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

Not banned in our school, but not to be seen in my room! The children who need fiddles have school issues Ines (from a selection) so we know who should have them- none of them are spinners or cubes. Beware of the next fad- fidget rollers! This flip and roll and twiddle. Oh the joy...

I'm a secondary teacher and I saw my first one in a science lesson today. I switched the lights off to put a video clip on and a Year 7 fished one out. As soon as it started spinning it started flashing red, blue and green lights. Total distraction to everyone in the room. I agree they have their place for SEN but there is no need for a disco-spinner in the classroom.

Anything that 1 child could do in a classroom can distract the other 29.

Anything that 29 kids do in a classroom can distract 1 child and cause sensory overload or worse.

I think - terminology aside! - it's very useful for teachers to post general threads about how certain things affect the learning of a whole class.

They have to teach 30 kids in one go - plenty of threads on here from parents struggling just 1-3 of them!

I certainly would want to know how I can support ds to be a good student - and he has asd!

Btw, I am not stopping my dcs to buy one of they want. Their money, their choice.
And also upmtomthem to know when to use said toy and behave responsibly.
If they dont and get told off, toy confiscated, get detention, whatever. Then they will have a learnt a very important thing (tbf, I would be surprised if they did end up in such a situation). Thatbthere are rules for anreason and no you can't decide to just not follow them.

I am aghast at this thread! I too must live under a rock as a friend of mine only recommended the Fidget Cube to me, for my daughter, last week. I had no idea they were such a thing! Live and learn. She's a teen diagnosed with clinical anxiety and I'm going to get her a cube version as I have sat and watched her in her CBT sessions, more than once unfortunately, literally DP rub her fingers together, til they form blisters and then rub some more, til they bleed. I think this is a great little distraction 'toy' for her. But OP I do appreciate that 30 years six children spinning and launching them in class is not on!

TThe sales assistant was playing with one at the till, and it annoyed me. I was only in there a minute, so can imagine how annoying they would be in a classroom! Luckily DD hasn't mentioned them...yet.

enterthedragon

Of course, but these spinners WILL distract the whole class. Alternatives are much better.

Hmm. Well I am just thinking how I'd feel if it were about my child. Save the rants for the staffroom or for friends. I do re my work. I would not feel comfortable with a customer reading one of mine and it would only start a bunfight anyway
Hth is anyone going to identify a person from this thread?

There have been fads in schools for as long as children have gathered in groups.
It was pogs when i was at school.

Unbelievable no schools have figured out a general fad policy yet. Boxes to put stuff in before lessons?

Im not going to stop buying stuff for that reason alone. If it wasnt that it would be something else

Draconian bans are just tedious. Children at DD's school are allowed to bring in small toys. The rules are, and always have been:-

1. Must be small enough for blazer pocket
2. Only to be used at playtime, not lessons
3. Stuff brought in is at owner's risk and teachers won't get involved in settling disputes.

Works well

Gandalf if i ever read a thread and thought "oh shit, DD has one of those/does that" then I would take action to prevent DD from doing it again. That's all.

I thought this article was interesting:

time.com/4775458/shoddy-science-behind-fidget-spinners/

Only to be used at playtime, not lessons

Which would be ok if that rule was actually followed,especially in KS1. I've had to confiscate watches,wrist bands,various toys,car keys,credit cards,perfume bottles etc because they were anywhere but in their trays.

No my son doesn't have one so no he does not take one into school.

It is a general point about teachers. The parents' evening one was really the one that got me, requesting us not to ask this or that.

If you have a problem as a teacher or an appeal to make, do it via your school , not mumsnet.

Similarly, if i have problems at work, i speak to my boss or rant to my friends

For a teacher your lack of knowledge on learning aids/how people process information is lacking a little OP. I for one can sit there and look like I'm doing fuck all but doodling and spinning my pen or whatever else (maybe even one of these toys) but I am absorbing everything you're saying. A large number of non sen people are the same. If you asked me to stop I would lose interest in anything you were saying from then on in, most likely. They might do your head in but they might also be helping kids you don't know about.

I'm amazed at the number of the teens that I work with who have fidget spinners but not a pen or pencil!

YABU _ I'm a teacher and I know children love The latest fad. Fair enough to ban in the classroom but personally I think playtime before and after school.is fine.

Well said op!!!

rebel just depends on the school I guess. All infants have their own pigeon hole to put stuff in. Teachers/TAs remind them to put in.

No tolerance one month's confiscation for people who disobey the rule.

I honestly am struggling to believe you are a teacher