PE teachers - setting the example?

[RachyMumUk]

DD is doing dance in PE (secondary). PE rules state PE kit and bare feet - no problem with that, makes sense and pretty much what we did.

DD is of the view that teacher should also take shoes and socks off to "set the example" - rather than wear trainers. Never even considered that but it did get me wondering.

Should the teacher set the example in this case or is it not an issue? Any experiences?

Sounds to me like you're stirring. No, imo, the same rules do not apply to teachers. Does she have an axe to grind with this teacher?

Not stirring sorry, I thought it was ok to ask for advice and views on here.

No I don't think she has an issue with the teacher - she has never raised it before

Well, I think trainers are probably wrong if the teacher is actually dancing, simply because it's the wrong kind of shoe.

Teachers of any subject do not have the same uniform rules as pupils, so there's no reason to expect one department to follow them.

Non issue.

Swimming teachers don't even get in the water!

The teacher will be demonstrating the moves but not repeating them in a routine, so no, I wouldn't expect them to remove their trainers.

I've asked her.

She says it is all about how the teacher tells them that bare feet are important for safety, ease and quality of movement but then goes to wear trainers to demonstrate (and participate).

The teacher doesn't have to have bare feet.

It's a good observation and point that your DD brought up. I wonder why the teacher doesn't take his/her shoes off. I think the teacher doesn't have to though.

There could be a medical reason why the teacher cannot participate in bare feet.

Swimming teachers don't even get in the water!
I do. Makes it much easier with my non-swimmers and those, who appear to believe that bouncing up and down in the shallow end, while whooshing arms about, is the same as actually swimming. (I'm not teaching by myself, though. There are additional teachers on poolside.)

But no, I don't have bare feet when teaching dance...or gymnastics. I also don't wear school uniform.

Thatssofunny do you find the class object to bare feet in PE? Is there any reason that you don't go barefoot - not saying you are wrong just wondering!

Rachy Mine don't usually object to reasonable requests. They are in bare feet, because that's what we are meant to do. If I had the choice, they'd wear trainers (or gym slippers, which doesn't seem to be a common PE item around here ). Our PE hall is also used for school lunches, so there's sometimes food on the floor...or it's sticky. It's yucky.
I didn't go to school in the UK when I was a child...and it was normal at my school abroad to wear trainers or slippers for PE. We never did PE in bare feet.

Oh how come you don't get the choice Thatsofunny? Isn't it up to the PE teacher? I assume this is secondary you are talking about?

I'm in primary at the moment - Year 6. [smiles] Have taught in middle schools before and it was the same, though. There should be a PE policy in place. I don't think it's up to the PE teacher to add things to the uniform list, particularly if the item is hard to acquire. (Additionally, bare feet for gym and dance appear to be the "normal" thing at British schools, so most PE teachers follow that. The majority won't know anything else.)

I thought bare feet were for safety reasons - do none of the staff in your school go barefoot?

I'm pretty sure that when I was in primary the teachers took off their shoes and socks....

I think KS1 might, but they have PE in the mornings...nobody in KS2 does. I feel sorry enough for the kids when they step in a forgotten pea or carrot.
Bare feet are to allow better movement, and also to avoid children slipping. It's why we used to wear these slipper things, when I was a child. (They simply don't seem to be the norm in the UK.) If you didn't have your slippers, then you went in bare feet. Nobody was terribly keen on that, since our PE hall was absolutely freezing.

It's common practice for even proper specialist dance teachers to wear different shoes to students, even in ballet.

Would the school be amenable to split sole jazz shoes - my dd has to have bare feet for modern & contemporary classes but wore jazz shoes when she had verrucas.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a2365059-To-tell-DD-to-get-over-it-PE-related?msgid=54015585#54015585

Not sure why you've started two threads with the same question ??

However, I'm with the majority. This would receive a raised eyebrow if my dd raised it with me. SUch a non-issues. No point in repeating all the reasons people have already given, but, in the nicest possible way, this is NOT something to get involved in.

Three threads.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2179618-DD-and-PE-lesson-orientated-following-on-from-earlier-thread

Possibly four, as that September thread refers to another one.

I'm a pe teacher, I used to take my shoes and socks off for gym and dance, I did buy myself some ballet pumps to wear but rarely did, I think my lecturers would not be happy if I'd been observed teaching gym or dance in trainers. I think your dd is right (in that teachers should wear correct kit to demonstrate skills etc) but not sure how you solve it?

You and your daughter are a bit obsessed with bare feet for dance aren't you?

Maybe the teacher has terrible athletes' foot.

I would say something v. non-committal to a teen who was bellyaching about this sort of thing