Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 ··· 6 7 8 ··· 14 15

Original poster

To ask this reception teacher to back down?

374 replies

kathryng90 · 07/05/2015 20:46

My son will be 5 in June. He is in reception. They are having a teddy bear picnic tomorrow. Text message yesterday warning parents 'bring your child's favourite bear to school'. My son loves his build a bear toothless dragon bear. He told his reception teacher how excited he was to bring this toy to school. He was sobbing as he came out of school and teacher said to me 'DS is sad as he has said he wants to bring toothless to school tomorrow. He can't. It's a teddy bear picnic not a dragon picnic. Our theme is goldilocks and the 3 bears not 3 dragons. Find a bear'

He is so upset, toothless is his favourite bear. I have suggested that we take toothless plus a teddy bear. AIBU to ask teacher to let toothless sit on desk and watch while bear joins in? Or am I undermining teacher? Another compromise? He's 4 ffs.....

OP posts:

Thread gallery

sleeponeday · 07/05/2015 22:23

She would LOVE World Book Day at DS' school.

He went as a Narnia character, BTW, so this is not a defensive post.

At his school were:

4 Stormtroopers
2 Darth Vaders
3 Jedi Knights (not sure if Anakins or Lukes)
2 Where's Wallys
7 or 8 Disney Princesses.

There are less than 90 kids in the entire school. All the above came clutching their Activity Books or Annuals. All were lavishly admired and encouraged to show their non-narrative books off.

They are children. They are not working to an exam rubric. What does she want you to do, buy a meaningless new soft toy, just to ensure it's species-specific?

She's being ridiculous. I spend my life patiently explaining flexibilities like this to DS, because he is 6 and on the sodding autistic spectrum. What's her excuse?

tethersend · 07/05/2015 22:24

"Are we reading the same thread

Love that one.

You said if a resource was essential to the lesson, the school should provide it. I read the OP as saying that the teacher has asked children to bring in a toy bear from home, not to provide resources essential to a lesson."

That's my point, Rhonda. If the teddy bear is not a resource essential to the lesson, then why can't it be a dragon? If it has to be a teddy bear, then it is a resource essential to the lesson, and the school should provide it. If they're not going to provide it, they have to accept that they might not get exactly what they want.

arethereanyleftatall · 07/05/2015 22:24

My dd , 3, also has a teddy bears picnic next week. Our conversation went like this...
'Can I take my favourite rabbit please?'
'No love, it's a picnic for bears.'
'Ok mummy I'll take my brown bear'
'Good idea love'.

Bodyinpyjamas10 · 07/05/2015 22:26

Fiveacres you parent like me.

Now there is quite important tele on now so hope the dragon/bear debarcle is sorted and no small child is permanently damaged.

Only joking op. He will be fine you know

tethersend · 07/05/2015 22:26

"I think the teacher needs to pick her battles. Not every child is lucky enough to have a selection of variously species cuddlies. Not every family can afford a new toy just because teacher says that only bears will be permitted.
Sometimes you have to go with the flow (although applies to parents too)."

Exactly.

GetMeFlamed · 07/05/2015 22:32

Oh My God!

This is the strangest thread I've ever read!

It's like an advertisement for home schooling

BeaLola · 07/05/2015 22:33

What do you do if you don't have a bear ? Perhaps the misleading bit is to use the word FAVOURITE , maybe it would be better to simply say Bring A Bear ?

I must reread Goldilocks as cannot remember the picnic bit. The only thing that would peeve me mildly is if the Teacher is going to be that specific and upset children but then on the day ignores her own rule when dollies and Lego toys come instead.

FoR world book day our school had storm troopers, princesses from Disney and all sorts but the important thing is they ALL joined in some way.

GetMeFlamed · 07/05/2015 22:36

BeaLola you're right. There's no picnic in The Three Bears anyway.

elsabelle · 07/05/2015 22:38

Every EYFS Setting has lots of teddies and soft toys. If you dont have a bear then i'm sure you can ask to borrow one from school. It wouldnt be a problem at all. You dont need to change the whole thing and bring a dragon / transformer / princess doll instead.

PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange · 07/05/2015 22:40

No way would either children be allowed to take thier favourite stuffed toy out of the house.

I will go to poundland and get a bear to take in.

The fall out from a possible loss is unthinkable.

I even got them special holiday beats that live in the suitcases, I have serveral of the same bear.

SuburbanRhonda · 07/05/2015 22:44

tethersend

I don't read the OP that way. I read it as the teacher asking children to bring in a bear for a bear-focused activity. If there are some children without a bear, that could be addressed (personally, if I were a teacher, I would have a bag of charity shop bears - washed, of course - to dish out for those children without a bear).

But if the resource is essential, it can't be replaced with something else not relevant to the activity. So either bring a bear if you have one or let us know if you haven't. But don't bring a dragon because the activity isn't about dragons.

Still finding it hard to believe the teacher said "Find a bear", though.

Froggio · 07/05/2015 22:45

The teacher is being ridiculous insisting that the bear has to specifically a bear and not a generic cuddly toy, even if the theme is Goldilocks. Alot of the kids will bring actual bears, so she'll get the Goldilocks theme across. Some will bring other cuddly animals, does it actually matter in the grand scheme of things? Will she ban them from the picnic?

ladymariner · 07/05/2015 22:47

And yet again, I feel like I'm in a parallel universe.....

It's a teddy bears picnic, not a bloody dragons picnic. What a lot of fuss about nothing.

My dd , 3, also has a teddy bears picnic next week. Our conversation went like this...
'Can I take my favourite rabbit please?'
'No love, it's a picnic for bears.'
'Ok mummy I'll take my brown bear'
'Good idea love

^^ the voice of reason, I think!

maroonedwithfour · 07/05/2015 22:48

Fgs. of course dc should bring toothless. Or the dragon shiuld burn mean teacher's knickers.

ladymariner · 07/05/2015 22:50

Where's the op, anyway? Is she writing a 'strongly worded letter'? Is she at this moment petitioning her local MP to champion dragons rights? Or has she realised she is coming across as ridiculous and decided to let it lie.....

Gileswithachainsaw · 07/05/2015 22:52

Teddy bear these days is a generic term for any stuffed toy. seriously, not all kids teddies will be bears some may well just have pigs or dogs or dragons

I'd totally expect to see an array of stuffed toys.

teacher is being an arse

temporarilyjerry · 07/05/2015 22:55

We had a teddy bears' picnic yesterday. As well as bears, there were dogs, cats, a dinosaur, an owl and several animals of dubious species. It didn't occur to me to refuse to allow them to attend.

StupidBloodyKindle · 07/05/2015 22:55

Theodore Roosevelt did not refuse to shoot a dragon.

sleeponeday · 07/05/2015 22:56

She's probably taking a much needed break from the intricacies of the bear problem, and watching the election for some light relief.

Nanny0gg · 07/05/2015 22:56

Dress up days serve no purpose whatsoever. If my child wanted to go as a Ninja Turtle on Victorian day then I'd let them. I cannot be bothered to argue with them over something so trivial.

Yes, that's fair. Because the teachers don't spend hours and hours planning and making resources for special days to enhance the children's learning or anything.

Hope your work is treated with equal respect.

Anyone see the OP?

sleeponeday · 07/05/2015 22:56

Theodore Roosevelt did not refuse to shoot a dragon.

That's what we told the Muggles, yes.

ladymariner · 07/05/2015 22:59

kindle

MagicMojito · 07/05/2015 23:00

Not rtft but teacher sounds like a knob. What a weird thing to have a power trip over

sleeponeday · 07/05/2015 23:00

Dress up days serve no purpose whatsoever. If my child wanted to go as a Ninja Turtle on Victorian day then I'd let them. I cannot be bothered to argue with them over something so trivial.

I'm sorry, but there is a gulf between refusing to get your child engaged with something that is clearly history-based, and sabotages a lesson theme for all kids present, and a teddy bear for a picnic. The latter is a whimsical, fantasy-based imaginative exercise. The former is an attempt to engage children with the past. In the same way, World Book Day should be about encouraging literacy, and therefore ANY form of reading, for young kids, should be embraced short of 50 Shades. You need to look at what the aim is, I think. The reason behind the theme. If diverting from it could undermine that then that's less than okay. If it doesn't, then why insist?

CatsCantTwerk · 07/05/2015 23:03

I haven't rtft as I honestly couldn't 'bear' to!

This is fucking ridiculous.

Playing merry hell?
coaxing and persuading a child?
asking the teacher to let the dragon 'observe'
going above the teachers head?

Jesus wept, Is it a full moon or something?

The child needs to understand that it is bring a bear, not, bring a soft toy, dragon, fairy, unicorn, sea lion or limpet ffs. It is YOUR job op to teach him this.

I wonder if you would have reacted the same if it was bring a pebble and your ds wanted to take a seashell? Same difference!

DS is sad as he has said he wants to bring toothless to school tomorrow. He can't. It's a teddy bear picnic not a dragon picnic. Our theme is goldilocks and the 3 bears not 3 dragons. Find a bear'

I see nothing wrong with what the teacher said AT ALL.

Get a grip op, What will you do in 7-8 years time when your ds is at secondary doing cooking and is asked to bring in ingredients to make scones? Say 'fuck it' You do not like scones so here is the ingredients for cup cakes?

Flip

1 2 ··· 6 7 8 ··· 14 15