Whole Class Detentions

[rockyracoon]

My daughter was crying this morning not wanting to go to school, one of her teachers (lesson is today) keeps threatening the whole class with a detention because of a handful of pupils that keep talking. She doesn't want me to ring the school (I am ringing) incase it causes problems for her but I'm don't see why she should be punished for something other kids are doing.

Any teachers/exteachers on here that see the merits of whole class detentions cos from where I'm sitting all I see are a bunch of kids being punished for nothing.

[Sqad]

rocky....my post will be have little value to you as i am not or never have been (except one year teaching Anatomy), but I cannot see an advantage in punishing the whole class for the activities of a disruptive few.

In my days, one was never faced with this dilemma, as the perpetrator was hauled out in front of the class and caned.

Seemed to work...........but of course being successful, it had to be changed.

One system with occasional misuse was exchanged for another system with certain misuses...............

I agree....I can see little merits in detaining the whole class.

[sherrardk]

I never gave detentions, always seemed to be a bugger punishment for me than the kids (used to have take headteacher's detention after school on a Friday - I bitched about it more than the kids did). I suspect this teacher doesn't know how to handle the troublemakers so is hoping that they will now to peer pressure. Hope you get it sorted out.

[rockyracoon]

Thanks for your input sqad. I'm not one to ring the school but I do feel this needs addressing.

[naomi24]

The teacher is relying on peer pressure to control the trouble-makers.

[factor-fiction]

I have never issued a whole class detention but I can see that they could be effective if the result is that peer pressure will deter the culprits in future. Sometimes with constant low level disruption it's very difficult to pin down exactly who is causing the problems and if a teacher does select maybe just four or five students for detention he/she will probably get complaints from the parents that it wasn't their child who was at fault.
I still wouldn't do it as i think the cons outweigh the pros, but that's just my style.

[Tilly2]

The teacher needs some training in classroom management. Keeping the whole class in willbe counter productive, just building up resentment and thus causing further behavioural problems.

[factor-fiction]

I agree with sherrardk about detentions. It caused more disruption for me than them. If I issued detentions I had to write/ring home giving appropriate notice; there would often be an excuse given about why he/she couldn't do that night so i'd have to spread them over several evenings; invariably the students wouldn't turn up so I'd have to sit there for a bit just in case they came late then I'd ring home and rearrange it (maybe an hour instead of half an hour now); and then the same thing would happen again...

[Prudie]

As a pupil I got whole class detentions, we thought it was unfair but part of school life. As a teacher I wasn't allowed to ever give detentions. I agree completely with other's views on the teacher's motive and feel a bit sorry for the teacher. There's not much available to them nowadays to help with control.

[Peter Pedant]

Rocky....my post will be have little value to you as I am not or never have been punished (except by having to do one year's Anatomy) - blimey the London hospitals have some little b's in their Anatomy departments
and that perhaps was enough for a life time....

Oh yeah and one demonstrator used to do class punishments....
by lecturing to us all ! ! - every week for a year

actually we had class punishments at skool in real life and it just bonded us together...

Hahahaha there is a obit (I am not suggesting the class 'punition' will kill the child ) but a gentle child at a class skool like Winchester went to the Head and said he would take responsibility as it offended him so much to see a class punishment - and the Head let them all off ! SIlver tongues huh ? he probably used "chrysostom"

Hahahahah I did that when I was ten and Miss Olga brennan smith - later fired for not having a degree and saying she did - said Oh there were so few of you and there was so much noise I think you should all have double punishment, dont you ?

Blimey that taught us to own up !

Goood Luck anyway - if your daughter doesnt want you to intervene dont - she may wish to get through this herself with your support

[Peter Pedant]

.

Sherr ' you seem to have gone to a worse skool than I did

[but mine's been in the News recently....and not for excellent A levels if you get my meaning]

[Sqad]

PP

\\\\..my post will be have little value to you as i am not or never have been (except one year teaching Anatomy),\\

I missed out " a teacher" at the end of the above......sorry that i mislead you.

[tonyav]

Used to happen when I was at secondary school, I'm not saying that it's the right thing though.

[weecalf]

The teacher is in a difficult position here to and I agree with naomi 24.She could be relying on peer pressure . This can result in some cases of revenge because kids are being denied because of the actions of others .Things like this have a habit of sorting them selves out .No doubt some other parent are thinking along the lines you are .You could raise this with the school at interview time .So I would not ring the school if the child is concerned about you doing so .

[FredPuli43]

Ah, the good old days ! A friend's father was at a public school where they had "Officer Training Corps", a system of having all the older boys given training in the Army, as cadets. His and another school went on a field day. As his school's train pulled out of the station, a shot rang out, and one of the other school's cadets fell (my friend thinks he died). This was covered up. Nobody admitted being the culprit, so the head punished the whole lot. This must have been in the late 1920s. Those were the days, eh?

[weecalf]

nice one fred .weve prob move on a bit since then

[gness]

Rocky...I think this is probably an empty threat from a struggling teacher, but still upsetting for your daughter.

In your position I wouldn't phone the school today but bring it up at parent's evening...saying how upsetting your daughter finds it.

If the teacher carries out the threat of whole class detention you should be informed beforehand as others have said...if your daughter is not involved refuse to accept it..........and let your daughter know this is what you will do...x

[Peter Pedant]

Sqad - damn you missed out 'teacher'

but I substituted 'punished'

as in 'I have never been punished except teaching a year's anatomy....'

poetic I thought -
and I too had suffered in an anatomy class....

I ended up copying out Lumley Craven and Aitken ( at 6 hrs a day - it takes two weeks )

[rockyracoon]

The school usually has a zero policy with troublemakers, they're sorted very quickly, this teacher only started in Sept so maybe she has a different way. I've always supported the school but I can't on this.

Thanks for all you input.

[Sqad]

\\\\\\.if your daughter is not involved refuse to accept it..........and let your daughter know this is what you will do...x\\\

Oi! oi! Oi!.......we criticise the standards of discipline in the children and educational system and we get comments like the above.

It is not helping by countermanding the decisions, good or bad, made by the teachers.

Just do what they say.

[Peter Pedant]

and Freddeeeee !

and did you tell as good stories in Court as you still do out of court ?

PP