DD missed a cooking lesson so has to do it at home?

[EdwiniasRevenge]

Last week DD was ill, had the day off school. First one this term. She probably averages 1-2 days off per academic year and only when genuinly ill. She had been up all night with fever and still had a fever that morning (38+).

She was due to bake lemon biscuits in her food class. Yr9, not an examined course. In fact it is an 'option' not a compulsory subject.

Today she has been told that because she missed the cooking session last week she must bake the dish at home (biscuits) and take a photograph with a name label shown in the picture. What is the teacher going to gain from this? What is dd going to gain from this?

Now - if it was an academic subject I would feel there was some justification for catching up on the missed class content. But to complete a practical she missed?

She cooks competently at home -bolognese/chilli/soup/cakes/biscuits all from scratch and with minimal input from me.

AIBU to think that this task is unnecessary?
AIBU to politely email the teacher and explain that I feel this is unecessary.

"how sad to see so many Mums here are completely missing the point about their children's valuable education"

What is disturbing me here, is how many people think you should unquestioningly obey authority, without asking whether what they're being asked to do is right, sensible or necessary.

I can't see why OP needs to get involved at all. Leave DD to sort out whether she does it or not. She can make biscuits without help.

If she decides to make biscuits that is.

Mehit, OP would need to get the ingredients, unless school provides them to DD, as they usually do (because of FSM) - so yeah, OP needs to be involved.

She is Year 9 - she could shop for the odd ingredient they might not have like a lemon- she probably has most of it.

If we taught our dcs to question in detail every task the teacher set them, how much work would get done while the teacher tirelessly explained every learning objective for every task...we'd have put the teacher through the wringer if we'd been encouraged to question....as a bunch of teens we were bad enough as it was!

What happens to the grade? What does it affect? Surely in year 9, nothing?

There is the small matter of the teacher proving she's met her performance management targets.

However in these circumstances if the school wants the work done they should pay for the ingredients.

As parents, we have always paid for all ingredients required for a Food lesson ( 5 children )& three different schools.

I suppose I think it's valuable because cooking competently seems to be a lost skill for many. I know OP's DD can cook, but it's still part of the coursework, and she may need to refer back to the recipe at a later date.

Not enough importance is placed on practical household skills.

Sorry OP, YABVU and making a huge fuss over nothing.

Of course dc have to catch up with missed lessons, academic or not! Even if they're ill. If your dd had missed a History lesson for example she would have to spend time writing up what they did in class AND complete any homework that was set that day.

Demelza, for the love of God, SHE GETS FSM SO THE INGREDIENTS ARE USUALLY PROVIDED.

Pfffftt...

Teacher is being Important.

Take the biscuits and run!

FSM? no, then - buying the ingredients will put you in financial hardship. There's a good reason she gets free meals at school and support with financial things.

I'd not do it - you can't afford it.

If school give her the stuff to do it with, fair enough..

Don't people just love a teacher-bash!

Doing things at home, that should have been done in class, is not always possible or necessary. If she'd had swimming that day, would she be expected to magic up a swimming pool? Same thing, just a smaller scale.

For some families buying ingredients, helping them to clean up to the level you require is money, time and effort they can't afford. For others it's 'no big deal'.

The teacher hasn't given the OP's DD the ingredients or the recipe, it can't have been that important to the teacher to have it done.

I wouldn't bother to do it unless it directly effects follow on work or grades.

I know it's not the teachers fault but I do think schools demand too much of families.

I am disabled and my child has just started school, and already I've been brought to my knees by the ceaseless demands of the school.

Demands that seem ungracious and pointless, and are based on the assumption that the whole family is under the rule of the school, and the school knows best and parents know nothing.

The multiple short notice meetings where attendance is demanded (not requested, or even invited), the crazy amounts of homework which can appear unscheduled from stuffed in a bag, or little bits of crumpled paper, or a random attachment on any one of the multiple emails sent throughout the week.

And not to mention the constant demands that I set up a direct debit to pay the school monthly - what for I'm unsure as this is on top of the money I've already paid for school trips etc.

So in this context I would be refusing to spend more precious time money and energy as it would directly take away from things I (probably very foolishly) rate as more important. Like, oh... Eating meals, bedtime cuddles and basic survival.

Politically, I think eroding parental responsibility and extending state intervention and control in ordinary families lives has no benefit and many many negatives.

I know this is slightly wider than one teacher, but for me it's part of a bigger issue and also for many families could well be the straw that breaks the camels back.

I think completing work you've missed through illness is important where the work is contributing to ongoing knowledge or understanding of a topic. That normally does have to be in your own time and it's just one of those irritating things about being ill which means you have to catch up when you get back.

However, I fail to see how the making of biscuits at home is going to contribute to her ongoing knowledge of baking / cookery / life skills. In addition, the OP is going to have to find money for ingredients that quite possibly was earmarked for something else (FSM implies this may be an issue, sorry OP if that's not the case). OP or her daughter may not want to stand up in front of a teacher and say "Sorry, we can't afford an extra butter and lemon this week".

If I'm sick and have a day off work, I am not expected to make up the hours from my days off. I'm just off sick.

Can't understand why biscuits are such a big deal, aside from being full of fat and sugar. Lemon biscuits sound particuarly vile, sorry.

As an ex food teacher I can understand why it's been asked, often with a food scheme of work you start of with more basic recipes that get more complex and the often there is assessment at the end of a scheme where you have to amend a develop a recipe, so the teacher may definitely feel it's beneficial for the student to have done all the practicals so they are not at a disadvantage.

Did you get the full story in the end? Possibly the teacher just said that she could make them at home if she wished.
They are one of the cheapest things she could be asked to make and you get to eat them at the end!
It isn't as if she is a six year old that you have to supervise. She is year 9 - let her decide if she is going to do it ( and explain if she isn't) , shop ( if you haven't got the ingredients in the kitchen) and get on with it. No need to get involved.

"Politically, I think eroding parental responsibility and extending state intervention and control in ordinary families lives has no benefit and many many negatives. "

Jesus Christ- the child has been asked to make up a lesson she missed, not move into a kibbutz!

"I think it's a desirable thing to do, and not incredibly unreasonable to ask, but it should be a negotiated request if it is necessary. "

Does this apply to all missed work?

I don't think she should have to make the biscuits at home.

As dd gets FSM and ingredients provided, I would email back and ask for the ingredients plus £ x to cover electricity costs as you cannot afford to pay extra school related costs.

It needs a bit of flour, butter,sugar and a lemon. Eat them for pudding - make half quantities- don't put the oven on specially, do it when you are doing the evening meal. Better still - get her to cook the meal at the same time! A lot of fuss about nothing!