To think schools should allow black t shirts if they are going to use those black whiteboard pens

[Pastaandoranges]

Both my kids come home with their white t shirts marked by the black whiteboard pens they use to write on their mini whiteboards. I can not get it out of the t shirts. Tried bleach baths, bicarb and bleach spotting and the vanish whitening powder.
Aibu to think they should allow black or dark coloured t shirts or shirts as this would mean less washing, less purchasing of new t shirts, less landfill of old ones and less chemicals going into the environment from cleaning them.
Bonus pounts if anyone has found a way to get the pen stains out!!

Or just go with the flow. Keep a nice one for photos day.

I do think white is a stupid colour for young children.

But you don’t have to buy new tops. If my DDs get their polos dirty at school, I’ll try to get them clean (within reason, I’m not buying extra products and washing them multiple times), but I’m not buying new ones just because they’ve got pen stains on them.

Yanbu
White shirts on kids is ridiculous anyway imo

Alcohol hand gel works on marker pens so try that to get the stain out.

White is the worst colour for children though.

Mine had to wear white polo shirts at primary. They were white for a day, if that. Mainly due to mud and pen marks. Silly colour to have for young children really. Thankfully high school uniform is black.

Apparently alcohol gel (for hands) can help to remove the marks. I just accepted that the shirts were clean, if not stain free.

Or - maybe dc learn not to get pen on clothing. My dc never did this. Just hold the pen and write. When not writing tell them to put the top on the pen. Why on earth a school needs these mini white boards is a mystery. Not every idea is a good one. Pens and paper make more sense.

Not sure why dc aren’t concerned about getting clothing messed up either. It’s not playing outside - it’s writing. Do they not respect that clothing costs money?

Yes our school uniform is navy or white polos.

The p1s start in white polos, but the older school is almost exclusively navy as the parents (myself included) figure out that it’s just so much easier!

Why are you throwing them out? Put them through the washing machine as normal so the top is clean and then back in wardrobe ready for next wear as normal.

Let’s ensure children do not take any kind of responsibility at all and even go as far as making shirts black.

Walking into a school where everyone is dressed as goths is normal.

Good grief.

Sometimes it’s hard to avoid when there’s 30 kids sitting on the carpet and they’re only just getting started on writing. Sometimes remembering to put a lid on as well as remembering all the other rules they’re being introduced to is just too much for them. I found it improved a lot by year 1 when they were at desks more.

The whiteboard and pens are a terrible idea, I have no idea why they don't use pencils and paper. You can do letter formation just fine

Whiteboards can be a PITA for school teachers too but they support 'mistake' anxiety and confidence. Honestly, pencil and paper is 'easier' for us to manage!

My DSs’ school has white PE tops and shorts. Covered in grass stains, paint, stains from whatever they have for lunch, etc, by the end of the second week. I wash as normal and they wear stained PE kit until it’s outgrown - generally for about the next 18 months. I did buy DS2 new stuff rather than putting him in DS1’s outgrown set as I normally would, though. Kept DS1’s old stuff for emergencies. Agree with all PP it’s a silly colour for kids to wear, but since the school chose it, they can make peace with the fact that the kids are all in stained clothes by the third week of term.

Some children start reception having just turned 4. I don’t agree that a 4 year old getting their clothes dirty shows a lack of responsibility. If you’ve just started writing, and are writing on a whiteboard, that pen is going to end up on your hand as you move across the board. Especially if you are left handed.

Yes, I quite agree. However, I have one uncoordinated autistic doodler and one with adhd. I think it is absent minded fumbling and loosing concentration mid flow. None of the marks are deliberate. We don't get pen on our clothes at home either or on walls or tables etc. Just at school!! Its a mystery as to how it happens only at school😪

Maybe the schools should use slates. Worked well enough for our ancestors and chalk is white

The pen marks still show up on royal blue sweatshirts.

Vodka removes the stains if caught straight away.

YANBU. I detest stains on clothes. I would prefer either use pencils/pencil crayons only around white t-shirts, or yes, as you say, wear black t-shirts. Great idea! Especially for under 7s.

There's actually loads of evidenced reasons that the whiteboards are good for learning when multiple children are being taught together. Genuine retrieval without access to notes, rehearsing responses before being asked to speak or commit to writing, efficient checks of everyone's understanding all at once (not just volunteers).

Teachers are trying to provide the best education in the time, and with the resources, they have so that all thirty in the class benefit as much as possible. A simple, cheap tool that supports good routines, behaviour and inclusion shouldn't be seen as a problem. Especially when encouraging children to look after their belongings and washing their clothes for them are basic parts of parenting that are very much more straightforward to do.

This is what my children do (currently teaching Y3 and Y4 classes).
They each have a whiteboard eraser to share between 2. They are told repeatedly to rub out using the eraser. They almost always rub out with their finger then wipe their finger on their top. If they’re still wearing their jumper it’s fine because it doesn’t show up. If they’ve taken their jumper off it shows up on their shirt. Some children just wipe the whole board against their chest! In addition, the oils on their fingers means the pens won’t work as well.
Nobody is going to judge you on how white their shirt looks. Wash it and move on.

Before washing spray liberally with hairspray, works every time!

@Kohll Really? Not all schools have them. They waste time and look at the resulting mess and hand washing needed. I bet 100% the improved results are not measurable. Dc still don’t all get expected in sats and dc are not magically improved by using these. Teacher has to keep reminding about rubbing out. As I said not all new ideas are good ideas. The simple truth is - high quality teaching matters most. Not shared white boards. Use a pen and paper - same result.

To those who don't understand why we use whiteboards: When we are teaching a whole class and need to assess their understanding, we cannot read pencil on paper from the front of the class. Whiteboards and pens allow us to assess quickly who needs further support.

Op: I've said yabu because you seem to be replacing their tops when they get marked - that really isn't necessary. We don't care if tops are marked, so long as they are reasonably clean. Otherwise, I agree that white tops are a silly colour! Some schools do allow red/blue although this doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

Last week whilst teaching English, Maths and RE on one day, I used AfL to check on the pupils’ understanding throughout the input. This involved them writing sentences, practicing spelling key vocabulary, completing calculations or mental arithmetic quick fire questions, times tables and more. If the children had done all this on paper, I would have gone through around 100 pieces of paper, would have not been able to read all but the front row of children and would have had endless rubbing out / tearing paper. Whiteboards are much more efficient, allows the teacher to see all the answers easily and are generally far better than paper for these types of tasks.