punishment at private school

[rawspice]

AIBU to be cross because my dd was punished at her school in such a way that it left her with a blister and cut on her finger and she was understandably distressed?

The teacher had her sharpen pencils for 1 hour as a punishment for using rude language nearly 3 weeks after the incident. She's only 8 years old and maybe I'm overreacting....

I have spoken to the headmistress but she does not feel it is an unreasonale sanction and she claims they only made her do this for 30 minutes, but I cannot see how an 8 year old child can sharpen 36 pencil in 30 minutes - is this even possible????

I know that schools have to have rules but should punishments result in cuts or blisters?

Makes me feel like a basket case!

YABU

I fully expected this thread not to be real.
You are angry because your child had to sharpen pencils? Seriously?

Sorry, I still can't believe this is true.

OP - why didn't you tell us exactly what your dd said, in your original post?

I don't think 'willy' and 'boobs' are that bad - but it is up to the school to decide what language they will and will not allow in the school. Did your dd know ahead of time that these words were not permitted in school? If she didn't, she should have been given a warning first - but if she either knew, or carried on after being warned to stop, then I think the school should sanction her in some way.

When you say that the cut was '...bleeding, deep and still visible 7 days later...' do you mean that it was still bleeding 7 days later? Or that it was deep and bleeding on the day it happened, and hadn't completely healed 7 days later? And has she explained how, exactly, she managed to cut herself so badly on a pencil sharpener? A blister I can believe - as I said, I got a blister from sharpening the classes pencils in ds2's class - but a cut that deep?

What treatment did the cut require? Sutures or steristrips or skin glue?

But rawspice I'm sure they told her off at the time and as you said, it was only delayed because of half term. They are not really "being unreasonable" are they? They have not harmed your DD or treated her unfairly AFAYK. I think better to hold off and hope that your DD never gets into trouble again!

If they had provided a battery operated pencil sharpener then everybody would have been happy because:

1. More pencils would have been sharpened-happy teacher

2.No cuts or blisters.

Battery bliss

I think this whole scenario is total bollocks. Perhaps OP has a pencil fetish?

The point of it being a private school being...?

My DD is 3.5 and she uses the terms boobs and willies. Not all the time though - or in a 'cheeky' way - but more factually IYSWIM along the lines of 'my daddy does a wee out of his willy', 'my mummy has boobs'.

I think it depends on the context, but now I've read this thread I am a bit worried that I am going to have to stop her using the words (which I thought were pretty tame tbh).

I have never ever ever heard such a terrible, appalling and disgusting thing in all my born days. Write to your MP at once.

YABU

This really isn't a wind-up - and I DO think use of these words is not really appropriate but I also know that children do discuss these things so understand that there should be a deterrent to using the language if the school feels its wrong.

The point about saying 'private school' is because they are not regulated in the same way as state schools which have clear guidelines as to sanctions used to deter inappropriate behaviour. Also, I've never heard of sharpening pencils used as a punishment. Normally I would have thought a simple warning or taking away a privilege would be a deterrent enough.

The 'rude' words were not used in classroom and it is the allegation of another child on which the punishment is based and NOT on the teacher actually hearing DD using poor language.

DD attends a number of clubs etc and I have never heard her use this language nor have other parents when she has been over at theirs.

The more i think about it the more I feel that she has been made an example of to deter others.

Her finger was bleeding after the event and the cut was clearly visible 3 days later.

I'd hate for this to happen to another child which is why I feel the school should think more carefully about the sanctions it employs to deter inappropriate behvaviour.

As for the fact that it will stop DD using the words again, the school has no evidence other than the statements of 3 girls who say she used the poor language. 3 more also say they did not hear her say this.

When you say "She had ben found to have used the words willy and boobs", what do you mean?
Had she used them in school or outside of school? If it's the latter, it's none of school's business. If it's the former, then what context did she use them in?
The problem may be more to do with that than her just saying the words.

Oh gosh, you really don't want to let it go?

Seriously.

Let. It. Go.

Shockers - I mean that the school has 'reason to believe' that she has used the words willy and boobs.

Other parents have 'reason to believe' that another child used the words and blammed DD.

Personally, i don't care who used the words but I do think the punishment should fit the crime. This is the first time she has been in trouble at school and I don't think it warrants such a punishment.

What would have been an acceptable punishment then?

Pixieonaleaf - I took her to the nurse straight after school. The nurse had to reapply a plaster 3 days later AGAIN. It was still visible to us 7 days later. Hope that clears it up.

How do you cut yourself paring pencils? Unless you are using a flick-knife?