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

I take back what I posted earlier.
Ds has discovered that they do fidget spinners with led lights. He loves lights.

Ive ordered him 2!

He will not be taking them to school!

Both DS and DD have ASCs. DD also has ADHD. Both have spinners.
DD takes hers to school but is only allowed it at playtime or free time. It doesn't help her to concentrate, in fact it increases her shriekiness as she gets so excited about the patterns and the fact that she can spin it on her nose! DS doesn't take his to school.
Neither of mine find fidget anything really help them to focus although I do have a handbag full of wooden wheels that look like a planet, fidget cubes, clicky bendy things and marbles trapped in netting as they do provide focus and distraction if they are stressed.
I love the 'spare' spinner we have. I find it very calming.
However I can imagine that a class full of them would be very distracting! As a teacher I did have a box full of fidgets but they were all silent and discrete like trapped marbles, stretchy men, blutak etc and some members of my class sued them to great effect.
As an adult I find I need something in my hands when listening on training courses etc otherwise I doodle (fine, not distracting to others) or I click my pen lid or fidget with a zipper. I have a beautifully shaped stone in my bag so I can fidget silently.
I don't think a blanket ban is useful. I do think they are fun and totally OK for the playground and if DD messed with hers when she shouldn't then she should totally have it removed.
I also think that fidgets have become another way to fleece the parents of children with additional needs. Suddenly people are 'inventing' fidgets that are vital but actually those twisty wooden blocks or a lump of blutak are just as good.
In fact if I see the same fidget spinner that I saw today with fabulous coloured edges when I am out tomorrow I shall buy it... for meeee!

I'm in secondary. This week I've had to search the pencil cases of a whole class as someone swapped their red slime ball for blue one and I've been asked if I had found a fidget spinner accidentally left in my form room. It must have been instantly nabbed by the next person sat there. I've not seen anyone use one in my class though.

The point is that I think this boy's needs are impossible to meet in a standard classroom

I would like to think that you (and any other teacher who feels this way) have raised these ongoing concerns with the SENCO, SLT and with the boy's parents and that you will continue to do so until the boy's needs are being met, if you have and are still doing so then you are doing your job.

I was asked to attend a meeting at my son's previous school where I was told "we cannot meet your son's needs, you need to find another school for him" ( this was after more than 5 years in mainstream education where they had steadfastly maintained that they could meet his needs) during the meeting certain things came to light such as incidents not being reported to the LA as they were supposed to be, his statement was not being adhered to amongst other things, the school later admitted that they didn't have enough training or knowledge of his Disability. The only thing that had changed between DS starting school and that point was his height.

The LA gave the school a 'slap on the wrist' and did nothing to help me find him a new school, they also didn't do the things that they said they would.

I feel sorry for the boy in your case, until his needs are being met he will struggle to reach his potential.

Damn it after a whole week of my dds pestering me for one, I ordered 3 on amazon and they arrived just in time for when the BAN at my dds school comes into play.

It must be the quickest banned fad toy on the market

I bought one for myself I find spinning stuff like coins etc relaxing, especially if you get some kind of effect, thing is I haven't put it down for 3 days and getting finger ache!m

*These appeals from anonymous teachers on a public forum are starting not to sit well qith me. What will it achieve? We have already had a thread like this re parents' evening and how not to piss off your teacher.

This leads to all kinds of paranoia with me wondering if it were my son's teacher.*

Well what are you or what your son doing at school that makes you think a teacher would be pissed off enough to post anonymously about it?!

Ffs. Ban everything.

I'm sick of reading that this was banned, this other thing was banned, this third thing was banned... Shouldn't the teacher be the authority in the classroom, therefore being able to confiscate if played in the class? Your classroom - your rules. After few times they will learn to put them away.

DeadMorose

It isn't that simple. If an item is 'allowed' by some teachers but not others, it causes unnecessary conflict when certain teachers decide to confiscate. They will also be on the receiving end of moaning from parents for being 'too strict' It is easier (less disruptive to learning) to have a blanket rule.

enterthedragon

Yes, I have raised it with the SENCO. I know I am doing my job. I also feel sorry for him.

*If an item is 'allowed' by some teachers but not others, it causes unnecessary conflict when certain teachers decide to confiscate. They will also be on the receiving end of moaning from parents for being 'too strict'^
Precisely, too strict' and they be the same parents who expect the teacher to spin straw into gold by getting good results for their entitled child and moan that other classes get better results.
With parents defending the use of toys in class, no wonder teachers are demoralised and leaving the profession.
Behaviour policy only works when across all classes.
When their little Jayden achieved the height of his potential working on a checkout in LIDL perhaps they'll march in and demand to his manager that he be allowed to play with a toy at work.
And what about exams> If a kid 'needs' to paly with a toy I class to concentrate - does that mean spinners in exams too?

Yes its always Jayden's isn't it, and anyone who wants schools to make reasonable adjustments are entitled.

Oh do fuck off with your classist fucking shorthand mrsGuy

We get it. You think working class people are thick and make up their children's disabilities because they are amoral.

I would be embarrassed to think your thoughts let alone type them out. I bet you thank God for anon forums where you can really let rip without people discovering what you are really like hey?

When their little Jayden achieved the height of his potential working on a checkout in LIDL

Mrsguy you really are something else aren't you!
Having a disabled daughter myself, I would be proud as punch for her to have ANY full time job!
And FYI Iv worked in supermarkets and little did you know most of us had a lot of qualifications and degrees amongst us, there all sorts of reasons one might work In a supermarket.

Fwiw a very close family members DD with asd and epilepsy for a job in a supermarket. (Posher one than Lidl ).

He NEVER hit any of his targets but the customers adored him and many queued longer just to go through his till.

This job opened his life up and was such an achievement for him his self confidence soared.

I'll tell his parents that I'm really sorry that their ds who died in his 20's of a seizure in his sleep I'm very sorry he never made a life for himself then shall I?

I've been teaching primary for more than 20 years so have seen dozens of fads come and go. We very rarely ban them. We always start by giving them the benefit of the doubt and only ban toys that are causing widespread problems eg some card swapping fads have led to far too many arguments and some older canny children taking advantage of younger children by doing some very unfair swapping.

We're happy for children to bring fidget spinners to school, but they're for the playground only. If I see any in my classroom then they go on my desk until hometime.

Personally, I'm very impressed with the way that some of my 5 year olds can spin them. The first time I saw a fidget spinner was when my dd brought one back from a school trip. I can't even get the bloody thing to stay on my finger.

Apologies for not rtft, but it took me back to my schooldays, seeing the beads pic posted by zzzzz.... they were the biggest craze in my primary school!
We used to flip them from each finger, up and down, with bonus points for clicking noise. It must have driven our teachers to distraction..

@MrsGuyOfGisbo I went to uni,great at maths,speak a few languages etc. My dream job used to be a job at the local Tesco,not even the big one but the little petrol station one. Couldn't pass the on line thingy to even get an interview. Oh well.

Most of our y6 kids had toys on their desk during SATS,for support and comfort. We're obviously failing them.