AIBU Whole class punishment - what's the point of them?

[Whitevanmam]

My dd is in year 3 and today they had a substitute teacher who struggled to keep control of the class. She ended by keeping the whole class in 10 minute after home time as a punishment for a few children talking. Threatened to tell all the children's parents how awful they'd been. My dd is a sensitive wee flower and she is very upset - she never talks in class and can't understand why she has been punished for something she didn't do? She said there was only 3 children in the class with manners and the rest of the childen were awful!!!

She has this woman again tomorrow and is completely dreading going to school.

Why do teachers think whole class punishments are fair or appropriate?

They rely on peer pressure of the rest of the class towards the naughty ones, in the hope that the rest of the class will control their behaviour.

Lazy teaching technique of one who isn't in control.

Yep Lazy teaching technique - not. Actually, how often in life does one person get 'rewarded' and the rest of the office get 'punished'? Very rarely

If a business is failing because of one or two, the whole business is punished. Look at bank workers at the minute, I bet lots of them didn't cause the state we are in and yet because of the minority they are all punished.

If ofsted come into a school they don't put in their report 'The Year 2 teacher is brilliant but we're going to put the rest of the school into special measures' - doesn't happen!

It's a way of teaching children that they area team and unfortunately that is for both the nice things and the bad things.

It is still not good practice and should not be encouraged. Speak to the head if it continues to cause your child anxiety.

I bloody hate whole class punishments. DS3 has a new teacher who seems to believe in them - all she's actually achieving is bitter resentment and unhappiness from the kids who normally behave well. The actual troublemakers don't seem to give a shit.

and presumably not just resentment for the children. at that age the majority are probably still being collected and the parents would be none too happy either?

If she does it tomorrow just go into the school and collect her. Say you have somewhere to be and were not made aware of the detention through the appropriate channels.

My dd has just told me there was another incident where the class was talking and she made them sit with their hand up in the air for 6 minutes and whe the six minutes ended she said "I hope that hurt!"

This teacher sounds slightly unhinged.

Whitevanmam, she made them sit with their hand up? That is sadistic and should be reported to the head teacher. There are other more human ways of punishment. This reminds me of the incident (2006 or 2007)in the Russian Army where a solder was forced to squat for several hours by the fellow soldiers. As a result of very poor blood circulation and beating his legs and genitals were amputated. Holding hands up for a long time is also not good. May be next time this teacher will do something else.

I can see this from the supply teacher's perspective (not the 'hands up' bit, I hasten to add ).

Your dd said lots of the class played up. A supply teacher wouldn't know enough names, or specific children to target, to administer individual punishments. She would be forced to punish the whole class, for fear of missing some of the perpetrators. She had to do this for the sake of 'fair' punishment, to the detriment of those children who had been good all the time. She was obviously between a rock and a hard place.

This drives me crazy! I hate it.

DS once had a teacher who did this a lot.

I wonder at what point the children who are well behaved will start being naughty because if their going to get punished anyway whats the point in them being good?

I've done supply and I do think it is a lazy, ineffective and dictatorial technique. They are Y3, most of them are 7.
You should mention your concerns to the school and so they know the teacher struggles and isn't a good choice to have.

I wouldn't be able to let my DD2 stay 10 mins after hometime because I have to shoot off and pick up another DC from another school
How rude to the parents,who the hell does she think she is?

Well it was all sorted out very easily - Head was onto her and had asked her not to come back, my dd had a differ teacher and came home with big smiles. So a happy ending

different teacher