How much fuss would you make over this?

[Sapphire387]

DS has lately started Year 7. First food tech class. He has told me that another boy was waving a sharp knife at people and wouldn't stop when asked. My understanding is that he didn't approach anyone but was more... gesticulating with it, in a threatening kind of way? Another teacher was called and the boy was removed from the class and not seen for the rest of the day.

I've emailed DS' form tutor to say I am concerned about what he has told me, and asked what steps have been taken / will be taken.

AIBU to be quite disturbed by this? (YANBU) Am I overreacting? (YABU)

How do you know all this after information? You weren't there.

I'd be frustrated to get your email as a person in school that would have to deal with your email. It's an email I'd have to reply to, giving you no more information than you already have, and taking time away from planning good lessons for the students in front of me for lessons.

What response did you expect from the school? If the knives came out in the second food tech lesson, instead of the first, there's every possibility the boy would have waved it around then.

If you're unable to differentiate between an item strongly associated with violence, and a pencil or cup of tea, I'm not sure where to start. But here goes.
The child waved the knife in a threatening manner. He was weaponising it in a way I can't imagine he would a climbing wall.
Whether he was 'messing about' or meant to intimidate, we don't know.

What we do know is that someone waving a knife is generally percieved as behaving in a threatening way. Unlike someone waving a pencil.
You can pretend to think I'm suggesting removing all items of potential danger if you like. I'm not. Just those that are glamorised as part of violent culture. At least until the school knows the students can be trusted with them.

Just from what DS said, which was that he kept repeating in front of the class that he hadn't done anything.

I'm very sorry for him if he is having a crisis, I really genuinely am, that's not meant to sound sarcastic. But I think I am more concerned about the safety and wellbeing of others within the class, and yes, that does of course include DS.

He's in year 7 not year 3 Jesus. The school have dealt with it. End of

So while he was in crisis he was in denial? Well that's perfectly normal.

The school safely removed him then dealt with whatever the issue was privately.

@TiredButDancing what on Earth are you talking about?

It’s difficult to know the context really, whether there was any actual aggression behind it. Or just some kid showing off and trying to make the others laugh/impressed. It sounds like it’s been dealt with though.

Your ds, and the rest of the class, were kept safe by the swift action of the teaching staff.

What else do you think they could have done?

Why should the OP give any kind of fuck what crisis he was in? Her primary concern and responsibility is the safety and welfare of her own child.

Your DS will start just not telling you what's going on at school if you are going to be the parent that fires off emails to the school about how they're going to protect him from the naughty kids. I bet he's mortified.

She doesn't need to care, but the fact he wasn't verbally accepting blame while he was in crisis doesn't mean he didn't know he was wrong or wasn't contrite acer the event. My point was simply that the OP can't have the information to make that statement.

And her child was safe. The situation as contained and resolved. What else should the school have done? Unless you think schools should be places where no one has access to knives, tools, chairs, etc etc. These things are going to happen, it's how they're handled that matters.

Under data protection they're not allowed to tell you anything about another child, so they shouldn't tell you what happened to the other child.

Have I missed something?

where has it been said that this child was in crisis?

Look, 11 year olds are dicks. They think they’re oh so clever, and many of them like to show off. There’s every likelihood that he was being a dick and trying to look big in front of his mates. That’s not ok and he was rightly dealt with. But let’s not assume that an 11 year old pissing about with a vegetable knife is suddenly going to launch into a life of knife crime.

the idea that he prevented from being allowed to use a knife in food tech ever again because of he acted like a dick at the age of 11 is actually laughable it’s so ridiculous.

This is what schools have to deal with now. It's not just kids doing stupid things, as has always been the way, it's the parents who feel entitled to query and question every little thing, who thing they have the right to know when, why and how decisions are made. It takes up so much time.

A kid was being a dick for attention. He was sent out.

The end.

You should literally not give this a second more of your time or attention.

"Waved a sharp knife at people, in a threatening way, wouldn't stop when asked, another teacher had to be called in for back up." He's only in Year 7, what's he gonna be like when he's in Year 11?Teachers should not have to deal with this sort of thing during the course of doing job. School should be a safe place.

I thought I'd already responded to this but can't see my post, so apologies if this is a repeat.

I thought the teacher dealt with it perfectly well. What I'm responding to is the self righteous tone of people lecturing the OP that she has no right to feel anxious about her son's safety, but should be concentrating on giving a fuck about the crisis or feelings or whatever, of some other child, while of course that other child is absolutely none of her business at the same time she should be considering him. It's mind-fucking, gaslighty and wanky. (And we don't even know if it was a crisis, as someone else said, he may just have been a kid being a dick.)

This