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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think DD's punishment from PE teacher was draconian?

867 replies

moonlightshadow1 · 01/03/2017 17:15

DD is in Year 10 and came home quite annoyed about a punishment she got in PE for something very minor in the first place. Her teacher made her get changed into her PE kit at lunchtime (without any tracksuit in the cold wet weather), and run laps around the football pitch for all but the last 15 minutes of the break (so she could eat), much of it whilst the boys were having football practice, who apparently found it quite funny. Is it overreacting to think this is a bit out of order? I might not have been surprised when I was at school but I can't help be a bit annoyed, seems a bit like it was intended to embarrass her and unnecessary.

OP posts:
Pseudonym99 · 02/03/2017 00:46

I just cannot understand why being made to do PE at lunchtime is embarrassing? When I was at school (albeit a few years ago now) a lunchtime PE detention was normal. If you had your PE kit fine. If you didn't it was knickers. Knickers was embarrassing - PE kit wasn't!

Pseudonym99 · 02/03/2017 00:54

I cannot understand why physical punishment is inappropriate? Why is it different to a maths or English detention?

Deadsouls · 02/03/2017 00:56

It sounds like an exercise in public humiliation on the part of the PE teacher. What a stupid punishment.

TheClaws · 02/03/2017 02:15

No, sorry. Your DD was talking out of turn and the teacher was obviously tired of it. She come home "annoyed"? She sounds a little precious, TBH. She should have come home ashamed at her own behaviour.

TheStoic · 02/03/2017 02:35

I cannot understand why physical punishment is inappropriate? Why is it different to a maths or English detention?

Because it involves physical discomfort. That is not OK. We've moved on since then. Or most of us have.

Zafodbeeblbrox10 · 02/03/2017 04:11

You can fairly easily do a 10k run in 45 minutes, at a decent pace..a bit over the top for a lunchtime punishment if you ask me! And who would be taking the blame if she collapsed with exhaustion.. or worse?

engineersthumb · 02/03/2017 05:24

Why would anyone future young person collapse from exhaustion after running 10k? Whilst it was a little firm it ensured she got the exercise that she should have had during the lesson, she was correctly attired and in a suitable location. I can't see how she was subject to physical discomfort, it was a run not a flogging! Overall I don't think it's so terrible, in fact sounds like a productive lunchtime!

sashh · 02/03/2017 06:05

Apparently in this instance it was something to do with messing around and talking when they were supposed to be sitting ready for starting some exercise, which whilst I wouldn't disagree with a teacher telling her off for, doesn't seem the biggest issue to me.

Low level disruption is the bane of teacher's lives. It is quite normal for a child to be disciplined by doing the work not completed in class at lunch time or after school, that is what happened here.

I have also had a complaint from a student to my head of department who said I had refused to explain something to her. I did refuse, but because she had talked all over my explanation twice and she was told to read the book and then ask questions because I wasn't explaining it a third time whilst she didn't listen/chatted to a friend.

If it had been science and she was messing with chemicals, told to sit out before she hurt someone/herself and then made to do the experiment at lunch would you be so bothered?

MaisyPops · 02/03/2017 06:06

Cant believe how many people on this thread are up for calling up schools and backing children who've misbehaved over teachers. Im Feeling a little old fashioned that I think kids should behave at school . The PE teachers punnishment wouldnt be my choice but its not hard to see how some children walk around schools with attitude if theyre told by home they can pick and choose when to behave and mammy will call up if the kid thinks its unfair.

But then I had a priceless conversation with a parent this week who told me their child didnt have to do a detention with another teacher because they were "tired" after school and the teacher was wrong to change the seating plan because it was "confusing".
Thankfully vast majority of kids are well behaved and polite and the vast majority of parents are supportive.

FrancisCrawford · 02/03/2017 06:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SookiesSocks · 02/03/2017 06:25

For all those saying the physical punishment is too much. You do realise that the DD did not complete any of the PE lesson. She sat out because she could not behave.

So all the teacher did was make her do the lesson she should have done. It wasnt extra.
Or do some of you think children should not do PE at all Hmm

FuzzyFalafelz · 02/03/2017 06:33

I run short distances and have this week.

15 minutes is nothing. Just a mile and a half maybe. She wouldn't have been freezing cold. she might of felt a bit humiliated running found the football pitch while it was in use but most punishments are a bit embarrassing anyway. She wasn't naked.

I know you paint her behaviour as a minor infringement but she's probably disrupting other people's learning constantly. Frustrating for everyone

FuzzyFalafelz · 02/03/2017 06:55

The boys and her were all running around busy and having minor interactions. The boys weren't sat all watching her.

MongerTruffle · 02/03/2017 07:09

A couple of years ago Nicky Morgan agreed to stop schools from using running laps as punishment. Not sure if it was followed through though.

SoupDragon · 02/03/2017 07:23

I cannot understand why physical punishment is inappropriate? Why is it different to a maths or English detention?

Because it involves physical discomfort. That is not OK. We've moved on since then. Or most of us have.

The government guideline list someone posts lists things like weeding, graffiti removal and litter picking, all of which involve physical discomfort. As someone said, it was a run, not a flogging or an afternoon in the stocks.

As for moving on, we seem to have moved on from expecting good behaviour from teens too.

Pseudonym99 · 02/03/2017 07:28

But what's the difference between physical discomfort or the discomfort of doing maths or English in a detention? Surely running around a field is something which you would normally do at school anyway?

IamFriedSpam · 02/03/2017 07:29

Why would anyone future young person collapse from exhaustion after running 10k? Because it's an incredibly bad idea to run 10k if you're not used to long distance running! Most 15 year olds don't run regularly and it would seriously risk injury to suddenly run 10k! I've been running about a year and it still takes me an hour to run 10k. Unless you run regularly you won't run it in 45 minutes (just look at 10k times for any fun race and those are for people who have been training for it!).

TalkingofMichaelAngel0 · 02/03/2017 07:32

Then friedapam maybe the parent needs to take a closer look at how much exercise their child is getting on a weekly basis. I teach too many teenagers that are overweight and couldnt run for a bus.

FrancisCrawford · 02/03/2017 07:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IamFriedSpam · 02/03/2017 07:38

If their bus stop is 10k away then I'm not surprised they can't run for a bus! There's a difference between being reasonably fit and healthy and being able to run 10k in 45 minutes. The first is a good idea the second is totally unnecessary - not everyone enjoys long distance running or is very good at it (I say this as someone who does enjoy running).

The main point of PE is to enable young people to set out good habits they can continue into adulthood, not put them off sport for life. By the way there is no evidence that running more than 5k improves your health and long distances actually lead to high injury and other health risks.

littlebillie · 02/03/2017 07:39

They do up to 2 hours of pe detention at my dc school funnily enough they have improved behaviour at the school. I'm all for it

Sparkletastic · 02/03/2017 07:47

The teacher fucked up with a double punishment. If they really thought that was necessary they could have stuck her in lunchtime detention.

ineedaholidaynow · 02/03/2017 07:50

Would some people's reactions be different if the child involved was a boy? There are quite a few comments along the lines of 'no wonder girls are put off sport'.

DS(12) has a tracksuit as part of his PE kit. He only seems to wear it when they are travelling to matches, not when they are actually doing any sort of sport.

If you get a maths detention do you have to do maths in the detention? If you do, what is wrong with doing laps in a PE detention?

ConsideredThought · 02/03/2017 07:50

I bet it wasn't the first time she was lippy and you can bet it wouldn't be her last if she wasn't deterred sufficiently. She was probably made an example of. I bet she will think long and hard over doing it again (teacher's desired results) and so will her peers!

I'd love to see how that one plays out in the future.

Screwinthetuna · 02/03/2017 07:51

She was being cheeky and disruptive and the teacher obviously hit the nail on the head with punishment. Sounds like she will behave and be respectful in PE from now on!

If you DD was singled out regularly and the teacher's dislike of her was becoming obvious, then I'd complain.