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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Just need a few other opinions on teachers' comment to boy...

331 replies

LadyOfTheFlowers · 04/10/2013 17:45

DS2 has long hair. About 3 inches below his collar, shorter towards front - can tuck behind his ears.
For PE it was requested he had a sweatband. I bought 2 he lost them, I forgot about it over summer.
PE has resumed and the PE teacher got mad, telling him 'If you don't have a sweatband next lesson I will cut your hair off!'
Now the boy is 7 and truly believes his mad PE teacher might chop his hair off.
It is my fault he doesn't have a sweatband. Why didn't he shout at me? I see him around school enough.
I am annoyed. DH is seething.
AIBU to want to complain? How do I address this?
Apart from get the sweatbands this weekend obviously.

OP posts:
Tinlegs · 04/10/2013 17:49

Cut his hair?

(Sorry. Joking.). At High School they keep elastic bands for children who need their hair tied up. (HE, Tech, PE etc).

Go into school and give a cheap box of elastic bands to his teacher with his name on it.

cakebar · 04/10/2013 17:50

Why can't he put it in a ponytail? If I was the teacher I would give him an elastic band, same as I would to a girl who didn't have her hair up.

The teacher shouldn't say he would cut his hair off, he should do whatever they normally do when a kid repeatedly does not have their kit.

cakebar · 04/10/2013 17:51

x posts :)

Sleepyhoglet · 04/10/2013 17:52

Cut your child's hair. It is too long.

Ilovemyself · 04/10/2013 17:53

Complain about his threatening behaviour. Simples.

CeliaFate · 04/10/2013 17:54

YANBU. The teacher could have said "If you don't have a sweatband I won't allow you to take part in P.E." but he's obviously making his personal preferences known and that's none of his business.

LeoandBoosmum · 04/10/2013 17:55

I personally would cut your son's hair (if he were mine) but the teacher was out of order. Kids that age can take things very literally. The teacher sounds a bit of a dick.

natwebb79 · 04/10/2013 17:55

His hair is too long?? In whose opinion? Would you say that about a little girl with long hair? Have we gone back to the 30s?? End of questions. Grin

SingingSands · 04/10/2013 17:55

I wouldn't complain, I would get him.a haircut or a sweatband.

I know you're annoyed, but I doubt the comment was made in any other context than a joke.

It's Friday. Don't waste your weekend stewing over a throwaway comment.

natwebb79 · 04/10/2013 17:56

And as a teacher I can categorically say that your DS's teacher was very unreasonable!

VoodooHexDoll · 04/10/2013 17:56

Do both box of cheap elstic bands and complain about his comment to the head as he was threatening to assult your child.

natwebb79 · 04/10/2013 17:56

... unless he said it in a jokey manner...

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 04/10/2013 17:57

I expect the PE teacher, deep down does not like hair this long on boys, hence what he said (I doubt he'd say the same to a girl). I also do not like long hair on boys but I can see it was wrong of him

Put your son's hair in a ponytail on PE days. I would not expect the teacher to have to do it

jennycoast · 04/10/2013 17:57

What are the rules for girls? Most girls of that age have hair longer than that. Does the uniform policy say boys must have short hair?

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 04/10/2013 17:58

Possibly he said it in a jokey manner but the problem is that many 7 year olds take what teachers say very literally, so they have to be sensitive

VoodooHexDoll · 04/10/2013 17:59

I also agree why the fuck should the boy cut his hair if the girls are also not made to cut theirs?

Im sure your ds has lovly hair and there is nothing wrong with it, just a stupid PE teacher.

Floggingmolly · 04/10/2013 17:59

Who wants his hair that length, you or him?

kim147 · 04/10/2013 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LaurieFairyCake · 04/10/2013 18:00

Sounds like the perfect age to explain to him what jokes are and that people don't mean things literally all the time.

Wuxiapian · 04/10/2013 18:01

Surely it would be easier all round to cut the boy's hair.

No more forgetting sweatbands/having to pack sweatbands and no more cross PE teacher and upset child.

Fragglewump · 04/10/2013 18:02

I would tell his teacher that your ds is very concerned that he may carry out his threat and so could he please explain to your son that that is not the case. Then agree what happens. If he was in my class I would give him an elastic band and tell him to tie it back for the pe lesson!

WorraLiberty · 04/10/2013 18:03

You're really going to have to explain about learning to not take things literally OP.

Otherwise everyone he comes into contact with, will have to tread on eggshells.

I lost count of the amount of times my teachers used to threaten to chop my tongue off, if I didn't stop talking.

At no point did I think they actually would.

spanky2 · 04/10/2013 18:03

Ds1 ended up getting his long hair cut as he refused to have a pony tail for tennis at school . Grin

spanky2 · 04/10/2013 18:06

Ds1 has beautiful hair. I think it's his hair he can have it how he likes . Ds2is growing his hair too. He shouldn't have to get his hair cut .

FlapJackOLantern · 04/10/2013 18:06

I'm surprised that, so far, no-one has screamed 'that's abuse'.

I'm with Worra.