To be shocked & astounded that DD's teacher has told the class that some penguins can fly :o

[ignoranceisntbliss]

On the way home yesterday DD told me that her teacher had told the class at carpet time that some penguins can fly. I thought that perhaps the teacher had made a joke and DD took it literally, so put a little note in the reading record asking her to assure DD that penguins can't fly.

Today I read the response, which explains that Adèlie penguins can fly, and that was the penguin being discussed. This is rare and unusual but is documented by the BBC.

Well yes, the BBC's 2008 April Fool's Day hoax, which shows a 'newly discovered' colony of Adèlie penguins flying 1000 of miles to a warm tropical rain forest to get away from the snow & ice.

Penguins wings are vestigial & they have solid rather than hollow bones because they are adapted to swimming and can not fly.

So just to put my mind at rest, I'm right about ALL penguins being flightless birds and it's not that unreasonable to be utterly gob-smacked is it?

Oh and I have so changed my nickname for this - I will feel mortified if I'm wrong and will feel mortified for her if I'm right!

Havent you seen penguins of madagscar. Not only can they fly they can talk and manufacture devious plans.

Nope, they can't fly.

Biologically, flying is the same as swimming - uses the same muscles, bones etc so penguins are basically flying underwater.

PMSL. Send her a message back to please plant a spaghetti tree with the children at school, to teach them where their food comes from.

Hasn't she seen the David Attenborough documentary with the Adelie penguins doing a snakes and ladders impersonation to try to get to the cliff tops? If they could fly, they would surely save themselves the hassle!

That's hilarious, what are you going to say?!

hahahahahaha

no doubt she has also been telling the class that spaghetti grows on trees

OMG she is going to be mortified when she finds out the truth!

Penguins can't fly. If nothing else look at their physique. Birds fly because they have hollow bones and a massive wing span in proportion to their bodies.

xposts about the spaghetti!

Go on. Email the head with this and clip of tv show.

I would send a really honest note saying: "I'm so sorry, I don't want to be THAT parent but the Adelie penguin thing was an April fools joke. I thought I'd better tell you before someone else did. My lips are sealed by the way - I was taken in by the spaghettini tree April fool joke"

well ok but really is it fair to expect a teacher to know absolutely everything about everything? Primary teachers have to cover so much. Maybe she has never had any interest in the natural world and doesn't have a massive general knowledge in that area. Give her a break, "shocked and astounded" is a bit OTT.

myrtle so why can't I fly?

I would never be able to keep a straight face around that teacher again.

Penguins being flightless birds is basic general knowledge, though. A teacher should also be able to tell the difference between a fact and an April Fool's joke

Crohnically sorry, it's only biologically identical in birds, should have clarified! Wings and flippers are biologically the same, but since humans have neither we swim differently.

Perhaps she mistakenly thinks Puffins are a type of penguin? They can fly very short distances. Some people really have no idea about wildlife. Nonetheless, the teacher in questions sounds a bit thick to me!

*question!

*question!

You actually sent in a note asking the teacher to tell your DD penguins cant fly? wow!

fairylights - no one is saying teachers should know everything, but most adults know penguins don't fly - so do most 5 yos I would think, except for the ones whose teacher tells them a new type have been discovered that can fly! Said teacher does not even have the sense when challenged by a parent to google and discover it was a hoax.

what other crap would it be OK for teachers to convince our kids of because they thought it was true and did not research before repeating something they had heard?

OFFS Why should she know? Penguins aren't even a native species are they? Unless you watch loads of TV you'd have no reason to know about cheffing penguins.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_penguins

what's wrong with that single? I recently had to email DD's english teacher who had told her Y9s that pride and prejudice was set in the Victorian era! I emailed her asking her to correct this info because it was wrong

Perhaps tell her about snopes too? sounds as though she might need it!

I wouldn't be bothered by this. She got one fact wrong, but it isn't the same as being unable to spell, not understanding how an apostrophe is used or being unable to do maths. I wouldn't have picked her up on it. I think you are overreacting a bit.