Teacher bragging post… AIBU ?

[Glitterzzz]

So we have a online learning platform for all the kids at my child’s school. We get send messages about their learning , photos of what they have been doing and class message for all about things like pe days and book bag days …

Tonight we have all been sent a message to our child’s learning platform about a child in the same class as my son on being a absolute star for reading 100 books on the platform..

Fab! Great!

But …

Why is this being announced to all parents ? This is the child of the class lead parent ( she’s on the PTA, her son got the lead part of the show at Christmas , she set up the wattsapp, she’s very hands on) never before has there been a message regarding another child’s achievements being shared with us all since they started school…

I just think it’s a shitty move on their part
The most important person to see this would be the child and his parents so makes sense to send it on his learning platform surely ?

I also think it’s insensitive to some of the parents who might read this and be worried that their child cannot it has not hit that milestone ( I’m not talking about my child I’m happy where he is at )

AIBU to think this

Is this typical of schools?

Sounds like a story line for Amanda from Motherland. Haha!

YANBU I find schools are full of this not so subtle competitive bs. I wonder if it really impacts children positively? I feel class sizes are too big here to realistically celebrate everyone's achievements. I sometimes wonder if it's this kind of culture that helps to add to children's anxiety that I hear disproportionately affects UK kids

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. So, if you get an awesome parent who's prepared to give up her own time to make money for the school to help all children, you tend to get awesome kids.

It must have hit a nerve Op. The only people who would be upset by this is a parent who doesn’t spend enough time doing said thing with their child and so, in their heart know that if they put in a bit more effort on their part, their child would also do the same and improve.

God forbid a parent supports a school.

Has any other child hit the 100 books milestone? If not then they aren't being unreasonable.

Do they award a 1st place in sports day races? Or should nobody be acknowledged there either?

If they were shaming other kids or ranking them, that's different

Some people are just more involved than others. For whatever reason.

Any child reading 100 books is amazing, and a lot of children, including mine would be well impressed with that. It might even inspire a child or a parent to encourage reading. Either ignore, celebrate the child's achievement or get reading with your own. There are always brown nosers, both my childrens' classes have them. They're harmless.

We do a student of the week each week… maybe it’s something like that. It’s nice for children to be publicly celebrated.

My ds has adhd. His handwriting is so bad it's almost illegible. At best he only writes half a page/completing only part of the task in any lesson despite understanding the objectives. He hates sport. He struggles socially. He is, however, great at reading: he will read anything and everything and absorbs the information like a sponge. The only time he ever gets a proper mention on the class page is when they're celebrating reading achievements. To you it might seem like showing off when they talk about how many words or books he's read and how many tests he's done or that he has the highest reading age in school but it's one of the few things academically that he's proud of.

Tonight we have all been sent a message to our child’s learning platform about a child in the same class as my son on being a absolute star for reading 100 books on the platform

It makes a change to see someone whining about a child’s achievement rather than whining about how their perfect child “never gets an award” because all the awards go to the naughty children. Have my first biscuit OP

Try harder next time 😎

Meh! Catch yourself on OP.

This is nice recognition for the child

You’ll find your kids place. I think it’s a good thing to celebrate various areas of achievements and also encourage a bit of competitive nature. Your kid could be sporty, or arty, or mathematical, or shy, or helpful, or kind. All these areas should be celebrated - and none of them should be ignored.

Also, I’m saying this from a mum of a child with dyslexia who is awfully academically but an amazing people person, and a child who is greater depth (and beyond) in everything and awkward socially. We celebrate the wind and work on the (perceived) fails.

As an aside, if you don’t cope well with school celebrations, for the love of god, avoid kids sport. It’s brutal and precious and far too OTT.

@glitterzzz why does it matter who the kids mum is? And why should it not be celebrated?

I think you are basing your judgement on a dislike for the mother and not seeing it for what it is, a celebration of an achievement of a child

@BuffyFanForever

Lots of school celebrate the 100 book thing. It’s just a positive way to encourage all children to read as much as they can and hopefully enjoy it!

Exactly what I was going to say.

Anything that encourages reading should be celebrated.

Sounds like they were in cahoots. Could you get one of the parents to praise your child on the group chat and you praise theirs? 😁

Seems a normal thing to me as school is simply highlighting a particular achievement. It is not as if they have flipped it to notify of pupils who are struggling or not achieving etc. Just periodically giving out awards made known to the whole school community allows others a bit of incentive to be next! Does you school have in class house points for exemplary behaviour and scores for academic subjects?

This would have been the ONLY thing I could have won in school. That, and being first to put my hand up.

It's a school, academic success should be celebrated and may inspire others.

I hate non competitive sports days too. It teaches kids it does not really matter if they try or not because they won't be acknowledged.

My DC would announce awards and achievements mainly project based.
If the reading was a challenge then it would be acknowledged.

*DC's school

@FrownedUpon

Does it matter? Just be pleased for the child & move on. Has it hit a nerve for some reason?

Clearly it matters to OP and others who've experienced the same favouritism fuckery in the past. Including myself except not online but at class events.

"Clearly it matters to OP and others who've experienced the same favouritism fuckery in the past."

How is it favouritism if this particular child was the first to read the 100 books? Presumably, any of them could have done it.

I can’t see how celebrating achievement is a bad thing, as long as effort and achievement in other areas are celebrated and valued just as much. It can be a delicate balance. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at this.

@fourminutestosavetheworld

"Clearly it matters to OP and others who've experienced the same favouritism fuckery in the past."

How is it favouritism if this particular child was the first to read the 100 books? Presumably, any of them could have done it.

Because other children’s achievements aren’t being celebrated, just WhatsApp group creator / PTA mum.