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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Sweets as classroom treats

89 replies

Carmody · 22/02/2013 14:52

Twice this week, my 8 year old has exited her classroom at the end of the day chewing a sweet that she has been rewarded for good work/behaviour. Today was the third and final straw for me when, at home, she pulled out a Curly Wurly from her book bag and told me that it was her prize for doing well in a spelling test. Dd added that they sometimes receive hardboiled sweets during the day too. My husband* jokes that it's a way for the teachers to easily spot the hardworking kids: they are all overweight with bad teeth.

I'm particularly annoyed as we parents frequently receive reminder letters about providing healthy lunch packs and snacks! I wouldn't have any problems with stickers, stamps and/or cheap/tacky stationery as rewards (or even just a "Well done!" and an old-fashioned pat on the back) and can't understand why the children are being inundated with sweets as treats.

Anyways...I was in the process of writing a letter to the headteacher about my dissatisfaction with the school's reward scheme when I paused, mid-rant, to wonder whether it would be a better idea to talk to other parents of the school first and get some kind of a "Save our Kids Teeth" campaign going. It just struck me as slightly self-serving if I simply secure an opt-out for my dd (which she would hate as her friends chow down).

What do you think? Have you had similar experiences? Would other parents care?

Carmody

  • Oops...should that be "dh"? Where's the mumsnet glossary for these acronyms? Everytime I see "dh", I read "Department of Health". And "DD" were the initials of an enemy of mine at secondary school who ripped my skirt off during a scuffle (over a pencil case!) and ran off with it, laughing.
OP posts:
silverfrog · 22/02/2013 15:20

the problem I have with sweets given out in class is the frequency, tbh.

every day (it seems) dd2 is handed something for some reason or other - being good, finishing work, because it's Christmas/Easter/the end of term, for finishing up her music book, as a treat from X club, Y club, Z club, as a reward for a good concert/assembly/whatever.

it really is neverending.

and so it is hardly an occasional treat. school woudl appear to be conditioning my child to eat sweets and biscuits everyday as part of general life.

which is not on imo.

I am far from stingy when it comes to nice things to eat, but I do wish that sometimes teachers would have some imagination when it comes to rewards - why this bloody insistence on using food as a reward?

IslaValargeone · 22/02/2013 15:21

The whole idea of food as a reward is a bad one.

Cuddlyrunner · 22/02/2013 15:22

hmm, not sure about sweets being a good idea. (Outing myself if any of 'my' Mums are here), I have a goody bag that children may choose one thing from if they get all their spellings AND all their tables right in the weekly test. I pay for the treats myself and they are only little things like a rubber, pencil or hair accessories/leftovers from the Claire's Accessories goody bags. They love it and are really chuffed when they get to choose. Tests are done for different abilities so they are fair-it's not a case of only the brightest chldren winning each week.

jenniepanda · 22/02/2013 15:22

I dislike this method of 'treats' as a reward. One of my DD's best friends is a diabetic and can't ever have the sweets, I think it's really unfair.

GazpachoSoup · 22/02/2013 15:22

YANBU, that'd pee me off too. At our school, we get told what we can and can't put in lunchboxes, and is a healthy eating promoting school.
Why sweets? Stickers or pencils or little stationery items would be better. That's what ours does.

NaturalBaby · 22/02/2013 15:23

YANBU. I'm really surprised the teacher is allowed to give out sweets and chocolates as a reward for school work.

Tubegirl · 22/02/2013 15:25

Regardless of what your views are on sweets, I think the point is that you are responsible for your childs nutrition and if you decide that you don't want them to eat something then that is up to you. It is not for someone else to give them sweets or anything else without your permission or knowledge. I appreciate what the teacher is aiming to do but agree with previous points that stickers or similar are better. I worry about food being given as a reward or treat as it leads to an unhealthy relationship with food.

WorraLiberty · 22/02/2013 15:25

I don't see it as using 'food' as a reward

I imagine the teacher differentiates between actual 'food' and the odd boiled sweet

Yes technically a little boiled sweet is 'food'...but it's not like she's force feeding them slabs of cake.

OP you obviously feel strongly about this. You may find some parents agree and some don't.

So rather than go OTT with some sort of 'campaign', you'd probably be better off popping in to see the teacher with those who are also unhappy (if any are).

shellyf · 22/02/2013 15:26

As a "Healthy School" we reward with stickers and other non food prizes.
I have to admit that as a new teacher in the late 80's I did have a sweet tin.I wouldn't use sweets as a reward now.

Sirzy · 22/02/2013 15:26

The teacher is trying to be nice, how dare she!

If you don't like it take the sweets of her and give them to her when you want her to have them.

Why sweets? Stickers or pencils or little stationery items would be better. That's what ours does. Well pencils and little stationary items are normally much more expensive than a load of little treat size sweets. A lot of 8 year olds wouldn't really find a sticker something that great as a reward.

OutsideOverThere · 22/02/2013 15:26

They don't do this at our school BUT they did it at an 11 plus club we went to (briefly).

It was even in the parental consent forms, that they could administer sweets.

I was Hmm about it then ds came home and told me they gave them a sweet every half hour or so during the 2 hour class.

He didn't go after the three weeks we'd paid for as a trial. Bollocks to them for their 'you clearly don't care about your child's future' looks as I said we weren't coming back...well at least I care about his relationship with sugar you dingbats.

IslaValargeone · 22/02/2013 15:27

On this point I agree with worra. I wouldn't mount a campaign.

silverfrog · 22/02/2013 15:27

in a typical at school, dd2 will have:

pudding after lunch - crumble/sponge/cake with custard, standard school pudding;

snack at club: at least 2 biscuits (usually rich tea or digestives);

in at least 3 clubs she gets a 'reward' for good behaviour - this is usually a lollipop;

at least 3 times a week she has a random well done/good work sweet or chocolate.

that's every single day that she gets swets and biscuits over and above the standard pudding of cake.

not really my idea of a particularly heathy attitude to sweets and biscuits - they're not supposed to be a regular part of anyone's diet, are they?

OutsideOverThere · 22/02/2013 15:27

That wasn't the only reason we quit btw.

countrykitten · 22/02/2013 15:31

Cuddlyrunner that sounds like a great idea - and these things will last a lot longer than a sugar rush too!

Sirzy you are very wrong about motivating children with stickers. I teach sets of Upper Sixth students who go wild for stickers and know that younger pupils do too!

countrykitten · 22/02/2013 15:32

silverfrog I would be concerned too.

juniper9 · 22/02/2013 15:32

I think it's really sad that a teacher gets slated for doing something nice. In my school, we are not allowed to give the children ANYTHING that hasn't been provided by school (ie stickers) as parents got really competitive and spoilt it for everyone.

I did a teaching practice in a school where children got a chewit if they wrote in their reading record 3 times a week. It was such a small reward, and yet they loved it and it really encouraged them to do it.

Sirzy · 22/02/2013 15:33

The younger pupils I have taught don't so I am not very wrong in my experience with children of all ages.

countrykitten · 22/02/2013 15:33

I don't think that the teacher is being slated at all. I think that rather it is the principle which is seen as being at fault.

countrykitten · 22/02/2013 15:34

Sirzy how strange. Perhaps you should adopt Cuddlyrunner's great idea then as that certainly seems to be a hit!

IslaValargeone · 22/02/2013 15:35

Let's not try and turn this into an anti teacher thing, that's not what it's about.

exoticfruits · 22/02/2013 15:56

Before you start ranting, seeing the Head, asking playground opinion-why not just go in and have a quiet, friendly word with the teacher?

5madthings · 22/02/2013 16:01

Is this an everyday thing?

I don't think sweets or chocolates everyday makes for a healthy diet tbh.

I would have a word quietly with the teacher, say its nice that she wants to treat the child tern, be cause it us nice but sweets aren't always the best way to do it.

And yes kids that get school lunches get a stodgy pudding ie cake and custard type thing everyday... How's er if I puts home made pear and cinnamon cupcake in their lunch box that isn't OK, and it actually has fruit in it! Madness.

Original poster
Carmody · 22/02/2013 16:03

It's not an anti-teacher thing. I simply feel that sweets as rewards are the wrong way to motivate/incentivize young minds. I think that I'll have a quiet word with the class teacher. A playground parents poll would be OTT when, after viewing comments above, it's clear that many parents would not be fussed about the situation. Perhaps a fundraising drive to provide alternative rewards would be a more proactive and positive approach...

OP posts:
Feminine · 22/02/2013 16:03

Its common in the US to do this. Even the aids (helpers) had them in their back pockets! Grin

I always thought it was a bit odd, and yet cute at the same time.

Its just a sweetie op