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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

DD's teacher threw something of hers in the bin

73 replies

QueenOfFeckingEverything · 07/10/2011 16:22

DD (8) started crying on the way home today - she said she'd been in trouble at school (which is unheard of for her).

After some coaxing the story came out that DD had taken a handmade bracelet to school, so she could show it to a friend. It had come slightly unravelled at one end and so while the teacher was calling the register before lessons started, DD was replaiting it. The teacher took it off her and threw it in the bin.

Now, before anyone shoots me down for undermining the teacher, all I have said to DD on the subject is that it shouldn't have been at school and it definitely shouldn't have been on her desk.

I can't help feel a bit annoyed though tbh. I agree it should not have been out during school time, and I agree that the teacher was right to take it away from her and not return it during school time. In fact, I'd fully support the teacher if she decided to only return confiscated items at the end of the week or even term.

But to permanently dispose of children's belongings seems unfair and not really acceptable. What does anyone else think?

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BridgetBust · 07/10/2011 16:30

The teacher was out of line. Some of them think that children are lesser beings.

Bunsouttheoven · 07/10/2011 16:43

Of course she shouldn't have binned it. How mean. Fair enough take it away & return it at the end of the day with a stern word if really necessary.

reallytired · 07/10/2011 16:52

It is a hard punishment, but not completely undeserved. Your daughter should not be making bracelets in lesson time. She CHOOSE to break the rules and lost her bracelet as a consequence. Its not as if the bracelet is made of precious gold or irreplacible.

Tell your dd to make another and not to take it to school.

Original poster

QueenOfFeckingEverything · 07/10/2011 16:54

I thought it was disproportionate and frankly outwith the teacher's authority, but wasn't sure if I was being a bit PFB.

Don't get me wrong, I think it should have been taken away from her and returned at the end of the day/week/term. But not binned.

Next question is do I say anything?

OP posts:

NotMostPeople · 07/10/2011 16:54

I'd call the school now and explain to the secretary that you completely understand that dd shouldn't have this bracelet at school, but could someone fish it out of the bin please.

Original poster

QueenOfFeckingEverything · 07/10/2011 16:55

See reallytired, I sort of agree, and like I said I do think she deserved to have it confiscated, but not binned.

But then where do we draw the line? What is ok for a teacher to bin and what isn't? Who decides?

OP posts:

mustdash · 07/10/2011 16:58

Teacher shouldn't bin anything that belongs to someone else. Not in Secondary, and certainly not in Primary.

A quick call to school before the bins are emptied would sort the immediate problem.

LoveInAColdClimate · 07/10/2011 16:58

I agree that this was disproportionate and disrespectful.

babycham42 · 07/10/2011 17:00

I would be annoyed at this.It is not acceptable for someone in a position of authority to decide to dispose of someone else"s property.

sarah1002 · 07/10/2011 17:01

Try and get it back tonight or it's gone.

Who's to say it's not irreplaceable? Are precious metals the only thing that has any value? Yikes.

hocuspontas · 07/10/2011 17:03

I think I'd contact teacher and say that dd had said she(teacher) had thrown the bracelet in the bin and you were convinced that that couldn't possibly be so and ask her to explain what really happened.

thisisyesterday · 07/10/2011 17:05

totally out of order if it did get thrown in the bin.

teacher has no right at all to bin anyone else's stuff.

mrz · 07/10/2011 17:09

She probably didn't realise it was a handmade bracelet if it was coming apart and thought your daughter was playing with threads.

Iggi999 · 07/10/2011 17:10

I regularly bin sweets, fizzy juice bottles, and elastic bands I have taken from children (ie they have them out in class, if out of sight I would not care).
They are at liberty to remove them from bin when they leave if they wish. I wouldn't bin a bracelet.

Lougle · 07/10/2011 17:13

"They are at liberty to remove them from bin when they leave if they wish."

Really, Iggi? Do you think an 8 year old would have the confidence to remove something from the bin that a teacher had put there?

babycham42 · 07/10/2011 17:13

hocus that really is a commonsense idea!

babycham42 · 07/10/2011 17:15

I don"t know if that came out wrong hocus.I meant that is a really good way to approach it

Iggi999 · 07/10/2011 17:16

I am just speaking for myself, I don't teach 8 year olds. I have said I wouldn't have done what the teacher in the op did.
I think losing your sweets is the price you pay for eating them in class.

mrz · 07/10/2011 17:16

I usually put items that are being played/ fiddled with in class on a high shelf until home time when they are returned (unless I forget )

ShroudOfHamsters · 07/10/2011 17:18

'I think I'd contact teacher and say that dd had said she(teacher) had thrown the bracelet in the bin and you were convinced that that couldn't possibly be so and ask her to explain what really happened.'

-yes this

'I told DD that of course a teacher couldn't throw away someone else's property, as that would actually be stealing! - but that of course she was right to confiscate it until after school. Could we clear this up, please?'

Original poster

QueenOfFeckingEverything · 07/10/2011 17:22

Hmm, I like that and will give it a go.

But she will probably give me the brush off - I had cause to raise an issue with her last year and she did that annoying thing where she kept repeating a clearly pre-prepared answer to a question I hadn't asked, whilst carefully ignoring my actual point.

Or she will tell me she thought it was rubbish (which she cannot possibly have done, but you can't exactly prove otherwise!).

OP posts:

babycham42 · 07/10/2011 17:34

I feel so sorry for your DD.Like you say,she"s not normally in trouble and she seems so upset about this.It"s a very hard way to learn.

I wouldn"t say too much about it at home so she doesn"t pick up on the vibes as it"d be such a shame if this taints what should be a lovely experience of school at this age.

StewieGriffinsMom · 07/10/2011 17:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

QueenOfFeckingEverything · 07/10/2011 17:42

Oh I won't be saying anything else to DD, I do generally feel that parents should not undermine teachers.

OP posts:

DownbytheRiverside · 07/10/2011 17:59

The teacher shouldn't throw away a child's possession. Confiscate yes.
But I have a class of fiddlers and twiddlers, and when mrz posted:

'She probably didn't realise it was a handmade bracelet if it was coming apart and thought your daughter was playing with threads.'

that's exactly what I thought. My lot do it regularly, with all sorts of bits.
Like SGM said, polite first, then...

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