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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that having the bloody class bear to visit should be banned?

164 replies

poshme · 09/03/2011 20:01

I know its stupid but i'm sitting here in tears beacuse i do not have a colour printer to print the pictures for the diary entry i am supposed to write for the bear. i cannot even cut out the crappy black and white ones cos this evening my 6 week old dd sreams if i stay still or put her down.
the sodding bear arrived on monday and has to be returned tomorrow with 2 sides of writing and pics saying what he has done for the last few days...while ds was at school and after school. And I know it is not a competition, but it gets read out and shown to all the class, and then our entry goes in the folder for all the next parents who get the bear to read.
my son is just 5. he can write a few words. he cannot layuot pics on a computer. why why why do they give us this stupid task??? i was a teacher so i really want to support the school but this is making me feel like a shit mum cos ours will look crapper than everone else's..

OP posts:
Original poster
poshme · 09/03/2011 20:01

bugger - sorry no paragraphs and bad typing - blame the screaming baby!

OP posts:
BluddyMoFo · 09/03/2011 20:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BluddyMoFo · 09/03/2011 20:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
poshme · 09/03/2011 20:05

I had thought drawings but everyone else had photos... some had loads! and all typed up and publisher layout..
also feeling bad cos we seem to do so much less than everyone else after school. Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
poshme · 09/03/2011 20:06

bluddy - i know and if dh were here he;d say that too!

OP posts:
nailak · 09/03/2011 20:06

my daughter is 3 and she can print out pics frm the computer?

i think you got some baby blues going on..

judgejudie · 09/03/2011 20:07
Confused
ZZZenAgain · 09/03/2011 20:07

get ds to draw a full-page picture of the bear
Then on another sheet write the bear told us a lot of jokes, actually two over and over again. They were:......

but unfortunately it didn't stop the baby crying!

finished

travellingwilbury · 09/03/2011 20:07

I am so pleased our school doesn't do this .

Peel a label of a wine bottle , glue it on the page and tell them the poor bear has been in rehab for a week and it is confidential .

fortyplus · 09/03/2011 20:07

Photos are the easy option - everyone will be really impressed with drawings! Smile

Slur · 09/03/2011 20:08

YABU for being quite so worried.

I'm sure the teacher would be most unhappy if she thought you'd been this distressed by what was meant to be a fun inclusive activity.

How about you and son draw a few nice pictures of the bear instead? you'll get waaaay more kudos points for effort than a print out.
Wink

hophophippidtyhop · 09/03/2011 20:08

Make it up? The bear won't stand up and say, "Actually, that's not what I did at all, I drank fruit shoots and watched telly all day".

travellingwilbury · 09/03/2011 20:08

Wow nailak I thought I was unhelpful !

hardhatdonned · 09/03/2011 20:08

We took the class bear on holiday for a week because the teacher thought it would be nice to have some sunshine in the book in October. I took photos but forgot to give do anything with the book before we gave it back.

Whoops

Don't beat yourself up.

HerBeX · 09/03/2011 20:10

Oh just put "Marmaduke/ Sylvester/ Barnaby/ Insert name here Bear came with us to the Royal Academy of Arts, followed by a trip to National Theatre at which we saw an improving classical play. Afterwards we all went to the Savoy where Mummy drank champagne and Daddy played a selection of Mozart piano concertos. The above picture shows Marmaduke/ Sylvester etc. Bear recovering from the catharsis."

Fuck 'em. It's OK to just go to Morrisons and the park in September, but by this stage of the academic year, the competitive bastards will be pulling out all the stops and you have to have something to compete with some twat's expedition to the Great Wall of China...

MmeLindt · 09/03/2011 20:10

Get DS to draw a nice pic of the bear with his new baby sister (brother?).

Write, "This week bear helped Mummy to look after my new baby sister. Bear was a great help but did not like changing nappies."

Done.

And then have a big big bit of choc and a cuddle of your lovely children.

fortyplus · 09/03/2011 20:10

Gosh yes! travellingwilbury's idea is fantastic! Grin But make it more suitable for 5 year olds by cutting the front off the paracetamol pack and sticking that on! Draw a thermometer and bear in bed looking poorly!

sixlostmonkeys · 09/03/2011 20:10

I agree - draw a picture.
I dislike anything from schools that assume we all have computers and/or printers etc at home.

Don't let it worry you xx

piebald · 09/03/2011 20:11

Thats a rotten thing to have to do -it pees me off when they give homework which is far too much for the kids. Our school used to send home story sacks which was a huge bag full of toys to go with a book which was hard to keep together with other kids in house and i know some folks who lived in caravans and didnt have space.
It also annoys me that they assume everyone has a computer and printer-i never have a working printer
Please dont worry about what other parents think-they will alll hate it too.
Wish i could think of a constructive answer, can your son draw some pics of him sleeping and say bear was poorly this week

PigeonPie · 09/03/2011 20:11

YANBU - I hate it when it comes home too and I haven't got half the stress that you have with a new baby.

Bluddy 'Bertie' just makes me grumpy and I would quite happily not see him again!

It's just one more thing to do in the evening which I don't have time to do - it's hard enough just getting DS1's weekly homework and the nightly reading done. And then they want to get it ready for bed in the evening and dress it in the morning and then put it's coat on when you're rushing out of the door etc etc.

onepieceoflollipop · 09/03/2011 20:12

Poshme - my dd's class bear has a diary and it specifies drawings rather than photos. :) (most parents disregard this though). One child did do a drawing and the teacher wrote a lovely complimentary comment.

If it makes you feel better dd(7) had it the other week. Dh let her get on with the diary entries (and she wrote a Very Full Account). Unfortunately it was all about eating sweets and reaching a new level on the Mario DS game. Which would have been fine had the previous parents not had their dcs doing maths exercises on the pc with the bear, and memorising Bible verses and other very worthy activities which didn't involved nintendos or cheap sweets. (CofE school btw)

When we had the toddler group bear I was very naughty. we took him to the pub and I took a photo of him with a glass of wine in his paw! Grin The leader is a friend and saw the funny side.

Original poster
poshme · 09/03/2011 20:12

thank you travelling for making me laugh!
ok. Am going to stop typing on MN. dd is now feeding (horrible growth spurt round the clock feeding) and instead type up all about the bears restful stay at our house.
sod the colour photos.
thank you for giving me some perspective. I just find it irritating - when I was teaching I was very careful to set homework for the children, not the parents!

OP posts:
MaryDancesTheTango · 09/03/2011 20:12

Make a ransom note from newspaper letters.

Insist teacher pays ransom money (for Comic Relief) or the bear stays.

Wash bear.

HerBeX · 09/03/2011 20:13

Ooh, bear in re-hab - excellent idea Grin

Got an Argos catalogue somewhere? Bound to be a picture of a bear in there you can cut out and stick in.

Or draw. That's the easiest.

GoodnightNobody · 09/03/2011 20:13

poshme, we used to have class mascot & scrap book scenario.

I used to write out 3 simple sentences (or get dd to copy them) and get dd to draw 1 picture to accompany text.

You write the sentences tonight and ask your ds to draw in the morning.

He'll enjoy being able to share the event with his class and other parents when they review others contributions will be relieved that someone is actually being real about the whole thing.

leave it for tonight.