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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

Teachers; how would you deal with 9 year old boy drawing boobs on a mermaid?

103 replies

DrNortherner · 07/12/2011 16:33

Ds's school have a red and yellow card system. Usually give 2 warnings, then a yellow, then a red. Teacher writes reason on the card, parent signs an sends it back to school.

Ds gutted he got a red card. Teacher wrote "ds defaced someone else's work"

I was as it sounds terrible. However, upon investigation it became clear that lunchtime play was stopped today due to bad weather, they stayed in the classroom watching a DVD and colouring in/doodling. A girl on ds's table was colouring a mermaid, ds drew boobs on the mermaid, teacher came in and saw the boobs and asked who did it. Ds admitted. She dished out the red card.

I feel a bit miffed that her description on the card leads you to believe he actually defaced someones hard work during a lesson, when in fact during unsupervised DVD watching he drew a pair of boobs on a mermaid. I think 'that's a bit rude' chat would have sufficed, or am I wrong?

I would appreciate opinions please.

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cory · 07/12/2011 16:35

Was the girl working hard and taking pride in her colouring? This is possible even during DVD time. I would have been just as upset if it had happened to me during a lunchtime session; in my school that was a form of bullying and I don't see why it would matter less at lunchtime.

Hullygully · 07/12/2011 16:35

I agree with you.

Hullygully · 07/12/2011 16:36

you=op

mumblechum1 · 07/12/2011 16:37

Overkill on the teacher's part imo.

I don't see how it's bullying tbh, it's just the sort of dumb thing small boys do, without any malice.

rabbitstew · 07/12/2011 16:37

??? If the girl didn't want him or ask him to draw boobs on her mermaid, then he should be told off for doing it. If it had been his own drawing that's another matter - I don't see why a female mermaid shouldn't have breasts - but it wasn't, so he should have left her picture alone.

mumblechum1 · 07/12/2011 16:38

I', not a teacher though.

witchwithallthetrimmings · 07/12/2011 16:38

at this age, i would probably treat the addition of boobs in the same ways as if he had given her glasses or black teeth. Its not that it is sexual but that it was someones work that she had put a lot of effort into.

cory · 07/12/2011 16:39

I'd want to know more about the circumstances though. I don't think it matters that they were boobs, but if he did it to tease her and she was upset then I think he does need a talking to. And getting a red card doesn't seem a horribly draconian punishment.

rabbitstew · 07/12/2011 16:40

ps why did he go straight to the red card, though? Had he already had a couple of warnings and a yellow card for bad behaviour that day?

Original poster

DrNortherner · 07/12/2011 16:40

bullying?! I don't think so. The girl is question is a good friend of ds's and she was not at all upset by it.

OP posts:

Original poster

DrNortherner · 07/12/2011 16:41

Not sure why he went straight to red card, need to ask this. From what I can gather the teacher is an NQT and dishes reds/yellows out quite often.

His actual class teacher has been off for 3 weeks and lots of supply teachers in and out.

OP posts:

cory · 07/12/2011 16:42

I do remember at that age never being allowed to do anything in peace because of two boys in the class who were always at me, definitely with a view to upsetting me. Scribbling on my drawings would have been exactly their idea of fun.

A 9yo is hardly such a small boy that he can't control his urges to scribble on other people's drawings- we are not talking Reception here.

TheFallenMadonna · 07/12/2011 16:42

My DD would be livid if someone did this to her drawing.

Malice - probably not. But thoughtless and needing to be addressed.

rabbitstew · 07/12/2011 16:42

Well, I think a mermaid would look a bit silly without breasts.

SandStorm · 07/12/2011 16:42

I think it would need to be dealt with but I would also ask what happened to the system of warnings - yellow - red. Either the teacher seems to have jumped straight to red or you're not getting the whole story.

SolidGoldVampireBat · 07/12/2011 16:43

Hmm. Depends if the teacher is punishing him for scribbling on someone else's work ie upsetting the girl who drew the original picture, or if she wants to punish him for being aware that boobs exist. The former is fair enough, the latter is not reasonable.

grubbalo · 07/12/2011 16:43

I think it's really hard to comment without knowing the whole situation / history - has he done that sort of thing before, has he had problems with that girl before etc.

IMO there is a world of difference between a situation where he did it to a girl who he doesn't like when she'd been colouring it in for ages and was proud of it, and doing it to a girl he is friends with who found it all a bit of a giggle. I suppose what I'm trying to say is the difference between malice and a joke IYSWIM!

ChippingInNeedsSleep · 07/12/2011 16:44

It would depend on if the girl was upset that her work had been spoilt or not. If she wasn't I'd ignore it. If she was a bit annoyed I'd have told him off for spoiling her work and if she was completely heartbroken I'd have gone for the yellow card.

The red card is a complete over-reaction. Fair enough if it had been something she'd been working on all week or something.

I suppose the crime is the same in any of those instances - but I'm a bit swayed by the level of upset caused.

ASuitableGirl · 07/12/2011 16:45

Was it specifically because they were breasts or because he drew on someone else's drawing?

grubbalo · 07/12/2011 16:45

Ok cross posts op - if it's a friend who wasn't upset, then yes agree overreaction!

Original poster

DrNortherner · 07/12/2011 16:45

Never any problems with this girl before. She is a pal. He has NEVER done this before. He has had yellow cards before, his thing is not listening/chatting too much though.

OP posts:

ChippingInNeedsSleep · 07/12/2011 16:47

Oh - so what you are saying is that he was punished for drawing boobs not for defacing her work? If that's the case I'd be having a few words with her myself and giving her a red card. Silly mare. Mermaids/women have boobs.

Original poster

DrNortherner · 07/12/2011 16:47

The card says "defacing someone else's work"......

I could text the girls Mum and ask if dd was upset about my ds drawing tits on her mermaid......

OP posts:

cory · 07/12/2011 16:47

Just seen she was not upset, in that case I think the teacher overreacted.

Floggingmolly · 07/12/2011 16:48

Telling off, yes. Red card, no. Total over reaction. Was this the whole story, though, or was this incident the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak?

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