Teacher's odd behavior

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Couldn't a "bag of candy" be a small sized bag of M&Ms? Spread over the entire day? Along with a few handfuls of nuts or a granola bar that looks like a candy bar?

No, it is large packages or large jars. My kid is in higher ES classes.

None of your child's business.

Although you might want to kindly email the teacher and let her know that your child appears to be very distracted by her snacking, since you have so much information on it. You did say your child mentions it daily, right?

Is he that involved in the lessons as well.. can he re-iterate what he has learned that day in great detail too?

The child simply telling me about what happening in school, including teachers snacking. No, it is not daily most of the time (I din't keep a track), some weeks i hear about it every day, some weeks every other day, some weeks twice a week.

Oh. Well in your first post you said "My child keeps bringing it up almost daily, telling me what the teacher was eating today."

So while he's telling you about his day do you get the details on the lessons too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


Wow! Guess I am pretty old-fashioned on this one. In the mileu I was raised in, including in school, children would treated with the same respect and manners one would treat an adult. If the children were not allowed to snack in class, neither was the teacher. If it was unavoidable, children would be offered the courtesy of an explanation just as an adult would be. Maybe views on this are a generational thing.

Sorry, i didn't mentioned this and I noticed a lot of people asking about kid's snack. Kids are allowed to have one snack in the classroom and they go to eat lunch in the cafeteria. If candy eating would be a one time snack, it is OK. The situation appears to be that the large bag/jar brought into the class and consumed during the entire day.

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher who drinks a mug of coffee in front of my class every morning. Is that distracting too? She I offer them the opportunity to drink something other than their own water bottles?

[Anonymous]

Your child sounds strangely obsessed with this teacher's candy. I'm guessing you don't allow it at home. Hopefully once he can make his own food choice, he doesn't turn into an obese binge-eater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


So while he's telling you about his day do you get the details on the lessons too?

Yes, of course. We discuss what was learned, what new going on with classmates. How is it relevant to the discussed issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Wow! Guess I am pretty old-fashioned on this one. In the mileu I was raised in, including in school, children would treated with the same respect and manners one would treat an adult. If the children were not allowed to snack in class, neither was the teacher. If it was unavoidable, children would be offered the courtesy of an explanation just as an adult would be. Maybe views on this are a generational thing.

Sorry, i didn't mentioned this and I noticed a lot of people asking about kid's snack. Kids are allowed to have one snack in the classroom and they go to eat lunch in the cafeteria. If candy eating would be a one time snack, it is OK. The situation appears to be that the large bag/jar brought into the class and consumed during the entire day.

Send your kid a big snack so he can eat all day too. A big bag of carrots or something, pack it so it's one snack.

Either you or your child seems very focused on the size of the teacher's snack. If it's your child I'm going to take a guess that he's wishing he could have that snack too. I know you said that isn't happening but I have to wonder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am surprised a bit by the responses. It seems very unprofessional for a teacher to snack during class. If she misses lunch and has to eat it discreetly at her desk as the teacher PP mentioned, that's okay. It's better if the teacher could ask the class to excuse her because she was unable to eat lunch on time. If the snacking is needed for a medical condition, she should tell the class that, again asking for their indulgence.

I attend plenty of bag lunch meetings at work. But they are all internal and the assumption is that those not eating lunch have already eaten. Snacking with external parties present would never happen unless coffee and cookies, say, were made available for all. I almost always have a mid-afternoon snack; I have people coming into my office all day long and if I really need my snack I ask permission of whomever is there. I usually have extras on hand that I offer them should they wish to join.

I once went to a meeting with one of the top people in our organization in his office. At one point in the meeting, he got up, grabbed a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies from a closet and proceeded to eat about five of them without offering any to the four or so staff people present. Everyone thought it was inexcusably rude. We all decided he was odd and had no social graces. He did not last long.

That said, all I would have said to my child is that is very odd, I wonder if she has a medical condition that requires her to snack all day. Inwardly, I would wince at the poor example of manners the teacher was modeling. If I had a good relationship with the principal, I might something to her in a vague, nonjudgmental way.

The fact is it is rude to snack in front of people without offering them something.

What? No! No adult should be forced to explain themselves to a child, nor have to ask permission or "indulgence" from a child for anything that doesn't involve that child's safety and personal space. My child does not get to decide whether she will allow her teacher to eat something, or to do anything that doesn't involve teacher touching my child or having my child break a safety rule.

That part of your post seems so entitled on the children's part, I cannot believe you would find it reasonable. That would be an appropriate interaction between peers, or colleagues at the same professional level, not between an adult and a child or between a superior and a subordinate, as are both the case in a teacher-student relationship.

Wow! Guess I am pretty old-fashioned on this one. In the mileu I was raised in, including in school, children would treated with the same respect and manners one would treat an adult. If the children were not allowed to snack in class, neither was the teacher. If it was unavoidable, children would be offered the courtesy of an explanation just as an adult would be. Maybe views on this are a generational thing.

That's not old fashioned at all. The notion of children and adults being equals in that way seems very modern. Old fashioned would be that adults didn't need to justify themselves to children and that of course adults would be extended more/different privileges than were customarily granted to children. I was raised with an understanding that the manners with which an adult would interact with a child were very different from manners between the child and the adult or between two rough age peers. An adult would not be rude to a child, but there was no need to defer to them or to treat them as the adult would treat a peer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


So while he's telling you about his day do you get the details on the lessons too?

Yes, of course. We discuss what was learned, what new going on with classmates. How is it relevant to the discussed issue?

Obviously the snack isn't distracting from his learning so you have nothing to complain about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher who drinks a mug of coffee in front of my class every morning. Is that distracting too? She I offer them the opportunity to drink something other than their own water bottles?

OP here: well, I never said that eating during the class is distracting. My child can focus very well and I don't think it is ever being an issue. I never expect teacher sharing or offering her food to the children either.

Maybe it is just cultural differences. I am finding drinking cup of coffee is acceptable in a professional environment. Eating in front of the class -- not. Again, maybe it is specifics of American culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your child sounds strangely obsessed with this teacher's candy. I'm guessing you don't allow it at home. Hopefully once he can make his own food choice, he doesn't turn into an obese binge-eater.

Child is allowed sweets, but, for example, would never eat cakes at the birthday party, just because it is not his type of sweets. We have plenty of fruits at home to choose from all the time and I do bake once a week. Kids order deserts occasionally when we eat out, but not that often because by the end of the meal they so full that can't even think about desert. What is binge-eater?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Wow! Guess I am pretty old-fashioned on this one. In the mileu I was raised in, including in school, children would treated with the same respect and manners one would treat an adult. If the children were not allowed to snack in class, neither was the teacher. If it was unavoidable, children would be offered the courtesy of an explanation just as an adult would be. Maybe views on this are a generational thing.

Sorry, i didn't mentioned this and I noticed a lot of people asking about kid's snack. Kids are allowed to have one snack in the classroom and they go to eat lunch in the cafeteria. If candy eating would be a one time snack, it is OK. The situation appears to be that the large bag/jar brought into the class and consumed during the entire day.

Send your kid a big snack so he can eat all day too. A big bag of carrots or something, pack it so it's one snack.

Either you or your child seems very focused on the size of the teacher's snack. If it's your child I'm going to take a guess that he's wishing he could have that snack too. I know you said that isn't happening but I have to wonder.

You can keep wondering, but we either throw away most of the candies after Halloween or pick the best and bring it to office to share. Kids usually grab few Kit Kats, older might take few Bounties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher who drinks a mug of coffee in front of my class every morning. Is that distracting too? She I offer them the opportunity to drink something other than their own water bottles?

Old fashioned person here. Yes, there are different rules about what a child drinks and what an adult drinks. If the teacher drinks coffee in front of the class and the kids just get to drink water, that is fair. But if the teacher drinks in front of kids who are not allowed to drink, that is rude.

When I grew up, it would be unthinkable for either the teacher or the children to eat or drink anything in class (except on special occasions like Halloween or Valentines). We had to get permission to use the water fountain, and that was given very sparingly. If the teacher became hoarse from speaking during class, she would excuse herself to the children to go to the water fountain.

I actually like the idea that teachers and children can drink during class these days--hydration is important. I remember as a first grader how hard it was to not be able to drink water whenever I was thirsty. I suppose that was viewed as character building.

We would have viewed the teacher being able to drink in class when we were not as cruel and an abuse of her authority over us. We reported very little to our parents about what happened in class, including cases of corporal punishment, but our parents definitely would have heard if the teacher was eating and drinking in front of us when we couldn't. Children easily get hungry and thirsty!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


So while he's telling you about his day do you get the details on the lessons too?

Yes, of course. We discuss what was learned, what new going on with classmates. How is it relevant to the discussed issue?

Obviously the snack isn't distracting from his learning so you have nothing to complain about.

I wasn't complaining. I was just trying to figure out if this is a common thing. I was glad to see some teacher's responses, but none of them mentioned about rules of professional conduct.

Following your logic, as long as it doesn't distract the child -- it is acceptable in the classroom? How far are you willing to go in your acceptance? At what point you will be willing to draw the line?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think there is anything odd about someone snacking at work.

Snacking at work and eating candy and drinking soda all day are different. Plus we are not talking about someone sitting at their desk all day. We are talking about someone who is leading a class and likely front and center, teaching all day.

Actually I think that eating candy and drinking soda all day at work exactly is snacking at work. What else would it be?

really, you don't see a difference, snacking on a granola bar, handful of nuts, trail mix, or even a candy bar is snacking. eating a bag of candy over the course of the day (which I think OP mentioned) is beyond snacking.

If it isn't snacking, what is it?

I would call that pigging out. What else do you call eating a bag of candy daily?

I don't typically trust a child's accuracy regarding size and frequency of other people's snacks.

Exactly! I'm offended OP even saw this as a big enough issue to create a post.

OP needs to teach her child to mind his own business and focus on making sure he's doing what he needs to and making the grade.

What a petty family.

Thank you for your opinion about our family. My kids getting all As so far, including those in HS. I am afraid if I tell the child "to mind your own business", next day the child will not be sharing with me what was going on in school.

[Anonymous]

So you're just curious about the eating. I think you can see from this thread that not many have a problem with it.