teachers rule WWYD

kellim · November 2013

DS #1 goes to all day Pre-K. I've stayed at home with him, so this is our first encounter with any type of schooling/daycare. Another parent called me the other night all upset saying that she found out that the teacher only let's them drink their milk after they've eaten all of their food. (apparently her friend subbed for the other teacher and watched this happening in the cafeteria. At first it made me mad and sad for the kids. My kid always brings his lunch and has a bottle of water in his lunchbox. So I thought that he would be excluded from this rule.

Well last night I was asking him if he liked a particular snack that I put in his lunch and he replied, "yes my teacher helped me open the wrapper. I asked her if I could drink my water since I already ate my sandwich." Now l'm like….umm it's water lady! like seriously?!

Should I say something?

I totally get that she probably has this rule because kids will gulp their milk and then be too full for their meal.

neverblushed · November 2013

I'm sure you are correct about the reason for this rule, and I can understand the policy. On the other hand, I think a hard-and-fast rule is odd. What if your sandwich bread is sort of dry, or your mom packed you pretzels? You might need a drink to help keep your mouth moist!

If I were in your situation, I'd try to determine whether this caused a problem for my kid. If not, I would not make a special phone call about it, but I might casually bring it up to the teacher at the first convenient opportunity.

The other thing to consider is that preschoolers can sometimes interpret rules in a way that's more "black and white" than intended by the teacher, especially if the child is really a "rules" kid. It's possible that the rule is more like "you can't have your drink until you've eaten most of your lunch" and that the teachers actually deal with it on a case-by-case basis. It's possible your friend's child needs a more rigid rule in place about this, but that some kids do not. Or your friend's child overheard the teacher suggesting this to another child and interpreted it as "a rule" that he, too, must follow.

At any rate, I would certainly ask for clarification from the teacher before going to def-con 5 over it, as preschoolers are not the most reliable reporters of what happens in their own lives!

kellim · November 2013

That's the thing. It was an adult observing this rule.

I was a 2nd grade teacher before I became a SAHM. I definitely won't "take this to the principal." lol But I still think it's a really strange rule. Almost like it's the army

neverblushed · November 2013

It might also be something that they relax about as the year progresses and kids get better at handling the situation on their own.

Did the other mom report that there was a lot of contention/drama over it? Did kids seem uncomfortable, or did they seem to take it in stride?

funchicken · November 2013

I don't like this rule, but I guess my reaction would depend on how much access to water they have during other times. DD2's preschool is only two hours, but there's a drinking fountain in the classroom, and the kids can have water whenever they want it. My DDs drink a lot of water.

CarolinaDaisy · November 2013

I think that is a fairly ridiculous rule, especially if he has water. I would probably ask about it.

My son doesn't always eat as well at school as at home and without being able to drink all his milk, he would be hungry and grumpy before the end of the day. He's not always a fast eater so if he had to wait to drink his milk, he might not get to drink it.

Also, we are training kids to develop appropriate eating behavior. Most adults drink water or some type of beverage while eating their meal. We don't have to wait until we finish our entrée. I understand not wanting them to guzzle all the milk down first, but having to wait until they completely finish a sandwich, etc. to have a drink seems a bit strict to me.

There are enough rules at school for kids to worry about following without adding this one to the list.

mommymegan831 · November 2013

I think that this is a whole lot of debating over something a 4 year old and an observer said. If you have a problem with your LO not being able to drink water during lunch talk to the teacher. Tell her your LO said this was the rule, she will either confirm or clarify it. If you have a problem with it discuss it with her. I think it's really hard for any of us to comment on it since I don't take too seriously the word of someone who apparently overheard something, and doesn't know the rational for it, or a 4 year old, who also doesn't know the rational.

meg1974 · November 2013

I would definitely ask the teacher about it. Like PP said, it may just be a misinterpretation. But, it never hurts to ask.

Mama-Bear · November 2013

I would definitely talk to the teacher about it. I know everyone has their own opinions, but one of my kids is a terrible eater, there are days when I can't get him to eat more than a meal. I would rather my kid fill up on milk than eat nothing.

nosoup4u · November 2013

Mama-Bear said:

I would definitely talk to the teacher about it. I know everyone has their own opinions, but one of my kids is a terrible eater, there are days when I can't get him to eat more than a meal. I would rather my kid fill up on milk than eat nothing.

Yeah, check with the teacher. That's a horrible rule if it's really what's going on. Pushing kids to eat x or y in a school setting is controlling and unnecessary.

teachers rule WWYD

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