My son was hit on the head by the swimming instructor

[ali1982]

My son came home from school upset because when he went swimming with the school the swimming instructor whacked him on the head with 2 floaters.My son told me that he was stood by the pool and that the woman was telling the class off and then she whacked him and another child on the head.I have made a complaint to the leisure center about this person and also to the school.But the school seems to be not taking it seriously.I have said that if my son was naughty i dont have a problem with him being told off but the woman should not have hit him on the head.My son is only 8 years old.What should the school do in this situation ?

One poster tongue in cheek suggested the police - it was a joke.

Well try to hang on to your amazement as you have misread my post.

I said that assuming crossed boundaries and aggression is the same as an assumption that teachers and coaches are intrinsically foul. Not that you are foul to view them so.

So. Not amazing really. I tend to regard teachers as broadly caring and interested so would not leap to believe the worst. I think fretting about crossed boundaries because an 8 year old boy expressed himself upset indicates little trust in teachers/coaches to show reasonable care. Which I think is sad.

And I love that everyone who agrees with you is charming and rational and everyone who thinks 8 year olds are prone to mahoosive exaggeration at times is just a big old meanie

And actually dd is prone to being a bit emotional after swimming for the same reason she falls asleep early that evening - she is knackered.

She used the term "whacked", does that not imply a forceful hit of somekind goldenbirdies

She is asking if she is unreasonable or reasonable in her reaction, subsequently making the force of impact a reasonable question in order to determine the answer to her original query.

As a teaching assistant if I tapped/whacked etc a child with an object - even something light and soft like a float, I'd be leaving myself open to all sorts of complaints and I'd probably lose my job.

The issue here is not about whether the OP's son is soft, or a namby pamby... IMO the swimming instructor behaved in a pretty unprofessional manner.

Would you all be happy if school staff were regularly giving the kids a clip round the ear, whacking them round the heads with text books etc? I bet you wouldn't, so why is this acceptable from a swimming instructor?

The OP is right to complain.

pagwatch - the child told OP that he was hit on the head with the floats. Where is the 'exaggeration'? I think anyone looking back at the posts on this thread would detect that those agreeing with the OP (not with me) such as alistron1, are calmly presenting a rational argument often from a viewpoint of relevant experience, while those against are sarcastic, macho and rather spiteful.

I don't have any issues with teachers generally, most I have cone into contact with are sincere, hard-working and genuinely caring and I suspect the majority would be pretty unhappy about the behaviour of this coach even if they didn't have the confidence to confront her.

You lot are amazing. Presented with the tiniest bit of information you've all decided that the boy is a little sod who deserves the very light tap on the head that he got as he was arsing about not paying attention. and/or lying. You've decided he's being mollycoddled and he needs to 'man up' (what a fuckwited phrase that is). You handily ignored the bit about him being a quiet lad who is never in trouble btw.

All this from a handful of posts that tell us next to nothing. Now you might be right of course but I'd hate to be in front of any of you on a jury.

My dd2 swims with a squad and I have never seen any of the swimming instructors touch a child let alone hit them with a float -unproffesional and uncalled for.

Well unless the OP ever deigns to come back and give us the whole story, I guess we'll go round and round in circles forever.

Nowhere near enough info in the OP to make a proper call on whether he 'deserved' to be hit with the float but I doubt the OP will be returning after the way she (and her son) were mocked earlier in the thread.

Right, on monday I am going to go into school with a pair of swimming floats and any kid who messes me around (I work in KS2 so kids are 7+) will get a whacking.

How long for (a) a post on mumsnet (b) calls for me to be sacked (c) a twitter campaign to sack me and (d) a daily mail headline by Wednesday?

If you all paypal me a quid I am willing to instigate this social experiment.

Well, after enjoying this thread I took DS to his swimming lesson on Friday. He is fairly good and the coach is pushing him, he is only 6!!

6 times in one lesson she grabbed him the ankles and pulled him back to get him to do it properly, or refine his technique.

Far from feeling assaulted DS found it hysterical and so did I, even laughed when his coach caught my eye and smiled.