Sorry for the long rant! My son attends a school that has in the last year introduced a Class Ambassador (CA) system whereby every half term one boy and one girl from each class is given a badge and called a CA. They must be a 'role model' in order to get it (well-behaved, smart, polite, try hard in class etc etc). They get to sit at the back of the class on a chair (rather than on the carpet) and take the register to the office, for example.
Now, here's the issue - the CA for the last half of term has been awarded to a boy who has already received it during this Academic Year.
As a parent I find this decision extremely exclusionary and unfair; I fear that it is being taken too seriously (especially given it is Year 1) and it could be seen as favouritism which I am sure is not the spirit in which the scheme was originally intended. Let’s assume that there are 30 children in the class and half are boys. With one being awarded it twice, that is TEN boys in one class of five and six year olds who are so poorly-behaved(?) that they are not worthy of the role. It’s one thing a child missing out because there are more children than chances, but to give it to the same child twice is a blatant declaration that the other boys are so far from being role models that they can’t possibly even be given a chance. TEN boys?! I find this really quite hard to believe. How poor must their conduct and behaviour have been all year that the Teacher has had to give it to the same boy twice??
As a comparison, Sports Day is now non-competitive so that the less physically-abled children are not excluded, yet a system has been introduced that is being poorly managed to the point that it has become discriminatory and knocking the self-esteem of children without exemplary behaviour and/or who may manage their emotions less well than others their age/have additional needs and therefore probably won’t ever be considered a role model.
The system as I understood it, should give a boy or girl six chances in an Academic Year to become CA. If that boy or girl is at the school from Year 1 to Year 6 (Reception don’t do it), that’s 36 chances to become a CA. I am already concerned for what the impact could be on a child if they have to sit in class and hear 36 TIMES that they haven’t been picked?
Please note that I did NOT expect my son to get it. Whilst his behaviour is not terrible (get told whenever I ask at Parent's Eve that he is well-behaved "on the whole") he has had a couple of incidents in the year where he has been silly (albeit only from what he has told me).
AIBU to think the system is unfair or should I just get over it? It could be that the NQT has just made a silly mistake but another parent has told me that it has happened in another class. I am not the only parent who is miffed about it.
I've asked my sister who is Head of Year 1 at another school and she said her parents would 'kick off' if the same happened at her school and 'rightly so'. I'd therefore be interested to hear from other Teachers/Heads.
Thanks in advance.