Being kept in at playtime to finish work (yr1)

[OhHowMarvellous]

Just been told by ds that he was ticked off today for not finishing his work. Apparently he was crying when he came out of school (my mother got him today) and said the teacher was cross and I asked him what happened.

He said he was drawing a dot-to-dot thing for his friend, and she was drawing him one, insted of doing their set work, which was to write a bit and draw a picture (not sure what about/of, he has forgotten!)

So he said the teacher and the TA both told him off and said he would have to finish the work tomorrow instead of going out to play.

I just wondered if this is usual, he is 5 and if ever a little boy needed playtimes it's this one

He's like a puppy. He'll go nuts and be very upset if he can't go out and wreak havoc - he's just started there too and building friendships. I don't think he realises what it'll be like being stuck in while his friends go out to play.

Totally agree with sunnygirl re backing up the school. It is extremely hard for a teacher with 30 children in a class and when a parent decides that their poor child doesn't deserve the tiny bit of punishment administered, well, it doesn't help the child or the school does it? I would tell DD1 (yr 1) that the reason she was punished is because she wasn't behaving appropriately in class. If he is slow, having to do the work at playtime will help him more than letting it go. The teacher is only trying to help him.

dottoressa - 10 in a class is a different ball game to 30!

I honestly think a Yr1 ought to be able to understand this sort of consequence. True, it would be better at this age to have the consequence sooner (ie the same day's playtime, not deferred) though if it was in the afternoon session that wouldn't be possible.

He needs to start learning soon that lessons are for doing what teacher says, not his own sweet thing. I know he's your PFB, but at some point he has to learn, doesn't he? Else he'll be disrupting other children too. [my own PFB used to get quite cross when she had to sit next to the ones who didn't get on with what they were meant to be doing]

Poor lamb...but he isn't a puppy or a baby any more.

I would be happy if this was in place for my youngest (age 6) as he is such a messer about and it is very hard to get him to concentrate on finishing a task.

His mind wanders all over the place.

Dotoressa - I helped out in ds2's class when he was in Year 2. Now I know that I'm not a trained teacher, but I am intelligent, observant and educated, but I found it hard to keep tabs on what the 8 children I was supervising were doing.

Whilst my attention was on one child who needed help, others would charge ahead with the work, not necessarily following the teacher's instructions - and then whilst I sorted out what they'd done, the same thing could be happening on the other side of the table.

Believe me, it's no easy job to keep a group of children on task - and the OP's child was sitting at his table busy with paper and pencil - and that might well have passed under the teacher's radar initially, in a way that overtly disruptive behaviour wouldn't.

And I'm honestly not saying this to have a go at you, dotoressa - more to show from experience how trying to keep 30 children doing what they should be doing is akin to knitting fog!! Teachers have my great respect.

Thanks everyone.

Don't get me wrong, I'll of course back the teacher on this - I said something like 'Oh ds, that's a pain isn't it? Perhaps it would be better to get your work finished before you start to do other stuff'.

But something about it just feels sad. I suppose the whole ethic of school and making especially little boys sit down and do 'work' when they have other, exciting things on their minds, seems a bit wrong.
But if we subscribe to the school we must respect its protocols otherwise it's going to make things impossible for the teachers and class to function.

Also of course joining the dots has been an integral part of most of the 'work' books we've ever done at home, so he probably thinks it's all educational - which I actually agree it is! Goodness knows his coordination needs improving as much as his writing

Oh and btw...it was Beatrice who started it

I do understand how you feel, OHM - ds1 has struggled with concentration all his school career, and his organisational skills are still virtually nil (unless he's organising a trip to a skate park with his cycling mates). He still forgets homework and has even had detention for it - he's 15, btw.

His worst incident was managing to go through a whole year of biology (in effect, one whole term, as they did a different science each term) with virtually nothing in his exercise book. His teacher had tried to chase it up, but hadn't followed through on this, and I was totally unaware, as I hadn't seen his book. The next year, his new teacher, the head of science, leapt on this at once, and told ds1 he could either come to school in half term to copy up the work under his supervision, or could have successive after-school detentions until the copying was done.

Dh and I decided it would bring the lesson home best to ds1 if he missed some of his holiday, so he spent nearly 3 days in school, copying up biology notes.

His brothers are also not good at remembering homework - ds2 has spent some lunchtimes collecting rubbish round school as a punishment, and ds3 has had to lose his breaktimes to do his homework.

To be honest, sometimes I despair - I've made out homework schedules, interrogated them each day about homework, nagged them about getting their bags ready for school the night before - I've even made ds2 pack his bag in front of me whilst I've checked he's got everything he needs - but they are still not terribly well organised - perhaps it's a boy thing.

I would of course back any teacher up (even if not in my own head). I have great respect for my son's teacher, and she only has ten of them to deal with; heaven help a teacher who has 30!

I suppose I just generally feel it's sad that, at the age of five, children spend so much time in classrooms and so little time playing outside... and boys particularly need outside play so very much...

At the primary school my children used to attend, they changed the morning drop-off policy so that the parents dropped the children at the gates, which were manned by a member of staff, so the children couldn't get back out.

In part, this was a safety measure - with only the pupils in the playground, the staff on duty could easily see an adult who wasn't supposed to be there, but another big reason was to allow the children more space to run round in before school started - without the playground being full of adults, buggies and younger siblings. The children certainly appreciated this.

That's a nice idea, SSG. My DC's school has a number of playgrounds; one of them is in effect set aside for this purpose in the morning. It means that those who want ten minutes of running around before school can have it. For my DS, it's great - especially following a brisk 15-minute walk!

as a teacher of little children, you have to try out different systems to keep children on task. One size does not fit all.
May be she had tried other options with your Ds and wanted to see if this would help. I suspect if it doesn't have an effect on him she will probably think of something else. I keep children in for part of their break occassionally! I balance this by rewarding children who are on task and get their work done with a bit of extra play in the classroom letting them get the lego out or the cars while their peers finish off. It works a treat!
on the positive side I have no complaints from parents (although what they say privately could be another matter..) Mostly they are happy that their child is in a well controlled class with a teacher that has high expectations.
Recently i was off sick for a day and a fellow teacher took my class and she made a point of saying how impressed she was that my children all got to work straight away at their tables, and were on task and finished the work no problem. And reading this thread i thought yes because they want to get their work done and go out for All of their play!

If you really think that your DS does not understand why then i can see how it might seem a bit unfair but if she is a skilled teacher she will spend time explaining why he has to miss a bit of his play to him.

If you are really concerned, I am sure your DS teacher would be happy to discuss the issue. Remember you have only heard one side of it from your young child. Maybe you could get the whole picture from the teacher? . But it would seem that this is a bit of a one - off consequence so may be you should just wait and see if it going to be used as a reqular consequence?

Now without my teacher hat on and being a mummy to a similiar age child. it is always difficult if your child is upset and i don't always agree with how my own children are dealt with! School is such an emotive subject.

I think that you have done the right thing coming on here and reading through the post, it will give you time to decide what to do. But you know you child best and as a teacher i would always recognise that.
hope this helps

Hi Bella, that's a really helpful post - thankyou so much.

It's true that hearing both sides would be helpful - ds although a lovely little boy, is not always able (or dare I say willing!) to describe events accurately, and often I seem to hear stories I think sound shocking only to find that things are Not As They Seem!

He did cry a little this morning and didn't want to go in, until I started chucking a plastic sheep round the room while pretending to shoot it mid-air, which had him in fits - then tried to stuff the sheep in his book bag, with a serious face, and instructions to have no fear as there was a secret sheep in his bag, but he refused for some reason! He was laughing a lot by then. It's true about joking a boy out of being upset, it really works

Thanks again for all your posts. Btw he said he did have to stay in for a few minutes but he finished the work really quickly and still got some playtime - phew!

Oh tis me btw

I use a similar 'punishment' at home for dd[5].

She has a set time in the evening for tidying her room. A few days ago I caught her reading instead.

So she lost story time that night before bed, in order to tidy her room. She liked it not one bit, but it taught her that tidying at tidy time = a story at story time.

I think the teacher has implimented a fair punishment & as other said, it will be a token amount of time & he will be out with his friends in the yard in no time, lesson learnt.