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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

ds's new teacher is an absolute delight! ....not

70 replies

nipersvest · 06/09/2015 11:54

new teacher, only been at the school for a week, has told ds he is not to use his left handed pen (bit of history, ds's writing was bad, we switched to left handed pens last year and his writing improved vastly in both speed and neatness), when he carried on using it, she tore the page out his book and made him start again with a biro.

he got upset about all this, then 'conveniently' begins to complain of earache (her words, not mine), he's then told to stop it otherwise she will send his to the head of ks2.

i went in to see her the next morning and was informed by her all of the above, she didn't wait to hear what i had actually come in to see her about.

what i was actually coming in to say was that we ended up in hospital in the evening, with ds is considerable discomfort having impacted ear wax removed from his left ear.

have a meeting with her next week, how would you play it?, just leave it and move on or have it out with her?

ps ds is in year 6.

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Sirzy · 06/09/2015 12:26

The way she went around it was wrong but does the school normally have a policy of only using certain types of pens? If so had the message been passed on as to why he was using a different pen?

derxa · 06/09/2015 12:30

Biro? Children use handwriting pens in any school I've taught in.
Biros are scratchy. Left-handed pens? What are they? Your son should be using prescibed grips.

Lurkedforever1 · 06/09/2015 12:30

With the pen issue I presume you can diplomatically point out the fact last years teacher didn't have any issue with it, and ask her to explain what problem she foresaw in ds continuing to use them? although possibly wise not to sarcastically thank her for her concern but as he isn't transferring to a 1950's secondary where being left handed isn't allowed it's somewhat misplaced
On the ear trouble, I would diplomatically ask which past behavior of his, either in her class or from past form led her to immediately form the conclusion he was lying. But definitely ask in a concerned parent wanting to find out about their childs attitude, rather than an accusatory, answer me that tone

Original poster

nipersvest · 06/09/2015 12:34

derxa, he has a left handed lamy fountain pen, swan necked pens, etc, we've experimented with most of these

his previous teacher (who is the head of ks2) let him use them last year.

OP posts:

Atathania · 06/09/2015 12:39

I love my Lamy fountain pen. I actually like writing these days.

LookingUpAtTheStars · 06/09/2015 12:46

Handwriting pens and fountain pens were the bane of my life in primary school as a leftie, it is impossible for me to write neatly with one. I was so glad when I got to secondary school and was allowed to use a biro! (No such thing as left handed pens back then).

Although no one warned me I would have to sign the marriage register with a fountain pen when I got married, I couldn't even get the ink to come out and you should see the state of my signature on it!

InimitableJeeves · 06/09/2015 12:49

Did you manage to tell her about the hospital visit? What did she say?

I'd suggest you go to the meeting together but that one of you takes notes. Then type them up immediately and send a copy to her as confirmation. If she is still pushing the pen issue, contact the head of KS2 and the headteacher.

hesterton · 06/09/2015 12:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 06/09/2015 12:57

What Inimitable says.

Minispringroll · 06/09/2015 13:00

I love Lamy fountain pens, have several myself and would much prefer British primary school children to use them,...but hey, it's not my decision. Biro, however, has not been allowed in any of the primary schools I have so far taught in. They get to use them at secondary, but until then, it's usually handwriting pens. Last year, I got some fountain pens to support some of my slightly more "challenged" writers. I like my classes to write in blue ink, but that's merely a personal preference. SATs tend to be done in blue or black ink, although pencil tends to be ok as well. Nobody requires them to use biro in Year 6...
Has your DS done anything to piss her off? What an odd way to start the year. Go to the meeting and ask why she is of the opinion that his educational needs don't need to be met by her. If he is left-handed and used to using left-handed pens, then that's what he should be using. If necessary, involve the head of KS2. If she had sent your DS to he HoKS, what do you think the reaction would have been?

I have to admit, though, I would not have been happy, either, had a pupil ignored my instruction and continued to do as he pleases. I give mine the opportunity to explain themselves and have in the past apologised, if I got the wrong end of the stick, but I don't take kindly to open defiance. Did he have the opportunity to explain why he was using the different pen?
I also rip out pages, if work is below the expected standard. Generally, that happens perhaps once or twice at the beginning of the year. It's usually nothing terribly traumatic for the pupil, since I explain why I'm expecting work to be re-done and why it's easier (and neater) to take the page out. They get it. They might have tried to see how far they can push it...and how little effort they are able to get away with. I've already taught Year 6 for a few years.

Original poster

nipersvest · 06/09/2015 13:10

when i went in to see her, i had no intention of bringing up the pen situation at that point. when i told her about the hospital trip she didn't acknowledge or respond to what i'd said. i was so taken aback by her negativity, i mentioned the pen, she kept talking over me by continually saying 'the pens we are using are universal', which she said about 3 times. her manner was very aggressive.

i don't know if ds has done anything else to warrant this, didn't get chance to ask as she quite clearly was not interested in listening to anything i had to say.

OP posts:

derxa · 06/09/2015 13:10

I stand corrected about left-handed pens. He should be allowed to use whatever makes his handwriting more legible. I have also ripped out pages of work at the beginning of a work book where the pupil has made no effort whatever to be neat.
All in all though the teacher sounds like a bit of a twat.

Original poster

nipersvest · 06/09/2015 13:18

dh feels we won't need to say much in the meeting, his take is get her to explain why he's not allowed to use a left handed pen and her argument will pretty much fall apart by itself, no school would agree to hinder a child in that way during a sats year, they give kids who have handwriting difficulties a member of staff to scribe for them during the sats papers!

on the earache, we will ask what led her to assume ds was faking.

OP posts:

ScentedJasmine · 06/09/2015 13:28

As a parent of a left handed child I would be very cross in your situation.
I would send email before meeting and copy to KS2 Head or Head if more appropriate. List all your concerns....

BertrandRussell · 06/09/2015 13:33

I know it's not relevant- but did you really go to A&E for an earache?

derxa · 06/09/2015 13:35

Although he can have a scribe for SATs his writing (not handwriting) levels are assessed by the teacher over the year therefore his work needs to be legible in most writing (that includes work in topics/RE etc because children have to demonstrate competency in writing across the curriculum).

Auntpetunia2015 · 06/09/2015 13:39

If the head of ks 2 let him use the pens last year, might be worth checking with them if that's changed before speaking to new year yr 6 teacher. And let them know whatthe new one has said/done.

Original poster

nipersvest · 06/09/2015 14:02

bertra, he often suffers with earache, if you want to gory details, here goes...

he actually had a large black lump poking out of his ear canal.

i tried to remove it but he was wincing. so, worried it was attached to the ear drum (dh has had polyps growing through his ear drum in the past), and also at this point, the large black thing looked like it could have been an insect living in his ear (didn't mention that possibility to ds!), i rang 111 for advice. the lady on the phone said she felt ds needed to be seen asap, so made an appointment for us to go to the out of hours emergency doctor at the local hospital.

doctor established lump was hardened wax, quite a large lump, and although it blocked his whole ear canal, it wasn't attached to the ear drum. after some fiddling around, she got it out with tweezers, put it in a specimen jar and its now known as 'waxy'.

so there you go, a bit more to it than simple earache, and no, i didn't rush him straight to a&e with a hurty ear, we only went after medical advice, and because ds was scared his brain was escaping. i didn't got into detail in my op (although i did say he had impacted ear wax removed) because its a bit long winded, and gross, to explain all the above.

OP posts:

Ihateigglepiggle · 06/09/2015 18:11

Nipersvest, normally I read threads with titles like this and end up agreeing with the teacher, but this time I am completely shocked. The teacher sounds ridiculous - who has time to care about pens?! If your DS was doing his work, to the best of his ability, then why should she stand in his way.

You and your Dh sounds so sensible in your approach to the meeting, and I'm sure you will' resolve this problem.

Just be careful as the teacher might be an odd one, and it's not you who has to face them every day - it's your DS. Don't say anything you think he will pay for.

WombatStewForTea · 06/09/2015 18:19

I'm not defending the teacher as obviously non of us were there but it isn't exactly unknown for children who have been told of to mysteriously become ill and then recover. Obviously in your ds's case he wasn't faking but unless he was really upset I wouldn't send him home for complaining of a bit of an ache.
This doesn't of course change the fact that you didn't like how she spoke to you.

Wolfiefan · 06/09/2015 18:28

Earache can be incredibly painful. Poor kid!

I used to teach secondary school English. I used to encourage any student who struggled with writing to experiment with pens. It can make a huge difference. Why on earth do teachers need to prescribe a certain pen? Bonkers!

Original poster

nipersvest · 06/09/2015 19:24

i'm sending dh to the meeting for a second opinion, see if he picks up on the same negative vibes from her towards ds as i did. am aware we want to pour water on this, not fan the flames. i have no wish to challenge her over whether ds should have been sent home or not, its the threatening him with being sent to the head of ks2 for being naughty i wasn't keen on.

ds is now afraid to tell her in the future if he feels ill. maybe one day he'll 'fake' sickness and vomit on her

OP posts:

Ferguson · 06/09/2015 23:40

LookingUpAtTheStars - is that what used to happen in the '80s??

Or the 1880s?!

Original poster

nipersvest · 07/09/2015 08:53

her attitude reminded me when the school went to a place called stibbington, its a working victorian classroom, for the day. they were told then that children who were left handed had their hand tied behind their back to force them to use their right. lefties had the devil in them.

she's probably feeling quite smug, confident that she can across with authority. in reality she came across as a bit of a twat.

meeting is tomorrow after school, will update with outcome.

OP posts:

yeOldeTrout · 07/09/2015 20:25

*biro: there is no universal definition what a biro even is

*that said, biros are banned at DC primary!

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