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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is a ridiculous reason for DS to be put into isolation?

211 replies

varskudd · 15/07/2021 11:13

DS(15) came home from school very annoyed yesterday, he said he was put into isolation for having a drawing on his hand/wrist. He got bored so he drew on his hand with a pen, but it's not just scribbles.

Apparently, he was told to go to the toilet and wash it off and he tried to but it wouldn't come off so they sent him to isolation. He tried to get it off at home and it wouldn't, I tried to this morning and it slightly faded but it's still there.

Aibu to think this is ridiculous?

OP posts:
ChatterMonkey · 15/07/2021 11:14

Well what did he write? You said its not just scribbles so it must have been something?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 15/07/2021 11:16

Meh....I couldn't get het up about this. Presumably the teacher would have preferred him to concentrate on the lesson than doodle.

What was the doodle of?

Maybe suggest he doodles on paper in the future?

SeaPinks · 15/07/2021 11:16

If it was as described I think it's ridiculous yes.
If there was more to it eg. rudeness then that's different

30degreesandmeltinghere · 15/07/2021 11:16

Op genuinely I could give you a most ridiculousist of reasons my dc have been put in isolation.. One being that ds fell asleep in class.. He has ME..
Another ds dropped a pencil and his chair made as noise as he moved it to pick it up.
Dd's bff was put in isolation because her hair bobble was red.. First day of year 7 ffs.. Apparently black only.
Have now removed 1 dc due to such idiocy..

Original poster
varskudd · 15/07/2021 11:21

DS said he didn't draw it whilst he was in that teachers lesson. I'm not sure what the drawing was of but it was random scribbles and it wasn't inappropriate/rude.

OP posts:
GreyhoundG1rl · 15/07/2021 11:22

The punishment was presumably for drawing on himself when he should have been working / paying attention, rather than "having" it on his wrist?
Or else it's the content; the it's not just scribbles is interesting... 😂

Lougle · 15/07/2021 11:22

DD2 scribbles on her hands all the time. It helps her concentrate on what the teacher is saying.

Unsoliciteddeckpic · 15/07/2021 11:22

At my dds school they gradually increased the rules. Dd was put in for having a bobble on her wrist. She offered to take it off, but mo she went into isolation as it was classed as jewellery.

Then the other time, she went to put rubbish in the bin at lunchtime. Her friends were all sat at the same table. While she was at the bin, her friends vacated the table leaving a cup. Dd then left with them. They all got isolation for leaving a cup on the table.

Their head of year watched back the city to see who left a cup, took them all out of lessons (5 of them) to put in isolation. Then asked the parents to go up and showed us the cctv. I was more incredulous of the large mount of time wasted. By the entire thing.

We took her out eventually, as it became more about catching the kids doing something wrong, that actually teaching them.

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/07/2021 11:22

Oh, now it is just scribbles 🙄

Youdiditanyway · 15/07/2021 11:25

Guessing it’s because instead of listening to the teacher, he was drawing on his hand. Difficult to concentrate on the lesson if your head is down focusing on drawing…

canigooutyet · 15/07/2021 11:26

They would do the same if he had a visible temp tattoo.

Either it is or isn't scribbles cannot be both.
If the drawing hadn't faded when you tried scrubbing, why is it hard to describe what it was?

callingon · 15/07/2021 11:34

I’ve known this to happen - he’s “not in uniform”. Same with certain haircuts etc. Idk if it’s right or wrong really, it can become pretty contagious and something that kids start doing a lot if it isn’t taken seriously and for some reason it often tends towards a sinister theme like writing DEATH on your arm or HAIL SATAN (real life example) or drawing elaborate tattoos that can then get into weird territory.

Alternatively it’s something I would notice because it can be a self harm coping strategy- especially if it’s drawing lines across the wrist in place of cutting. So I might be trying to monitor that altho probably wouldn’t put someone in isolation if I thought that was the reason!

lazylinguist · 15/07/2021 11:35

Unless there is more to this than your ds says, then YANBU. It's an absolutely ridiculous reason for being put in isolation. I'm a teacher and dh is a deputy head. None of the schools we've worked in would do this. Totally absurd.

Original poster
varskudd · 15/07/2021 11:36

DS said he didn't draw it during the lesson he was sent out of, the teacher only noticed because someone asked him if it was a tattoo and DS said no and he was told to wash it off, the teacher hadn't noticed until then.

OP posts:
GreyhoundG1rl · 15/07/2021 11:46

for some reason it often tends towards a sinister theme like writing DEATH on your arm or HAIL SATAN (real life example) or drawing elaborate tattoos that can then get into weird territory.
Clearly it was something along these lines, as op will say no more than it wasn't just scribbles, he was asked if it was a tattoo.

lazylinguist · 15/07/2021 11:47

If there is no suggestion that the drawing was offensive or worrying wrt mental health, then I see no justification for this whatsoever. Kids have always done this. Some adults do too (write a reminder on the back of their hand etc). Getting them to try to wash it off, asking them not to do it - fair enough. Sending them to isolation- bonkers.

canigooutyet · 15/07/2021 11:58

So it was causing a distraction in her class. The teacher is completely right to ask a pupil who is causing a distraction when not related to any additional needs, to leave. The whole lesson could have been lost because of something that a peer thought was a tattoo. I know teens get a lot of bad press, but they aren't that stupid to think scribbles is a tattoo.

igelkott2021 · 15/07/2021 12:00

Isolation is a pretty serious punishment for doodling.

In my day the teacher would have told you to stop doodling and moved on.

If you did it again, you might have had a detention or a visit to a senior teacher.

igelkott2021 · 15/07/2021 12:01

(it doesn't matter whether you doodle in your book or on your hand in my view)

GoWalkabout · 15/07/2021 12:03

Our school handed out uniform detentions to year 11s on the way out of their GCSE English exam a few years ago Hmm

SchrodingersImmigrant · 15/07/2021 12:03

I am here just for the show

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/07/2021 12:05

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I am here just for the show
Hope you're in the cheap seats 😂.
Cooldryplace · 15/07/2021 12:05

Hmm. I think you need to find out what the drawing was from someone more likely to tell you the truth.

Also, if it couldn't be washed off, why haven't you seen it?

Lemonmelonsun · 15/07/2021 12:09

Was he polite about it op!
Sounds ridiculous to me and often doodling or fiddling can help dc listen better and focus, or can only imagine his attitude isn't polite and perhaps he was rude about the whole thing thing which escalated it.

Personally I absolutely hate this "isolation" thing going on.. Sounds Awful.

MrsClatterbuck · 15/07/2021 12:10

@canigooutyet

So it was causing a distraction in her class. The teacher is completely right to ask a pupil who is causing a distraction when not related to any additional needs, to leave. The whole lesson could have been lost because of something that a peer thought was a tattoo. I know teens get a lot of bad press, but they aren't that stupid to think scribbles is a tattoo.
It was a doodle on his hand and the teacher should have just told both of them to pay attention when they saw them talking. They made a momentary distraction much bigger by making a boy leave the class to wash his hands and having a conversation resulting in a detention. Total overkill tbh. So what do they do for the serious misdemeanours. I think it's a case of pick your battles.