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

[moonlightshadow1]

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.

So she was playing the class clown and focusing the classes attention on her instead of on the teacher.

Sorry OP but she deserved all she got.
She wanted all the attention on her when it suited but then when she had the attention running laps she is upset.

That giggling would have taken a few minutes to calm down.

She does sound very immature for her age - and I'm guessing she's normally like this as it would be a surprise if a generally well behaved kid suddenly started pissing around to get other kids to laugh.

Crystal I was tired and fed up just reading your post .

I could not be a teacher.

Gildedcage

For the record I was pointing out to italiangreyhound that teachers running laps as punishment was a strawman point.

What is so wrong with speaking to her in front of the whole class? If she had done something well would you have had a problem with the teacher speaking to her about that in front of them?

This thread has made me feel really sorry for teachers. My kids went to school and did as they were told. Neither of them got a detention, ever. They did used to say that X, Y or Z used to annoy them with their constant low level disruption. Teachers shouldn't have to keep interrupting lessons because of lippy kids, they should be getting on with the job in hand.

Maybe this punishment is what your DD needed, OP? Perhaps she'll grow up and get on with lessons in futurea.

Oh yes I agree with sookies . She didn't mind the 'show' when it was all giggles did she? But then suddenly it was all too much and she's made a show of? Ha

Sookies, that's a typical day in a classroom - and then we deal with the whinging parents at the end of the day

Yes it was immature and yes she answered back when told to be quiet, but then at that point was told to sit out the lesson, fine. Then she was made a show of further insisting she keep her legs crossed. Then yes she missed PE through her own fault, but could have been made to run laps elsewhere as I've outlined. Making an immature comment doesn't mean she's always immature, but it was obviously stupid which is why she didn't want to tell me what she said in the first place.

Yes, she was rude. Honest, I am not having a go but she will be able to deduce that you are slightly on her side. That's not going to help with repeat occurrences. If my own DD had done that, then she takes the punishment, simple. Whatever the teacher deems that to be.

Imagine that happening 6 times during the lesson by different kids? So you lose say 8/10 minutes of teaching time in that lesson. And that lesson is English or Maths (not that PE isn't important). And that happens 3 times a week. How much teaching time is lost? How does that impact on GCSE grades ultimately?

Not to mention it's disrespectful of that teachers time and effort and energy.

If a kid had come into class shouting 'it stinks' and then repeated it after I told them to behave they would have been kicked out the room first so everyone else calms down and then after register was taken while silent reading was being done (first 10 min of every lesson) i would go out and say if I heard one more silly word out of her for the rest of the lesson she would be removed to another room and have a 30 minute detention.

Is that good enough for you OP?

Not to mention kids that just want to get their heads down and learn.

I would say what your daughter should take from this is, 'Do NOT talk when the teacher is.' It sets an example to peers as well.

Whilst appearing draconian it might have been a repeated issue, said teacher was at the end of her tether. In her eyes a pupil in year 10 should know better, it's basic respect.

So a bit torn really, she should have known better.

She made a show of herself!

The OP has acknowledged about a million times that her DD was in the wrong.

Sookies* Ok break not lunch, my mistake.

So she's 14 not 10, my word child seemed misplaced to you and yet..

"If a teacher behaves badly and does not follow the rules they get diciplined. This girl behaved badly didnt follow the rules and was diciplined. Same thing but you cannot apply adult rules to children. Thats daft."

So she isn't an adult and yet she isn't a child. And it's OK to discipline her in a way that seems designed to humiliate her publicly?

EveningShadows "Italian, bet your kids are a delight to teach." Actually my kids are very compliant. If that is what you mean.

"Great parenting skills. Teach them rules dont matter and you dont have to face the consequences of your actions."

I think there would be limits which we would all feel are unfair and if those limits were reached for our kids I am sure we would all say that a punishment is not fair. If a punishment is not fair I would not advise my child to submit to it, I would talk to the school. It's just in this case several people think this punishment is OK. I think it is harsh.

I think teachers sometimes humiliate their students. I still remember when my Geography teacher humiliated me front of the class. I remember his name and it was probably almost 40 years ago.

I do not think this is the way to teach young people/children to be more mature.

SookiesSocks "Why was running laps in gym kit humiliating? "

I think it showed she had done something wrong and was being punished, it was a physical punishment that would have tired her out, with my dd who has hypermobility it would have led to aching feet, with me (now) most likely an asthma attack! But I am not at high school so best discount me!

I think her doing it alone with the boys watching was designed to make her self conscious, if you cannot see that I can cannot tell you.

But realistically what was the point of it? To maker fitter? As a punishment!

I think it was a mean punishment and I agree with the OP it was over the top.

FrancisCrawford "My PE teacher used to run around in shorts in front of thousands of people. It never bothered him." I am guessing he was choosing to do that rather than having it imposed on him, so it is really not the same thing, is it.

"She may have humiliated herself"... she was a bit lippy and hen moved when she shouldn't have FFS. Her teachers response is way over the top.

Moonlight does your dd want you to complain? Please stick up for her.

Soookies "She will remember this punishment and next time behave. Thats the point of punishment." Maybe the punishment was too soft! What if she has been made to run around in her underwear! She really would have remember that now wouldn't she. You see punishments made to embarrass kids are just not nice. I think the teacher knew what they were doing and if they did not they should be told.

I don't think the OPs dd sounds like a total handful. there are plenty of kids at school who totally disrupt things and get very little punishment at all.

I am not anti-punishment. I just feel this was inappropriate and for that reason I would be supporting my daughter if she wished to complain about it.

crystalgall I told her it was rude but don't think it's surprising if a kid might comment if a room smells. She still shouldn't have done it though, and certainly shouldn't have made the second comment, I'm sure the teacher then had to tell everyone else to shut up too. But then I've never said that was fine.

Oh OP has no idea how annoying kids like hers can be and I'm not saying that to be mean. Sometimes the gobby ones are the funniest too and the most vulnerable.

But honestly your kid is a pain in the arse for us. Now imagine 30 like her all screaming 'it stinks it stinks' and falling about laughing hysterically.

You will never change your mind OP.
Your ridiculous language of 'shown up' and focus on sitting cross legged shows clearly your utter disregard for the teacher.

I would just love to hear the teachers PoV

She shouldn't be talking back granted but the pe teacher went too far. Detention is normally the punishment isn't it. Not trying to humiliate someone. I had that once at school i had a neck problem growing up which made me fear putting any pressure on it so i was scared of doing forward rolls a teacher tried to humiliate me and make me do them I've never done one without help even now i left that class and walked out of school in tears because of the big deal she made my dad complained and she got the sack because i wasn't the first kid she'd done it too mine was just one complaint too far. I would speak to the school and hear the teachers side of it and go from there.

Yes crystalgall but there are surely ways of dealing with a cheeky child? Teachers shouldn't have to do it and I think teachers do a brilliant and obviously incredibly vital job. However this teacher then making my daughter sit on the side, telling her "I better not see you move or hear another peep out of you all lesson, is that understood?" then proceeding to show her up again in front of the class (first time deserved) was a bit harsh, as well as what followed.

Oooo Crystal, I which i was your TA!
I'm only allowed to keep encouraging good behaviour and send kid to the 'quiet corner' even when I've got a fist held to my face :( .

Honestly, teachers and other school staff are absolutely powerless nowdays (unless they can demand first class respect verbally which many can't) and parents like this are not helping.

I think some people are enjoying flaming the OP a little to much.

Aghhhhhhhhhh!

OP you are crazy! I'm getting so wound up I think you are trolling teachers!

Saying 'I better not hear a peep out of you' is no flipping big deal. I just told you above what I would do if
I had been the teacher and my comment says I would say to the student 'I don't want to hear another silly word out of you for the rest of the lesson'

In fact Those exact word have actually come out of my mouth many times

You think that's harsh?! Crazy.

"ew it stinks in here" to her friend (but on pressing she admitted loud enough that everyone could hear, which was obvious), the teacher then told her to be quiet and she unfortunately replied "but miss it really stinks, smells like the last class were farting".

That doesn't sound so terrible! It probably did stink.

That is hardly disrupting the class!

Unless the class was perfumery 101 I cannot see these comments are being very disruptive at all. Teacher definitely ott!

Italian, this is all only from the OP's DD - we have no idea what really happened. I expect the teacher asked her to run the laps on the field so s/he could keep an eye on her. I highly doubt they thought "oh I know what will humiliate this girl, I'll make her run in front of boys" .

Yes not all teachers are great and some do use punishments that perhaps others wouldn't, but if I was the OP I wouldn't go into school and say anything.

I've seen my colleagues reduced to tears many times not just by children's awful bloody behaviour (and low level disruption is exhausting) but equally by the deluded parents who come in and complain about the most trivial crap imaginable. I could write a book on some of the bullshit I've had to listen to complaints about.

I reiterate my point, let the OP teach for half a term and then see how she feels. I suspect she'd be much less sympathetic to her DD's immaturity then.

I'm confused as to why a 14 year old girl running in front of 15 year old boys is inappropriate 🤔 Presumably PE lessons are mixed? it's a bit precious to see that as a problem. If she is self conscious in that situation, I'd be working on her self esteem rather than complaining about the punishment.

I do have a problem with running being given as a punishment. It's like kids being kept in and being punished by reading a book. Physical activity shouldn't be seen as a punishment.

As for her being lippy, go easy on the OP. I was the lippiest teeenager, and believe me, my parents tried their best to stop it. Ironically, the biggest punishment I got from a head teacher was when I got lippy with her because she had a go at my parents for letting me be a lippy teenager!

That said, my parents always sided with the school, whenever I got into trouble for it and made it clear to me that it was on my own head and if I wanted not to be punished, I shouldn't be lippy!