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Kiwi Fruit, 10.2.06 & Ellie Bug, 4.5.09
Would you be mad at your kid's teacher for this?
I jobshare a 2nd grade class. Last week, on my partner's day, a kid brought Silly Putty to school. During the last couple of minutes of the day, when all 31 kids were packing up to go home, a girl suddenly starts crying hysterically that she has Silly Putty stuck in her hair. I guess the boy who brought it thought it'd be funny to stick it in her ear, and he missed.
My partner, with 31 kids and a parent volunteer standing around her and this crying girl, tried to get the Silly Putty out and got most of it. The girl was saying that she had to get to an after-school activity right away and begged my partner to hurry and get the rest out. My partner asked the parent volunteer to watch as a witness as she carefully cut the last little bit out of the girl's hair (a tiny section behind her ear and on the underneath side--not even visible). The girl rushed off to her club meeting.
After she left, my partner realized maybe she shouldn't have cut it out without asking the parents first, so she called home and explained what had happened. The dad was ANGRY and even after the girl went home and showed him her hair (which had ZERO noticeable change), the parents want a conference about this.
Seriously?! And what if my partner hadn't cut it out, and had just sent the poor girl off with Silly Putty getting more and more stuck in her hair? Then they'd say she was traumatized and humiliated and they'd have had to cut a bunch of hair out!
My partner is all upset and feels horrible. I say these people are ca-razy and I'd have done the same thing. Your take?
Kiwi Fruit, 10.2.06 & Ellie Bug, 4.5.09
My blog: Bear With Us
Ideas on Teaching Your Toddler/Preschooler at Home
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Would you be mad at your kid's teacher for this?
Probably a quick call home before picking up the scissors would have been best. But no, I wouldn't have been upset with the teacher. I probably would have thanked her because my second grader would be the kid that would be all upset if she had to walk around with silly putty in her hair. I bet I'd get worked up about that kid though -- maybe that's what the conference is mostly for?
Christmas 2011
Kiwi Fruit, 10.2.06 & Ellie Bug, 4.5.09
My blog: Bear With Us
Ideas on Teaching Your Toddler/Preschooler at Home
I wouldn't be upset with the teacher at all. It's exactly what I would have done as a parent, and I would have appreciated not having to deal with it staying in her hair and getting more stuck, on her clothes, etc.
I would be annoyed that a kid put Silly Putty in her hair and attempted to put it in her ear.
I would never in a million years ask for a conference over that.
No, I would not have been upset. I probably wouldn't have even been mad if she'd had to cut a big chunk out of her hair (but, my DD's hair is short, so I know that can make a difference to some people). That's probably how I would have had to get it out at home. To me, its just hair.
Annelise 3.22.2007 Norah 10.24.2009 Amelia 8.7.2011
I think she was f'd either way. If the kid missed the activity or was sent with putty in her hair, the parents might have been pissed. Who knows? What I do know is the school should stand 100% behind this teacher.
Parents are freaking ridiculous!!!
I have no girls, but aren't there tricks to getting things out of hair, like peanut butter or crisco?
I would be amazed that a teacher would cut my kids hair without a word to me beforehand. I think I'd be too stunned to come up with an immediate course of action, but I also think I wouldn't follow up on it with the teacher, but probably the principal.
Alex (11/14/06) and Nate (5/25/10)
"Want what you have, do what you can, be who you are." - Rev. Forrest Church
Here's exactly what would happen....
teacher would call....I'd say..."hmmmm...ok" and hang up...then i'd come here and post "omg, teacher cut my DD's hair!" Kidding! (sort of)
I probably wouldn't care THAT much if it wasn't noticable, but its definately a little eyebrow raising that she did that. Why not walk her out to her mom and let the mom decide what to do. If mom wasn't picking her up, who was, since she was going to an activity?
I wouldn't fault the teacher for the incident....of course a teacher cannot stop a kid from doing that, crap happens. But I wouldn't be thrilled that the "solution" was the scissors. Especially if the teacher was rushing like that....seems like she was looking for the easiest fix, and that may not have been what I would have chosen.
I agree with this. Of all the things that could happen, losing a little piece of hair would not even be on my radar.
She was going to an after-school Tawkwondo class that is held on campus, so she wouldn't have been able to show her parents or get any help with it until after that.
The amount of hair my partner cut was literally miniscule. The only reason she called home was because she thought she was only cutting the Silly Putty and had removed all the hair, but when it came out, there was a tiny bit of hair along with it...like, 1/16th of an inch or something. I could maybe see getting upset if it was a big chunk of hair or if the parents hadn't seen it yet, but to have seen that it was practically nothing and still be upset is just weird to me.
I think if she had it to do over again, my partner would've just sent her to the office and let them call home, but it was one of those split-second decisions made in a chaotic moment: crying girl, 30 other kids packing up, bell ringing, etc.
Kiwi Fruit, 10.2.06 & Ellie Bug, 4.5.09
My blog: Bear With Us
Ideas on Teaching Your Toddler/Preschooler at Home
To be honest, I wouldn't be happy with the teacher cutting DDs hair. I would expect the teacher to try her best to clean it off in the time she has and then let me deal with what she couldn't get out (including deciding what and how much to cut). However, if it happened, I don't think I would ask for a conference. What is done is done. I would have been happy that she called to warn me though. That is much better than a suprise. She did the best that she thought at the time, so in the end that is what counts and these parents need to be reminded of that.
This! A conference ? A call to the PRINCIPAL? That is crazy. Let the teachers teach. Sometimes quick decisions have to be made. Would I be a bit annoyed? Probably, but would let it go. I'm annoyed with some of the decisions my own teacher makes (especially this red , yellow, green light behavior mod. system), but I let it go because I know how tough it is to keep 20+ kids in order and to get through lessons.
You take my ovaries, I take your yarns.
I think I'd be a little WTF even if it wasn't noticeable. I mean, it just seems kind of ballsy to me, and I'd like at least the courtesy of being given the opportunity to say no and handle it myself.
I also would probably have a talk with my daughter about being more patient or something, b/c I am sure that her attitude about it contributed to the teacher making a quick decision.
I mean, what if the silly putty was all stuck on her shirt or backpack and the kid wanted the teacher to cut it off or something? I just think it's a little excessive to get the scissors without a word to the parent. It kind of reminds me of teachers writing on kid's backpacks or clothing with a sharpie. Just a little much, if you ask me.
But I don't know if I'd request a conference. I'd probably send a firmly worded note or talk to her about it over the phone and just let her know that I don't approve.
I think I'd be grateful that the teacher cared enough about it to help by getting it out like that. It's not like she took a big chunk out of her bangs or anything.
It must be so hard to deal with the bul!*** parents dish out!
Where is the roll my eyes emoticon?
Jesus people have got to lighten up. Way to waste the time and resouces of the teacher, etc. on a conference over a lock of hair.
The parents are lunatics.
Ditto this. The end of the day is the CRAZIEST few minutes in the classroom all day. It doesn't matter how organized or structured the teacher or classroom is - especially with 31 (!!! OMG!) kids in the classroom. However, the poster mentioned that a parent volunteer was there. Depending on the parent I might have asked her to manage the class for a minute while I called home to ask if cutting the hair would be ok. Who knows, though? If things got really hectic and the child was very frantic, I might have cut it out too. It's hard to predict what kinds of things will set-off parents. I've seen some real whack-a-doos.
Ditto this. The end of the day is the CRAZIEST few minutes in the classroom all day. It doesn't matter how organized or structured the teacher or classroom is - especially with 31 (!!! OMG!) kids in the classroom. However, the poster mentioned that a parent volunteer was there. Depending on the parent I might have asked her to manage the class for a minute while I called home to ask if cutting the hair would be ok. Who knows, though? If things got really hectic and the child was very frantic, I might have cut it out too. It's hard to predict what kinds of things will set-off parents. I've seen some real whack-a-doos.
It's hair. It grows back.
If the teacher said "I hope you don't mind, but we..." I might say that I would have liked a call, but freaking out? No. Conference? What a waste of everyone's time.
DS - December 2006
DD - December 2008
I don't get the protectiveness over a few strands of hair. I'm SUPER anal about my dd's hair, but I wouldn't blink if her teacher snipped a tiny piece off. I'd just thank her for taking care of it.
My dd only had 17 in her class last year and I thought the end of the day was chaos. I'm sure the teacher couldn't risk children missing the bus or being late for their activities. She had to make a quick decision and I'm sure she did what she would have for her own child. This is sooooo no big deal. Some people are just always looking for a fight.