Is this rude from a child? Age 6, furious reaction from teacher

He will get over it.

6 year old children are really getting to that pedantic age and every adult here knows that. It's totally normal.

So I've taught this age group and I think it sounds like the teacher was a bit at the end of her rope, probably dealing with lots of interruptions etc. She probably thought he was being a bit cheeky. However I'm sure the intention wasn't to really upset him and I think you should go and have a gentle chat with her about why he could not be enjoying school. It is a big jump from year 1 to 2 and sometimes hard with a new personality to get used to.

It's quite early in the year and teachers are just getting to know their classes so they won't necessarily know if one child is a bit literal or actually quite sensitive etc.

I always think on these threads just go and talk to the school. There is no point arguing with strangers on the Internet.

That means they come too often to say someone picked up 'their' pencil, someone looked at them, someone is not doing their work, someone hasn't written the date on the line, someone dropped a ruler, someone picked their nose, someone is holding the rubber, someone has the red crayon, someone has missed a page in their book......

So yes teachers say they want to work with a group of kids and focus on their learning without interruptions about pointless shit. They cannot say stop talking to me about shit so they say - this is the reasons you can come and tell me something. Makes it clear cut.

If a friend is sick, hurt or in harms way then telling a teacher is ok.
Unless it is sickness, danger or bullying I see,
I will mind my own business and worry about me.

He's 6 he was confused by what the teacher was saying and wanted clarity in a 6 year old way. I wouldn't expect that from an older child but 6 is really young still and the fact he got so upset shows he wasn't saying it to be a smart arse he was genuinely just trying to understand. Young kids ask lots of questions thats how they learn

All this labelling of six year olds as 'rude cheeky smart arse little darlings' is horrible. Also to want them sitting in silent rows doing their learning. Sad.
Of course they are capable of answering back but with calculated 'smart-arsedness' I don't really think so.

OP, hope your ds feels ok soon and that you can sort out what went on.

He was a bit cheeky if it went as he said. By then sometimes teacher attitudes towards children aren't much better frankly.

You think that every teacher standing in front of a class is a dedicated professional and following a vocation? No one knows, my DS had a P2 teacher who absolutely screamed and shouted at the class - she could be heard in the playground at home time and was well known for her lack of self control. Equally if not be happy if my DS had talked back when asked to be quiet - both can be true, your DS was out of order and the teacher over reacted.

So, the teacher asked the class to work quietly and not interrupt her.

Your son immediately interrupted her and was rude (I fail to see how you can't recognise his question as insolent).

The teacher told him off and he cried.

Hopefully he's learned his lesson then and he won't be so cheeky to a teacher in future.

I remember my DS telling me his teacher said his writing “was crap” - I said “what words did she use” and he said “DSname, that’s not your best work” so yeah, don’t take everything your DS says at face value.

WRT your question at the end….it is not “a literal exploration of what the teacher said” - he’s not taking part in a debating society competition. It was a smart arse comment. Excusing him for it is not helping him. He needs to learn when it’s appropriate to challenge and when it’s not.

Teachers have a really difficult job not helped by parents who think their DC are special/exceptional.

I'm sure I said this very same thing to a few classes in my 17 years of teaching! Your DS was being a smart arse. I get a bit tired with these posts where the parent completely by passes the misdemeanor or poor behaviour of their child and just focuses on the teacher being wrong for telling them off or ranting at them for two minutes?! It was not a literal exploration of what she said.
Tell him to stop backchatting. He was in the wrong.

This bit is very true: I’m not great at being objective
Like ALL PARENTS, myself included. It’s very very hard to remain objective when your child is upset. You know he’s a lovely boy, I bet the teacher knows that too. I bet that he made an innocent comment in his mind but c’mon: it is clearly arguing back, however it was meant, and she told him off. That stings. Injustice (as he perceives it) is very hard. His FEELING is that she shouted. That’s what he got from today. You’ll never know the reality but seriously, year 2 teachers don’t generally behave like shouting ranting monsters… what’s more likely? Your son hates being told off and hated the feeling that being spoke to harshly had on him. He’s tired and he has catastrophised a relatively small incident.

It’s obviously not nice that he’s upset.
However, it sounds like the class were making lots of needless chatter and/or not doing their work. The teacher set out a rather clear rule and your son took it upon himself to question her. Going directly against the instruction she’d just given. I don’t think he was in trouble just for challenging her wording but also for breaking the one rule he’d just been told.
I’d perhaps mention he’s been upset but more from a communication point of view than a complaint. I’d wager her account being rather different.

Exactly!

Did he tell the teacher he needed the toilet, was injured or in pain?
No, so he wasn't following her very clear instruction.

I can confirm this!

It's not normal (or shouldn't be). If course it may not have happened exactly as your son describes, but definitely worth clarifying with the teacher.

Responses here are so harsh ignore them op. He’s 6 he’s still tiny! I would be furious if a teacher was shouting at my 6yo making him cry.

Stop making excuses for your child’s behaviour,life is going to be hard for him if you are not disciplining him properly.Teach him to sit still and be quiet in class.

OP, you came here for an opinion and already several commenters have diagnosed your DS with autism on the basis of one small incident. You should ask for a meeting and request an autism referral.

I think if he was 16 I'd say he was being a smartass and I'd agree with the teacher at 6 I think he's done nothing wrong and the teachers are being mean

The teacher sounds nasty but equally I’d expect a 6 year old to be able to read the room a little and to know their place. I have a very lively cheeky 6 year old at home but at school he wouldn’t back chat like your child did.

Meanwhile …no maths was done. But hey ho. Whatever.

Context is everything though and you’re not going to get that from a 6YO’s account. It does sound like he spoke out of turn, was rude and answering back. What lead up to the teacher saying that you don’t know. If she shouted shouted or just used a stern voice you don’t know either because kids over simplify. Honestly it doesn’t matter. The takeaway should be that he should actually follow instructions in future. And maybe also tell him that of course there are scenarios where you cam be injured but not in pain- nosebleeds for instance and some broken bones in young kids can sometimes just feel and look ‘funny’.

Plenty of 6 year olds are capable of smart arsed comments!