Was my sons detection unfair?

[SassyBear2]

My DS has just started sixth form. They were asked by their form tutor to do a short presentation about themselves to introduce to the class.

DS decided to start his presentation with an animated picture of a sperm cell and said, “That was me nearly 17 years ago.” It got some laughs from the class, but the teacher didn’t see the funny side and gave him a detention.

I honestly think this is a bit much. He’s 16, not a little kid, and in sixth form they should be encouraging independence and a bit of personality. It wasn’t offensive or disruptive, just cheeky humour. A telling off I’d understand, but a detention feels harsh.

AIBU to think the school is overreacting? If so can i repeal the detention or do something?

YANBU but he’s old enough to fight his own battles at school.

Do some 6th forms have form time and detentions? Might want to look into a sixth form college, most have neither.

Mad behaviour by the teacher.
Honestly, I remember some of the stuff I did and said as a sixth former, and just got a roll of the eyes from my teachers.
A picture of a sperm is completely harmless. Perhaps this teacher is new to teaching sixth form, but they need to chill out massively, and soon.

It was funny, I'd have laughed.

But also, it's detention. Not the end of the world. If he doesn't agree with it then let him discuss it with teachers himself. Good prep for the real world where you don't always get treated fairly!

Your son sounds like a great public speaker! The teacher is ridiculous!

I suspect the teacher feels like if they give an inch someone will take a mile. It was harsh on your son but I guess the teacher wants it know they do not put up with messing.

Some teachers just dont have a sense of humour. DS when he was 10 had a presentation and opened with a joke. It turned out to be a dirty joke, but he didnt get that reference at all. His teacher was really upset, deducted points from his grade, called me and called a meeting with the head of the school.
I asked DS where he heard the joke and he said he just googled “joke about presentation topic”
I found the joke really funny 😄

But they should be taking a mile when they are doing A levels. They are supposed to be ‘having thoughts of their own’ as Blackadder would say. As opposed to learning stuff and then spitting facts for GCSE.

It would be interesting telling to have been a fly on the wall to see how this played out in reality.

What did the head say / do? @LoveMySushi

It's depressing that a sixth form setting is dishing out detentions for ridiculous non or minor infringements. There will be proper issues to deal with - everything from drugs to cheating to disrupting class and swearing in class - what are they going to do then? If inappr punishments are being given for nothing then they they have to escalate or look stupid. Teacher needs speaking to or complaining about

I think it's funny, do the biology teachers in the school have to skip over the reproductive process in case anyone is offended.

The meeting was cancelled in the end, because DS was supposed to attend and I refused. I didnt want them to explain to him why that particular joke wasnt appropriate. I told them I spoke to DS and there wont be any jokes anymore in presentations. We accepted the deducted points on the grade of course and that was that.

I am going to guess you didn’t have the best of relationships anyway with the school

Sounds like an inexperienced insecure teacher to me.

Nothing you can do really - DS needs to find his own way of dealing with this person. Part of growing up.

Let's hope this teacher begins to gain in confidence and be able to understand the difference between stroppinees and humour.

Wtf a detention in sixth form 😳

I'm on a fucking bullshit training course for how to do effective presentations at the moment. The first thing we were told is "Open with something attention-grabbing, different, and potentially shocking".

So your son's basically nailing it.

@LeftABit Noooo. A levels don’t want original thought. It’s more spewing to order. That’s why the grades are so high. It’s about who regurgitates best.

What a humourless school. Just reading the op made me laugh. Does this meet any criteria for a detention? It wouldn’t in many schools.

Lol sure of you say so..

🤷‍♀️
Ok so it was

Anyone that got upset over that frankly GENIUS idea, needs to get the fuck over themselves. Detention is beyond ridiculous.

Detention shouldn't be a thing in Sixth Form. It serves no real purpose unless it's to provide academic support for a struggling student.

When I think how we treated ours... And the Head of Sixth Form.

I'd have asked him whether it was genuine footage 😂

This .... Speak to the teacher and find out what "actually* happened

Completely ridiculous. It’s quite a good way to start a presentation: grabs attention and shows grasp of storytelling. Plus the kids in the audience are all over the age of consent.

I would be taking it up with the head.

Detentions in sixth form? That happens? I wouldn't have attended. I think I would have walked out.