Aibu? Would you expect a teacher to....

[MyHeartIsInHavana]

Would you expect your year 4 child's (age 8) teacher to come up with and execute ways to stop your child sucking their thumb??
Call me crazy, but I think teachers have enough to deal with before
(ridiculous?) expectations from parents such as these!
I mean where will it stop?!

I would not expect a teacher to deal with this, though I would hope they would support any methods that the parents were trying to implement

Would it make a difference if there were 34 other children in the class all with varying levels of other ridiculous expectations from their parents too?
We don't even have enough glue sticks for goodness sake (don't get me started on felt tips and in one class even desks) and parents want us to be policing thumb sucking.

It depends n the situation. Asking the teacher if they see them to ask them to take the thumb out of their mouth, most teachers would do that anyway I suspect, but I think that would be reasonable.
Having a conversation where the parent knows the teacher is knowledgeable about different children and says "I've tried every way I can think of to stop it, can you give any suggestions" I think is fine.

Sending a note in saying "I've decided Jonny needs to stop sucking his thumb now he's 8yo, please can you sort it by next Friday" would not be reasonable.

parents might be desperate...

if it was have you any ideas of the top of your head... or complete abdication of responsibility.

can you still get that vile tasting nail varnish. (or garlic rubbed on the thumbs, that is vile.)

Is it possible that it is affecting his learning? Eg not writing because his thumb is in his mouth?

If it's having an impact on his education, it is entirely reasonable for the teacher to tackle it.

Oooh misread. Ignore me!

It was in a note.
With the suggestion that if I basically stepped up, the habit would have been kicked already.
Obvious really seeing as I've known the child 8 weeks, when they haven't succeeded after living with them for almost 9 years. NOT.

YANBU. That is a parents job, not a teachers!

Just write 'back at ya' and return the note.

Sounds like a CF parent.

Ignore, OP. Some parents are CF.

Lol, definitely CF
I hope they read this thread...

Otherwise can I use the MN Classic: "Have you been sniffing glue?" in a return note??
Pretty please?!

Oh, this sounds GLORIOUS!

Can you give more details without being outing? This sounds like a thread that can keep on giving....

You could reply that amputation would solve the problem entirely.

Can't really keepserving, might lose my job, and then who will be on thumb duty? Think of the children!
How will they make ARE and hit their progression trajectories?

However I obviously welcome suggestions from others (teachers or otherwise) about other bonkers requests from diva parents just to make me feel better...

I think you'd be better off hoping they don't read it. It's already pretty outing

Purple please explain how this is 'outing'? How many primary schools are there in Britain alone this may have been posted from NZ and how many year 4 pupils still suck their thumbs?

OMG, are you the teacher??? Or a TA in the class???? Sorry, I read this that you were a parent with a child in the classroom who'd been roped in.

Blame the

As you were....

It's not schools responsibility it is the parents.

Myheart I teach secondary but the accusations on FB a while ago were a wonder to behold. My HoD was accused of asking students to bring ingredients to make soup that cost over £40.
Purple accept my apologies, I didn't mean it to 'sound so rude'.

I once got shouted at during parent' evening that a child couldn't tie their shoelaces adequately. Their parting shot as they left my room was "and he still can't tell the fucking time, when are you sorting THAT out..? “ felt a bit crap after that...

I've just re-read and now got it!

Obvs you can send whatever note you like, but the mature and grown-up thing to do would be to let the parents know you'll help enforce whatever it is they put in place. But the onus is most definitely on them!
Assume the homework is always completed? Otherwise, do a p.s. asking for that to be in on time!

Obvs I was being sarcastic about how to respond to the note?

Oh dear elephant- clearly we need to go back to teacher school for reprogramming.
Sadie, I hope the £40 soup was entirely organic.

Back in the days of tamagochis first time round, I was handed one in the morning by a parent of a year 2 child in my class. With a serious request that I keep an eye on it to make sure it stays "alive" until hometime

Oops, names should be the other way around.