Should the teacher be saying this to 5/6 year olds?

[ThisIsMyUsername02123]

Hello.

Just a quick one, really. My 5 year old never used to say this to anyone considering it's never really said in the home - "use your common sense!"

I asked him, "who says that?," to which he responds "[Teacher's name]."

Do you think that a Year 1 primary school teacher should say things like that to 5/6 year olds, considering how rude and abrupt it is to say something like it? Personally, I find it quite ridiculous considering the fact that not even DS15's Year 10 secondary school teachers say things like that.

Cheers.

It's not positive and the question may not be a silly one to a young child.
A child knows that what s/he thinks might not be what an adult thinks and that makes them unsure. They need an answer or at least guidance not a putdown.

^ this

However I am not blaming the teacher, I root for our poor teachers, I really do, they have an impossible job and I am endlessly grateful for them.

What would you prefer the teacher to say?

Replying use "your common sense"instead of giving a helpful answer to a questions comes across as common.

I don’t find the phrase positive at all. For me, it is a PA way of saying “you’re stupid”. I’m not saying that’s how the teacher wants it to be perceived. I’m saying how I’d have received it as a young child, who had zero confidence and how I’d receive it now from a person in authority.

I’d explain to your child that they’re trying to get them to think for themselves and it’s not designed to be hurtful. Try to change the receivers perception so to speak. Just because it’s negative to me, a person, who had shit parenting, it could be a lesson in resilience to my kid, who has far better parenting.

So the teacher should say 'DC think about it in a different context?'

Zombie something like "think about it again..." or offer the child a clue as to what you want from them.

"Zombie something like "think about it again..." or offer the child a clue as to what you want from them."

^^ This is 'common sense to me'. The fax that it isn't to others subverts the notion of common sense.

aunt but children of 5 and even older, don't know what "Common sense" is.

It's another adultism trotted out without thinking..."Does the child understand what I want?"

Just asked my 9 yo. She said it’s to “use your brain” and i asked her if it’s nice or mean and she said it’s a mean thing to say.

MrsOverTheRoad I agree with you I was trying to be ironic sarcastic not easy when up with a teething baby.

I'm a Year 1 teacher and wouldn't use this phrase - although I can understand it slipping out after a load of inane questions typical of 5/6 year olds.

The 7 children in my class (I counted them in my head) who actually have any common sense would be using it anyway and the other 21 would just be confused if I said it to them and would start asking more questions!

Better to give a direct answer - whatever needs to be done gets done and hopefully the child will remember what to do next time.

It is a bit rude and unhelpful. There is no such thing as common sense. When people make appeals to common sense all I hear is "I'm inarticulate, slightly arrogant, out-of my depth and probably losing this argument".

You need to use your common sense...

Well this is bizarre.

It's perfectly reasonable.

I love the idea that thr OP isn't a teacher (and is probably one of these trainers who school pay lots of money to for sessions that if we delivered them as a teacher we'd be on competency) and yet is presenting herself as a teacher. Very odd.

My DDs nursery teacher says chop chop and claps to get them inside.

DD said it to me after she asked for a drink!

This is why I don't want to teach anymore. Every little thing you say and do is scrutinised.

This thread has totally brightened my morning ... a doctor moonlighting as a teacher with their own office doing a bit of altruistic glass washing in their spare time! I love it

back
I love it when things like thay happen.

I was in a grumpy mood one day last year and my y11s started parroting all the things I say to them when they are in bad moods over the first 15 mins of the lesson. It was funny and improved my mood oddly.

I am a doctor (no, really) and I once went into my DS's Year 3 class to teach them about being a doctor. Ergo, I am also a Year 3 teacher!

"Use your common sense" is definitely something I've said to my own children and I love them. Can't imagine what it must be like with 30 of them!

My money is on school nurse, popping around from school to school, chatting about teeth and personal hygiene, randomly occupying rooms that should be used for interventions. Less teacher, more lecturer.

Ha ha @BackBoiler

Is there anything teachers ARE allowed to say to children these days? I'm surprised they're still allowed to breathe tbh...

Yep! There is a huge teaching recruitment crisis with the profession haemorrhaging numbers monthly and barely any experienced —expensive— teachers over the age of 50 left in the classroom.

When I then come on mumsnet to hear parents moaning that their child mustn’t hear the words, ‘use your common sense’ and ‘verbal diarrhoea’ and that teachers should spend time giving out party invitations and shouldn’t lose children’s coats, it really is depressing. There won’t be any teachers left.

As in, I go and teach Year 3s about what I do - other staff do other Year groups and we do different schools. Currently, I'm technically a teacher of Year 3 - Year 3 teacher... Isn't that a way of describing it?

Are you a qualified teacher, OP? Do you have QTS?

No wonder children have no respect for teachers these days with parents like you complaining because they said something in the wrong tone! Get over yourself and maybe children exaggerate.

Qualifications-schmalifications..... OP doesn't need actual qualifications as she is clearly right about everything here and that this teacher is a 'cow' knowledge cleaned from passing her every day but having no interaction other than her DS can mimic the 'squeaky' voice perfectly. How charming!

This is hilarious.

My only concern would be that it's a bit vague. It's not rude at all. Adults in charge speak to children in a way children should not speak to adults and if you think your previous snowflake is being rude to you then take him to task on that don't go hassle the teacher!