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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think weekly class awards should be a bit fair?

63 replies

Pandora1box · 27/04/2018 17:43

At DD’s school they give out three class awards a week. Two of them are ‘star of the week’ and one is an academic award. My issue is that her teacher seems to just choose the same child(ren) week after week. So we’re now in the summer term with about half of the class having recieved no kind of reward for hard work this year. Am I unreasonable to think this isn’t really cricket? There are 36 teaching weeks in the year - more than enough to give each child an award this academic year (even enough to double up for her favourites!) but because she chooses the same children week after week a lot will go without recognition.

Normally this wouldn’t bother me at all but it’s got to the point where DD is taking the attitude of “I don’t know why I bother working hard etc.” And she is too young to be jaded like this (she’s 8).

I know she does work hard and is capable because she was chosen for an academic school award by a different teacher.

I’m so tempted to ask the teacher why she does this but I really don’t want to be ‘that parent’.

OP posts:

Bumblebee35 · 27/04/2018 18:13

Yes I think you are right. As a teacher I try to find something positive for everyone so they all have a sense of achievement over the terms. If she's giving out 3 awards and each time to the same pupils she isn't giving it any thought and eventually those pupils will think the awards are meaningless

NoSquirrels · 27/04/2018 18:16

Speak to the school. Either they value achievement and effort in all their pupils and actively look fir it, and keep records of who’s had what, or they shouldn’t give out the awards.

youarenotkiddingme · 27/04/2018 18:16

You have a point.

We give out 2 certificates fortnightly to 2 children based on our school values. There's 5 values.

So we make a note if something a child has done to meet a value and make sure they each get recognised at some point.

Unfortunately the academic ones are often given to the high achieves when they can can equally, if not greater served, being given to the child who struggles with maths but grasped a new concept.

BG2015 · 27/04/2018 18:17

Are you positive that it's the same children EVERY week. Is it on a newsletter that you can check?

I teach year 1 and I too give out 2 stars of the week and a super speller. I also give out a class award for the most dojos earnt that week.

I keep very detailed tick sheets of who has had what award and by this time of the year I'm determined that every child in my class has had an award at least once, if not more times.

I know my colleagues do the same. It's very unusual for a teacher to do this in my opinion.

youarenotkiddingme · 27/04/2018 18:17

Clearly I won't be given an award for grammar or spelling 🤦🏼‍♀️😂😂

NoSquirrels · 27/04/2018 18:19

If you approach school, you need to do so from a “Please could you explain the system to me?” way, and then you can go on to say your DD’s impression is that it’s not fair/equal. But ask the teacher to clarify how they see the awards first.

AmazingPostVoices · 27/04/2018 18:20

To be honest I think a star of the week that everyone gets in turn is rather a waste of paper.

All the children know that it’s not really an award for anything.

I’ve always been pleased that my DC’s schools don’t do them.

You should work hard for your own benefit, not to get a piece of paper. Even at 8yo.

astoundedgoat · 27/04/2018 18:22

You're dead right. DD2 is a perfect angel in school and NEVER got Star of the Week because the teacher preferred to reward the slightly more up and down children who were TRYING to be good.

Poor DD2, who ALWAYS tried to be good, and succeeded was stuck at the back of the class every day (because she could be trusted not to get up to shenanigans) gooding her little heart out, hoping to get Star of the Week EVERY WEEK and never did until the TA (who had felt sorry for her for ages) rebelled and practically had to force the still reluctant class teacher to give her the bloody star one week in MAY.

So yes - I completely agree. These awards only serve to hurt very small children who can't be expected to understand or agree with the inner workings of the teachers' minds on these points. DD2's school doesn't do it at all, and DD1's school hands out stars willy nilly for any kind of good behaviour, so unless you actually set the school on fire intentionally, you're bound to pick one or two up during the week.

mummymeister · 27/04/2018 18:23

My kids for some reason never won any term awards or end of year cups. The only "awards" that count are their GCSE and A level grades. the rest is just a bit of fix really in my opinion. I agree though it can be very upsetting for the children. Now mine are all teens and older they call them the "nearly" awards

CheshireSplat · 27/04/2018 18:23

Amazing I used to think like that, but have changed my mind. Every child has a nice aspect about them and I like that each child has recognition at least once. Every child has different opportunities and chances because of their home life and this is a good way to even it up. Can you tell D1 got the Head Teacher's Award today!!

africanprincessinscotland · 27/04/2018 18:26

I hate bloody star of the week. At our school they are pretty good at giving it to everyone once, though. One of my DC's was missed off in year 4. We saw the teacher about a year later and my dc reminded her of it! She said surely not? Surely they would just have a SOTW week list, with each name crossed off as they get it. There are more weeks than kid a which leaves room for doubling up if a kid does something really special. But absolutely each child should get it at least once.

Op, I'd ask the school what the system is. YANBU.

Glowbug59 · 27/04/2018 18:28

We recently had this. Never had an issue before, always received something but nothing since September.

Then I noticed some kids were getting awards twice, so I emailed in to ask the system.

No reply to my email but DS received an award the week after

AmazingPostVoices · 27/04/2018 18:29

Cheshire I completely agree that every child has something lovely about them but I’m just not sure that needs recognised with a weekly certificate.

Particularly given that as far as I can see in MN they cause lots of work for the teacher and angst among the parents.

RBBMummy · 27/04/2018 18:30

When I was at school I would always get one of the awards each week. There were 3, it was always chocolate. It was just in language class and made up by the teacher. From an outside perspective you'd think I was a favourite, but if you were in the classes you'd get it. This was year 7 till 9 bit it might be a similar situation. Maybe you should ask of there is something stopping her getting it, might be something little she could improve

hardtoplease · 27/04/2018 18:32

Grrrr we had this at nursery with an award that every child is supposed to receive each term!

It is supposed to be fair but the teacher forgot some children and gave two to others. How hard is it to write the bloody names down?

On the final day of term they are allowed to bring these "awards" home. There was a mad rushing around trying to get some photocopied and written at home time. One girl got one for "dance" that she had never been to as she didn't do that afternoon.

It was a joke. (This was the tip of the iceberg, we no longer attend that place!)

Pengggwn · 27/04/2018 18:44

I think awards should be deserved, not run on a cycle, to be honest. I do think there should be a range of achievements, values and behaviours rewarded, so, in theory, every child should win something, but the child who is frequently lazy, surly, cheeky, disruptive? If I can't find something to praise with integrity, I'm not going to make it up.

Original poster

Pandora1box · 27/04/2018 19:04

BG2015 the awards are published in the school newsletter every week so I know for a fact that the same children from her class are getting the same awards maybe 3 or 4 times per term.

I’ve said to DH I don’t know if the teacher is just incredibly lazy and can’t be bothered to keep a list or if she genuinely only wants to reward the same 10 or 15 children.

OP posts:

MyLearnedFriend · 27/04/2018 19:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SarahSiddons · 27/04/2018 19:23

I don’t think my son’s teacher does star of the week in Y3 (or he’s just never got it ) but when they did in younger years they definitely made sure every child had their turn. I thought that was the right thing to do. At that point the children were young enough not to realise it was ‘buggin’s turn’ and my son was really proud when he had his achievement recognised.

ihearttc · 27/04/2018 19:26

DS1's school have merit awards at the end of each term so christmas, easter and summer and there is a boy and girl chosen in each class so 6 children a year over the 4 years at the schoolThere were 24 children in the class until the last term in year 6 when a new child joined making the total 25. Every single other child in the year had received a Merit award by the end of Year 6 apart from DS1 so I expected he would get it at the last assembly of Year 6 especially as he had amazing SATS results (this was 2 years ago when they changed them) and instead the new child received the award instead. So my overriding memory of his leaving assembly was seeing him quietly sobbing as he was so upset. Yes it's only a piece of paper and it shouldn't matter but it really did to him. He had a huge amount to cope with in Year 6 through things happening at home and still worked so hard.

OwlinaTree · 27/04/2018 19:31

Well if there's three awards a week they should all have an award at least once. That still leaves 2/3 for particular achievement each week.

Every child deserves their moment.

Flaskfan · 27/04/2018 19:38

Ds always tends to be the 'afterthought' kid. Behaves, works hard, not amazing. Star of the week once a year. Dd, control freak apprentice teacher- just got star of the week for the 3rd time this year. For helping (let me refer you to my earlier point; sotw for doing what she likes best).

Pengggwn · 27/04/2018 19:44

I've said to DH I don’t know if the teacher is just incredibly lazy and can’t be bothered to keep a list or if she genuinely only wants to reward the same 10 or 15 children.

The third possibility is that she thinks the same 10 or 15 children deserve to be rewarded more than the rest.

DairyisClosed · 27/04/2018 19:47

Just schools we have visited that have this policy ensure that every child gets an award at least once a year.

CherryBlossomSeason · 27/04/2018 19:50

At parents evening, after a glowing report I pointed out that my child last won three years ago and what did she have TO DO as she was keen to get one!

The teacher literally didn't know what to say and said errrr hasn't she?

They're all a load of nonsense unless they mean something. But try telling a child that.

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