AIBU?

[mentalmummy]

DD (Y3) has just joined a new poetry club at school and has brought home the poem “Please Mrs Butler” by Allan Ahlberg to learn. I had not heard of it before but a quick google suggests it is a well known (and well loved poem).

I really dislike the poem - which basically says that it is a girl’s responsibility to tolerate/ignore a boy’s bad behaviour and when she asks for help she is likely to be ignored.

I feel this is a really unhelpful message for both boys and girls of this (or frankly any) age.

As it is a new club (last week was the first sesh), I don’t know if they are going to discuss the content, or just learn it (I suspect just learn).

My first instinct is to speak to the teacher and voice my concerns.

AIBU?

xxx

I really wouldn't go in and complain about it. It's a light hearted poem about a teacher who is tired and can't be bothered to sort out too many petty arguments. As long as the school itself has a sensible policy about dealing with interpersonal relations I don't think one lighthearted poem is going to make the slightest bit of difference.

It sounds like a teacher has gone to the effort to set up an enrichment club - most likely in their own time. So YABU to make a fuss.
If you feel strongly about the poem then just take DD out if said club.
This is why teachers are leaving the profession - complaints when they are trying to do something nice 😩

Agree with Beat. I didn't get any negative vib from it. It's the opposite I felt. To stand up and be strong, do something about it, use your imagination to tackle the problem.

I’ve just read the poem and that’s not my take on it at all
We don’t know the narrator is a girl at all and to me the message is “deal with it yourself” rather than put up with it anyway
If you don’t want your child to go to the group then withdraw them but don’t complain, you will look silly

You’ve little do worry about.

Don’t send your dd back to the club if it bothers you that much. She is going to hear a lot worse things in English literature as she works her way through her school career. This is not the hill to die on.

Really?! Or, you could use the opportunity to discuss the issue with your child yourself and give the teacher a break.

Is that what the poem is saying? Isn’t the meaning up for discussion?

I just read it. As far as I can tell it’s about teachers not giving a shit about petty squabbles between children and wanting them to actually sort it out themselves. I have a lot of sympathy for poorMrs Butler.

penny drops sorry op. I just realised you were being ironic.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and taking the time to respond.

We have already discussed the poem and the issues it raises at home, but just wasn’t sure what to do next.

Will bite my lip (but not in a fifty shades way...)

xxx

https://clpe.org.uk/poetryline/poems/please-mrs-butler the author explains the poem in the video ...

So do they just read the poems without discussing what they mean? Surely rhe point would be to do that.

I loved that poem when I was at school. I always imagined every verse was a different child, not necessarily a girl, all complaning about Derek Drew.