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.

[SayMyNameSayIt]

Yes, of course I did. And they got a (photocopied) note home in their homework thanking them and their parents/carers for always completing it and always having it signed, in on time etc.

I made a big deal out of homework being for everyone. I give them it on a Friday for the following week, so that they can organise it to suit them.

I'm a lot more lenient than others if a child has forgotten it or not done it; I say ok but you must bring it in tomorrow. The boys in question hadn't been doing any. And were notorious for never doing any. Age 12 now. So it was nothing short of a miracle that they did it at home!!!!

[YouTheCat]

Great

[SayMyNameSayIt]

Not being rude but I'm going to bed now. Goodnight all.

[ExcuseTypos]

I cannot believe the blatant sexism on this thread.

It's really quite disturbing and perplexing.

Saying a boy shouldn't have long hair is exactly the same as saying in the 1920s that women shouldn't have short hair. Do you lot realise how old fashioned and rather stupid you sound?

I too grew up in the 70s. The vast majority of footballers and pop stars had long hair. Wtf is wrong with a boy having long hair???

OP put about 25 bobbles in your DS's PE bag. If he wants long hair he has to learn to deal with it. (I work in a year R class, we do tie hair up but I'm sure they wouldn't do that with a 7 year old)

I'd then speak to the teacher and tell him you wanted to let him know that your DS took his comment rather literally.
Hopefully the PE teacher will offer to have a chat with DS and to reassure him that he was joking.

[Wuxiapian]

Long hair on men has always been naff, though, Excuse!

[Feminine]

My dh looks fantastic with it excuse talk of the town!

[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.

[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?

[Ilovemyself]

Excusetypos. Spot on

[daytoday]

I would complain. It's bullying behaviour.

[ExcuseTypos]

I know Kim. I saw it all on Downton Abbey

[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]

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.

[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.

[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

[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

[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!

[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

[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

[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.

[Salmotrutta]

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

[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.

[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]

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.