Page 7 | Being made to sit on the floor

MandaLo · 2023-09-27T16:10:30+00:00

I'm genuinely interested to hear what others thoughts are on this. DS10 is in a class with a teacher new to their school. She's very young but seems quite pleasant when I've spoken to her. He told me last week that as a punishment for talking the teacher is making children sit on the classroom floor for 30 minutes each time. It hadn't happened to him though. Today he came out of school to say that he'd asked the child next to him what book they'd chosen from the library and was made to sit on the floor for half an hour. He wasn't massively upset, just said that his bum went numb from it. I've never come across this before. DS said some children are constantly on the floor. Does this sound ok?

CM1897 · 28/09/2023 23:31

And this is the reason why many children are pains the ass! Parents constantly making excuses and not allowing teachers discipline them. It’s not the cane, it’s time out, something parents probably should have done with their children when they were 3 years old. This is not a physical punishment, it’s like parents think teacher’s are just free childcare 🙄 They are there to teach our children, and if other children are constantly misbehaving and talking, they cannot do that. I’d be happy the teacher is trying to solve the issue.

If anyone thinks this is abuse, they need to homeschool their children and deal with the bad behaviour themselves

CM1897 · 28/09/2023 23:33

Mooshamoo · 28/09/2023 23:00

Would any of us like to sit on a floor for thirty minutes?

I wouldn't choose to

I wouldn’t see an issue with it, and if I wanted to sit in a chair I’d probably just do what the teacher asked of me

Jwhb · 28/09/2023 23:33

Wow. "Sitting on a classroom floor is physical abuse." I've heard it all now.

Teachers have 30 children and 30 chairs and desk spaces, typically. Each of those chairs is occupied. Child A constantly talking to anyone around him. Given warnings but continues. Needs to be moved as he is impacting the learning of others. Options are:

Outside the classroom (who will watch him and ensure he is safe? How will he learn if he's not in the classroom?)
Swap seats (disruptive, may be reasons for seating plan, he may continue distracting others)
Sit on the carpet and have him work on the floor

I can see many reasons for choosing the third at times. Any ideas for better options would be appreciated.

CM1897 · 28/09/2023 23:36

jenpil · 27/09/2023 18:19

Well, it may be normal to sit on the floor where you come from, but we're in the UK now, and classrooms are equipped with chairs and desks.
That is normal here, and if a child is made to sit on the floor for 30 minutes in front of the rest of the class for daring to talk, then that is not appropriate and I wouldn't be happy for that to be happening.

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Are you serious?? 😂 Is anyone going to be mentally or physically scarred for sitting on the floor? In case you forgot, children are much bendier than us adults! Im sure the children will be fine.

I live in the U.K. and I grew up sitting on the floor in class and in assemblies. My 12 year old went through school sitting on the floor in school plays and assemblies and in other areas of the school. She survived lol

Poppyblush · 28/09/2023 23:37

Ffs. Maybe if teachers could discipline kids then we wouldn’t have so many problems. Sitting on the floor… oh boo hoo, toughen up, stop being a pain in the arse.

CM1897 · 28/09/2023 23:38

Jwhb · 28/09/2023 23:33

Wow. "Sitting on a classroom floor is physical abuse." I've heard it all now.

Teachers have 30 children and 30 chairs and desk spaces, typically. Each of those chairs is occupied. Child A constantly talking to anyone around him. Given warnings but continues. Needs to be moved as he is impacting the learning of others. Options are:

Outside the classroom (who will watch him and ensure he is safe? How will he learn if he's not in the classroom?)
Swap seats (disruptive, may be reasons for seating plan, he may continue distracting others)
Sit on the carpet and have him work on the floor

I can see many reasons for choosing the third at times. Any ideas for better options would be appreciated.

Totally agree, I hate how the words abuse and physical punishment is thrown around so easily. I bet if the option was to have a teacher who makes a child sit on the floor, or have no free childcare, no one would ever complain

mummy21blueeyed · 28/09/2023 23:41

My school request “thinking time” so that is sit on the floor (same spot) or by teacher and have a timer of 1/2/5 minutes then a quick conversation with teacher and move on. Never half an hour.

Mooshamoo · 28/09/2023 23:47

In the schools I worked in, we wouldn't be allowed to make a child stay in any physical position.

Have the school agreed to this.

Mooshamoo · 28/09/2023 23:50

Jwhb · 28/09/2023 23:33

Wow. "Sitting on a classroom floor is physical abuse." I've heard it all now.

Teachers have 30 children and 30 chairs and desk spaces, typically. Each of those chairs is occupied. Child A constantly talking to anyone around him. Given warnings but continues. Needs to be moved as he is impacting the learning of others. Options are:

Outside the classroom (who will watch him and ensure he is safe? How will he learn if he's not in the classroom?)
Swap seats (disruptive, may be reasons for seating plan, he may continue distracting others)
Sit on the carpet and have him work on the floor

I can see many reasons for choosing the third at times. Any ideas for better options would be appreciated.

I think it's abuse. I wouldn't tell my mother to sit on the floor for thirty minutes. We have to treat children as we treat ourselves. Sitting on a floor can be demeaning if others are not sitting on a floor.

Why can't the teacher put one chair at the back of the class away from others. And make the child sit there. So he is at least on a seat**

Jwhb · 28/09/2023 23:55

Mooshamoo · 28/09/2023 23:50

I think it's abuse. I wouldn't tell my mother to sit on the floor for thirty minutes. We have to treat children as we treat ourselves. Sitting on a floor can be demeaning if others are not sitting on a floor.

Why can't the teacher put one chair at the back of the class away from others. And make the child sit there. So he is at least on a seat**

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And a table so they can work? The tables that are usually for two children, so the teacher would need a saw to organise this.

It actually makes me incredibly angry how people are trivialising abuse by complaining about sitting on the floor.

I wouldn't tell my mother to sit on the floor for thirty minutes, because she is in her 70s and suffers from arthritis. However, I regularly sit on the floor in my classroom to work with students. Who are also sitting on the floor. None of them are complaining.

I agree that it seems an odd punishment and if the child is correct about it being 30 minutes (and not just a 10 year old's idea of 30 minutes), then it's not appropriate. But don't trivialise abuse by labelling sitting on a carpet as abusive.

CM1897 · 28/09/2023 23:56

jenpil · 27/09/2023 17:42

Asking a child sitting next to him which book he chose isn't exactly constant chatting and disrupting the class.
It's positive communication and shows an interest in both others and the subject.

The teacher sounds like she's drilling down on every little thing, and with a class of excitable ten year olds, that's going to be a difficult thing to do, and to be honest, not necessary.

I'd sooner have a chattering excited bunch of pupils, than a whole class of miseries being made to sit in silence - or go and sit on the floor!

Sitting on the floor is also a safety hazard...what would she do if someone else tripped over them?

Any talking when they’ve been asked not to I’d disruptive. If one child can talk about a book, then all 30 can, how do you expect any work to get done?

Frances0911 · 28/09/2023 23:57

In the 80's I had a teacher who gave a warning, then if we misbehaved again, we had to go and stand outside in the corridor for the remainder of the lesson.

Mooshamoo · 29/09/2023 00:02

Jwhb · 28/09/2023 23:55

And a table so they can work? The tables that are usually for two children, so the teacher would need a saw to organise this.

It actually makes me incredibly angry how people are trivialising abuse by complaining about sitting on the floor.

I wouldn't tell my mother to sit on the floor for thirty minutes, because she is in her 70s and suffers from arthritis. However, I regularly sit on the floor in my classroom to work with students. Who are also sitting on the floor. None of them are complaining.

I agree that it seems an odd punishment and if the child is correct about it being 30 minutes (and not just a 10 year old's idea of 30 minutes), then it's not appropriate. But don't trivialise abuse by labelling sitting on a carpet as abusive.

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Yes I've been a teacher myself. It's easy to put a table and chair at the back of a classroom and have a child sit there. Why would you need a saw.

Have one child sit at a table that seats two

pollyglot · 29/09/2023 00:06

Oh FFS! We used to sit on the floor for 30 minutes 3 times a week at school assemblies. And chose to sit on the floor in the library to read. What a snowflake. Just don't go to live in Japan.

user1477391263 · 29/09/2023 00:07

At the philosophical level, I think we now have an issue in that a large number of people basically only want their kids sanctioned in a way that doesn’t feel unpleasant or make the child feel bad in any way.

That’s…. Not going to work, people?

I can’t get excited about this. Stop talking and don’t get punished, kids. End of.

MidnightOnceMore · 29/09/2023 00:09

pollyglot · 29/09/2023 00:06

Oh FFS! We used to sit on the floor for 30 minutes 3 times a week at school assemblies. And chose to sit on the floor in the library to read. What a snowflake. Just don't go to live in Japan.

These situations are entirely different.

RebelHarry · 29/09/2023 00:13

What is the purpose of sitting in the floor? Why is it considered punishment?

MidnightOnceMore · 29/09/2023 00:13

user1477391263 · 29/09/2023 00:07

At the philosophical level, I think we now have an issue in that a large number of people basically only want their kids sanctioned in a way that doesn’t feel unpleasant or make the child feel bad in any way.

That’s…. Not going to work, people?

I can’t get excited about this. Stop talking and don’t get punished, kids. End of.

It's not philosophical, it's just rational. We know from research that punishments are futile and making people feel bad doesn't provide good outcomes.

Rational people gravitate towards what works.

There's no benefit to punishing kids. What is needed is logical consequences. Being made to sit on the floor is a futile punishment. Missing some of break time to catch up would be a meaningful consequence.

curaçao · 29/09/2023 00:19

Are you sure it is even a punishment or just the teacher telling them to sit on the carpet to read, or to pull a group together to work with?

Mooshamoo · 29/09/2023 00:20

Peopel think it's fine because it's not being done to them.

If we were in a workplace office. And there were ten people.

And the boss said to us, you've done that wrong , you must sit on the floor for thirty minutes.

We are sitting on the floor for something we have done wrong. We are looking up at everyone else.

Would we like it?

pollyglot · 29/09/2023 00:20

MidnightOnceMore · Today 00:09

pollyglot · Today 00:06

Oh FFS! We used to sit on the floor for 30 minutes 3 times a week at school assemblies. And chose to sit on the floor in the library to read. What a snowflake. Just don't go to live in Japan.
These situations are entirely different.

How??
Because one is the norm and one is punishment? Is it child abuse as a punishment, but perfectly acceptable as a pragmatic solution to lack of chairs?

TheDogFosterer · 29/09/2023 00:20

I'd find out the teachers version of events.

If it's true, it's an odd punishment and I don't really understand what if would achieve. To make the child feel humiliated or physically uncomfortable or just to separate them from the group? I've not known any school use it as punishment and I wouldn't be impressed by parents using it. I used to have a friend whose parents used to make her sit if stand in the corner as punishment and if always felt a bit off to me.

Talk to the school, make sure it's true and if so, see what their reasons for it are. I don't think you can do much until you know all that.

kittenseverywhere · 29/09/2023 00:22

When I was at school sitting on the floor was usually because there was some sort of foolery going on and the idea was to separate the instigator from the group, so things could settle down. More a management than punishment technique. In other circumstances, isn't sitting on the floor for half an hour to an hour normal in teaching situations, as a group?

kittenseverywhere · 29/09/2023 00:25

Frances0911 · 28/09/2023 23:57

In the 80's I had a teacher who gave a warning, then if we misbehaved again, we had to go and stand outside in the corridor for the remainder of the lesson.

I remember getting 'sent to the cloakroom' once. We were poking at the bow on the teachers shiny shoes while seated on the floor, so I got sent to the corridor for playing with the teacher's shoes. She was seated at her desk so we didn't think she'd even be aware. We just wanted to know what they felt like. I don't think it could happen now as it would be an unsupervised child alone. I was 5.

pollyglot · 29/09/2023 00:25

You people in the UK are creating your own future nightmare. Entitled , self-important little snowflakes, unable to take any kind of correction, their egos fed by entitled mumsies.