Schools!

[Stonehead]

The oldest went off to school day, really chuffed because he had a special lunch and something really interesting for show and tell.

He came home crushed because his sandwich wasn't healthy enough with Health Week coming up and his item for show and tell was banned because it was "greasy and disgusting".

Now, if this was a one-off I'd be a bit annoyed, but this sort of petty game playing goes on all the time.

First, his sandwich. Usually, he gets a cold meat sandwich two days a week, a cheese and chutney one day, an egg and chive or egg and sauce one day, and a picnic lunch one day (cold meat, boiled egg, pickles etc). He also has an apple or a banana to go with the sandwich.

But last night we had pork chops with fried potatoes, and as there were some left over potatoes he got them on his sandwich today, with sauce and salami, as a treat. Now, when he eats lunch he is surrounded by children eating chocolate spread sandwiches, jam sandwiches, pizza, sausage and chips, etc.

So, why is he being told today that his sandwich is not healthy?

Second, the show and tell. He took in a 1950s Lister oil can that I'd spent an hour degreasing, cleaning with wheel cleaner and then washed with kitchen detergent. I wrapped it in a cloth and then in a plastic bag.

He was absolutely buzzing with being able to tell people that it was a 55-year-old oil can, that it came with a Lister engine, that farmers used to use Listers to make electricity, that his Pa was going to use oil from chippies in the Lister to make electricity and that it was because we like green power. He was also planning to tell the class about the "solar panel that uses the sun to make my bath water hot".

However, his teacher told him the oil can was "greasy and disgusting" and he'd used up his last chance for a show and tell.

How petty is that?

Still, he did make me laugh when he described his teacher as getting so mad that "her ears turned red and I thought they were going to smoke"...

Anyway, I just had to get that off my chest! We have lots of run ins with the school and I suspect he's getting flak as a way of having a go at us. I hope I'm wrong, but...

Stonehead

[glenniedragon]

Poor little fella! I would love to hear his talk about his oil can and how electricity can be made from chip oil. I've had a couple of teeth gnashing moments recently at my son's school- I was told that his packed lunch was unhealthy as he had, wait for it, a kit kat in it-nay cannot be so chocolate in THIS school- they tried to make me feel like a really inadequate parent intent on giving my son coronary heart disease, good job I don't tell them how they should be teaching as there are some changes I can tell you. One teaching assistant went into the loo and pulled my son off the toilet as he 'had long enough' I was outraged! how dare they say how long you are allowed on the loo, they'll be allocating sheets of toilet paper next. Fizz, smoke, fume

We have to hope our kids are going to turn out better because we are revolting (in a revolutionary sense rater than repugnance!)

kind thougts
Deb

[Stonehead]

Poor little fella! I would love to hear his talk about his oil can and how electricity can be made from chip oil.

I still have a camcorder and a few bits from my media days, so I'm going to make a short docu-film with him as the narrator, convert it to MPEG and then put it on my blog. That should cheer him up no end.

Stonehead

[Shirley]

Stoney

I'm gobsmacked!! TOTALLY.... I would have loved to have had that sandwich... damn sight better than a chocolate spread/jam piece!!!!

As for the oil can.... I'd love to hear the story he had to tell... do you think he'll bring it to the roup on Sat and tell me all about it?? I'm amazed at the reaction to a piece of history that is particularly relevent to a RURAL area such as ours.

Sad to think that school might be having a go at you via your son... sadly... it does happen and I've been on the receiving end too.

I'm really concerned about this sort of treatment in schools.... as I've said before, I'm considering the home schooling... but perhaps if there are a few likeminded people in the area we could set up some kind of alternative school... there was an article about it in the green parent magazine recently (have u seen that mag?? I can lend you a copy to read if you like?!) - it's a good job he's got supportive parents as the kind of attitude he's experiencing at school (that place that is supposed to help set you up for life!) will knock his confidence big time.

Big hugs to your little man... he's a star for coming up with that description of Mrs Angry Teacher - silly woman!!! LOL

[Stonehead]

Do you think he'll bring it to the roup on Sat

Just an aside - whenever I hear the locals talking about a roup (Scots for an auction to those not in the know) I always have a laugh. To me, roup is a really disgusting disease of chickens that often results in discharges from the beak and eyes as well as making them go hoarse.

Stonehead

[ina]

Have you tried talking to that teacher directly? Don't know whether it would achieve anything, or whether it might even make them pick on your son more, but I don't think they should get away with this kind of attitude. (Says she, who has no children and never will have to face this kind of problem... Sorry.)

[Magpie]

And people have to ask me why I choose not to send my children to school...

[The Chili Monster]

Stonehead,
It seems to me that your lifestyle choice throws up plenty of learning opportunities for the pupils at your son's school, and that the teacher is perhaps overlooking potential teaching resources.

Take a look at this document:

http://www.forest-education.org/curriculum/index.htm

It relates specifically to the scottish school system. Perhaps you could show this teacher a few pointers?

If you're not making headway with the class teacher then perhaps a word with the Head? If all else fails, make your feeling known to the Inspection Team the next time they visit the school ... they take a dim view of complaints or better still become a school governor (at least you'll have some say in teacher appointments).

[Stonehead]

Have you tried talking to that teacher directly? Don't know whether it would achieve anything, or whether it might even make them pick on your son more, but I don't think they should get away with this kind of attitude. (Says she, who has no children and never will have to face this kind of problem... Sorry.)

Yes, on a number of occasions and also to the head. But to give you an example, the school and many of the teachers are very Church of Scotland with lots of praying, singing hymns, grace at lunch etc.

We, on the other hand, want F to have a broad grounding in religion and philosophy but without being indoctrinated in one particular faith. My family has experienced a lot of violent sectarianism, bigotry and state-sanctioned persecution over the generations. The OH's family has also had its share of sectarianism.

So, I had to go in to school and explain our decision to the head. Her comment was: "Oh yes, your wife's Irish isn't she?" This was based on nothing more than the OH's last name and is actually very far from the mark.

I'm at the point now where I have to refrain from going to parents' evenings, because I will tell them exactly what I think, completely demolish their lame arguments and start all-out war.

Stonehead

PS It does make life difficult for the OH as she is a teacher herself! Secondary though.
[/i]

[Stonehead]

If all else fails, make your feeling known to the Inspection Team the next time they visit the school ... they take a dim view of complaints or better still become a school governor (at least you'll have some say in teacher appointments).

The school is highly regarded by HMI. Many parents here were taught by the current head and in many cases their parents as well. So, everyone goes along with it - after all, there's only trouble if you stick your head up.

I did consider becoming a governor - not least because the school website said they were short - but the head told me there were no vacancies. Funny that!

Stonehead

[ina]

Sorry to hear that this kind of attitude still exists. And they are always on about free choice... I suppose all other schools are too far away?

[albert onglebod]

This was the reason(well one of them) that we took our two out.
DD was definitely victimised by one lady teacher and it was worse after OH spoke to the head. DS was openly goaded by the male teacher he had in one year and lucky old him,he ended up being put into that mans class for a second year.
I dont know if its the same in secondary school but many infants and primary school teachers have no idea how to treat children and cannot relate to them at all.
As for his packed lunch being unhealthy, I wonder what the state of the school lunches are where he goes to school? When mine went,the lunches were ridiculous ,things like pizza and chips with treacle tart for after(nearly all carbohydrate and no veg or fruit) and tiny amounts.

[Stonehead]

As for his packed lunch being unhealthy, I wonder what the state of the school lunches are where he goes to school? When mine went,the lunches were ridiculous ,things like pizza and chips with treacle tart for after(nearly all carbohydrate and no veg or fruit) and tiny amounts.

For health week, a note has been sent home saying the children should take in a healthy snack during the week (what about the rest of the time?) and that they will be learning how to make healthy pizza.

With the latter, you can bet they're not talking home-made pizza dough with a tomato sauce made with your own tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic and pepper, then just one or two fresh toppings. That's the pizza that F makes with me from time to time.

Fortunately, there's a programme on TV that we're all happy for him to watch and it reinforces his eating habits no end. It's called Lazy Town and the hero, Sporticus, eats lots of fresh fruit and veg with the baddie, Robby Rotten, eats junk food and trys to get the kids to eat the same as him. F thinks Sporticus is really cool and when challenged about his food likes to say "It's what Sporticus eats".

Oh, and both the boys are garden grazers! They help in the vegetable patch all the time and can be almost as bad as rabbits as they munch their way through cabbages, lettuces, carrots, chives, strawberries, plums, radishes, peas, beans and more. F's favourite is purple sprouting broccoli, D's is chives.

Stonehead

[The Chili Monster]

Stonehead wrote:

For health week, a note has been sent home saying the children should take in a healthy snack during the week (what about the rest of the time?) and that they will be learning how to make healthy pizza.

How about posting a copy of this note on your website, together with the school's email address, and let us bombard the Head with healthy meal suggestions.

[Ermintrude]

I found this thread really interesting. I'm a mother of a primary aged child and a toddler and I'm also an ex-Secondary school teacher. I think the kind of primary education a child receives is often down to the quality of the teacher. My eldest girl's current teacher is an NQT and full of entusiasm and vigour. She does Bollywood dancing with them and shows them clips of Bollywood films, she's green and has set of various recycling bins around the class and is encouraging the kids to pick up litter on the way home from school to put in the recycling bins. The class is noisy and the children can be silly but my daughter thinks she's great! I would rather have her than the horrible "red eared teacher" previously mentioned any day.

Bottom line is this. As a parent and a teacher I respect any parent's right to pull their child out of mainstream education if the child is finding the experience difficult, stiffling, depressing etc...Sometimes though it takes something horrible to happen (bullying) for parents to finally take the plunge.

Also, I would love to home-educate my eldest, but she enjoys school and I think to myself would I be home educating for her benefit or my own? I love holidays when they are both with me and we can do our own thing and I love teaching - but most of all I love teaching my own kids. Would home education be a selfish act on my part?