Teacher keeps asking Dd to do jobs

It’s a good tactic if a child has finished and is then getting too chatty with others who may not have finished.
Rather than telling her off and nagging at a child who is clearly bright and engaged enough with work to whizz through it, the teacher is redirecting her to a task that makes her feel a bit special. Primary kids in particular love being the one to help the teacher do a task as it makes them feel quite important and ‘chosen’.

It could literally be any number of reasons! My child gets selected with a friend as she's very shy and nervous. They are trying to boost her confidence. I know of other children who need movement breaks so are selected frequently so they can walk around. Ideally they would probably do sensory circuits but there isn't always staff available!

My 8 year old has ADHD and does a lot of class jobs, even if they don’t need doing like sharpening all the pencils (again) or reorganising the library! He enjoys it and it keeps him busy so he isn’t distracting others

ok so private school. But still, at 20… you’re 8 year old won’t be aware of always what’s going on with the teacher perhaps asking other pupils.

Added to which, how often does this teacher actually need your daughter acting as a PA? Answer: very infrequently

and if you’re worried about her being bored, the beauty of private, and I speak from experience, is that the teachers generally have much more time and availability to meet for a chat.

For sure. My 6-year-old loves “filing”. I am 💯 sure she’s being kept busy and feeling responsible and kept well away from any important documents 🤣

DD was this child, to the point that her teacher told us that she wouldn't know how to cope without DD acting as a TA in the class! I was careful to talk to DD about whether she enjoyed helping the teacher, and ways she could politely speak up if she felt imposed on, but generally it made DD feel special and important, and taught her lots of soft skills. I don't think it's harmful, and kids don't need to be stretched educationally every minute of every day, especially in primary.

Some secondary students can't cope with double science so they asked to fetch glue and scissors from the technicians room. It's a useful leg- stretch for them.

I was thst child and loved it, the jobs i mean

DD gets this becuase she needs movement breaks but won’t take them, so this disguises them. Also helps her to distract others less. Also she likes feeling special and helpful.

Lots of children benefit from being given tasks when they’re chatty. It’s much better to say “X can you hand out these sheets please” than “X if you continue talking you’ll be on detention”. But the end result is the same - no more chatting.

It is also (in secondary) often recommended in the paperwork. In one class I’ve got 4 teenagers who have “thrives on being given small tasks as movement breaks” in the notes. It’s quite unusual for me to be able to find enough tasks for them all!

You seem to have a very narrow definition of "learning".

As well as learning academic knowledge and skills, children also need to learn to be kind, helpful, confident, good citizens. It's completely valid to ask children to help the rest of their learning community, in an age appropriate way, for example by asking them to show a new child where reception is, collect a shared resource, give out books, something like that.

Obviously there is balance, and it wouldn't be appropriate to send a child on errands that take up 50% of their lesson time.

But asking children to perform a brief, helpful, necessary task can help them develop their wider skillset, as well as fostering a stronger sense of the belonging that is known to improve student outcomes overall.

OP, if it's really bothering you or your daughter, you could ask the teacher. But I'd only bother if you are 100% convinced that your daughter's perspective is accurate (the teacher may be asking a range of kids to do stuff, but maybe your daughter only notices when it's her) and if you feel it's bothering her, and/or having a deleterious impact on her learning and/or overall experience of school.

Awful.

I ask children to do jobs and I’m far from lazy.

I must remember to ask children to fan me with palm leaves during Maths while I relax with a gin and tonic.

Anyway, in the real world I either ask children to do jobs for different reasons…

1- they’re very trustworthy
2- they’re close by
3- they would benefit from a boost in confidence
4- they have a sibling in the class they need to visit so know where they’re going
5- it’s their turn.

I asked her if others do jobs and she said no

of course the teacher will ask others out of 33 students. She is 8, as if she will be aware of the ins and outs of what’s going on all the time.

When I was late primary aged we all had specific jobs to do each term - stacking the chairs up after lunch, sweeping the lunch hall, collecting registers, the coveted operating of the over head projector and music system for hymns etc. I was responsible for ringing the school bell for end of lessons/lunch/break and signalling wet play (3 short bursts of the bell instead of one long one!)

I remember a time I was far more interested in the workings of the slide projector than the content being shown; and as I kept turning back to look at it, I was given the task of operating it. At the time, I wondered if this was a punishment or not!

I also remember lots of other tasks around the school: taking dinner registers to the office, setting up the hall for assembly, and so on. When I volunteered in a primary school, two year 6 girls were given the task of showing me round, which they did very capably, and with big smiles.

I gave out the milk at break (showing my age)

I was milk monitor too. And I didn't even have milk - I never liked milk (from a toddler, my mother says) and I spent so many playtimes trying to get it down they said I needn't have it.

And dinner monitor - before school going to lay the tables in the dining room - and I didn't stay to dinner.

And best job of all - going to the entrance hall to ring the handbell when it was playtime or dinner time. (It was a new school building but they hadn't put in an electric bell.)

My son is often given little jobs like this. In his case it’s built into his EHCP to allow him a “back” break (so he can walk and stretch his back - he was born with scoliosis).
However, when I was a teacher I would deliberately save a few little tasks for one particular class of students. There was a very talkative girl in the group, who was very popular and liked to command attention. When she had finished (she was very bright and always finished quicker than her friends) if there was no extension task I would send her on a little errand that I had “forgotten” about earlier that day.
It meant she had the attention she craved, she got a little walk around the school and burnt off some energy, she wasn’t chatting to everyone and she felt important. Most importantly I wasn’t constantly getting on her back about being quiet when she was clearly finished and bored.

If she is happy, has friends, doing well, working well above age related expectations then no, it wouldn’t come up on my list of things to inform a parent.

I always did jobs for the teacher. I took the register to the office, I gave out the milk at break (showing my age) and would often take things to other teachers rooms. I even remember being asked to brew up once but I didn’t know how! I loved being teachers pet as I saw it. I was bright and always finished my work first so it makes sense she was just giving me something to do.

Teachers are advised to do this for pupils who need a movement break to be able to concentrate again.

She might be distracting others. If a child finishes early, they either get an extra task or they can help others who are struggling, and be " teachers". It might buy the teacher a bit of time she can spend on quieter children who might struggle with the work instead of having to manage your daughter's behaviour.

Same. My teachers trusted me and recognised my potential at a young age. That's why I was given certain jobs to do. I was proud of it and I had an excellent relationship with those teachers.

All of the above. Also echoing the PP who said sometimes you actually just need something doing, like getting a box of tissues because a child has a cold and you’ver ran out for example, and you are alone with 30 children as most people have no full time TA now so you do have to just ask a child (one who is finished) to do it for you. If your DD is do in really well and is happy, that’s great. If you want the jobs to stop, just tell the teacher ‘stop asking her to do jobs’. As a teacher, I’d just follow this request. Yes I’d probably think aggggh when you asked me as I would have yet another issue that day but I’d just do what you said.

I would also take it with a pinch of salt when your daughter says it’s always her being chosen and nobody else.