To speak to teacher regarding website use at school?

[Highupintheair]

On Friday dd came home and told us that in one lesson at school they'd been working on names and finding out the meanings of their names on the web. According to dd the teacher they had at the time (not dd's regular teacher, they split into other classes for some work) told them to go on urbandictionary to look up their names. If anyone's been on that site they can see the problem already. DD was partnered with a boy in her class and they looked up his name first to find the meaning and unsurprisingly the results included quite strong sexual references, including to 'fucking'. DD told the teacher who then told the class to carry on looking their names up on Google instead.

Now I'm not intending to go in all guns blazing, I'm well aware dc's versions of events aren't gospel and kids are capable of finding bad stuff on the web, but I thought immediately that I needed to have a quiet word this morning with dd's teacher just to make him aware in case internet filters need to be tightened or this other teacher needs to remember to check which sites she's directing the kids to IF she did tell them to go on there.

DP agreed on Friday but over the weekend has rethought and thinks we shouldn't say anything as the teacher was told (by dd) so nothing more needs to be said. AIBU to have a quiet word - if only to check whether dd was right and they were specifically told to go on there, which would be a massive error of judgement imo?

Agreed - why a baby name site wasn't just used from the off I have no idea!

Anyway, spoke to dd's teacher (no guns blazing, we actually had a laugh about it in an 'omg, that was a disaster' way) who took it very seriously and said he'd look into it (and was bracing himself for complaints from other parents and/or lots of inappropriate comments from the kids). Although of course he'll check with the teacher what she asked them to do he, like lots said here, was particularly disgruntled that the filters/software let the site through so he's going to make sure that's checked - he said they pay loads for them so at the very least they want their moneys worth out of them! Thanks for the advice

Oh that's horrible. I checked my DDs names on that site to see what they would have encountered. First few entries were rather sweet and then it turned really vile. I'd hate them to read that, especially in a classroom setting.

I find it hard to believe that a teacher would direct Y6 pupils to use UD

I also find it staggering that children could get on there even accidentally - because primary schools, should have excellent filters.

2 examples I know of - one teacher wsa trying to find the words for "The owl and the pussy cat" but could not because pussy was blocked. another time a child was trying to email their address to a classmate in the same room - they could not because it contained the words "Cock Lane"

IF the OP is true, this school needs a kick up the backside about internet safety. How can they help and advise parents when they are not getting it right themselves!

The cover teacher, or whoever it was, definitely needs speaking to. To have actually directed children to UD is potty. This teacher clearly hasn't checked beforehand (how long does it take to google a couple of kids names to check the results?)

Yes they realised their mistake but this a pretty big one. I would expect a sharp word from my Head if I had done something like this.

Secondly, as many have pointed out, the school must have zero filter to let UD through. Im amazed so many people think this is fine at Year 6. I wouldnt think it was fine at 6th form. It doesnt matter that the kids know the word fucking - school is not the place for it.

I'd be more concerned as to why they're looking up the "meaning" of their names during classtime. What's the purpose of that?

This is a description from UD for DDs best friend:
Cock-blocking a mate on purpose or by accident (mainly on purpose)
Steve - 'mate, that girl is so fit i want to sex her up'
Dave goes up to female - 'Oi sweetheart my mate Steve over there wants to know how many months pregnant you are'
Stever - ' Oi dave, you millie bastard'

'you got millied mate'
'dont be a fucking millie'

Why would a teacher promote this to a 10/11 yr old???

Or this:

a very fione girl who will grow up to be a really really REALLY hotte babe... get a peice of her ass wile you can...

Really is UD a great example of internet research?? Spelling and content fail

My children talked about the meanings of their names in a lesson on identity Clara. I looked them up beforehand and not on UD. No internet involved as I didnt want kids discovering their names had negative conotations and being upset.

TiredDog I found out what a Cleveland Steamer was on urban dictionary. And what a Boston Pancake was. (This was when I was having a drunken laugh with friends)

It's so different to looking up swearwords in the dictionary.

Haven't heard back on whether the teacher did actually tell them to use UD or it was a Google fail and dd got her story wrong but regular teacher said they're having the filters well checked as a result, the deputy head was apparently speechless that it had managed to get through at all. So hopefully won't happen again! I don't know if I'm being reasonable or too lax about it but am intending to leave it there and not ask dd's teacher for more updates on what was actually said - I've passed on the info/my concern and dd didn't see anything horrific enough to scar her for life or anything (she told me the boy's name they were looking up in pairs and I looked it up on UD and although the language was far from acceptable for Y6 it wasn't as bad as it could have been). Do you think I'm being reasonable or should I be taking this more seriously?

Clara - They were doing some work on the different names they have, like some are a 'sister' and a 'daughter' etc etc and were finding out the meaning of their names as part of that - but as said up thread, why a baby names site wasn't the first port of call I have no clue.

And like tracey, I've used UD enough (when young and working in an incredibly lax call centre) for 'entertainment' and I cannot imagine anywhere, short of a pretty heavy sex site/forum where you'd find quite so many graphic descriptions, much of the time about some pretty adult stuff (over 10 years on and I can still, unfortunately, remember what a blue waffle is - DO NOT google) - very VERY different from looking anything up in ANY book.