To think schools should allow black t shirts if they are going to use those black whiteboard pens

I worked at a school where children could wear a white polo or one in the school colour. Most wore white and several parents told me it was because it was easier to wash them and bleach stains out.

Worryingly, the poster you're replying to was apparently a school governor for years.

Well if the shirts don’t get stained with whiteboard pens, they get stained with tomato sauce or grass or with the “water soluble paint” which in fact cannot be dissolved by anything on earth. There is just no point worrying about keeping white shirts white on young kids.

Personally I’m not a fan of school uniform but one advantage if we have to have it is that at least it means that the clothes that get trashed at school are ones you aren’t attached to. Wash them so they are hygienic and don’t let the pen stains stress you.

Or you could spend hours bleaching them and trying stain removing tips from the internet, but life is too short.

At secondary school it’s all interactive screens/ touch screens in the class room. No whiteboards!

Pens and paper, on the carpet, in reception? Viewable by the teacher at the front of the room? Re-usable in a short space of time?
Oh stop it.
What did you use? Slate and chalk?

And your children never once got pen on them for the entirety of primary school? What about the ever-staining purple paint?

No thank you, stick with white!

Colour or black tops are a nightmare, they mark when you try to remove stains, at least you can bleach white top.

Black t-shirts will look horrendous after 2 or 3 wash, I am not washing school clothes at 20 or 30 degrees.

Leave the clothes out to dry, the stains fade and disappear in the sun, it doesn't rain 365 days even in England.

I would LOVE this. Easier for the washing system and after the first wear of a white one it’s never properly white again.

There has always been a rumour that hairspray removes white board pen. No idea if it works.
I'm afraid whiteboard pen marks are a fact of life.

I wash out food, mud, chew trademarks on ties and cuffs but the black pen stays.
After all as soon as they've had the first white board session who's to say whether it is an old or new one. Unless you have a doodler (looking at you DS2) who deliberately colours in his arms, legs and sometimes clothes. In which case have a chat to the teacher and DC

In the old days they used slates which are probably more similar to whiteboards than pencil and paper.

In the unlikely event you're expecting an answer (and don't just think you're making a hilarious 'stupid teachers' comment), we use individual whiteboards (and have for at least 20 years) because

It enables all children to participate in the learning part of the lesson and give an answer rather than one child who has been asked. This keeps them engaged and takes the pressure off the poor soul whose name has been called because everyone is involved.

It's a useful tool for assessment. You can easily pick up misunderstandings or misconceptions whilst teaching and address them. So teaching is more effective and learning more meaningful.

Children feel more confident in recording answers because they can correct their mistakes as they go. They can share their ideas with a partner and check their understanding with others.

They can practice their ideas before submitting them for public scrutiny.

I think it might depend on brand of pen, OP. I've never had a problem washing it out and my classes never seem to come in with ink stained clothes. But I don't think white is practical for many reasons because it ends up looking so grubby before the end of the year.

How is he getting pen on himself? I have 3 kids who use whiteboards daily at school and their shirts look fine.

Some children do literally pick their whiteboards up and wipe them clean on their tops - even when they have a board rubber and are reminded to use it.

1. Kids like using whiteboards as it doesn't matter if they make mistakes, plus it saves on paper.

2. Does it really matter if the white shirt has a few marks on?

3. How is he getting pen on himself? I have 3 kids who use whiteboards daily at school and their shirts look fine. The teenager and biro marks on his shirt is more of an issue, but again, it doesn't really matter.

@Soontobe60 How on earth did teachers manage just a few years ago? The dc really csn write down answers in books. Do you not have note books any more? Do they not actually write with a pen any more? Probably not. Oh dear.

YANBU. This is one my pet hates too.

My DD’s school does not have a uniform, so I try not to send her in anything too light coloured, but it shows on everything that’s not black.

There is no way to get the pen out. In my experience you can get the colour out of the school logo before you get the whiteboard marker out.

Last week whilst teaching English, Maths and RE on one day, I used AfL to check on the pupils’ understanding throughout the input. This involved them writing sentences, practicing spelling key vocabulary, completing calculations or mental arithmetic quick fire questions, times tables and more. If the children had done all this on paper, I would have gone through around 100 pieces of paper, would have not been able to read all but the front row of children and would have had endless rubbing out / tearing paper. Whiteboards are much more efficient, allows the teacher to see all the answers easily and are generally far better than paper for these types of tasks.

To those who don't understand why we use whiteboards: When we are teaching a whole class and need to assess their understanding, we cannot read pencil on paper from the front of the class. Whiteboards and pens allow us to assess quickly who needs further support.

Op: I've said yabu because you seem to be replacing their tops when they get marked - that really isn't necessary. We don't care if tops are marked, so long as they are reasonably clean. Otherwise, I agree that white tops are a silly colour! Some schools do allow red/blue although this doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

@Kohll Really? Not all schools have them. They waste time and look at the resulting mess and hand washing needed. I bet 100% the improved results are not measurable. Dc still don’t all get expected in sats and dc are not magically improved by using these. Teacher has to keep reminding about rubbing out. As I said not all new ideas are good ideas. The simple truth is - high quality teaching matters most. Not shared white boards. Use a pen and paper - same result.

Before washing spray liberally with hairspray, works every time!

This is what my children do (currently teaching Y3 and Y4 classes).
They each have a whiteboard eraser to share between 2. They are told repeatedly to rub out using the eraser. They almost always rub out with their finger then wipe their finger on their top. If they’re still wearing their jumper it’s fine because it doesn’t show up. If they’ve taken their jumper off it shows up on their shirt. Some children just wipe the whole board against their chest! In addition, the oils on their fingers means the pens won’t work as well.
Nobody is going to judge you on how white their shirt looks. Wash it and move on.

There's actually loads of evidenced reasons that the whiteboards are good for learning when multiple children are being taught together. Genuine retrieval without access to notes, rehearsing responses before being asked to speak or commit to writing, efficient checks of everyone's understanding all at once (not just volunteers).

Teachers are trying to provide the best education in the time, and with the resources, they have so that all thirty in the class benefit as much as possible. A simple, cheap tool that supports good routines, behaviour and inclusion shouldn't be seen as a problem. Especially when encouraging children to look after their belongings and washing their clothes for them are basic parts of parenting that are very much more straightforward to do.

YANBU. I detest stains on clothes. I would prefer either use pencils/pencil crayons only around white t-shirts, or yes, as you say, wear black t-shirts. Great idea! Especially for under 7s.

The pen marks still show up on royal blue sweatshirts.

Vodka removes the stains if caught straight away.

Maybe the schools should use slates. Worked well enough for our ancestors and chalk is white

Some children start reception having just turned 4. I don’t agree that a 4 year old getting their clothes dirty shows a lack of responsibility. If you’ve just started writing, and are writing on a whiteboard, that pen is going to end up on your hand as you move across the board. Especially if you are left handed.