Making the unfit kid who comes last run round the field again?

[Veuvelily]

Can anyone tell me the logic here.
What is the games teacher trying to achieve?

The child has tried his best and feels like he’s being punished unfairly
Plus he’s then used up all his energy, so is tired for the actual games lesson

@Veuvelily

Here’s how ds sees it... “John can do the lap really easily so doesn’t have to try hard at all. It’s harder for me, I have to try really hard to get it done, and then I have to do it again because I’m too slow. How is that fair?”

He's right.

This thread has been bothering me all day. I hope you get it sorted with the school.

@Veuvelily

Here’s how ds sees it... “John can do the lap really easily so doesn’t have to try hard at all. It’s harder for me, I have to try really hard to get it done, and then I have to do it again because I’m too slow. How is that fair?”

This is about fairness. Has he said it made him feel bad, ashamed, scared, humiliated? Because the latter feelings are more to do with being bullied, whereas a complaint about fairness is quite different?

In terms of just pure fairness, if it were my ds I would considering whether ds knows whether John finds it easy, and I would be validating the feeling that he feels it unfair but also pointing out that the more he practises the easier he will find it, and that if he starts slowly to run a bit a few times a week, he might never find it easy but it will get easier.

In terms of weight I agree that to make it an issue would not be good, but have you said to him that different body types need different amounts of food, and that people training to get fit sometimes find it helpful to eat specific things, and that if he is interested it has to be done in a healthy way and suggest you see a dietician? Not focusing on his weight though.

But none of this is the problem about whether there is bullying - which would be unacceptable in every situation. Hopefully answers back from emails will start to shed light there.

I have three now grown up DCs. Two of them had bullies for teachers. I spoke to them. Made it very fucking clear that they were to stop. They did.

Surely this practice belongs on the 80's?

I'm a secondary teacher and the Head would chop the bollocks off any PE teacher who did this.

My DD had a bullying music teacher. I pulled her out and made sure that both the school and the trust who employed the teacher knew exactly why. Unfortunately it's not so easy to do that with a PE teacher.

Doesn't seem fair. I was that child at school when we had to run distances, wasn't unfit as I was with a local running programme at the time! The difference was I was competing in 100m and hurdles
I can't run distance, never have. Would beat everyone in the 100m then get shouted at for not being able to do cross country
It wasn't a case of run more, you will get fitter as I couldn't get any bloody fitter, my body just won't do it

I hope you receive a sensible response from the school, one that recognises that fitness is more important than running and that the last thing a self-conscious teenager needs is to be made to do extra laps of something he struggles with.

One of my DCs really struggles to run quickly or for a sustained period of time. After the last sports day DC took part in, they had painful joints for days afterwards and as a result, was unable to take part in the exercise class they do that is much more suited to their hypermobile limbs. Watching my DC in a running race it's possible others my refer to them as being unfit and I suppose to a certain extent, that's true; their knees, ankles and hips are definitely unfit for running! Watch them compete in their preferred sport at county/regional level which demands a different type of fitness and stamina and it's unlikely the word 'unfit' would be used.

Are you 100% confident that this is actually happening? If it is it is awful, however, I would really focus on getting your ds fit (which you have been doing)

Do you lead by example? Are you fit perhaps do it together and show him the positives as this teacher is running the risk of putting him
Off sport for life

Explain to me how an unfit person gets fitter then if it isn't by doing more exercise?

I doubt Simone Biles could enter the 1500m at the next Olympics. Actually Usain Bolt probably couldn't even when he was running 100m in record breaking times.

OP

I find this so depressing I was crap at school PE but outside I was doing Ju Jitsu twice a week.

It really pissed the PE teacher off when she decided we should all do 10 sit ups to start the lesson. She asked me why I'd stopped and I said I'd done them, so she told me to do them again, and I did, while her favorites were still on about 7 or 8.

It only made her hate me more.

This is one hill I would die on. PE teachers are supposed to teach PE not teach humiliation.

Yep, I remember when at school/scouts going up a climbing wall like it wasn't there - the bitchy girls didn't like the fact that I was actually quite fit (martial arts 2x week, swimming and walking).

Also, my first boyfriend being disconcerted that I was a competent swimmer - seems that being seen as crap at PE =/= complete physical wreck upset them.

Humiliating and cruel and takes me back 60+ years to sports day, being shortest child, lifted to parallel bars where I swung until I dropped off.

I hope you get it sorted OP, your poor ds. If he were my son I’d be withdrawing him from PE full stop, specifically due to his disabilities and the extremely unfair situation created by the teacher. I found once I did this with dd (ASD) for PE and other things, it took the pressure off her and she coped much better with things.

Other lessons are taught in ability groups ... not PE though. It doesn’t make sense, and your sons situation is just awful.

i hated pe was atually told i was crap by the teacher-this was the 80s-am now obese it didnt help at all

I would be marching straight to the school. Who do they think they are? This is where issues start because they do not feel good enough and are being singled out!

I used to be the unfit kid who was always shit at sports and made to do this kind of stuff by the former SS member that the school employed as P.E. "teacher" in the 70's, turns out I had a life threatening heart condition which only got picked up a couple of years ago and fixed in January with open heart surgery. I Should have died during one of these "punishments", that would have shown them. Fuck you Mr. Reid, you sadistic cunt!

@Guavafish

It’s a bit of fun

For whom?

Seem to remember this being the usual punishment for the kids who thought they could just stroll around chatting when I was at school. Obviously rather unfair if the child concerned was genuinely running

@Veuvelily

Yes he’s my child He’s not massively overweight. He just looks regular size in his clothes. You wouldn’t immediately say fat kid.

We have lots of issues at the moment, dyslexia, adhd, demand avoidance. I think he’s on the spectrum.
Had lots of problems since he started senior school. Trying to get some sort of balance with the school but ultimately they’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. They’re not flexible

If he has diagnosed disabilities and is regularly being singled out in this way, I'd speak to the Head and also to the Inclusion Team at the LA. Because the Equality Act applies to schools, and this sounds as though it may be bullying.

Have you spoken to the GP about having him assessed by the OT or physio? Dyspraxia is a spectrum linked condition, and I'd also want him assessed for autism if you suspect it and demand avoidance is his way of coping.

I think the teachers approach is completely wrong and definitely do address it. This will not encourage your child to take part in sports. My DD does not like running but we do insist she do other after school active things. She does karate and dancing and netball.

Because of her doing these I never push her when she says she didn’t do well at running at school. I always say to her I want her active and for her to choose the methods but make sure once chosen she participates fully and regularly.

It’s important for you to address your DS weight and how active he is now. If it isn’t running then ask him to take something else up that will keep him active and also help with his stamina.

Teacher obviously sadistic bully

This would infuriate me. My daughter is hypermobile but looks very sporty as she has the hypermobile slim body and long arms and legs - she looks like she runs marathons and she also dances well so people assume she is a runner. But she literally looks like she is jogging when she is running flat out and is always last or second last. She was getting teased about it and I took her to a running specialist who said it was because her ankle joints were loose. She demonstrated how when my daughter's ankles are tighter she can run faster but she still looks like she is jogging when she is putting the effort in. If my daughter's teacher ever did to her what was done to your son I would be up the school talking to someone.

@Hellocatshome

Erm this might sound really harsh but the only way you stop being unfit is by exercising more, so running around the field again is actually beneficial to the child's fitness. Obviously has to be done in the right way with the right explanations etc and not done to humiliate the child.

This is complete crap running round the field is beneficial to the child in this situation??? To fitness maybe but not to self esteem or emotional health. Tunnel vision opinion. There are ways and means. Teacher is a bully.

To me it's a form of bullying and an out dated practice. If this happened to my child I would be having words with those responsible or those in charge of them.

Sheer nastiness and bullying on the part of the PE teacher. This is why half the UK population never participate in adult sport.

Complain loudly and take it to the head teacher.

Every PE teacher I came across at school was a bullying masochist-sounds like this one is the same.