Opinions on teacher's behaviour before I over react...

[Namechangedforthisone287]

I have name changed, but only because I've discussed this IRL with friends so I don't want this linking back to personal medical things I've posted about recently.

DD is 12 and in year 7. This week they are doing tests in all subjects. Clearly, these should be conducted in silence. This afternoon, they have been doing a history test (DD says short test, only 6 questions) and her friend has spoken to her. DD felt she had to reply so as not to be rude. Another friend has then mouthed something to her from across the room, and DD has given her a thumbs up. The teacher has seen all of this, and has taken DD's test paper off her, and said she'll have to redo the test tomorrow in form time, by herself. He has then ripped her test paper up over the bin.

DD says she was humiliated and embarrassed as everyone was looking at her. She cried at the time, and cried when she told me about it.

Now, DD can be a chatterbox and absolutely should have got on with her test and not interacted with her friends. I can understand that it may have looked like she was cheating. But I'm really unhappy with how things were handled by the teacher. Fair enough to take her test and make her re do it, but tearing it up and making a spectacle of DD is a bridge too far in my book.

WWYD? She doesn't want me to make a fuss.

I'm a teacher who had one student this year disqualified from their GCSE exams because he talked in the exam. They didn't just have their exam in my subject cancelled, they had all of their exams with that exam board, including core subjects, cancelled. This seriously impacted their future study opportunities. Cheating in an exam is really serious and students need to learn that. Saying it was because someone else was talking to them won't be an excuse.

Also, sorry, but as a teacher of more years than I want to admit, every single child will say it wasn't their fault they were talking.

@Rockingcloggs he sounds a no nonsense guy! My technical teacher was like that. You never dared step out of line.

Please don't be that parent that backs your child instead of the rules the teacher was following.

I can understand that it may have looked like she was cheating

So if it looked like that, then the short sharp message of tearing up her paper will be a lesson well learned.

You can be supportive of your daughter (yes I understand why you are upset and why that was embarrassing) and also support the teacher (any communication in your GCSE's would result in disqualification so it's a good lesson to learn, take it on the chin).

We have too many children in our school who's parents never support the staff and it's obvious who those children are as they have no respect for rules, or consequences of their actions.

And it's better she learns the lesson now than in GCSEs as a pp has had happen to a student surely?

Would be worse to be marched out of a exam hall with even more people in.
It's a lesson learnt, you need to keep out of it.

It doesn't make any difference. In a gcse exam they would be disqualified. It's better to learn that lesson sooner rather than later.

God, she’s 12. Who the fuck rips up a 12 year old’s test in front of everyone? A stern look would have probably sufficed or keeping them behind and having a stern talk about what that would mean in GCSEs. But it’s not GCSEs!!! Jesus Christ. I’m a teacher as well.

Trauma??
My goodness people are soft!
Trauma for having a board rubber or bit of chalk pinged off a nattering head?
Kids were far better behaved in those days according to those that were at school in that era.
The teachers could actually teach, not be like a zookeeper.

I agree @CaptainMyCaptain

I was ‘humiliated’ in yr 7 maths. I was supposed to learn some times tables but I didn’t bother because I didn’t think I’d be asked in class. When I got the first answer wrong I had to stand up, second incorrect answer I had to stand on my chair. Third mistake, I had to stand on the desk. I was mortified. I never told my parents because I knew they would tell me off and after that I always did my homework resulting in me coming first in the end of year test.. Consequences for wrongdoing can be effective depending on the child.

Honestly I can’t believe you have to ask!

she’s lucky it wasn’t a real exam!!

the worrying thing is you are trying to justify her behaviour

so what the teacher ripped up her work? She was in the wrong, caught red handed and then suffered the consequences

peopld on here complaining that he ripped up the test!!! I mean come on! This is why the country is going to pot. Parents complaining and moaning over the slightest of slights

DD fucked up and needs to learn from her mistake. The rules are really clear and schools try to instil them from the start so that pupils are really clear about expectations when they reach Y11.

@Pumperthepumper Would you be willing to post your behaviour policy, please, or even part of it? Obviously with the header removed. I can’t think what it might possibly look like with no consequences at all.

I would think this is an appropriate consequence (although does sound like it could have been handled a little better) for what happened. Let her learn a lesson.

DD felt she had to reply so as not to be rude.

🤣 yes, it is always sometime else. Twice! Were you never a teen?

WWYD? She doesn't want me to make a fuss.

She wont want you to make a fuss as she will have over egged the teachers actions to display herself as a victim and divert from her own deed. Seems to have worked. Again, were you never a teen?

I would have told ds when he got home "well, that will teach you not to do that again". If there were tears he'd have got a hug and told to get over feel sorry for himself for getting caught.

dc need you to always be on their side, but sometimes that means telling them straight when they've got it wrong and to suck up the consequences. aka teach them some resilance.

Great lesson to learn and be thankful it wasnt in a formal exam where the consequences would have been much more than a torn paper redoing the test later.

No.

Yeah - didn’t think so, somehow!

Jesus Christ.

The day I do anything like this to a child is the day I know I need to leave teaching. I’m glad it worked for you but this is terrible practice.

So do you think I’m lying?

The issue is the ripping up of the test for me, I think. That’s needless humiliation and shaming. I can’t believe this is the minority view. I must be a soft touch!

I know. People on this thread all gooey-eyed about the psychopaths they had to endure at high school and then laughing about the idea of being traumatised.

For context it was 1982.

They didn't just have their exam in my subject cancelled, they had all of their exams with that exam board, including core subjects, cancelled

Im highlighting this! It also happened to a friend of DD’s

as he finished the maths paper it was marked by the teacher (Covid times) and he would’ve got an A* he was disqualified from all the exams like you say, so I know it happens.

@KenickiesHickey fair enough!!

@Pumperthepumper You’ve managed to refer to its obvious superiority several times over without even once getting into specifics, despite numerous requests for further information.

So, on balance, yes.