Does this sound ok? What happened at school today

[DramaKing]

I've namechanged incase the teacher is a mumsnetter.

My child is in year 4.

Child told me today that the whole class missed PE because some children were talking. They apparently all got changed, got outside then the teacher told them all she'd had enough and to get back instead and change back into uniform.

The teacher next told them "I don't want to come to school tomorrow with you lot but I've got to".

The whole class apparently keep missing 10 minutes of their lunch because a few are talking.

That isn't the first time they've missed PE and they've only been back a couple of weeks.

It all sounds very negative and dc told me the teacher hates them all.

I'm a bit annoyed my child is missing out on exercise and PE because of a few children. Never had this problem in any other class.

Am I wrong? What does the mumsnet jury think?

[witsender]

Ha! Because it is completely logical to make a group of small children miss the opportunity for some physical exercise when they are feeling rowdy. Cooling them up even more will make things sooooooo much better.

Yanbu op.

[3BagsFull]

"Regards what she said , well to me that sounds like one stressed and possibly depressed teacher to me, if she said that (and I am not saying your DC is lying, but they may embellish things as kids do). "

What RachelRagged said. Check with the teacher. If the story is true, the teacher is clearly burnt out (not a surprise, but a bit unusual so early in the academic year) or unfair.
I've worked as a teacher, granted I taught older kids, but it's surprising how soon they get your back up, especially in classes of 25+ students! (And I used to be known for being meek and long-suffering.)

[Evergreen17]

I think some people here should experience a teaching job and I believe a lot of opinions will change

[bigbluebus]

If my son's teachers had cancelled PE every time people were talking, my DS would have talked constantly. Maybe there are others in your child's class who feel the same!

I think the teacher needs to re think her punishment strategy.

[Nataleejah]

Not ideal to miss PE, but ultimately it was a professional decision
Very unprofessional to cancel a LESSON. I thought the times when art/music/PE were seen as unimportant subjects were over

[DramaKing]

I can imagine it's very stressful. I can imagine the behaviour of 30 children at times.

I'm just looking at it from a parents point of view of course. My child has come home saying they've missed PE, the teacher has told them she doesn't want to come to work. That's from my child's perspective of course.

[228agreenend]

My first thought regarding the PE situation was that the teacher was cracking down on poor behaviour - zero tolerance approach.

However, the comment she made was unacceptable. Possibly she said it in a light hearted banter-ish way, biut it doesn't sound like it.

[Mummydummy]

Its a bit off I think though I'm not keen generally on second guessing teachers who need to assert their authority with a class. i think there are more effective ways to deal with misbehaviour.

PE is good for all the kids, but particularly for boys who need to burn up energy to be able to concentrate at other lessons.

[Cheby]

It's a stupid punishment. It's indiscriminate and all it teaches the non-talking children is their their behaviour counts for nothing.

I used to get a bus to school (school bus, not public transport). There were some right twats on it. Smoking, bullying, setting bloody aerosols on fire. really dangerous, unacceptable behaviour. About 20 kids out of the 60 on the bus were involved in it.

Every single child on the bus, including me and my two friends, who were victims of the bullying campaign, which included chewing gum in our hair as well as name calling and physical violence, was called in at lunchtime and given an hour long bollocking. And kept in for detention all week. Every single one of us.

And my response to that was to think fuck it, school don't give a shit. They don't give a shit that my grades are the best in my year, that I've never set a foot wrong, that I put every effort in, or that I've been a captive victim of these twats on that bus for the last 2 years. They are treating us all as responsible. So why should I bother trying anymore?

Now I realise that's a slightly more extreme example. But that's what collective punishment does to children who are actually trying their best. It's desperately unfair.

[Isitjustmeorisiteveryoneelse]

So she just taught the well behaved students it's not worth behaving cos they ALL get punished anyway?

[Optimist3]

PE is equally as important as maths and English. PE is about keeping bodies healthy!

[Evergreen17]

Can I ask, to those that think this os outrageous, which behaviour management strategy would you have used?
Let's say that the class is not listening and some are talking. You ask several times, nothing, then others are talking, you ask again and again and again.
What do you do?
Let's hear it pleas

[DramaKing]

Evergreen are you a teacher?

Is it possible to make the distributive ones only miss their break?

The school use a traffic light system so perhaps use that?

[Pettywoman]

I'd complain to the school. If she's having behaviour problems with the kids this early in term and already slagging off the class to their faces saying she doesn't want to teach them then it doesn't bode well. She either needs more support at school or maybe she shouldn't be there.

In ds's school there was a teacher who was hateful to the class last year. Shouty, said how she hated them and they were all stupid. It took until summer term to get rid of her. Poor class were good kids too.

I don't know if your teacher is similar but just to say it does happen and it isn't fair on the children.

[GingerbreadLatteToGo]

I think she's played her hand badly here. I would not have had them miss the lesson, I'd have had the chatty ones in BOOTCAMP. No fun, no games - either mindless running around the playground/field or a killer session of burpees, star jumps, lunges etc. Worn the little buggers darlings out. I'd have let the non chatters play a game of their choice in the middle.

Cancelling PE is daft, one because getting them outside & worn out can only help their behaviour & two, because it'll only encourage the ones who hate PE to act up.

Unless of course it's a one off and your bollocking is amazingly effective
💐TheTroubleWithAngels 😁

I would HOPE that NO teachers replace a PE class with 'punishment' maths these days. It's hard enough to get kids to enjoy maths without reinforcing the fact that it's 'punishment'.

It will not do the snowflakes one bit of harm to be told she's had enough of their behaviour & would rather not come in tomorrow. The trouble is kids are so closeted these days that it's unusual to hear anything non airy-fairy & nicey nicey. A bit of reality will do them all good!

OP. I'd just let her get on with it tbh. She has to deal with 30 kids day in, day out. It's up to her to see what does/doesn't work with this class. If it hasn't settled down by half term, then maybe it's time to have a chat with someone. Until then just tell DS that it's his teachers rules, but if he thinks they aren't fair he could talk to her (not at that time), write her a letter, start a petition or have a 'word' with the Head Teacher. Maybe.

[manyathingyouknow]

dramaking by name, dramaking by nature.

I don't think missing PE is the end of the world.

Also, you don't know the context in which she said she didn't want to come to school? Could she have been kidding with the class and your DC hasn't taken it that way?

Who would be a teacher? I walk into work and don't have to deal with 30 children and their parents and for that I am ever ever ever grateful.

To the teachers reading this post...you do a great job and most of us appreciate what you do.

[ThisUsernameIsAvailab1e]

'Year 4 are arseholes'

You ARE aware that you're talking about small children aged 8 yes?

Some posters are arseholes ..

[Cloudhopping]

I would only go and speak to the teacher if this happened time and time again. It sounds like some of the children's behaviour was pretty bad. I would be more inclined to talk to my child about that and how children should behave themselves and do as they're told in the classroom rather than questioning the teacher. Even if your child wasn't involved it's a fact of life that we sometimes have to pay the consequences for others' behaviour- unfair, but so is life unfortunately. I actually think that parents need to support teachers a little more. They're not going to get everything right all the time but none of us do. (I'm not a teacher by the way)

[DramaKing]

Gingerbread I don't disagree. It just seemed to me that if the class were getting loud some exercise might do them good? Actually I don't mind your boot camp idea. If my dc told me they'd had to do 10 star jumps during PE for chatting I'd be less bothered.

Manyathing I haven't created any drama. I haven't said a word to the teacher. I don't think I've ever been to the school and moaned about a teacher. I simply told dc to make sure that they were behaving.

However I am allowed to have thoughts and opinions on what I get told and I'm allowed to worry. Mainly because I don't want it to turn into a negative cycle as in there's no point behaving because we all get punished anyway.

[Cherubneddy1]

I would NOT be happy, OP. It sounds very unprofessional, saying she doesn't want to deal with them. I'm sure teaching is very stressful, but so are many professions, no excuse for this though.

I'm pretty confident this would NOT be acceptable at my DD's school. YNBU. I would speak to the teacher immediately. I'm astonished that others, including teachers, think it's ok to speak to children in this way.

[BakeOffBiscuits]

My DD once had a t a her that liked to punish the class with missing PE. Another parent told me she did it every year so I did complain to the head when she was still doing it in November.

So OP, I'd keep a close eye on the situation. If it's a one off, ok but if she's doing it regularly go and say something.

[BakeOffBiscuits]

When I said the teacher was doing it every year, I meant she did it with every class, all year.

[EllyMayClampett]

Funnily enough, my eldest missed quite a few PE lessons, also in year 4, as a whole class punishment for the same reasons. They all had to sit quietly for the hour with their heads on their tables.

My DH went ballistic! Basically, the teacher was tired and didn't like teaching PE or being out in the cold. She was quite happy to skip it. It was terrible for the children who needed the exercise and needed to let off steam. Couping them up, only made matters worse.

Ultimately, PE is part of the curriculum that the school must deliver. It's not optional. You can't skip it any more than maths or reading. Talk to the head teacher.

[PoptartPoptart]

As a few other posters have said, PE is a compulsory part of the national curriculum (as much as maths, literacy, science etc). The teacher absolutely cannot just cancel a particular lesson because of talking or poor behaviour. Sounds like she could do with some classroom management support from the school. Also, with all the talk in the media and from the government about how our kids are too unhealthy/obese etc then I really think PE should be a priority as much as the core subjects are