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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DS punished for class prank

301 replies

upsideup · 26/10/2018 16:07

DS1 is 9 and in year 5.
Last day of school, the teacher left the room for a couple of minutes and DS suggested that the class should all draw back circles on their foreheads and then act normal when she comes back in, he thought it would be a good halloween prank that she would find funny. Most of his class did it, I don’t know how many didn’t but it was only a few.

She didn’t find it funny which is fair enough, it’s not. They were asked whose idea it was and ds eventually owned up, he had to stay in a break to go and speak to the head teacher. I was phoned to be told what he did and that as the ringleader he will have to stay in every lunch time the first week back.
Obviously in the less than five minutes the teacher was gone ds wasn’t able to bully/force 20+ kids into doing it not that he would do that anyway, he mentioned it and they all decided it was a good idea to draw on their own foreheads.

AIBU to think it’s not really fair that he is the only one to get such a harsh punishment from this? And that everyone else who did the same thing is basically let off?

OP posts:
Poppyinagreenfield · 26/10/2018 17:26

Before you next see the teacher draw a black circle on your forehead.

BlancheM · 26/10/2018 17:27

I'd have no problem with my son receiving this punishment. Play the big man, take the consequences. The teacher sees it as a fit punishment so there it is.
Your son should be glad he's the only one staying in, 20-odd in trouble because of him would soon let him know just how peed off they were with him.

BritInUS1 · 26/10/2018 17:28

YABU your DS instigated it and it is him who should take the consequences

BlancheM · 26/10/2018 17:28

20-odd kids*

LokiBear · 26/10/2018 17:28

I need some context. What does the circle mean? Also, what did they use? (Thinking of expensive equipment or, even worse, something that could have been harmful). Is it is first offence or has there been incidents of poor behaviour before?

PortiaCastis · 26/10/2018 17:29

Cant do the time dont do the crime, your ds instigated the black circle so he gets punished

AfterSchoolWorry · 26/10/2018 17:29

She was probably on her last nerve with him. I wonder was there previous incidents and this was just the last straw.

Jaxhog · 26/10/2018 17:29

He's just learned a valuable lesson about leadership.

He didn't make them do it, but he came up with the idea and influenced most of the class to do it. In life, a leader takes responsibility for what their team does, whether good or bad. As they should. Perhaps if you could explain this to him, he might see it a bit differently. Encourage him to channel his leadership skills into more positive things.

SillySallySingsSongs · 26/10/2018 17:31

I would put money on this not being the first thing he has done.

I agree

Catrina1234 · 26/10/2018 17:31

Sorry Bellabasset Only just seen you post - thank god there's someone with some sense. Actually I've just thought of another prank which Miss Trunchball could no punish anyone. The OP could go into school with a black circle on her brow....................juvenile I know but would be good to see the teacher's face!

MakeAHouseAHome · 26/10/2018 17:31

I think the punishment is entirely fair. It isn't about the physical 'harm' done but the fact it shows a disregard/disrespect for both his teacher and his education.

funnylittlefloozie · 26/10/2018 17:32

I think its quite a funny prank, actually... but as a teacher, i would have been inclined to completely ignore them all, which is even funnier (for me), and spoils the joke totally (for them).

Please tell me the teacher is not an Indian lady who has a bhindi on her forehead, though....

mostdays · 26/10/2018 17:32

I think that's a ridiculously ott reaction by the teacher and head. Two weeks missed break for that? What would they do if there was an actual problem? Silly people.

Thisreallyisafarce · 26/10/2018 17:33

Your son is acting like the class clown. School are absolutely right to get this nipped with a clear and unambiguous message. Support them or he'll be acting like this at 14.

M0gg · 26/10/2018 17:35

Have you met her? Has she got a mole or a birthmark or something, meaning it would be personal rather than just silly?

woollyheart · 26/10/2018 17:39

Sounds like this was not the first time. He had the idea so should be prepared to take the consequences! On the other hand, his powers of leadership and persuasion sound pretty good if he can manage this in a few minutes. If he can take his punishment in good grace, he will be seen as an influential person who is prepared to take responsibility for his actions.

diddl · 26/10/2018 17:39

"AIBU to think it’s not really fair that he is the only one to get such a harsh punishment from this?"

Yes, YABU.

itsaboojum · 26/10/2018 17:40

Your son strikes me as a creative thinker with a decent sense of humour and good powers of persuasion. These are valuable skills which should stand him in good stead as long as school doesn’t crush them out of him.

juliej00ls · 26/10/2018 17:40

Teacher shouldn’t have left the class. Kids were a bit silly. Your son has learnt a valuable lesson that some teachers would have ignore it, some would have made them waste their break slowly making sure everyone was cleaned up .....others will hit the red button. I suspect that this teacher gives big reactions hence your son thought it would be funny unfortunately in this instance her big reaction has cost him a weeks lunches. As a teacher and parent of a child with a sense of humour I would say he needs to apologise and use his charm and persuasion to get back into her good books. More importantly if he is regularly using his intellect to cause disruption then be mindful this will not play out welll in secondary and he may find himself ostracised from classes where students want to learn and not prank the teacher.

Oblomov18 · 26/10/2018 17:42

5 lunchtimes though? No, that's not ok. No lunchtime for a week?

ByeByeCircle · 26/10/2018 17:44

If my 9yo ds did a prank like this I would be furious with him. He disrupted the class so of course he should get any punishment that the teacher decides. And I would completely back the teacher up.

I could well imagine a boy I know in ds’s Class doing exactly the same thing. And everyone would have followed him because they would have been scared of the name calling and other repercussions if they didn’t.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 26/10/2018 17:45

YABU.

He’s the ringleader. Without him it wouldn’t have happened.

Original poster
upsideup · 26/10/2018 17:45

The circle was a big black outline, teacher is not indian and does not have a bhindi. That definately wasnt his intention and the school didnt mention anything about that so isnt what they are punishing him for. His thinking was it would look like aliens had invaded everyones brains and made the circles magically apperared.

They did it with whiteboard pens. I dont know if this is a permanent marker but I would have thought the pens they use in a primary school with be safe for skin and easily removed?

This is the first incident of bad behaviour like this that involved any other children. He does have history of not paying attention and messing around, his behaviour the first few weeks back from summer was pretty bad but since then he has been really good.

OP posts:
Weathermonger · 26/10/2018 17:45

Definitely excessive punishment for a harmless prank, and it was harmless. No one was hurt, no one was forced to do anything, no school property was damaged, there was no disrespect shown towards the teacher. The kids drew a circle on their foreheads - not a derogatory nor racist symbol, just a circle. Anyone with a sense of humour would have laughed. Unless there is an untold back story of misbehaviour, I actually think the treacher was an uptight ass to report it. My father and two sisters were/are teachers, so I have a pretty good idea of what goes on in a classroom, and that prank was not deserved of a punishment

DirtyBlonde · 26/10/2018 17:46

I think there is an important difference between ''punished for class prank' which suggests all in it together with equal culpability.

And what OP actually describes, which is 'punished as instigator of class misbehaviour'

OP doesn't see the difference, as she has held to her belief that the instigator should have no different a sanction than the others. But I think nearly everyone else on the thread does, and I hope the DC in question grasp it too.