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Primary education

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Original poster

Teachers and thumb sucking - is this usual?

60 replies

Psipsina · 01/05/2015 09:53

Ds may have got this completely wrong, but he came home yesterday saying that his TA and teacher kept putting white tape around a child's thumb to try and stop him sucking it.

From what he says it was surgical tape, but it was replaced various times during the day. The child didn't seem upset to Ds, which is good.

I suspect it was a strategy suggested by the parents but Ds insisted it wasn't, and it was their own idea, and they wrote in the child's contact book about it.

Just curious to know if this would be considered usual as it seems a bit odd to me, say Ds was correct. I don't intend to do anything about it as I think it's between the other parents and the teachers involved.

OP posts:

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FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 15:39

Faire he is 7. No way I could rely on what he said as accurate, which is why I asked if this is something a school would actually do.

I do have other concerns about the school, yes, but I wasn't saying 'look what they have done to this child'. I was asking whether it is normal for a school to do this as it seemed abnormal to me.

The one post you have selected was not adversarial towards you, Pipbin. You have assumed an awful lot about my intent and accused me of 'sticky beaking' rather unfairly. I have not assumed the school was up to no good. You just want to think I have. I'd far rather they were acting on the parent's request, as that would reassure me.

My user name of the day has no relevance here. For all you know it is ironic, or to do with another thread, or just, you know, completely random.

It makes no difference anyway, given your comments prior to my name change.

Could you not just have taken my question at face value? How does it affect you anyway - I'm not trying to imply that all teachers are rubbish or something, so even if you are a teacher, I'm a bit taken aback that you would be offended by my tone/ what you think I am trying to say.

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 15:42

So in answer to your question, I was after reassurance that schools don't normally act in this way, because I'd find it a bit odd if they did.

My quarrel with the school in other respects is not relevant and I shouldn't have brought it up.

himagain · 04/05/2015 16:35

i doubt if ther is anything in any teaching guidlines that recommends tape on a childs finger it sounds like a lazy and sadistic option for stopping something that all children will eventualy grow out of. to me it shows contempt towards the parents the teacher is sending the message why havent you made youre child grow up yet?

himagain · 04/05/2015 16:47

all them primary teachers hate their job as they are stuck following millions of government directives, their contempt for the system gets taken out on the parents and children and they only get 13 weeks holiday a year so they dont get much time to relax.

himagain · 04/05/2015 16:52

plees dont bi afendid teechurs yoo tawt mi awrite

bobajob · 04/05/2015 16:54

All children don't eventually grow out of thumb sucking.

Floggingmolly · 04/05/2015 16:56

How would your ds know whether it was sanctioned by the child's parents or not???

Olivo · 04/05/2015 17:10

Hmmm, just want to say that not all children grow out of thumb sucking. I have 2 16yo in my class who still do. My DD is 9 and still does, but the braces she is getting v soon will hopefully put a stop to it.. The tape didn't walk for her and school were really supportive.

mrz · 04/05/2015 17:19

My mum still sucked her thumb at age 70 ?? so no it isn't something you just grow out of ... And to be honest some determined thumb suckers aren't put off no matter what!

I have a child in my class who hooks two fingers over his bottom teeth at story time (won't say where hugs other hand is ??)

himagain · 04/05/2015 17:20

dont give schools the benefit of the doubt its your precious child they have in their 'care'.

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 17:24

How would your ds know whether it was sanctioned by the child's parents or not???

My point too - I have no idea why he thinks he knows so much about it, but as he insisted on all this stuff being accurate, I wanted to check out the likelihood.

My initial response to his information was a solid . I still feel that way. He thinks he is right about a lot of things but he isn't always being as smart as he thinks wonder where he gets that from.

himagain · 04/05/2015 17:25

ive just tried sucking my own thumb its brilliant, like comfort eating without the calories!

mrz · 04/05/2015 17:47

In the grand scheme of things does it really matter OP?

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 17:48

Not to you perhaps but it does to me, which is, obviously, why I asked.

There are more important issues in the world at large, naturally.

mrz · 04/05/2015 18:02

I meant to you .... If your child is correct and the teacher put tape on the child's (reason unknown) what impact does that have on you?

mrz · 04/05/2015 18:09

Child's thumb

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 19:01

Oh, I see. I think it matters to me because I would find a teacher deciding to take physical action regarding my child's thumb sucking rather intrusive.

I'd feel it crossed a boundary. And that would make me question whether they were crossing other boundaries too.

iyswim?

Though it's hypothetical as I think the consensus is it's extremely unlikely this was the teacher's idea.

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 19:03

I mean, a child's - not my child's. Same if it were my child, of course, but it wasn't/isn't (he does other strange things, but not the thumb sucking)

mrz · 04/05/2015 19:12

OK if it will put your mind at rest teachers do not routinely put tape on children's thumb. They don't even put sticking plasters on wounds without written consent. Your child is in no danger of random thumb taping.

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 19:14

Fantastic, thank you so much. That was all I really needed to know.

Nowfeeltheneedtopost · 04/05/2015 19:22

OP, why attack Pipbin? I also found your post adversarial and probably answered in a similar tone. Glad you are reassured by Mrz's response. But I'm afraid I still stand by my interpretation of your posts, I.e. That you don't
like the school and were inclined to believe the worst. But from what you now say, you never believed that this would be something the school did on their own initiative so we're all agreeing with each other...

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 19:35

I didn't think I was attacking anyone, I tried to address the points you made as well.

I imagine that the tone of my OP came across as something it wasn't to some of you, though no one seemed very offended initially, and I have sought to explain my motivation and why I may have sounded critical or suspicious of the school - which as I have said, is a separate issue.

You seem unwilling to accept that?

FeckoffandDie · 04/05/2015 19:39

And I didn't say I never believed they did it on their own initiative.

I said that my son had reported something which made it sound as though this was a possibility.

I wanted to check it out. So I asked on here. I was told that this was unlikely, as I had first imagined, which is fine by me.

We have been at this school for three months. I have had very little contact with the teachers and TAs and there have been some issues which have made me uncomfortable.

Therefore yes, I was unsure whether to believe that Ds had got the right end of the stick, and now I realise he probably did not.

WHY is there such a need to pull apart every single word someone writes, efforts to read between the lines - you are suspicious of my motives as much as I was suspicious of the school.

It's so blooming tiring having to answer all this when you actually probably don't care if I am a completely deranged paranoid parent, IRL, as it wouldn't affect you anyway.

It's not AIBU. It was just a question.

himagain · 04/05/2015 19:46

be suspicious of the school u r not a deranged paranoid parent but let me warn you if you challenge them they will mark you and your childs card

himagain · 04/05/2015 19:50

teachers will cross any boundaries that make their job easier

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