To ask you not to buy fidget spinners or any other shit and let your DCs take them to school?

[StrongerThanIThought76]

I'm a teacher. The current fad for Things To Piss The Teacher Off In Class is fidget spinners.

Before anyone jumps on me I recognise and accept that for some SEN kids they are a godsend. I know that. I really really do.

But there are so many kids that are now telling anyone in their vicinity that they are to help them focus etc etc.

NO THEY FUCKING DON'T!

They're a distraction not only to the kid in question, to the kids around you and to the poor sod at the front of the room trying to teach.

If your kid has SEN speak to the SENCO at school who will advise you if your kid would be allowed to have one. Even then (as it is in my school) they should only be used when appropriate.

If your kid is 'normal' then please don't send the damn TOYS into school. The only thing most kids should have in their hand during lessons is a pen or pencil!

And don't call in demanding that your kid gets their TOY back immediately - they've had it confiscated because they're pissing about in class. We wouldn't be happy with them playing with an Action Man or remote control car in class, and neither would you be.

Rant over. We have a hard enough time as it is in schools, keep the extra distraction out of the classroom please?

Thankyou

There is currently no suitable provision for a large number of children with (relatively) mild sen. There are no special school places for these children and underfunded mainstreams can't cope.

How did you implement rewards? A whole lesson of not shouting out is probably ambitious for some children to start with.
And obviously if the child is not bothered about the reward you are wasting your time. You are competing with the chance for the child to leave the class and be comfortable.
I get that kids with challenging behaviour are hard work in ms and it impacts the other pupils. But what is the alternative - they aren't educated at all?

The only person I know with one is adult - he likes trying these things out and makes smaller ring fidgets. He and I are both autistic and he let me try it out. We both found the vibrations/moving/sound soothing, but no more than many other things & to me they're a bit big and loud to use and work on something else at the same time. I think the supposed benefits are quite pumped up [especially with the ones with disco lights as well] like many pseudo-health stuff.

I sympathize it must be difficult for teachers; it seems there is a new one of these "miracle fix-all" products every week or so alongside all the other fads going on. I am very much in support in expanding sensory supports for more people but some of the stuff being sold for it seems almost specifically designed to make that harder for everyone.

eek Trifle are you Primary? Why are you teaching GCSE lit?

Shall we all stop being perm-offended and get off our high horse about the use of 'normal'. It wasn't meant offensively. Someone then tried to suggest that a child with SEN is 'more individual'! Wtf? All children are individual if you want to be picky. You cannot be more or less individual.
Also I tend to find 'I will confiscate it and you know that Mrs * is not good at remembering to give things back' works every time.

How did you implement rewards? A whole lesson of not shouting out is probably ambitious for some children to start with.

indeed ...imagine this 5 days a week with another 32 kids in the class

DS2 has ASD, ADHD and sensory processing difficulties. He finds the whirring noise of fidget spinners very difficult to deal with, and can't concentrate properly when people are spinning them in the background. Thankfully he is currently on exam leave and only going into school for exams (during which fidget spinners aren't allowed). Hopefully by the time his normal lessons resume, the fad will have past its peak.

Shall we all stop being perm-offended and get off our high horse about the use of 'normal'. It wasn't meant offensively

...that doesn't mean it wasn't offensive though. I don't see what's wrong with people pointing out it's offensive.

zzzzz

Yes, of course.

Well said !

randomer

I, I am secondary. Why?

Sorry, no, that should have said.

TheRealPooTroll

In secondary we are more limited with rewards because we see the students for an hour, not all day. There is no 'golden time' equivalent and I would be reprimanded if I used it. We can give an 'excellent' rating for the lesson. We can use praise (I do). On occasion we can use 'fun' activities as the carrot, provided they dovetail with the learning objective. Other than that we are a bit screwed.

I'm finding they actually cause my students with ADHD to focus less, or at least to focus on the wrong thing.
Yesterday, I was watching one of my students spinning it and staring at it in a hypnotic trance-completely ignoring what I was demonstrating. When he used to have a stress ball, he'd squeeze it in his hand but still be looking at me or the task in hand.

I have fed back to my SEND-coordinator.

I've only just got over the bloody water bottle challenge and dabbing. These fidget spinners are causing more disruption than either of those fads!

Trifle I get what you are trying to say.

KittyVonCatsington

Thank you!

DixieNormas

To me?