View Full Version : Is it just me or is this wrong?
tigwig
03-12-2013, 12:57 PM
My ds 3 goes to school part time. Today I noticed a display board at the children's level. One was a happy yellow sunshine with a smiley face and the other a plain sunshine half grey and half yellow with no face. The smiley one had all the children's photos on it.... except my ds:( he was on the other. I looked at his little face on its own and could have cried! I asked him why he was on there and he didnt know and didnt seem bothered. Another parent said oh its normally another child on there! I knew nothing about this and don't even know how long its been there. I asked 2 staff what he had done wrong and one didnt know and the other said it must be from fri! I think its awful and labels a child but am aware I am sensitive especially with my own children. What do others think?
jaykay79
03-12-2013, 01:02 PM
my daughters pre-school does this, they all start out on the sunshine, go on a star if they're super good and go on a rain cloud if they've been bad. i don't have a problem with it at all
Goatgirl
03-12-2013, 01:03 PM
I think its horrible at that age and completely unnecessary :(.
hectors house
03-12-2013, 01:08 PM
I think in a small setting that idea may work but for some reason I don't like to think of it being used in a bigger setting - especially if the staff can't remember to change it (was it todays or Friday) also doesn't sound if they can remember what he did to be on the "cloudy" side - I don't like to think that all the children and other parents have seen your child has done something wrong, it may cloud parents impressions of your child eg "oh don't think we will invite X to your party he was on the naughty board"!
skyblue
03-12-2013, 01:23 PM
I don't like this at all! I would definitely be unhappy about this!
Koala
03-12-2013, 01:25 PM
I think that's absolutely disgusting.
I see it as public humiliation. I am all for boundaries, sanctions and firm, consistant rules and I do not tollerate bad or even poor behaviour or rudeness but I would NEVER publically tell the whole of my setting (which is a small setting) that another child has been bad and single them out from their peers.
I would tell the child, their parent if necessary but never every other parent and child (unless it concerns them). I DO THINK THIS IS WRONG. :angry:
munch149
03-12-2013, 01:30 PM
It's just a visual representation for the child. What I have a problem with is that no one can tell you what he did or when it was put there and obviously if your child doesn't care it's not having the desired effect anyway so what's the point
I think it is unnecessary. Also if he doesn't know why he was on there then it wasn't very effective was it? If it was my DD on there I think she would have been heart broken. Whatever he did it can't have been that serious or they would have (hopefully) had you in to discuss it.
I think it is okay to promote positive behaviour in this very public way, but not 'negative' behaviour. Is there not an element of confidentiality there too? I would be wanting to find out exactly why he was on the other side so that you can deal with it (if it still needs dealing with) in a private, more respectful way. You don't need to go in 'all guns a blazin' though, I think it is just a bit naïve of the staff really, they haven't thought about the impact it would have on the child or their parents and how some children are getting labelled due to the fact that other parents can see who has been 'naughty'.
It is very hard to question a teacher on his/her practice, but we have seen on this forum before how they do often take our views into consideration and modify their practice. It just isn't sitting right with you and so I think you need to have a word.
mama2three
03-12-2013, 01:37 PM
Its a fairly standard method in schools to be honest - and can work well when used properly.
I haven't got a major problem with the system as a motivator alongside other methods within the classroom - but it has to be used properly. I would be annoyed that it hasn't been used properly and is at best ineffective and at worse damaging for the child to be unaware of what he is on the cloud for .
In my ds school the children have a mood board like that and its for the children to say how happy it sad they are not good or bad. It prompts the teacher to find out why they are sad and also prompts their friends to help them. Could it be used like this?
kellib
03-12-2013, 01:47 PM
My son's school use the sun and cloud method too, I have never had a problem with it.
Tealady
03-12-2013, 01:49 PM
In my ds school the children have a mood board like that and its for the children to say how happy it sad they are not good or bad. It prompts the teacher to find out why they are sad and also prompts their friends to help them. Could it be used like this?
That's what my initial thoughts were. That the children are given a picture and they put themselves on the sun is happy and the cloud if sad.
DD had similar in reception but there were more emotions as they were older. Are you certain its for behaviour and not feelings? May be that's why the staff member didn't know what he'd done wrong.
line6
03-12-2013, 01:57 PM
That's what my initial thoughts were. That the children are given a picture and they put themselves on the sun is happy and the cloud if sad. DD had similar in reception but there were more emotions as they were older. Are you certain its for behaviour and not feelings? May be that's why the staff member didn't know what he'd done wrong.
Yes that's what I was thinking - could be that the children put themselves on whichever board reflects how they are feeling at that moment.
FloraDora
03-12-2013, 02:08 PM
It's based on Jenny Moseley's Golden Time behaviour management strategy.
It is supposed to be a positive behaviour strategy with reward for good behaviour either at the end of the day or week.
Organised properly it usually works well and those schools that have a negative aspect i.e a grey cloud usually give ample opportunity to get back onto the sun or gold ...schools usually personalise it... Children love the positive side of you follow the golden rules of the class/ school and you get rewarded by golden time activities.
Two points though:
A) it is designed for children who understand the system i.e. not 3years old! Works well with 5-11 year olds
B) it doesn't appear to be organised very well as your child didn't know why he was there, the staff didn't know why and implied that his picture was still there from last week, parents haven't been told about it as you didn't know about it and other parents see it as the noticeboard for children who have been naughty!
I would ask for an appt to discuss this behaviour management strategy with the EY manager/ co ordinator so that you know exactly what the system is so that you can support your child... Eg ..by encouraging him to follow the golden rules and get back on gold. Also suggest they move the chart to a less conspicuous place so the children can see the visual chart but not the parents to ensure some children aren't getting a 'naughty boy' reputation when all they are doing is learning. Also question the use of the chart with children so young .
tigwig
03-12-2013, 02:42 PM
Right thank you. Alot to think about. I will definitely speak to school. I can see how it may be used with older children but even then I dont like it. If it is mood board and he has put himself there I dont like that either!! Hopefully all will be revealed tomorrow, the staff are just gonna love me lol.
Koala
03-12-2013, 02:46 PM
Right thank you. Alot to think about. I will definitely speak to school. I can see how it may be used with older children but even then I dont like it. If it is mood board and he has put himself there I dont like that either!! Hopefully all will be revealed tomorrow, the staff are just gonna love me lol.
Good luck :thumbsup:
Tealady
03-12-2013, 04:35 PM
Right thank you. Alot to think about. I will definitely speak to school. I can see how it may be used with older children but even then I dont like it. If it is mood board and he has put himself there I dont like that either!! Hopefully all will be revealed tomorrow, the staff are just gonna love me lol.
Don't worry too much if it's a mood board. He may have put himself there at the start of the session for something really three year oldish i.e. No blue paint out today; and then they are off playing and all is forgotten.
greanan
03-12-2013, 07:27 PM
My child's nursery has the same thing - if they've been naughty etc they go on 'the sad cloud' I really dislike it and don't see any need for their names to go on it if they've already been told off
tigwig
03-12-2013, 08:10 PM
Right ive spoken to him again and finally got a proper answer! He told me the sunshine was for good, the grey for naughty and the bit he was on also naughty. He knew it was wrong he was there and said he had punched someone but didn't mean to!! Im still not thrilled about it but it shows he clearly understands after all. I think I will say how upset I was to see it and suggest that photos are removed immediately after each session so no parents see them and it doesn't prolong the negative image for the children.
Mrs Scrubbit
03-12-2013, 09:23 PM
Right ive spoken to him again and finally got a proper answer! He told me the sunshine was for good, the grey for naughty and the bit he was on also naughty. He knew it was wrong he was there and said he had punched someone but didn't mean to!! Im still not thrilled about it but it shows he clearly understands after all. I think I will say how upset I was to see it and suggest that photos are removed immediately after each session so no parents see them and it doesn't prolong the negative image for the children.
Yes I agree that the photos should be removed at the end of each session and BEFORE parents are allowed in to collect their tots xx
bunyip
04-12-2013, 01:10 PM
My ds 3 goes to school part time. Today I noticed a display board at the children's level. One was a happy yellow sunshine with a smiley face and the other a plain sunshine half grey and half yellow with no face. The smiley one had all the children's photos on it.... except my ds:( he was on the other. I looked at his little face on its own and could have cried! I asked him why he was on there and he didnt know and didnt seem bothered. Another parent said oh its normally another child on there! I knew nothing about this and don't even know how long its been there. I asked 2 staff what he had done wrong and one didnt know and the other said it must be from fri! I think its awful and labels a child but am aware I am sensitive especially with my own children. What do others think?
I find this sort of thing so sad and unneccessary. In fact, to be brutally frank, it's exactly why I actually preferred the physical punishments I received at school to the alternative of humiliation and mental torture.
If they'd done this to me at school, I'd have done the same thing back with pictures of incompetent teachers instead of naughty children.
.........which is one reason why I was always in trouble at school. :(
I find this sort of thing so sad and unneccessary. In fact, to be brutally frank, it's exactly why I actually preferred the physical punishments I received at school to the alternative of humiliation and mental torture.
If they'd done this to me at school, I'd have done the same thing back with pictures of incompetent teachers instead of naughty children.
.........which is one reason why I was always in trouble at school. :(
I was just thinking along the same lines bunyip. We wouldn't dream of displaying photographs of adults in this way (except on Crime Watch...) so why do some people think it is okay to disregard feelings of younger people?
Ripeberry
04-12-2013, 07:32 PM
Can you imagine how adults would feel if they had something like that in an office? So why would it be any different for a child. Each individual knows if they have been good or bad. It gets dealt with and then forgotten. Why have it staring at them for the rest of the day? Better to have reward charts, then they focus on the amount of stickers rather than what their 'failure' represents.
SYLVIA
04-12-2013, 09:01 PM
From listening to one mindee here in reception, they have a cloud which they have to sit under for a while, bit like a time out but I don't have the sunshine or photos. I dont agree with the public display of good or bad children
FloraDora
04-12-2013, 10:29 PM
Can you imagine how adults would feel if they had something like that in an office? So why would it be any different for a child. Each individual knows if they have been good or bad. It gets dealt with and then forgotten. Why have it staring at them for the rest of the day? Better to have reward charts, then they focus on the amount of stickers rather than what their 'failure' represents.
What happens if you don't have many stickers??! Still public humiliation?
I think thats awful and wouldn't be happy about it at all