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

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

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.

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Josie - would you also keep spare running shoes for those who forgot, spare pens, spare sandwiches for lunch forgetters, spare phone credit, spare bloody everything??
How can u possibly know that it was sexist? I would only complain to he head for a very serious matter - eg that my child had been hit.

It makes me very sad that some of you are bringing dragging your children up to complain even though they were in the wrong.

The teacher could have refused to let the child do PE - would you all prefer that in a society where children desperately need physical exercise? He's probably been asking politely for 3 weeks and been ignored. He's using the 'threat' as a fun way to actually make the child remember.

I say probably because I'm guessing like everyone else!

[Salmotrutta]

I thought Harland's might be the Rolls Royce of hairbands...

[curlew]

Hair bands. No idea what Harland's are!

[curlew]

"If I were a pe teacher I'd keep a cheap pack of hair bands for kids with long hair. Can't see why you'd spend your life getting upset about it.

Really sounds like an underlying sexist attitude from the teacher coming out. Not good."

Is there any suggestion that he wouldn't have said the same to a girl?

When I was the parent of a long haired boy and girl I kept a cheap pack of Harland's in the car. Because I didn't think it as the teachers job. Any more than it would be the teacher's job to keep a bag of trainers under his desk for the kids who forgot them...........

[Salmotrutta]

Josie - underlying sexist attitude or being utterly fed up of chasing up kids with no headbands?

I know which one I think it is.

What a load of nonsense to get het up about.

[Salmotrutta]

Jee whizz.

I can see its a very good thing that I'm not a primary teacher. I could not be arsed with all that preciousness. Thank god I'm secondary!

If I had a pound for every time I'd told a pupil I'd e.g staple them to the chair/Sellotape their mouth or something I'd be rich.

[Josie1974]

If I were a pe teacher I'd keep a cheap pack of hair bands for kids with long hair. Can't see why you'd spend your life getting upset about it.

Really sounds like an underlying sexist attitude from the teacher coming out. Not good.

[curlew]

"I think I'd ask to talk directly to the head teacher about this. Threatening to cut a child's hair off is quite serious I think."

really?

[Josie1974]

I think I'd ask to talk directly to the head teacher about this. Threatening to cut a child's hair off is quite serious I think.
Particularly at his age, a 7 yr old isn't going to be able to stand up for himself. I think it's quite bullying behaviour.

[Salmotrutta]

And I quite like men with long ponytails - if it's clean etc.

[Salmotrutta]

Just a couple of things:

I don't give a rats arse whether boys or girls have long hair or not BUT I make them ALL tie it back for my lessons otherwise it's a safety issue.

And if they didn't I'd certainly not be wasting my time sorting it out for them when I have other kids to teach.

And I'm sure this teachers comment was tongue in cheek - I can't believe the language of "assault" "aggression" etc.

At 7 years old my kids would have known that was just a "hot air" jokey comment fgs.

Some of you need to go and lie down.

[Feminine]

flogging I don't agree with you, but your "wombles" comment was quite funny!

Men tend to have nicer hair imo.

I have women wanting to touch my DH's

[Ilovemyself]

HRHladyg. I guess you were there to make that statement.

A 7 year old can't tell the difference between a joke and a threat - especially if the tone was angry. The teacher should joke like that with 7 year olds

[SHarri13]

It's really quite simple. Establish of this was a statement he would make to a girl, if it's not then it needs to be taken further. Unless anyone can point out the rulez that say boys' hair must be short. That is such a fucking sexist thing to think, for goodness sake!

[2tiredtocare]

Boys and girls should have long hair if they please but they should take responsibility for it and tie it back. I'd get it cut if they couldn't take care of it male or female

[HRHLadyG]

He was joking to communicate his frustration more fully;

1. Cut his hair!
   
2. Give the sweatband to the P.E Department then its always there when he needs it?.....
   Explain to your child that the teacher doesn't really intend to cut his hair and to not over dramatise the situation! x

[paperclipsarebetterthanstaples]

Saymyname i think we'd get along well as colleagues :-) although you're nicer than me. One of my GCSE classes had about an 80% homework hand in (given Thursday, expected in on Monday. I allocate myself an hour AT HOME to mark it on Monday night) if it ain't handed in on Monday i don't mark it.

[ExcuseTypos]

Well that's ok Flogging. Whatever floats your boat etc.

But just because it doesn't work for you or anyone else, doesn't mean men/boys shouldn't have long hair.

[Floggingmolly]

Bob Marley is the only exception on that list, Excuse, and that's only because he had dreadlocks. All the rest looked like wombles with long hair. It just doesn't work for me.

[ExcuseTypos]

I know Kim. I saw it all on Downton Abbey

[daytoday]

I would complain. It's bullying behaviour.

[Ilovemyself]

Excusetypos. Spot on

[Ilovemyself]

Wuxipian. So why do men with long hair look naff? Because that's what society tells you to think.

Do you think the same about women?

[ExcuseTypos]

Wux- Bob Marley, John Lennon, Brad Pitt, Johnie Depp, David Bowie etc etc.

All had long hair and managed to look rather nice IMO.