Was the

[WantToBeAMamma]

AIBU to be upset that my daughters teacher took off 5 marks from her exam total because she doodled on the back of the paper while waiting to be allowed to leave the exam. She would have got 96% without the deduction. See attached the offending doodle. Teachers comment was "minus 5 marks for graffiti at the back. I have told you many times its not on."

I understand your viewpoint. I wasn’t talking about you specifically, but other replies I have read. Just seemed to sound very harsh for the mistake a child made, and bitter towards the OPs feelings, from the tone of responses.

I do agree though, that the daughter should now be warned and firmly taught not to doodle when not allowed, and to follow instructions clearly.

Just seemed to sound very harsh for the mistake a child made

A mistake is something that happens once and you learn from. The op specifically states she was marked down because she had been told not to keep doing this and did it again regardless.

@chillin12 but the teachers told her numerous times and she's continuing to do it.

Shes not going to learn from this whilst her mother is telling her she's done nothing wrong.

My daughter was/is a doodler. Quite a gifted artist (okay, I'm biased, but her GCSE teacher and marks seem to agree with me.).

She got reprimanded for doodling in her exercise books, and her tests. Bit of a shock to the system, because that wouldn't have happened in NZ. Slipped up, teacher had told her once too often, and she was penalised. Them's the breaks. Actions, consequences.

I remember a fellow law student creating merry havoc, because they had written their test paper in pencil, and the lecturer marked it as zero, because he required them to be in pen.

Better they learn these lessons at GCSE level than university level.

Yes, I agree with this. But I thought OP said that other teachers had allowed it, so it became a blurry line as to how serious it is. And I also believe daughter should now be taught it’s definitely not on.

YABU

Usually test papers with doodles on are thrown out and re-sat.
I think your DD got off lightly.

If they were to go for moderation it would be refused and so the teacher is putting these rules in place now so she doesn’t fail her important exams.

I would get DD to ask for a scrap piece of paper and she can doodle on this and not her exam paper.

😂😂😂

The funniest thing is that you might actually be serious.

The doodling has been an ongoing issue since her early years and of course while trying to encourage my daughter to appreciate that there is a time and place for her creativity or according to some of you the lack thereof. I have also tried to work with the staff to accommodate her.

Ok. Well at least this post from the op puts to rest my suspicions about this whole thread, can stop wasting energy on it 🙂

Why so?

I remember doing a doodle on an exam once (an owl). My teacher said something like ‘nice owl’ and that was it, no telling off, no marks deducted. To be fair though had they penalised me for it I wouldn’t have done it again.

This can't be for real.
🤣

That thing is hideous.

Sadly it's all real. I don't see the funny side.

Rather than trying to work on staff trying to accommodate her, how about working on getting your DD to stop?
There are plenty of opportunities for her to be arty, the back of an exam paper is not the time.

Honestly it's best she learns this now than in exams that matter.

As her mum I am of course biased but on this front I will agree with you.

*rather than

Actually I thought the drawing was rather hideous but also amusing.

I like her artistic flair.
Had one teacher call me in, middle daughter at time was six, she’d drawn an uncanny likeness of her teacher, who surprisingly resembled Miss Piggy, she’d also drawn a hand with a knife and blood dripping from it, teacher was shocked and assumed I’d be shocked and punish her, same teacher had smugly said she was in the bottom bottom third in class, I’d wanted to take her out of school, hubby talked me out of it, following year she had a fantastic teacher, who brought in her own art supplies and my daughter was in the top of class and continued to excel. She had artworks commissioned from the age of 14 and is now a Director to a Marketing Company.
Finally she didn’t have a predilection to violence, she has always been an exceptionally gentle kind soul.

I've never heard of marks being deducted for this in exams that "matter" (A'levels. uni, professional exams, etc.) so I don't really get the "it's best she learns now" type of responses.

Pettiness like this from teachers can really put students off a subject, or even school altogether.

That doesn’t make sense. There are many hugely successful very very rich educated people who are (or were) socially lacking. It’s what usually makes them very rich (Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, etc).

I think the best thing is for her not to doodle at the expense of exam results but draw in her own time. There’s no point in her sabotaging her results for the sake of a doodle.

Genuine question... When your daughter does something at home that you have asked her, repeatedly, not to do, and she continues to do it, are there any consequences or sanctions? If not, you are raising a child who will struggle to cope with the real world where there are many rules that may not suit her. If you do impose consequences, why do you think they shouldn't be imposed at school for repeated violations? Or is it simply because she is so wonderfully "arty" and therefore a free spirit, who rules shouldn't apply to when it comes to expression of her "art"?

I personally don't think it's about the doodling, it's about the simple lack of respect of the teacher's rules. If she knows she shouldn't do it but still does, then she has to accept whatever sanctions the teacher chooses to apply. It's disrespectful and you should be backing the teacher.

Thank you for your uplifting post. May you continue to get much joy from your daughter.