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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think her Science teacher was being quite insensitive?

59 replies

fedupintheoffice · 17/09/2009 10:50

My friends DD is 16 in January and in year 11 at school. She is larger than most of her year group at a size 16/18 and by far larger than her classmates in her Science lesson.

She came home upset because the teacher had them weighing themselves in class on weighing scales for some kind of Physics lesson, and then every pupil had to write their weight on the board for everyone to see. The teacher said for anyone who didn't want to write their true weight, write it at 200lbs so friends DD did this, fearing it might be more (she weighs 208lbs really) and the whole class apart from one girl was laughing at her. She is a really quiet girl and this is a particularly rowdy class where the teacher fails to take control and FDD says the laughing and making fun of her went on for the rest of the lesson (40 mins). AIBU to think that the teacher did a damn stupid lesson plan to begin with?

OP posts:

TheBalladofGayTony · 17/09/2009 10:51

some teachers are right cunts, poor girl

morningpaper · 17/09/2009 10:52

bloody stupid and insensitive and I would go MAD

WidowWadman · 17/09/2009 10:52

What was he trying to teach?

Katisha · 17/09/2009 10:52

I am aghast!

What a dim teacher.

Katisha · 17/09/2009 10:53

Is this teacher male or female?

Roomfor2 · 17/09/2009 10:53

That's awful.

The teacher should have asked for volunteers to be weighed, not mandated that the whole class should do it and then single out those who really didn't want to.

I would make a complaint if it were my DD.

BitOfFun · 17/09/2009 10:54

Agree- make a complaint

twirlymum · 17/09/2009 10:59

Very insensitive.

Original poster

fedupintheoffice · 17/09/2009 11:20

Thanks for your replies. It was a female teacher. Aparently the same lesson happened FDD's friends class and she is a big girl too. I can't imagine the horror of realising what the lesson was about. I bet she wanted to leg it from the class. She's in the bottom set for Science, and she told me and her mum that the majority of the class are the ones who really don't want to be there, they're disruptive and throw paper across the class most lessons and every class is a nightmare for quiet, sensitive friends DD She probably wanted the ground the swallow her up.

OP posts:

twirlymum · 17/09/2009 11:22

I'll bet the teacher didn't weigh herself?

lolapoppins · 17/09/2009 11:24

Poor, poor girl.

I had the same thing happen to me at that age. I was very large, prob a size 18, I had no friends anyway and that was the final nail in the coffin for me - I skived off school for as much as the last year as I could, I was mortified and it took the teasing I got anyway to a whole new level.

I do not see why school need to do stupid things like that. Could they not weigh other things? They bang on about healthy eating and positive body image and then go and do something like that to an overweight teenager. There is no need for it.

nancy75 · 17/09/2009 11:24

stupid idea for a lesson, 15/16 year old girls have all sorts of issues with their weight and self image, i cant think of anything worse than getting girls of this age to weigh themselves publicly. even if none of the girls were overweight it is the kind of thing that could worry some of them hugely.

Original poster

fedupintheoffice · 17/09/2009 11:25

Friends DD actually asked to be excused from the class to see the school nurse as soon as she knew what the lesson was about as her friend had had same lesson a few weeks back(feigning sickness to go see school nurse because she knew she would get stick) but was refused permission to leave the lesson. She then asked the teacher at the end of the lesson if they were going to do anything else like that because it was so humiliating and teacher said 'well Hannah, I cannot fit every lesson around what you don't want to happen". Mum has tried to since get an appointment to speak with teacher since but failed.

OP posts:

jeee · 17/09/2009 11:28

If the teacher won't speak to your friend about what she has just put your friend's DD through, then she should go to the head. If children were this cruel, it would be bullying - and it's no different just because it's a teacher who is the culprit.

GirlsAreLOud · 17/09/2009 11:30

Poor DD

I had to do this once in middle school and once again in secondary (I moved so went to middle then secondary!)

Both times were mortifying, the second one more so as I was a little bit chubby in school. At least by the second time (must have been about 15, in a maths lesson) I realised I could knock a few kilos off!

I'm horrified teachers are still doing this. It makes me squirm to remember it.

Katisha · 17/09/2009 11:31

Agree the head needs to be brought into the loop on this one.

Remotew · 17/09/2009 11:35

Its a disgrace that the whole class were made to weight themselves but to have to write it for all to see. Cannot believe this sort of thing goes on in schools nowadays.

See the head.

thedollshouse · 17/09/2009 11:39

I think that is terrible.

Similar to when I was at school, our science teacher got all the girls to line up and the boys had to put us in order by reference to our size (fatness not height). I can remember the boys couldn't decide where to place me and another girl and the Science teacher helped them out by pointing out that although we were of a similar broadness my boobs and belly were more prominent than the other girl. I virtually starved myself for the next few weeks and ended up fainting in P.E.

BitOfFun · 17/09/2009 11:41

Madascheese · 17/09/2009 11:43

Don't go to the head, go to the Governors. The head can't side step the issue if the governors are involved.

Outrageous, really disgraceful behaviour by the teacher and I'd be complaining to the Education Authority, DFES and anyone else I could think of.

for your friends DD though, I was overweight at school and its SUCH a big deal at the time, but it too will pass.

xMad

mumsiebumsie · 17/09/2009 11:53

I remember a Science class where we all had to measure the circumference of our heads and mine was the second biggest in the class! A boy drew a picture of me with a little body and huge head and passed it around the class. Still makes me shudder when I think of it .

Not the same as being weighed but can sympathise with the humiliation felt! Would definitely report the incident. You don't publicly weigh teenage girls - everyone knows that.

Mybox · 17/09/2009 11:54

Mzke a complaint here. Bet the teacher didn't weigh herself.

Stigaloid · 17/09/2009 12:05

I was the obese girl at school and suffered many similar stories. Not fun. however whilst your friend can complain to the school, i think she should be more concerned that her daughter is 15 stone and try to tackle this somehow now.

Bathsheba · 17/09/2009 12:14

I can tell you my exact weight at age 8 because we had a similar exercise.

I'm not 38 and can't tell you my weight at many other points in my life.

I was a large child and a large adult and that is utterly utterly humiliating.

There is NOTHING that couldn't have been tought either by weighing other items (if it was a lesson in weighing) or by using the weights of imaginary people if it was a lesson in proporaions or weight etc...there was no need to use the actual weights of the actual class members.

OtterInaSkoda · 17/09/2009 12:18

YANBU! In fact I think you're being quite restrained. What a bloody stupid lesson idea.
Report, report, report.

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