to think there is something wrong with writing lines as a form of discipline at 5

mymama · 04/04/2008 07:47

YANBU

A nice note to the bitee saying sorry would be better imo.

Do they still make 5yo write lines in school?

ernest · 04/04/2008 07:58

my ds ( in 2nd class) had to. Was also about this. But at home? Just seems weird.

Also can't put into words what I don't like about lines. Is someone else more eloquent?

Original poster

GooseyLoosey · 04/04/2008 08:13

Don't know if they still do it at school, my dcs have never had to (and not for want of opportunity ).

OP posts:

AbbeyA · 04/04/2008 08:15

It seems really weird! I think that as a 5yr old it would have made me very resentful. Much better to talk about how the other child would feel and get them to apologise.

kitbit · 04/04/2008 12:56

A bit antiquated if you ask me - doesn't teach them anything. I'm a great believer in the punishment fitting the crime!

NotQuiteCockney · 04/04/2008 12:58

I think writing a note to say sorry is ok. But this makes writing into punishment! Surely we don't want them to see writing as punishment!

Flubdub · 04/04/2008 12:58

yanbu - at home? Thats just wierd. And Id be very about them having to do it at 5 yrs old at school too.
Im 22, and think maybe the first time I had to write lines was in yr 6, so id have been 11 yrs old, and then nearlt daily at high school!

DevilwearsPrada · 04/04/2008 13:42

Jeez my (just turned ) 5 year old can't even write her own name yet let alone write lines.

DevilwearsPrada · 04/04/2008 13:42

Oh YANBU BTW.

northernrefugee39 · 04/04/2008 13:51

omg I think that's outrageous! YANBU actually, I think it's a bit warped and weird... with your own kid... erk...very odd. Do they have a dunce cap too? eugh..

Bumdiddley · 04/04/2008 14:25

YANBU! When I was at boarding school we had to do lines when we were naughty in the boarding house. You need to have a clear line where school and home start and finish imo (homework notwithstanding).

Lines were scrapped in schools because they were uneducational (is that a word?) under the Childrens Act 1987 (I think). As prefects we were told to give out passages from the dictionary to write out.

Leonorap · 04/04/2008 17:15

Children don't write lines at school until they are about 8 ish and then they usually write an I am sorry i talked in assembly/knifed shaun blah blah letter to victim. For infants it is weird. They have a thinking chair/time out or miss part/whole of play. At home it is v weird indeed - just wit till they are teenagers and all that recentment has built up can think of a few choice things they'll write lines about then....

ingles2 · 04/04/2008 17:18

YANBU... very weird, can't see any benefit other than putting your child off writing for life.

ReallyTired · 04/04/2008 17:34

We don't know the child. I don't see anything wrong with lines as a punishment. Its boring, unpleasent and non violent. As a punishment should be.

I am just amazed that someone has got their five year old to do lines. Its bad enough getting them to sit on the naughty step.

I don't that lines are illegal. Children are sometimes made to write out the school rules as many time as they can in an afternoon at the school I work at which is effectively lines.

The school I work at has a treats afternoon every half term for children who have got 200 points or more. Children get points for getting their homework book signed, attempting homework, good deeds, not being caught with the wrong uniform, not getting detentions. They lose points for really bad behaviour. All children start a half term with 250 points and those who have less than 200 points are made to miss the treats afternoon.

The children who miss the treats afternoon have to write out the school rules. I think they sometimes make children in internal isolation write out the school rules as well.

These children are secondary age, so its not the same as making a 5 year old write out lines.

Original poster

GooseyLoosey · 04/04/2008 19:24

Thanks - its nice to know I'm not the only one. I had to kept repeating it to dh and checking he too thought it was odd.

It is a very disciplined household!

OP posts:

mumeeee · 04/04/2008 23:19

YANBU. A 5 year old would find it very hard to write lims. They would not be given this as a punishment at school at this age

VeniVidiVickiQV · 04/04/2008 23:22

Oooh writing as a punishment....nooooooooo!

my DD would relish being given lines

padboz · 04/04/2008 23:25

I loved writing lines as a child - I found it artistic and beautiful to see each line slightly different from the next - I revelled in it!

Joscro · 23/12/2021 12:57

@GooseyLoosey

An aquaintance of mine recently mentioned that she did this with her ds who is 5 (things like "I must not bite other children" x 10).

I had never thought of writing lines outside of a school disciplinary context and for some reason it really jarred with me. I can see that it is not exactly calculated to instil a life long love of learning, but I felt it was wrong on a level beyond that without actually knowing why. On the otherhand, it is non-violent and does reinforce the messagee.

So I ask, aibu to think that this is not a good thing to do and if not, why not?

I got lines for throwing a paper aeroplane, a very boy thing to do after the teacher warned us to leave it alone, I had to write out I must not disobey the teacher’s instructions during classtime for the rather pretty maths teacher. It was like I was just saying give me lines, it was an open goal.

Joscro · 23/12/2021 13:21

@GooseyLoosey

An aquaintance of mine recently mentioned that she did this with her ds who is 5 (things like "I must not bite other children" x 10).

I had never thought of writing lines outside of a school disciplinary context and for some reason it really jarred with me. I can see that it is not exactly calculated to instil a life long love of learning, but I felt it was wrong on a level beyond that without actually knowing why. On the otherhand, it is non-violent and does reinforce the messagee.

So I ask, aibu to think that this is not a good thing to do and if not, why not?

I got lines for throwing a paper aeroplane after the class had been warned to leave it alone. I had to write out I must not disobey the teacher’s instructions during classtime, looking back it was an open goal for the rather pretty maths teacher to give me the time consuming punishment.

Joscro · 23/12/2021 13:25

@mymama

YANBU

A nice note to the bitee saying sorry would be better imo.

Do they still make 5yo write lines in school?

I received lines for throwing a paper aeroplane, a very boy thing to do, after the class being warned to leave it alone, I had to write I must not disobey the teacher’s instructions during classtime x100, looking back it was an open goal for the rather pretty maths teacher to give me this time consuming punishment.

crazyjinglist · 23/12/2021 15:33

It's unusual outside school, and as a teacher I don't think it was ever a particularly effective punishment, but I can't see any reason why it would be 'wrong' tbh. It's a very mild punishment, it's just a bit old-fashioned and silly imo.