to expect my dd(6)'s teacher to make wearing overalls for painting a rule

[civilfawlty]

If I'm off here, let me know. But my position is this - at home, when we do messy stuff (paint, glue, cooking) we wear a pinny or it doesnt happen. When I was at school this was the rule all the way through. But... at my dd's school, this isnt enforced. So she regularly comes home with clothes ruined. The school says they are too busy and it is for the children to be responsible for it which, imo, in year 2 is madness - I know no children who would be able to remember this every time without at least a nudge.

The school says dont send them to school in good clothes - which tells you a lot about the children who go there - but we dont have good clothes, we just have clothes. mostly from charity shops: I look after them, alter them when necessary, and generally make them last. I dont have money to replace things which are unnecessarily ruined.

I dont know what to do. I sent an email round the class to see if anyone else agreed - no-one replied. I have offered to bring in a pinny - but they already have enough. I have explained our finances repeatedly in relation to a number of issues, and frankly I'm sick of having to repeat over and over that we're skint. It feels like it isnt the point, and that this is wilfully disrespectful and wasteful and ignorant.

Arrgghhhhhhhhh

i agree, Im a teacher and althoug we dont have aprons we do ask children to take school jumpers off, roll up sleeves and take care, any child who is overly messy is stopped form continuing, but then Im in the juniors, not sure how things work in KS1 im afraid

Year 2 is old enough to take responsibility for putting on an apron.

I can understand your frustration, but I do think you need to be talking to your DD, not the school.

YANBU

they cant put aprons on each child but they can start an art lesson with the rule that they dont join in if they dont put an apron on

I agree. We're not skint but I still resent having a relatively new logoed school jumper ruined by paint at school. At least if the jumper was off it would have been the comparatively cheap polo shirt that got ruined. Just because we can afford it doesn't mean it's right to be wasteful!

yup - I'm not expecting them to put one on her, just to make it a rule.

wonder if they bother with the rule of washing hands before cooking lessons ... ?

With year 2 children, its not hard.

The way round this is not to care. If I see a bit of paint on a school child's clothes, I think A) that child has been having fun today and B) nothing else.

DS has paint on his new school jumper after two days back. I don't care.

I think at that age you need to tell them-they may remember, but a lot won't bother if they can get away with it!

I agree that the children should be asked/told to put pinnies on.

Do you know when they do painting?
If so, it´s easy to put old clothes on on that day.

YANBU

i take your point about not caring, and i've never been a fussy/ wipey mother. but unfortunately they dont have a set timetable, so its impossible to know which days they will be trashing their clothes/ painting. but i just find it extraordinarily wasteful. I work too hard and struggle too much to make ends meet to be able to rise above ruined clothes. and i also want my dd to grow up respecting her/ my/ other people's possessions, not thinking that clothes etc are disposable.

If they have pinnies at school,then surely they are there to be used.
I guess you have to remind your daughter.

YANBU
DD1 age 6 got green pastel chalk all over her brand new white polo shirt and it has stained. I like her to look clean and smart for school and now her polo shirt looks grubby. By the time we get to half way through the school year i don't mind so much. But her bright white polo shirt looked lovely and now it doesn't!

but they're not really ruined are they....and they're not disposable if you keep her in them.....

does any one really bat an eye at paint stains on kids clothes???

But they are unnecessarily and irredeemably stained. Maybe its because its so hard to find the money to pay for stuff that it upsets me so much.

I think when something messy is being done, then pinnies should be used, TBH.
Would they do sports without getting changed?

When clothes are stained, they no longer look clean, & that´s not a look I like.

I do agree it is a very simple thing to get them to wear an overall and I don't look forward to stains but I think with kids it just doesn't matter personally....however I appreciate that to you it matters.

I'd write a letter to the teacher perhaps? Makes it more difficult for them to ignore this issue maybe if a parent has asked that it be more 'policed'.

By Year 2, the majority of children should be able to be responsible for remembering to put their own apron on.

I can understand why this is frustrating but it doesn't get any better . Mine are year 11 and year 8 and still they get black paint/ink/god knows what, on their blouses/blazers/trousers.

They know better than to moan to me now - if it doesn't come out in the wash then they just wear stained clothes (and at their age it bothers them more than me)

I work in a school and we constantly remind/ask/beg children to put aprons on most staff do try to check but sometimes children just have accidents,also if your DD is in yr2 she should be doing this herself especially if she knows how you feel about the paint situation.

I guess I'll see how it plays out. Obviously she has only been in year 2 for one day, so maybe she will suddenly be able to take responsibility for this.

In the early years, children have independent free access to messy activities and are expected to remember to put on an apron before painting, gluing, playing in the water etc. Why should they be expected to do this and yet Year 2 children need to be told to?