To have judged about half of my daughters class

[fernie3]

Or their parents that is. They are 6 and they came home with a letter saying could we cut the labels off foods so that the children wouod make a map of where the food they eat came from....with the implication being that they needed to bring a little bunch each as they were going to have their own maps.

So i spent a week peeling labels off things which looked interesting for her to take, she came home that day and she had only had one label to stick on her map because the teacher had had to share her labels out to people that didn't bring any - so that means at least 10 children hadn't brought any at all.

Now I know it's stupid and petty and maybe i just have label rage from spending so long trying to peel labels off jars without ripping them or making the writing hard to read but it's not that hard is it just cut out a label or two and drop it in the book bag...

The teacher couldn't have done the original plan without the labels and the children get the message that it's optional to do these things.

AIBU to feel a bit judgey?

"Yes I disagree with the principle because we don't live in fairyland. There are divides, between the can, the can't, the will, the won't, the poor, the forgetful, the smug, the show-off, the angry, the absent. Those inequalities have no place affecting lesson process."

Well said.

To reassure the other non-uber organised/good memory mummies - take heart, having been to DS2's settling in parents evening for YR2 I am pleased to say that my disorganised nature with remembering "things" for school doesn't appear to be affect his education at all.

Agree entirely Appletrees. The fact that I'm a shit parent with a head like a sieve and a complete inability to organise my way out of a paper bag shouldn't affect my childrens schooling. And since my mother was as bad if not worse and I am half way to my phd, I am fairly confident that me forgetting when pyjama day is or losing a permission slip will not make my child a complete dunce.

My issue here is with posters who, because they can and want to do these things easily, seem to think they get to judge the rest of us, and have a complete inabilty to appreciate that we aren't all as perfect as they are.

lol Bright - hopefully you'll have a lovely receptionist like we have at the infant school. She's very used to me now, so much so - that when I double checked what time my appointment with his teacher was this afternoon (my email got lost in transition from webmail to computer inbox) she reminded me that it was 4.10 today

Before the summer holidays I memorably turned up at the right time, but a day late for his parents evening for the end of YR1. They had spread the appointments over 2 days and I had it in my head that it was the Wednesday when it was actually on the Tuesday - I had my dates mixed up rather than my days, and the date on the day in question wasn't what I thought it was

I'm with Appletrees.

'I know lots of people with no jobs, and some with SS involvement. Often these are the most involved parents I find, having the time for it. I find it very sad that you stereotype in such an obvious and prejudical manner.'

I work in an inner city school
High unemployment
SS involvement with 8 children in my class of 24

You may well think it's an unfair stereotype to imagine that these parents have little involvement in, or are unsupportive of their child's education, but sadly it's often true

Not in all cases of course, but often the stereotype is accurate

Often true, often not. No excuse for the automatic judginess.

I may need to put on a hard hat and shin pads before posting this but:

1. YANBU - it was a request for resources which, if done by all, would have provided a wider variety than one person collecting them.

2. A lot of you seem to think that the teacher, or posssibly all the teachers at the school, should have brought in enough for everyone. REALLY? Anyone thought about the fact that, on top of a very stressful job, the teacher might also have several young children who all need homework/assistance with resources for their own school, sick relatives, mental health issues... But they should, apparently have time to cut 30x however many labels when you don't have time to cut 2 or 3?
   This was a good task, connecting geography to the pupils' own experience and allowing for teamwork both within and outside the classroom. It isn't 'silly bits and bobs'.

And yes, I am a teacher - secondary - and I know the value of parental involvement and interest.

YANBU as there was a letter, unfortunatly my DS school puts a notice in the classroom window - really helpful for parents like me who work and DC's go to afterschool, breakfast club. Which btw in in a surestart centre and the children go by minibus and are dropped/ collected from main entrance so I never get the messages.

I'm glad the teacher was fair to all children but sad that DD only got one. I'd also calculate more that that didn't as that means most parents only sent in 1/2 labels anyway

"A lot of you seem to think that the teacher, or posssibly all the teachers at the school, should have brought in enough for everyone. REALLY? Anyone thought about the fact that, on top of a very stressful job, the teacher might also have several young children who all need homework/assistance with resources for their own school, sick relatives, mental health issues... But they should, apparently have time to cut 30x however many labels when you don't have time to cut 2 or 3?"

excellent point.

"sick relatives, mental health issues."

what you mean like some of the parents may well have as well???

Our school handles such request quite well I think. TA's and teachers (they don't ALL have children - or at least not young, still living at home children) do bring in some bits. But a general request is put out through the school

"YR2's are having a junk modelling day - if you have any old cereal boxes, milk cartons etc etc" please can you bring them in by X date (usually well in advance).

I've seen the store cupboard - there's loads of the stuff in there The new head teacher came along a couple of years ago and cleaned it all out.......and it's all filled up again.

You get some parents who bring in an entire black bag full of junk bits, others at a push remember one cereal box.

"sick relatives, mental health issues."

what you mean like some of the parents may well have as well???

MaMoTTaT
I believe that was part of my point. Several posters had suggested issues which might make it difficult for them to collect the labels. I was pointing out that the teacher might have the same issues. It only takes a few minutes to cut out 2 or 3 labels, most people should be able to do that, yet people were saying they couldn't but the teacher shouls be able to find time to do enough for everyone. Teachers are people in the real world too. They don't live in the classroom cupboard.

So don't do the activity cardi. The obvious answer. If it's too difficult for the teacher and parental input is weak why bother? The outcome just isn't worth the time, failure, irritation. Do it another way.

Roundthebend4 what the hell?! What's bitchy about asking how hard it is to get a frigging label into fucking school?This was not homework but a simple request to send in a label not your fucking kidney!Don't put forward such a bloody stupid argument like choosing between physio and getting a label off or sorting out a piece of box.And get my fucki8ng name spelt correctly

look I'm so pissed off my typing and grammar have gone to shit!
'spell my fucking name correctly'

I think another point being missed by the "teacher should do it" camp is that actually kids are pretty self-centred (at least mine are!!). What was of interest to my son was that he looked at where his food comes from, not anyone else's.

Just asked him if he enjoyed the exercise and he says it was great. Asked if he would have been interested in doing it with the teacher's labels and he said "that would be silly, mummy, as they are not my food".

I totally understand that not everyone is always in a space where they can deal with these requests. And would never pretend I haven't forgotten such things in the past. But I do think that it wasn't an unreasonable request and that most parents ought to try to do these things most of the time and it is a shame for their children and the teachers if they don't.

"This was a good task"

no this was a dreadful task

this is an activity for the parents to do on their own with the kid, or something for a bit of fun

I bet every single person on this thread could think of a good way to conduct this lesson without relying on parents.

LaRochelle - as we had our Harvest Service on Sunday at church.

For the children's activity we had a game where the children had to guess where various food items that had been brought with the preacher came from - and stick pins on the map. And she talked about the various countries as well (so not disimilar to your school exercise - funnily enough she's a TA in an infant school )

They actually really enjoyed the guessing/learning despite it not being "their" food.

I did say it might just be my kids that are that self-centred!

The perfect way to do it

Big map, guessing game, large laminated stick on shapes, kids going up to the map to stick em on, janes up who likes bananas, go and fill in your own pre printed map with your favourite food, you can copy off the board or ask the ta
Done

hands up not janes up

YANBU. I work in a school and it's unbelievable the stuff that parents just don't care about.

Forgetting every once in awhile should be expected of course, parents are not perfect and it happens. But I'd be willing to be that for a lot of these parents it's a habitual thing.

This was a stupid task, and bearing in mind we are all supposed to be trying to reduce food miles, not very "on message". Or was the idea to show children how far all their food had come so they could learn that was a bad thing, and berate their parents for having french beans from Kenya? Who knows.

I am so going to be one of those parents who forgets this crap. I do value education but I can't say I value homework for 6 year olds very much anyway, and certainly not homework which involves the parents spending more time than the child. I didn't have homework until I was 11 and I did it myself. My education was fine.