DS punished for teachers mistake

[babynot]

DS's(8) class were given a new work book at school last week with with printed labels on the front.
Imagine his name is something like Tommy but this book said Tom which he is never called and hates.

He told the teacher his name was wrong on the label and was told not to worry about it, he didnt ask and so wasn't told not to correct it but decided to scribble out ‘Tom’ and write ‘Tommy’ below. It looks fine, obviously not as neat as it would printed but you can clearly read what it says.

Teacher has left a note saying he needs to rewrite his work into a new book which has been sent home because he vandalised the first one. Its only a few pages of work but will take him at least 20 minutes to do

AIBU to think this is unfair and it’s not his fault they put the wrong name?

It won't be the child's class teacher who made this rule...this will have been the Senior Leadership Team. The class teacher will just be following the ridiculous policy on this stuff.

so? teacher can take one for the team. It is a simple matter of sticking a new label over the old one, and not being a twit about a child's name in future. Teacher has learned something here.

I have my book from infants school. My sister scribbled out my name and added hers. I turned the book upside down and wrote my name neatly on the back which now became the front, the big gap line was at the bottom not the top. I always thought the teacher had not noticed, of course she had but even the strict teachers of yesteryear sound kind compared to your son’s teacher. I imagine she was absent from school when diplomacy and self awareness were taught!

No - read the post. He WASN'T told not to correct it

Tom isn't his name. Why should he accept a fake name? It's highly disrespectful of the teacher to change it- once pointed out she should apologise and promise to relabel it as soon as she can. He didn't deface the book with a doodle. The teacher's label is the one defacing the book.

Just maybe ....... The teacher probably said 'don't worry about it for now' and would have printed a new label out later.

I’d be cutting the sticker off of the new book, sticking it on and just to be pedantic, sellotape 20p to a post-it note to cover the cost of the vandalised book and offer it back as scrap paper. 🤣

Yes, that.

I'm curious as to what that private word would be?
Because apart from the name of the child, which may not have been her error, depending on how many people it went through.
Everything that she has done has been to follow to school rules which would be passed down to her through the HoD.

Wow I'm in secondary this is like a window into another universe!
My dad would have made me copy it and he would have said it would be good handwriting practice. End of argument. He would however had followed it up with a lecture about how lucky I was to go to a school with exercise books, and walls and a roof etc, and how there was a war on when he was at school and a bit of a digression into how important it is to accept life is unfair and not to whine about hardship.
Which is why I wouldn't have told him. My mum wasn't an active parent.

Perhaps this will teach the teacher not to be sloppy about names next time.

It ludicrous and completely unreasonable of her to expect a small child to bail her out for her error.

The teacher made a mistake, and told your child not to worry because no dobt she was intending to reprint the label correctly to stick over the original one. Howverver, your child took it on himself to scribble on it and write on the actual cover of the book. Maybe next time he should listen to his teacher.

I would cut the pages out and stick them in the new book.

This is insane. I would personally vandalise the new book with a note from me telling the teacher that the old one is fine and he didn't vandalise it be simply put his correct name on it.

Yeah the teacher would be getting a very clear 'no' from me, plus a definition of 'vandalism'.

No way! Neither of you should waste time on this. I’d question the use of vandalised and say he corrected it. And send a letter saying that you don’t agree with this outcome and that either he starts with the fresh book but doesn’t copy the work, or you keep the old book with a new sticker over it.

It’s this type of leadership that creates disobedience - punishment for somebody else’s mistake, by the person that made the mistake, for correcting their mistake. Retaliatory and small-minded do not a leader make. Multiplied a number of times when it relates to a young child.

I hope you’re not in a position of leadership, as I suspect there might be a few miserable people.

It’s only 20 minutes of his time, and good writing practice. I wouldn’t get het up over this. I certainly wouldn’t do it for him.

Bit harsh! I misread the OP, as acknowledged twice

What does "not to worry about it" mean I wonder?

Perhaps Op you should call her by an incorrect name & tell her the same?

Could she not have altered the name for him herself until a new label was printed & stuck over?

Yes, my mistake, already acknowledged

The teacher is being ridiculous and petty. I wouldn't make him do it and would send an email politely telling them why.

Yes, this,but nicely.

It's ridiculous. It's a workbook belonging to an 8-year-old; she certainly couldn't expect them to remain in pristine condition, did she? Some of them probably won't even have covers by the time the kids are done with them. Who cares if he crossed it out and wrote his correct name?!

This is the way forward

I would absolutely do this. And i rarely would contact teacher even if I disagree I try to support them but this is ridiculous.