instruction.

You're misreading. He was told not to worry about it. No one said he couldn't correct it.

Dragonsandcats · 06/03/2025 17:25

Cut the pages out of the old book and stick them in the new one?

Pottedpalm · 06/03/2025 17:24

He was told not to correct it, but he did. Not ‘vandalism!, but he ignored/disobeyed an instruction.

Teenybub · 06/03/2025 17:23

Iamnotthe1 · 06/03/2025 17:14

Copying it all out is not the answer here and a better solution should be found.

However, I do want to say that it won't be the teacher that is behind this. There will be a member of SLT, or perhaps the whole team, who will be on at the teachers about this sort of thing and blame the teacher saying that he/she hasn't promoted an attitude of care and pride in the children of the class. The teacher will just be acting to avoid being the target of toxic leadership.

I agree with this! The teacher will also know it is ridiculous, if you email back saying no that will give them the ability to forward it on and make it someone else’s ridiculous problem and not there’s.

TwentyTwentyFive · 06/03/2025 17:22

I had to double check how old he was. Your child is 8 for goodness sake no way should anyone be expecting him to copy his work into a new book and I would be very unimpressed with the use of the word vandalised!

Tell her he will not be redoing the work and she can print a larger sticker if she's that bothered about it looking as neat.

Original poster
babynot · 06/03/2025 17:21

Copy it out for him and write a note explaining you’ve done this as you didn’t want him missing his free time at home for her mistake.

Yes I'm tempted just to do this as I'm not happy making DS do it.

OP posts:
Iamnotthe1 · 06/03/2025 17:14

Copying it all out is not the answer here and a better solution should be found.

However, I do want to say that it won't be the teacher that is behind this. There will be a member of SLT, or perhaps the whole team, who will be on at the teachers about this sort of thing and blame the teacher saying that he/she hasn't promoted an attitude of care and pride in the children of the class. The teacher will just be acting to avoid being the target of toxic leadership.

Itisbetter · 06/03/2025 17:13

Copy it out for him and write a note explaining you’ve done this as you didn’t want him missing his free time at home for her mistake. Suggest next time printing a correct sticker and sticking it over the previous one would be better. Leave your mobile number if she’d like to discuss further.

Original poster
babynot · 06/03/2025 17:09

noblegiraffe · 06/03/2025 17:01

No, ask the teacher to print a label with the correct name to stick over the first book.

On the first book he’d crossed out the name on the label and written his name underneath on the actual book.
In my opinion it would be fine to just stick a new label over either but it would still leave it looking messy

OP posts:
spiderlight · 06/03/2025 17:09

Toomuchsaltineverthing · 06/03/2025 17:06

Yes, this.

If for some unknown reason this won’t work, could you cut out the page of work your DC has done and paste it onto the first page of the new workbook?

Show quote history

Or cut out/steam off the corrected sticker and stick it on the new book?

Toomuchsaltineverthing · 06/03/2025 17:06

noblegiraffe · 06/03/2025 17:01

No, ask the teacher to print a label with the correct name to stick over the first book.

Yes, this.

If for some unknown reason this won’t work, could you cut out the page of work your DC has done and paste it onto the first page of the new workbook?