Dance class cruelty

[Cocojai]

Am I unreasonable to complain about my son's dance class teacher??
My 9 yr old was 10 minutes late for his class. Teacher said that he could come into the class. She didn't say that she would make him sit in a corner on the floor in silence for 2HOURS!!
I was told that 'it's all on the website', that if a child is late that they will not participate. This was a double class today and had I known that he would be excluded for the duration I'd have never left him there. We would've just suffered the consequence and gone home. I was on site but didn't know this was happening behind the locked door.
I can't think of a reasonable rationale for the 10 mins vs 2 hours.
I can't think of any other situation whereby a child is excluded for that duration when he hadn't done wrong.
I've been late for uni when they had the 10 minute rule, however, we were allowed back in during break and had to submit work for what was missed but come on...he's 9!!
So...I'm emotional but am I unreasonable??

Why was the door locked?

Illegal, surely?

Certainly if the door is locked there are major fire safety implications and the teacher needs to be told that. If she persists, I would suggest reporting it to the Fire Service.

Whilst not c

Whilst not condoning the actions of the teacher at all I regularly oversee classes held 'behind locked doors'.

The doors are locked for security reasons & in reality are either push button exit (you need a key fob or code to enter the buzzer) or there are push the bar to open fire exits.

It doesn't matter a jot what she has put on her website. A parent cannot agree to their child being emotionally abused.

Absobleedinglutely. In fact I would doubt that it is on her website and even if it is, totally ludicrous that he should have to sit it out for the rest of the class. I can see though (as can Cocojai) the sense of not allowing him to stay at all.

Coco YANBU though you would be unreasonable not to take it further. Good luck with your email.

I had a parallel but not so serious experience when my daughter went to ballet classes. I am tempted to ask what IS it with these divas but that would be totally unfair

' can see though (as can Cocojai) the sense of not allowing him to stay at all. '

..but maybe Op had dropped and run.That is why I was asking for clarification as to whether this was the case, and also whether he had a history of being late.
personally I think making him sit out for half an hour or so would have been punishment enough

Stephen, you've just reminded me of the time my DS, when a teenager, decided he no longer wanted to go to a dance-related after school activity, mostly because what seemed like a good idea was actually turning out to be totally boring because it was so badly run. Though there was no requirement to give notice, and though I'd paid (or thought I had) for the rest of the term, I agreed with him that there was no point in carrying on and sent in a note politely saying that he wouldn't be coming again.

I then got what I can only describe as a hysterical rant from the teacher moaning about this, demanding payment in lieu of notice and saying she hadn't been paid. I'd sent the money in with ds and couldn't therefore prove that he'd given it to her, so I replied slightly less politely saying that there was no term of the agreement requiring notice or allowing her to charge fees in lieu, but I thought she had received payment, I wasn't going to make an issue of it, and I enclosed a cheque. I got yet another hysterical response implying that both I and ds were lying, to which I simply replied that her attitude was such that I wasn't surprised that ds and others were voting with their feet and I regretted ever letting him go in the first place. I believe her sessions collapsed completely not long afterwards.

I know most dance teachers are totally professional, but there do seem to one or two who do the profession no favours.

If it was such a strenuous class that missing the warm up would have made participation unsafe, I can just about accept that as rationale for missing the first class. If the second hour was a separate class though, I can't see any reason why e shouldn't have participated, and it does seem cruel to make a DC sit for 2 hours. My child would have felt terrible had this happened, and I would have been quite upset about it.

Are you going to name and shame? What are you going to do - complain?

I think making him sit out for half an hour or so would have been punishment enough agreed (well more than enough really).

OP said she remained on site: admittedly the teacher would not necessarily have known that, but if the silly over-reacting caaaaah (teacher, not OP) was determined that he was not going to have any teaching that day she should have said that, instead of saying that he could come into the class. Or if the OP really did do a runner (seems unlikely as she remained on the premises anyway) then teacher could have phoned her. Disruptive? Yes I guess so but not half as bad as how she actually treated the lad. Sorry this sounds as though I'm ranting at you kitty. I'm not...I'm just really wound up about this perhaps, as I say, because it's given me flashbacks!

And icimoi, gosh yes I had forgotten all about the ridiculous notice periods. To be fair DD's teacher was perfectly clear on this point, but if the pupil had had just one lesson in a half term period then that period had to be paid for in full, as well as the following one, as the terms were that a complete half term's notice had to be given!

Whatever happened to hop scotch, hula hoop and marbles?

. . . but boy pupils in dance schools are a bit like gold dust! Not a good way to treat any pupils, especially when at the age of nine, time-keeping is down to the parents.

Was there a good reason why he was late? What's your time keeping normally like, OP? Was this the straw that broke the camel's back, or a one off?

Her reaction sounds disproportionate to the 'crime'.

Can we see the website where this is all stipulated?

Don't send him back, ever, even if you've paid. Unhinged.

I spoke to his dance teacher at Soul2Dance who took a long time to understand my argument of 'reasonable' behaviour. She tried to say that these are the rules and that I'm expecting her to change them for my child. I promptly explained that I both understand rules and adhere to rules. However, a reasonable person would have allowed him and taught him for the 2nd lesson...especially when her rules state that missing two lessons will forfeit participation in the final performance! This one incident would disqualify him anyway! I could tell that she hadn't thought it through!
The most that she'd concede was that she understood what I was saying.
This was my first late offence here. I am a stickler for time.
My son loves to dance and definitely has the 'soul to dance' but not with this establishment!
The teacher reiterates that there are no refunds. I beg to differ!
Thank you all for the advice from all sides.

So yes, as a pp said, the woman is seriously up herself and has no business calling herself a teacher.

Very sad for your DS. Two of my DDs did Irish dancing and loved it.

Find another dance school .....?

Y.N.B.U. take your d.s out of there. That was no waybto treat a child. He's 9 years old ffs. The teacher sounds clique and crap. If my d.d or my d.nephew was treated like this. I would go nuclear.
The chances are your d.s will not want to go back there anyway, now. X