Teacher Tatics

[flowergod13]

Just looking for some advice and whether I am overreacting and being over sensitive.

my 7 year old DD came home from school today upset (she has started back in Year 3) it had been PE which she hates anyway. She told me that her class had to run lengths of the playgroup and the teacher told them if they stopped or walked then there would be ‘consequences’ anyway she and another child did walk she says because she had stitch, so was therefore made to a set amount of star jumps with this other child in front of the rest of the class.

Im all for learning child lessons in life but I just feel unsettled about this with that fact they are still quite young and this could contribute to a negative association and the fact this was in front of the class. My DD is exactly like myself she is very tall for her age and her build much bigger than her peers not fat she is just built bigger. She has already had children in the past call her mean names and I worry this might encourage given she was up in front of everyone.

I am considering mentioning this to her teacher tomorrow What’s everyone’s thoughts please?

Totally inappropriate because it penalises the less athletic. Not right at any age but positively barbaric at 7. Definitely worth saying something.

Yep I teach this age group and that sounds inappropriate and I would be questioning it if it were my child.

God I hated PE and sports day precisely because of this undertone of cruelty and indignity. I was an active slim little girl put off PE and any kind of physical activity for life because of shit like this. Complain! There should be no room for this type of public humiliation in modern education.

I’m a teacher and it’s not a tactic I’d use. It will likely associate a negative experience with PE as well. However be aware that it’s likely not the teacher that teaches PE as in most schools I’ve been in a sports coach takes over so the teacher can have their PPA time.

Tricky. With more than 1 in 8 children overweight in the UK, we must be careful not to excuse our children from physical exercise (did she really have to walk? I doubt they were sprinting).

However, it's also really important that PE teachers capture kids' sporting interests positively so they DO see physical activity as a good thing. Especially girls.

Tricky one. Do remember you probably also got a very skewed version of events from your child as, from my experience, it's very often a little different to what actually happened.

But we shouldn't be forcing or shaming children into exercising.

My teachers always told me not to push through a stitch to slow down and breathe through it

No 7 year old should find it hard to run the length of a school play ground without having to stop and walk - making her do star jumps isn’t the best idea the teacher had though.
Take your DD running in the park to build up her stamina though

Her build/frame being bigger shouldn't affect her fitness and stamina, at 7 she should comfortably be able to jog round a school playground.

Too many kids are unfit or overweight now

you don’t think maybe she’d run more than one length and found it difficult?

You think the teacher made them run one and stopped?

That's not what the point of this thread is! Maybe actually read the OP?

All through school I found running difficult. I wasn’t unfit or fat but running always hurt.

Only at 40 did I discover I had hypermobility syndrome which likely caused the pain.

Why can’t we just listen to kids when they say they hurt or are finding something hard?

That’s not what OP is saying is it? Have you wilfully misunderstood or are you just bad at comprehension?

Whether its a fitness issue, or another issue altogether, no child should be humiliated in front of a crowd.

Good teachers should be able to motivate without the need to humiliate

I am not asking for opinions on whether she should be able to run the length of the playground or not - I was questioning the teacher’s approach here.

Sounds like she was being lazy and the stitch was bs, so fair enough by the teacher I think. PE or any other subject, kids don't just get to decide they're not doing the lesson.

Would you force a child who found maths difficult to stand in front of the class and recite their times tables?

No but I would find something in the lesson that they could do. Like the maths equivalent of a star jump.

In front of the entire class?

I don't see the big deal with star jumps in a PE lesson. Everything they do in PE is in front of the entire class.

Have you seen the size of this particular playground tk make this judgement?

That sounds like a terrible way to get ‘cooperation’ out of children. All lessons- and PE is a lesson- are supposed to be inclusive. This means that teachers have a responsibility to vary the activities to ensure that all pupils have equal access to learning & enjoyment. Forcing a child who is in pain (stitches are painful!) to do very vigorous activity as a ‘consequence’ for being unable to complete a ‘one size must fit all’ whole-class task goes against the principles of inclusion.

If you meet with the teacher, ask, in the meeting, what he or she does to ensure that all pupils are able to access all parts of the lesson. There should be evidence in the lesson plans of differentiation- adjustments within the lesson plan that enable success and progress for pupils who are less conditioned for the activity & skills being taught, as well as offering extension for more able pupils.

The exact tone of the situation would decide it for me.

I can see a fine task where everyone runs, and whoever is lazy and walk, you does 10 star jumps after, stood in a group, no humiliation etc. as being absolutely fine.

On the other hand I can see a situation where the teacher calls out students, makes them stand in front of the class, and humiliates them with the punishment.. obviously not fine.

What is the truth? Did your daughter really have a stitch? Or was she being a bit lazy and chatting to her friend? Was she brought to stand in front of the class and humiliated with the punishment, or was it done in a relaxed way with them stood in random places etc.

I know we love and trust our kids, but we should also be skeptical of what they say - I've been the teacher having to explain to parents that how their child described the class is absolutely not what happened (normally drama between two children). Sometimes it is a lie, but often it is just the way the child interpreted the situation, and as little emotional children, they often interpret things wrong.

So yes, your daughters account does sound unreasonable, but there is a decent change that actually it wasn't that bad, and if you have a chat with the teacher, you'd get another more rounded account of what happened.

You won’t know until you ask. It may not be exactly as it seems. And if it is as it seems, the teacher will need to know the impact it had on DD so they can rethink for the next PE lesson. Sometimes you try things out as a teacher and it doesn’t work. I’d ask for a chat and just find out.

It was inappropriate. A calm and brief email to the Head should see it dealt with.