To think banning stuff from schools is stupid

[SparklesAndUnicorns]

I like to think I'm quite a 'progressive' parent and I like my children to express themselves how they feel most comfortable, they tend to pick and wear what they want over the weekends and I do let them ocassionally change their hair colours with semi permanent safe dyes.
I agree with school uniform but my daughters school doesn't even allow hair bows, she went in with a few braids and bows in the other day and came home with a messy ponytail in and told me the teacher had taken them out. Teacher explained it's against school rules to have more than one bow in their hair. Aibu to think rules like no nail varnish, no hair accessories and no hair dye is just ridiculous rules? How is this going to effect their learning? She is only 6 and I really don't understand the reasoning. Surely if it's a bullying thing then this is down to parenting your child to accept that everyone is different, I can't see how it's a health and safety issue like piercings would be, I do agree to remove earrings on PE days as I can understand that one, but the others seem strange to me. Would love to know others feelings and opinions on this

"Not this endless stream of one-to-ones in the teacher’s unpaid time."

Depends, if the teacher is willing and able to give up the time. However the expectation that teachers should be available for one to one work with students, or effectively at their beck and call, is wrong.

Depends, if the teacher is willing and able to give up the time. However the expectation that teachers should be available for one to one work with students, or effectively at their beck and call, is wrong.

Again, definitely. I have given up many a lunchtime because I wanted to. That is entirely different from the entitled notion that I have to.

And if a child knocked on the staff room during my first toilet break for four hours and said they wanted to debate the tucking in of shirts, I would be going to the HT about it, and reminding them that my lunch break is unpaid, and saying next time anyone knocks on the staff room for me with a similar ridiculous reason, I will be sending them their way.

But of course, that’s why good will is draining out of the system, isn’t it? Because people are taking the buckets of informal help that teachers have made available to pupils in the past absolutely for granted, instead of thanking them and treating their time with respect.

It becomes a competition between the kids, who has the best, which colours blah blah. So takes away from learning. Then the child whoes parents refuse to buy them a fucking £10 piece of ribbon gets bullied and pushed out of the group. Even at 6 i have heard and seen the "oh im wearing this coat/shoe/bow and you don't have one, you can only play with me if you have one"
Then child loses the bow because they have fiddled with it all day and dropped it in the bathroom/hall/ corridor and the paremt accuses the school/other children of stealing their precious £10 ribbon. Rinse and repeat. Yes they are cute but add no benefit to learning and they make the life of teaching staff/site supervisors/office staff hard when they get broken or go missing.

I'm in small town Ireland and my kids primary school is really relaxed about uniform. It's the end of school for the summer in 2 days and kids are going in with rainbow colour hair. Some kids wear stripy tights instead of navy, some wear hair bands with ears, some nail polish. It isn't a big deal and they all manage to learn perfectly fine.
They all had to fill out an anonymous bullying questionnaire other week and not a single kid reported feeling bullied in the last year.
I love my kids school, it's a relaxed, happy environment.
The sky hasn't fallen in because some kids like hair accessories.

I haven't rtft, but I am a teacher and have never seen the point in school uniform. It does nothing to add to learning, causes tension between staff and students and staff and parents (I cannot imagine many parents appreciate being called about the length of their daughters' school skirts or the stud earrings their boys are sporting) and it is just one more thing to rebel against.

Students know who has money and who doesn't through many other things - bags, coats, mobile phones as examples. And instead of hair styles or baggy trousers they talk about celebrities, gossip about relationships and draw fake tattoos on their body parts.

But then I have grown up without uniform and it was pretty self-regulating as anything too outlandish would have had the proverbial taken out of it by staff and students alike.

That is our experience Tess - the children in effect create their own uniform of comfy, practical clothing that works for them. It only took a couple of after school swimming lessons in Reception for DD to work out that wearing woolly tights on a swim day was a bad idea.

And extremely entitled

Finally yes...extremely entitled..to be taught !!!
If a student is struggling and is not understanding what is being taught to them...yes they are entitled to find a teacher and say " I don't understand and can you explain to me again" and again until you teach in it a way I understand

Finally yes...extremely entitled..to be taught !!!
If a student is struggling and is not understanding what is being taught to them...yes they are entitled to find a teacher and say " I don't understand and can you explain to me again" and again until you teach in it a way I understand

They’re not. Their teachers are entitled - legally - to a lunch break. I am not sure why this concept is so tough for you to grasp. Yes, if a teacher is happy to give up their time it is helpful for the student, otherwise it needs to be retaught in lesson time, as the teacher cannot be forced to give up a break. Simple facts.

I think there is merit on taking the focus off the superficial and channelling it towards learning and playing instead.

Here’s the test: HT comes to see me at break and says they have agreed with a parent that I will give an unpaid tutorial to a student at lunchtime. I say, “I don’t want to do that. No thanks.” HT tells me I have to. I don’t do it. What is going to happen?

Nothing.

I think some teachers were born to be teachers and they are the best ones, I think teachers who can't recognise that children are entitled to be taught, and want to ensure their children have the best out of their schooling, should probably leave the profession.

bourbonbiccy

Great post

I think some teachers were born to be teachers and they are the best ones, I think teachers who can't recognise that children are entitled to be taught, and want to ensure their children have the best out of their schooling, should probably leave the profession.

What you want is for teachers to be happy to be exploited and disrespected. That isn’t happening in the school described above. Good.

What you want is for teachers to be happy to be exploited and disrespected. That isn’t happening in the school described above. Good

You spout the most uneducated crap it’s a good job you’re no longer in the industry (if indeed you ever were)

You spout the most uneducated crap it’s a good job you’re no longer in the industry (if indeed you ever were)

It IS exploitative to expect people never to have a break. It IS exploitative to demand limitless hours of someone else’s time, unpaid. I couldn’t care less whether you think that’s “uneducated crap”. Your opinion doesn’t matter to me.

It IS exploitative to expect people never to have a break. It IS exploitative to demand limitless hours of someone else’s time, unpaid

See the thing is, nobody has said that happens but it doesn’t fit with your bizarre agenda.

I’m starting to get a really good insight into your character though.....

See the thing is, nobody has said that happens but it doesn’t fit with your bizarre agenda.

That is exactly what happens.

That is exactly what happens

Actually no, not in either of the schools I mentioned. Unless you’re going to crack open your supreme arrogance again and suggest you know better what happens in schools you have never set foot in

Actually no, not in either of the schools I mentioned. Unless you’re going to crack open your supreme arrogance again and suggest you know better what happens in schools you have never set foot in grin

It is exactly what has happened in schools I have worked in, and to me, so please don’t tell me about things you don’t know about. You have your experience and I have mine.

But I am now fed up of you, Jacques. We won’t be talking again on MN. You’re really rather unpleasant and I have better things to do.

I very rarely have an actual lunch break. I usually am providing extra support to a child, sorting out my classroom, marking or preparing while scranning a sandwich. I'd rather make extra time for those who need it than be one of those teachers who marches off to the staff room the second the bell goes and spend half an hour whinging about the ball hitting the wall outside.

What you want is for teachers to be happy to be exploited and disrespected.
No I want teachers who cares if my child gets an education more than they care for a cheese and pickle at lunchtime 😂😂😂

No seriously, I want a teacher to care whether my child gets taught, every child learns at a different rate and takes information in in different ways. I don't want a teacher who think my child is entitled if they ask for help or someone who thinks they are not entitled to be taught.

All this drivel of showing them "you're the boss, I'm in charge " it normally comes from people who are lacking in something somewhere else in their lives or personalities. The teachers I know care and are extremely frustrated that they can't teach as effectively as they should be able to, but that is not aimed at the children it aimed at the institution that is so dated, it's restricting !!

It is exactly what has happened in schools I have worked in, and to me, so please don’t tell me about things you don’t know about. You have your experience and I have mine

Arf, so you extrapolate your experience out to apply to everyone but then suggest others are doing the same?

See where I mentioned TWO schools? Clearly takking about my experience.

We won’t be talking again on MN

Thank goodness. It’s really impossible trying to make a reasonable argument to a fantasist.

bourbonbiccy

I care. I have given up plenty of lunchtimes. I am not prepared to be told I have to, by people who are a) wrong and b) rude, or their children.

I very rarely have an actual lunch break. I usually am providing extra support to a child, sorting out my classroom, marking or preparing while scranning a sandwich. I'd rather make extra time for those who need it than be one of those teachers who marches off to the staff room the second the bell goes and spend half an hour whinging about the ball hitting the wall outside.

That’s your choice. Respect for your colleagues seems to be your issue.