to be a bit bemused by the teacher this morning?

[TeainaChinaCup]

DD started school this morning. The teacher issued all of the parents with a copy of a wanky poem about realising these are our babies but now they are hers too (no they aren't), plus a tea bag and a biscuit.

Is this normal?! It was a bit schmaltzy twee for me.

[morningtoncrescent62]

A little research tells me that you were short-changed, OP. This school has upped the ante and is giving an entire pack, containing a chocolate bar, coffee as well as tea, some tissues, and a much longer poem.

[sharkinthedark]

Ugh it's clearly a new trend.
Does this mean that all reception teachers must now officially be lovely?

[GrimmauldPlace]

A kitkat is a biscuit?

[Arsenicinthesugarbowl]

It's not my kind of thing either. Perhaps something that lets you know you'll be spending a fortune on nit lotion for the next 6 years, your child will tell your teacher things that you'd rather they didn't know (or write about them in her school book!) etc etc would be more realistic.
But I'm a dark minded misery guts!

[sharkinthedark]

Good job she didn't choose jaffa cakes.

[TheFairyCaravan]

YABU FFS!

The teacher tries to do something nice, show you she cares about your child, spends her own money on the stuff no doubt, as well as the time, and you moan???!!!

I couldn't agree more!

[Dontyoulovecalpol]

Oh bless her. It's quite sweet and pretty brave considering how cringy it is!

[SlightlyperturbedOwl]

tea

Or how about:
'Your poem was a little twee,
Please use Rabbie Burns for me'

must go and get on with something

[CafeCremeMerci]

The teacher issued all of the parents with a copy of a wanky poem about realising these are our babies but now they are hers too

I would have taken offence if that's what she'd said, but she didn't. Not at all. She said she would look after your baby & they'd be part of a happy little band, the X school family. Entirely different to saying they are now her babies too.

It's a little bit 'twee', I'd have preferred a note, rather than a twee poem (if anything), but I think she meant well & it would give me hope that she was going to be a nice teacher that DC would feel happy with & someone who I could communicate easily with. I'd feel less upset leaving them, so job description done really.

I'm not sure if DD is your first or not, but a nice teacher you can communicate with easily is worth their weight in gold, so personally any sign of them being nice is good by me - and if it comes with a kit Kat, I'm onside already 😁

[skatesection]

Kitkat is a result, dude.

I work in a primary & middle integrated school and I've noticed the parents crowding around the door of the reception classroom well into the first lesson. We're two weeks in. Guys, GO HOME, why are you watching story time? It's not a fecking zoo. Maybe if they'd had this poem two weeks ago, they'd have dropped the kids off and left the teacher to it.

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

Yes a free bottle of nit lotion thrown into your goody bag would have been very useful.

[Eolian]

Ugh. Secondary teacher here. I realise Reception teachers need to mollycoddle the children a bit at that age, but not the bloody parents, surely?!

[NatalieRushman]

YABVVVU. Kit kats are CHOCOLATE barsm

[ReadyToSignOff]

Disclosure - I am a teacher. She was obviously being nice and trying to reassure parents who haven't been through 'first day trauma' before. Personally I wouldn't do this as it isn't my style and - like you - I would find it all a bit twee (although I would hope that I am still a nice person/teacher!). Reserve your judgement until you see how she interacts with the children and parents - that is the important thing. It seems as if she is trying to form a positive relationship (or a 'partnership' in school speak) with parents, which can only be good. She will have paid for the Kit Kats and tea bags herself and put time and effort into sending out those twee poems. Fair enough to discuss and ridicule this with your partner/family/friends, but does it really need posting on the Internet? I just hope she doesn't see it...

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

MrsFizzy I have always found this British insistence that a KitKat is a biscuit very puzzling and annoying indeed. It's a chocolate bar, not a fucking biscuit.

[00100001]

I'm gonna write you all a proper First Day poem.

Time flies. Its time for school
For your wee bairn.
Don't helicopter now,
Do not hover.
GTFO of my classroom
Yes, there is a Gifted and Talented register.
The only G&T register your child is on
Or ever will be
Is the Gin and Tonic register the teacher keeps for the end of the week.
Don't cry you mad bag.
Its just another day.
Your kid will be fine.
We've done this before.
Get thee gone.

[SlightlyperturbedOwl]

Readytosignoff I'm sure they were well-intentioned, no one has questioned that, but what you have said sounds like you are saying that no one should ever discuss what a teacher has done basically in public (they were handed out at school) on an anonymous Internet forum? I'm sorry but I think that will be a very minor challenge compared with the rest of her job! Yes she might see it- but no one knows who she is (I'm sure there are lots of P1 classes in Scotland?) then she also would see some opposing views on whether people like it or not, and be able to make an informed choice on whether to use her limited time and resources to do it again next year, so I don't see the problem provided no one has made personally derogatory comments. Conversely I agree that shouting about it on Facebook or bitching about it in the playground would definitely not be ok.

[cdtaylornats]

Haven't you heard of "in loco parentis"

[LynetteScavo]

As we speak a friend of mine is packing up bags containing a poem and tissues and heavens knows what else for a first day emergency pack /gift to parents. She spends her own money on it. Schools don't actually budget for this nonsense, so if you receive a fist day "party bag" at least pretend it's appreciated.

[TeainaChinaCup]

Good job she didn't choose jaffa cakes.

Don't even joke about that. That would have been positively insulting.

I know some of you don't believe it, but I do have manners and did say thank you. I just find it entirely unnecessary.

[NoTractorsAtTheTable]

I'm pissed off that I never got a biscuit when either of mine started school. It's the least I deserved for getting them to school-age relatively unscathed!

We're back this week too - DS (P2) thinks his teacher smells like sheep and DD (P4) thinks hers is "ever so clever, much cleverer than you, Mum"

[happypoobum]

I think it was really sweet and kind of her. There's just no pleasing some people.

YABVU to describe a kit kat as a biscuit.

[FranHastings]

Our school used to do this. I thought it was quite sweet. Their hearts were in the right place.