Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be irked that teacher wouldn’t open 6-year-old’s water bottle at school?

229 replies

Tabletoppp · 09/09/2020 18:47

Just that really. 6-year-old came home very thirsty and said he has a headache. I took his water bottle out his bag and said, “oh you didn’t drink anything?”

He said he couldn’t get the cap off (It wasn’t on that tight, but oh well!), and that he asked his his teacher to help and she said no, she can’t touch his water bottle because of Covid.

So all day he drank no water.

Aibu that she should have helped him and then just washed her hands?!

OP posts:
Kolsch · 09/09/2020 19:46

YANBU.
I couldn't deny anyone a drink, not even a dog for the sake of not helping.
Whatever the ' rules ' may be.
I would feel absolutely horrible.

DishingOutDone · 09/09/2020 19:46

YABVU not to be psychic. You KNEW that bottle was hard to open yet you sent him to school with it just to upset the poor teacher. You should write and apologise that your urchin even spoke to her. Let that be a lesson you you. Slattern.

doctorboo · 09/09/2020 19:47

I work in a school with an attached nursery. I’m currently working on it (it’s self contained) and we’ve had a lot of children in who can’t easily feed themselves, so have had to open bottles, lunchboxes, handle forks and spoons and open wrapped food. There’s no way we could expect 3 year olds to do everything themselves and parents (so far!) are happy for us to do what we do. I do a lot of hand washing and gelling.

My children have staff who would help them if they got stuck with their lunchboxes (ie squashed yoghurt pot or a too tight lid) or drinks because they want the children to be well fed and watered so the school day goes easier for everyone.

Greenmarmalade · 09/09/2020 19:47

OP please do complain. This is completely wrong. We are in loco parentis as teachers, and we need to take care of our kids. I would open a year 7’s bottle and just wash my hands after!

WhatamessIgotinto · 09/09/2020 19:48

That's bloody ridiculous.

I was asked to clean a child's glasses today. He's dyspraxic and finds it really quite tricky. I washed my hands, cleaned his glasses then washed my hands again. She was being a dick.

DishingOutDone · 09/09/2020 19:48

Sorry I was so incensed I became incoherent there.

ThrawnCow · 09/09/2020 19:48

A bit precious of the teacher. They could just sanitise or wash their hands after. I've been touching about 10 items a day that children have forgotten to bring to school with them. Not thrilled about it but ...

GabriellaMontez · 09/09/2020 19:50

Failing to meet a basic need. Its neglect.

Its ridiculous It's to say "what if 30 children did that?"

They didn't, they wont, it was a one off.

If a 6 year old spills their drink or forgets it they may need help. It's what 6 year olds do. If you can t work round that you shouldn't be in loco parentis.

Iamagree · 09/09/2020 19:51

I'd kick off
shameful
cruel
an absolute dick
HmmConfused
or
Teacher washes hands, opens bottle, washes hands, opens next bottle, washes hands, opens next bottle (times about 20 -30).
Break time, all children wash hands - parent rings to complain the teacher isn't helping the children with their reading/phonics/maths/friendship issues...
Break time is over the children are thirsty. Teacher washes hands, opens bottle, washes hands again...
Parent rings to complain the teacher is touching the children's drinking bottles (call her a "dick"...)

DisneyMillie · 09/09/2020 19:51

I’m so glad my dd reception teacher is being completely pragmatic about the whole keeping distance with small children thing. I’m very pleased to see them hold hands with the children who need reassurance still and be a comforting presence at school.

In your situation I’d be cross - if they were so uncomfortable opening a bottle couldn’t they give them a disposable cup or something at lunch time at least.

Cissyandflora · 09/09/2020 19:51

We got advance notice that children needed a water bottle that they could open independently. If you had the same advice then you’ve made a mistake in not providing a suitable bottle. I agree the teacher could have helped but whether she was negligent depends on whether she was actually asked to help.

KunekuneKristmasCake · 09/09/2020 19:52

I have had this. I just rinsed bottle in soapy water, rinsed and opened then washed my hands

trinity0097 · 09/09/2020 19:54

I am a deputy head. I would be appalled with a member of staff who didn’t help the child. And that would be regardless of age, 5 to 13 wouldn’t matter.

We have gallons of sanitiser around to use if you have to touch something and want to immediately clean your hands.

Gobbycop · 09/09/2020 19:55

I'd be fuming about that.

It's a situation that could easily be managed.

Complain.

GabriellaMontez · 09/09/2020 19:55

@TantricTwist

Well if she had opened it then she'd be expected to open it 10 times a day every day till the end of the School year so she did the right thing.
Or she could have used her words and asked you to send a bottle that's easier to open.
BeachWishin · 09/09/2020 19:56

It's all good saying the teacher should just do this, she should just do that. But if the teacher is under instruction from SLT or the head not to touch anything then that's what she has to do.

I don't blame the teacher at all.

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 09/09/2020 19:57

@HandfulofDust

As a kid we weren’t even allowed a drink at school other then lunch time, and yet somehow we all survived. One day isn’t going to kill him/her.

I bet you're remembering incorrectly. Or if not your school was unusual. Not drinking all day is very detrimental to the health. Imagine being at work and not being allowed a drink of water. I do think she could have opened his water bottle for him. My son drank his on the way in the other day (I didn't realise the place they normally fill their water isn't available any more). His teacher filled it up for him.

Sounds right to me. Metal jugs of water and plastic beakers on the lunch tables and that was it. No taking water bottles to school. There were water fountains but they were usually turned off because of children messing around.
Riv · 09/09/2020 19:57

@HandfulofDust Sad to say I was also in a school where we were not allowed to have a drink during lessons except for an over warm bottle of milk in the reception class. We were allowed one small glass at lunch time, but you only got that if there was enough in the jug for everyone on the table, some people didn't always get one if the jug was a bit short and some "helpful" tykes would take a sip of their water and then pour it back in the jug before everyone had had a glass. The "dinner ladies" would then punish the whole table by taking their water away.
We weren't allowed to wash our hands after using the toilet either because some children got themselves or the floor wet - but that's a different thread.

zigaziga · 09/09/2020 19:58

That is ridiculous I think.

I give a banana every day as a snack and I would be surprised if DS could open it himself every day (he can open a banana but needs help with tougher ones, probably has a 50% success rate at home) but every day it has been eaten so I take it that someone is helping him ..

Mine went back part time in June and I felt like that was my trial run for going back this month. The things I was worried about were - would the teachers stay away from my child? What if he fell? What if he was upset? Could he play with other children without being told off for getting close etc?

The fact is younger kids (who are of course lower risk to the adults anyway) need more help with eating, drinking, toileting etc that older ones and there’s no way of getting around that.

SmileEachDay · 09/09/2020 19:59

One of our secondary teachers is in the very vulnerable category and was shielding until that got shelved.

He has a specific H&S plan.

It’s not particularly helpful or fair to just straight to “what a dick”.

Enoughnowstop · 09/09/2020 20:01

I can see the thread now....a teacher at my son’s school has just been diagnosed with Covid and yesterday she opened my son’s water bottle why did she not follow the school rules, how do we know if she had sanitized her hands, what if we pass it on to my 85 year old grandmother?

Pimmsypimms · 09/09/2020 20:01

I'm a midday supervisor and I had a year 1 boy asking me to open his drinks bottle both today and yesterday. I simply opened it for him and then sanitised my hands afterwards.

Itsokthanks · 09/09/2020 20:07

Yanbu of course she could open it with clean hands and then wash them again after. She was really cruel.

neveradullmoment99 · 09/09/2020 20:12

I'd be livid, they have a duty of care surely? Was he offered drinks at lunch or break that weren't in his bottle?

Fgs! Seriously - livid?
Maybe as a parent you should have checked your child could open it.

neveradullmoment99 · 09/09/2020 20:13

@Pimmsypimms

I'm a midday supervisor and I had a year 1 boy asking me to open his drinks bottle both today and yesterday. I simply opened it for him and then sanitised my hands afterwards.
Hope you sanitised them before because if you didnt, you could have infected the bottle in which a child directly puts into their mouth.