Teacher conduct - clapping at DS

[NotUsually]

DS 13 got sent out of class today for talking to another student (friend) and not paying attention when he should have been.
He got a warning first.
He talked again to the same student a second time about 10 minutes later.
For this, he got sent out of the room to go in to isolation for the rest of the school day, followed by an hour after school detention.

As he got his stuff together and walked out of the room, the teacher started clapping at him. He said to DS "Well done you just got yourself an isolation and a detention" then clapped with his hands raised up above his head and carried on clapping at DS as he walked through the room and out of the door. Whilst the teacher was clapping, the other students joined in and started clapping too, and the teacher allowed this and carried on himself.

I've had dialogue with the school to confirm that DS was talking and to check whether he was doing anything more than this, and the teacher has confirmed that he was punished for talking when he should have been listening to the teacher, on 2 separate occasions in the lesson. Nothing more.

I accept that talking when he shouldn't have been talking and that this has received a punishment of being sent out, sent to isolation and given a 1 hour detention. But I've got a really big issue with the clapping. DS accepts he shouldn't have been talking and has aplogised about this and seems regretful for his actions. But he says the clapping from the teacher and other students whilst he walked through them all to leave the room made him feel humiliated and I've taken issue with this.

AIBU?

@SeptemberJackdaws My DDs went to private schools. In comparison to the deaconian schools we see here, they were happy and relaxed places. I’m sure my DDs did have a little chat with friends. However they wouldn’t be persistent offenders and occasionally a DD would go too far with the chat. But that would be quite significant chat on many occasions. Otherwise DDs engaged with teachers and rules weren’t much beyond mutual respect. I cannot now believe how lucky we were.

No way should the teacher be clapping. It sounds like the teacher was enjoying seeing him getting punished. This is no way to punish a child. I be making a complaint.

😂😂this is the most out of touch ( probably AI generated) response yet!

The child had a warning which he chose to ignore. Yes, clapping would have disrupted the class for the 2 minutes it took him to leave, but is it worth disciplinary action against the teacher?

I’d suggest a restorative conversation with the teacher and student, mediated by a learning mentor or behaviour manager so the boy learns that school deals with behaviour and Mum doesn’t swoop in to save him from the consequences of his choices.

Or ask for a move to another school where there are no nasty clapping teachers.

Fuming adult not helpful really.

First, your son needs some old fashioned discipline. That starts in the home, don't you think.....?

Disturbing a class is not on, it hinders learning, and is unfair on pupils and teachers. I am not surprised the teacher (I am one) acted this way. Even though inappropriate, it was not really abusive.

You're wrong.
This is an isolated incident.
This teacher has never issued any warnings or detentions to DS before.
If DS displayed poor behaviour regularly, then he would be getting regularly disciplined and regular detentions, but he has not.
This teacher has 100% confirmed that this was an isolated incident and that because DS talked again in the same lesson after being told to stop, the management response was escalated.
Teacher has confirmed that DS was punished gor talking twice to the same student. Teacher has confirmed DS was not doing anything else. He talked twice at 2 separate times in the lesson.
And as I keep on saying, I agree he should not have been talking and I do not dispute him being reprimanded for this.
I don't agree with him being humiliated during his exit from class.

Really weird comments from people who think clapping is a form of abuse. And yet, many people saying this is unacceptable are people who would have no issue with being rude to a coworker in the workplace. Apparently, people are your fair game... unless it's your son, in which case, he needs to be treated like a baby.

Just wait until DS joins the workplace. If he finds clapping traumatising, he will have a very difficult time finding a job.

Something similar happened to my child in primary school.
As it happened I had a parent teacher meeting the same week and I asked the teacher about it.
The teacher denied it had happened. Lied straight to my face.
The thing was that there were three children involved in the humiliation so it wasn't one word against another.
Some teachers are not nice people.
I didn't bring it further at the time. The teacher's behaviour throughout the year was dreadful but he was actually very good at teaching. He was due to finish up in the school at the end of the year anyway.
When speaking to other parents, his name popped up frequently and it was all very negative. The school had so many poor teachers that he wasn't the worst sadly.

As I have already said, I have already reinforced at home that he should not be talking in class and I do not dispute him receiving isolation and a detention for this.

Our teacher would ‘shoot’ staples at us with the staple gun

If it happened in the workplace, it would be classed as bullying.

This is a tricky one. Usually I’d side with teachers because kids can be truly unbearable but it really depends on the vibe of the clapping and since you weren’t there to watch it’s a bit difficult to say.

Clapping in good spirits but making fun of him for getting sent out? Fair, he’ll live.

Mean spirited vibes looking to humiliate him? Not acceptable. I’ve had a few teachers who clearly got a rise out of bullying students and there’s a couple I really wish my mother had spoken up about (but it was over and over, not a one off).

If he had not done something he shouldn't twice in quick succession (talking instead of listening), it would not have happened. Time to learn that actions have consequences.

It’s not the best management of the situation, but don’t complain. Your son did something wrong- twice. The level of respect teachers get is so poor, they are being hounded out the profession and I’m worried there’ll be no specialist teachers left when my kids are this age.

I personally think this teacher behaved wrongly. He could have had an off day. A report from a parent wouldn't result in a disaplplinary but if multiple similar reports were made then there's a problem.

Agree, my DD went to state school and was never once sent out of class. As teachers we generally manage a bit of low-level chat, passing notes, but when it’s stopping teaching and learning it goes too far. CCTV will show the clapping and senior leadership will make decisions around that.

THIS!!!!!!

Thing is…. Now you are more angry at the teacher for clapping than you are disappointed in your DS for disrupting a lesson! And yes he was disruptive because he was talking instead of working.

If true, not ideal behaviour from an adult.

Complain to HT. it’s inappropriate, and humiliating.
It wouldn’t cut it in workplace as an adult, nor should it in a school setting

Personally, I think teachers and students who are trying to get an education are absolutely beyond fed up with classmates who think it's okay to behave like your son.

Yeh, that’s the main problem here 🤦‍♀️

I've never worked in or heard of a school that sends a student out of class for talking twice. It doesn't happen.

He was probably annoying the rest of the class, that's why they and the teachers clapped - in relief.

It's irritating when you're in the middle of an interesting lesson and there's that one kid the teacher has to keep stopping to deal with.

And it's selfish behaviour to carry on distracting disrupting everyone when you've already been told that's what you're doing.

But your son is still very young so I'm sure he'll develop into a better behaved and more thoughtful young man.

There are two themes
1, pupil inappropriate behaviour & being requested to leave
2 Teacher inappropriate response and encouraging other pupils to join in