To ask if you or DC detests assembly?

[snailoon]

My daughter came out of school crying with boredom after sitting through two dreary assemblies. She loves school, but hates assembly, and I don't blame her. I often can't hear what is going on, and it is usually quite hum-drum when I do hear it. I understand that occasionally it is good to call the whole school together for a particular purpose, and that kids need experience talking to large groups, but why such long and frequent meetings?

Also, the Head often congratulates about 1/2 of the pupils, leaving the other half feeling bad. I understand congratulations if there is something extraordinary, or if everyone gets to stand up once a year for something, but this is just annoying, and destructive for the ones who rarely or never stand up.

crying with boredom? Really?

Yes, literally, after school a few tears (very cheerful easygoing child).

you seem to have added 'snai' to the front of your name

I guess you're right about that.

Crying is a massive overreaction to a little boredom.

You child is going to have to get used to sitting quietly, its just one of those things.

*sitting quietly until its over - is how that should of read

Whole generations of children have suffered the mind numbing tedium of assembly for their entire school lives. I'd say a huge majority of them got through it unscathed and I'll bet a pound to a pinch of shit yours is the only one actually reduced to tears by it.

Time to teach your precious child that just sometimes in life there is boring shit to deal with. Crying won't help.

She is great at sitting quietly, never had a problem with it, and she puts up with plenty of boredom, as we all must. I'm just wondering if anyone else hates assemblies; I guess not.

It is actually good to learn to put up with boredom!

if my child cried with boredom following an assembly i would think he was being over dramatic and certainly would not indulge such behaviour

Wow, that's a first. Sadly I think she needs to learn to cope with 'boredom' a little better.

Most schools have assemblies daily to fulfil the requirement to have 'a daily act of collective worship' :(

ie they have to worship daily, and they normally do so in assembly.

How you define 'worship' is up to each head.... And it may or may not be something you recognise as worship.

I think my DC have quickly pick up the art I always employed - sitting quietly, half paying attention then thinking about more exciting stuff. Helps in long winded meeting as well - useful life skill.

DS2 doesnt go to assembly as he wont sit still long enough or cope with the noise.

DS1 loves them as he is in year 6 and gets to sit on a chair

And I did snort at 'Crying with boredom'. If she is crying after school its not really the assembly thats the problem surely.

I hated assembly as a kid, especially when the local priest would come in. Sadly it gets worse in adulthood, I've done a major load of committees and they are dreary!

So, your daughter probably has a low threshold for boredom but she'll have to endure it for the rest of her life. So she'll just have to buck up.

Assembly bingo could help?????

Does she have problems with hearing or concentrating that mean she's not able to follow the theme or join in properly compared to other children.

I'd question why on earth the school held 2 assemblies in one day - when do they get any teaching done ?

From the age of 4 or 5 we had to sit through a long Catholic church service every Sunday and then again on Monday. I developed a very good imagination and thought through lots of stories in my head. Escapism from boredom I suppose.

The only problem I ever had with assembly as a kid (and this thread just reminded me) was that I was prone to dizzy spells, made worse if I had to stand up for long periods of time. Spent a lot of mornings in a side room, head between the knees, trying not to pass out. Happy days. There was another child that was allowed to sit on a chair rather than stand 'because she would faint otherwise'... still makes me

She's good at concentrating, sitting still and dealing with boredom. The crying was three tears as she got on her bike after school, no fuss, no big deal, no indulgence from me, just a moment when I thought "Why is assembly necessary?" I guess the phrase "crying with boredom" gave people the wrong idea (and an opportunity to lay into me a little). I was actually hoping for a few amusing stories of boring assemblies. I grew up in the US, where assembly happened about once every few months for some special and exciting reason.

She'll get over it I'm sure Lol!!

curbyburr best post ever!
am sniggering like mad at that...

I used to sit through church services as a DC and that is what you call long!
You obviously have no idea of the education acts OP and the fact that schools have to have daily acts of worship by law.

personally I used to want to kill our vvvvv boring drony head teacher within the first 20 seconds, and then want to slit my own wrists within about a minute during primary school assemblies, so I have every sympathy OP.
secondary school so much better from a parental pov - no ghastly assemblies!!

thanks boschy!!!

Exotic--This is hardly an act of worship we're talking about (I have been to some of them)

DD used to think singing assembly was an instrument of torture.