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 didn't know they were 'a thing' (yes, I'm happy here under my rock! 😂). A shop assistant was helping someone else the other day and there was a stack of these things on the counter, so while I was waiting I set one off...when she came back she just picked it up and placed it back on the stack.

I'm guessing she's a bit over them too 😂

I had no idea you could hold them & do tricks with them...I might have to pop back.

Trouble is, if I buy one I'll have to keep it hidden because anyone else fiddling with one would drive me batshit 😂

I can well believe parents kick off if you confiscate them, because we are living in very weird times! I think you should have a two strike rule. First time it gets confiscated until the Friday afternoon, second time until the end of term.

DD's class teacher was very clear that they are only allowed in the classroom if the teacher had spoken to your parents about it - otherwise they are fine in the playground.

The same teacher barred pop-out Smiggle pencil cases because of similar distraction issues. Fair enough on both counts IMO!

I'm not listening to teacher about thank you, I'm spinning my spinner and I'm smelling smelly pencils.

Completely agree (other than the use of "normal" for neurotypical kids). The blanket bans schools are passing down on these are deeply unfair for kids with SEN who have had one of their tools for managing their conditions appropriated by neurotypical kids.

We're lucky, my son's teacher is very sensible and says he can bring in anything that helps him with his ASD to school.

GoEasy are you fiddling with the blinds too?

At least you have a pencil, smelly or otherwise!

They are banned at DS' school.

My school has banned them unless you have special permission (so those with SEN can still use them) I still had to break up a massive row over a had apparently stolen b's fidget spinner at lunch time, it is now sitting in my tray in the staff room until either a or b's parents write me a note asking for it back, when they will get it in a sealed envelope at pick up. A tells me I am totally unreasonable and he's going to tell his mum about me and she'll have something to say about it

I thought this was an interesting article on the subject

lemonlimeadventures.com/5-reasons-to-ban-fidget-spinners-from-every-classroom-in-america/

Have you seen the smelly sharpies? Those bastards don't shift.
Agree with you op, bloody nuisance, fair enough for the children who need them to help focus but the rest of the time they are a distraction.

This one smells of watermelon. It's too good to use though, so can I have a pencil please Miss?

Our school has also banned except for students with permission to have them. It's irritating because DD has ASD and has a fidget cube. It helps calm her anxiety out of lessons but she's scared to take it to school now in case someone takes it from her because it's now a desirable thing.

A tells me I am totally unreasonable and he's going to tell his mum about me and she'll have something to say about it

OMG, kids are cheeky little sods nowadays! If my 9 year old took his fidget spinner into school and ended up with it being taken off him and came crying to me, he'd be met with "shouldn't have been fiddling with it in school in the first place, then."
Honestly, no wonder some kids are little *es nowadays if they know their parents will storm in and kick up a fuss!

My school has banned them, too, and many parents continue allowing them to bring them in because we don't mean their precious darling, do we, just everyone else's.

DS1's school has also banned them. He has ASD and loves a good fidget toy but thinks they're shite. DS2 thinks they're brilliant and I've hidden 3 in my work bag just this week; MIL brings him a new one each time she visits, purely to ruin my day.

Stronger there might be 3 ways "thank you" is written in common speech but I was taught in school in the 70s and 80s that the only grammatically correct way in British English is "thank you".

My son's school have banned them, all the kids have SEN, he would fiddle with a bit of fluff off the floor if he needed to or he might just need to bang his head on the nearest hard object.

Local shop is selling them for £5 is that the price of them or some of the fake variety.

Cheese I have no doubt A's mum will have something to say about it, A and his mum are very good at telling me how to do my job.

They are banned in dd's school as well (dd doesn't have one) Fidget toys are only allowed for the dc who have an IEP/EHCP/Statement documenting the need for one.
Dd is a doodler (in her statement) which I assume is easier on the nerves of others and goes largely unnoticed by her peers which dd prefers.

Our school are fine with them - playtimes only. This is how they treat every craze and it works fine. Constantly banning stuff is so tedious.

I don't think the craze will last much longer. They've become too common to be cool. Wonder what will be next?

Banned in our school too, thank God. DS has two of them and messes about with them at home but knows he's not allowed to take them to school.

Banned them.

Have you spoken to your head teacher about banning them from your school? Do you have the power to ban them from your class room? An email home to the parents of the children in your class will have better results than a thread on here.

Absolutely agree. Toys should not be taken in to the classroom unless there is a reason and a benefit to an individual. Children who don't benefit from the use of these will end up spoiling it for the children who do.

Interestingly, my 14 year old came home with one today