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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that a class assembly should involve the whole class?

42 replies

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 00:13

not just a coterie of kids who do most of the performing while the rest sit and watch.

ds has for a second time nothing to do in the class assembly and is really fed up.

Shouldn't a class assembly make an attempt to really include the whole class in performing it? Previous years have been far more equitable and shared out in terms of lime light.

OP posts:

squeakytoy · 01/03/2011 00:15

does he want to be in it?

is he good enough to be in it?

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 00:19

Yes and yes!
She seems to be very elitist about choosing kids to do things, she doesn't seem to spread the limelight like most of his previous teachers. She seems to say lots of things like "I'm only putting the best diagrams up, I'm only reading out the best poems".
I mean excellence is great but her job is to try raise the attainment of the whole group not just the top 25%.
Or that's my understanding of primary teacher's job.

OP posts:

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 01/03/2011 00:22

good enough to be in it? it's a class assembly FFS squeaky - not the Oscars!

OP - yes I agree that in a class assembly all those that want to be involved are given "something" to do no matter how minor

amiheartless · 01/03/2011 00:24

itsnot a good thing , i noticed at school a lot of favourtism went on and still does, If its really annoying you have a word with the teacher

squeakytoy · 01/03/2011 00:26

I know its not the oscars, but if a child just stands there frozen with "stage fright" it isnt fun for them, and it isnt fun for the others.

But if he wants to join in and is confident, then the teacher shouldnt be cherry picking her favourites.

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 01/03/2011 00:28

no - there should be no "if he's confident" - if he wants to join he (or she) should be allowed to take part. Any half decent teacher will be able to give appropriate parts (close enough to give 'em a little shove if needs be) to the less confident children.

What a great way to dent an uncofident - but willing - child's confidence - don't give them a part in case they get stage fright .

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 00:32

Baroque, that's my feeling. It should be about the whole class imo too.
But this time they all wrote pieces for the assembly, performed them for the class and then voted for their favourites so only those ones are performing.

So that's kind of democratic I guess but it seems to me to be a popularity contest which is inevitably won by kids who seem to be getting plenty of positive reinforcement any way.

He's told us not to bother coming to it which is a first in his whole primary school career! (He's in yr 5)

dh says don't bring it up because it's challenging her. I don't think I can just leave it but would like to be positive and not confrontational. Just so sad to see his morale so low when he doesn't want to be a star, he just wants a line or something to do. He doesn't want to sit there like lemon.

OP posts:

Catnao · 01/03/2011 00:32

Would take issue with the PTA/teachers' kids getting best parts thing that seems prevalent on here - my son is NEVER one of the "chosen ones" (I teach at his school and have done since he was in reception. And I'm on the PTA - what am I doing wrong?? )

But I don't think YABU - when I do class assemblies and such, ALL children are included in some appropriate and meaningful way, and that has always been the case with my colleagues too, as far as I have noticed.

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 00:35

thanks cat, this is a fairly inexperienced teacher and imo is not getting any leadership so she's kind of just going her own way and maybe so busy that's she's losing sight of the simple ethos of the school.

Hard to bring it up though without showing that I'm upset about it.
How do really well run schools mentor new teachers so that they keep focussed on being equitable and raising the attainment of all?

OP posts:

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 01/03/2011 00:38

ahh - I think if it's a voting thing done by the class that's not so bad then. my DS's school (he's YR5 as well) has student council votes, eco council votes, and votes for heaps o other stuff where "class representation" is needed - it's not always he people that you'd imagine it to be that win the votes (ie a popularity contest) - by that age they do actually seem pretty decent at picking something/someone on their merits for that task rather than because they like them.

Although admittedly I guess it depends on if they have things such as school councils and the like at your DS's school and whether they're used to the whole voting thing

FabbyChic · 01/03/2011 00:40

YOu could say that you are curious to know why she seems to pick the same children all the time for the assemblies, it is a fair enough question for one to ask.

You could add it would be nice to see at least all the children being included on a rota basis.

Catnao · 01/03/2011 00:41

Well - if she is an NQT she should have an experienced colleague as mentor with weekly meetings- if not, then staff meetings and general school ethos ( I hate that word, but you know what I mean) as well as common sense should be guiding her, I guess?
You don't have to complain to bring it to her attention - maybe she doesn't realise she's cocked it up a bit?
Maybe you could mention how your son is seeing the whole thing and see if she has anything new to add to the whole thing? It could be that your son/his teacher have misunderstood somewhere along the line, and she THINKS she has included him, but hasn't? It's late - I hope you know what I mean!

TotemPole · 01/03/2011 00:43

Any half decent teacher will be able to give appropriate parts (close enough to give 'em a little shove if needs be) to the less confident children.

Baroque, I agree with that. That's how it seems to work at daughter's school.

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 00:50

thanks, good advice, I'll just bring his feelings to her attention in a dispassionate way. I feel I should do that. She may not realise that it's been so demoralising for him.

Assemblies actually have usually been very very all inclusive and actually on many occasions have been a chance for the class to have a real sense of unity as a group and pride in that group and the group's achievements. They used to appear to be really happy for each other's strengths etc.

I think this teacher may have either lost sight of that or not feel it's a priority.

I think favouritism is really negative in the classroom and kids seem to me to smell it a mile away. I certainly did when I was young and I hated it. I know few of us complain when we benefit from it but it doesn't create a sense of unity does it?

OP posts:

nailak · 01/03/2011 00:54

yanbu
my daughter is in nursery and they managed to put on a little xmas show for the parents which involved all the kids singing nursery rhymes and stuff which they normally do in class
if i was you i would b very dissappointed and talk to teachers or parent governor

Catnao · 01/03/2011 00:58

FWIW, I have always been glad when my son got the "pressing pause on the CD" role or whatever as he HATES to go on stage (despite being a terrible show off at other times) and would HATE to be forced to go on stage and declaim have a main part! So I'm glad his teachers recognised this. Maybe she doesn't realise your son would like a part? Anyway, bed, hope it all works out OK.

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 01/03/2011 01:01

oh absolutely Catnao - that's why I said the children that WANT to be involved should be given roles that their confidence levels will cope with.

And there will always be those children that want to be a part of it - but don't want to be centre stage (or even on stage at all ) - so "back stage" parts can be given to those people, so they still get the extra boost from being involved - but aren't pushed out of their comfort zones

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 01:06

thanks all, much appreciated.

OP posts:

sims2fan · 01/03/2011 08:23

I once taught in a class where certain children were chosen to take part in the Christmas concert because they were the good readers (it was Year 1 so at that point many of them couldn't read much). Then at Easter I was told to give out reading parts to the 12 best readers for an Easter assembly - to which all parents were invited. The best readers were the same kids who did the readings at Christmas and I did point out to a more senior teacher that this was unfair, and told her I had split up the 12 readings so that everyone had something to read. I was told to go with the original 12 and that the parents wouldn't mind as they knew that at this school not everyone had a turn at everything. I tried to explain that they wouldn't mind if their child wasn't chosen as long as every child had a turn at not being chosen, rather than the same children chosen every time. But I was a new teacher and wasn't listened to. Of course then at parents evening I was asked why I kept choosing the same children to do things, which I knew would happen, and had to try to explain, without being disloyal to the school, that the choosing was being done by me! A few weeks later I had to do a class assembly that was entirely up to me to organise, so I made sure that everyone had a part and the ones who were generally never chosen for things had the most to do!

I also hate it when teachers from different year groups don't communicate with each other. If every year does something for a christmas show each teacher will choose the 'best' child for the starring role, without checking with the teachers who previously taught the child which role that child has already had. So some kids go through school always being the star while others don't ever get a chance to shine. And often if you give a child a chance, he or she will surprise you and be excellent.

Merrylegs · 01/03/2011 08:39

Wow. This is a spectacular fail on the teacher's part. So it's a class assembly to which parents are invited? Every child should be involved, even if it's just showing people to their seats or stuttering 'welcome to class 5's assembly'. Or standing holding a picture next to someone saying something. Is she usually so negative?

I would catch her at the end of school and say something like "What's the story with this class assembly, Ms Leavesomekidsout? We were looking forward to seeing the whole class working together but Junior Longstocking has asked us not to come as he isn't involved and feels a bit left out. Sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick. How does a class assembly work?"

scaryteacher · 01/03/2011 08:50

Don't fret - come Year 10, they all mank about having to do a class assembly and getting them to be involved is like wading through treacle.

willow · 01/03/2011 08:57

YANBU - I would be seriously hacked off too. Not that 'little Johnny" didn't get a starring role, but at the overall effect of this teacher's numptiness. Talk about a way to make a not-so-confident child feel absolutely useless.

LindyHemming · 01/03/2011 09:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 09:11

thanks for your post sims, I appreciate it. I'm going to just mention to her that he's said that he doesn't want us to come because he's 'not involved in it' and just let her know that he's very disappointed. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt. I don't want her to suddenly give him a part, I want her to be impartial and include all the kids without needing for us to ask for it. Popularity contests at primary school seem ridiculous in curricular areas. Fine for school council or easter bonnets but not for core stuff. Just weird imo.

OP posts:

Original poster

Longstocking2 · 01/03/2011 09:16

thanks for these posts. Actually I think we've been spoilt as the ethos of the previous year's assemblies has always been about class pride, unity and inclusiveness not star turns at all. That's become my expectation.
She just seems to have slipped into always talking about the top groups, the best this and that, voting for the best, pointing out the best and the cumulative effect on ds is really demoralising. He says I know she thinks our thing is rubbish about quite a few things.

She has real strengths btw, great maths teacher, she just seems to have veered off into a real focus on favourites. There's one child who seems to have her in his messianic thrall and it struck me it must be like in the olden days when Pooter Junior's papa has endowed the New School Gymnasium and Pooter must be exalted above all the other oiks what ave not donated wad into school coffers. chiz chiz

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