I am fuming!!

Dades

Writing a letter will at least "officialise" the incident.

Who knows, maybe there will have been other parents who have taken the time to write to the board about this woman and this might flag something further up the food chain.

vicwatson

but I don't want to make a bigger issue of it in case she takes it out on my daughter in some way

If she does that then bash her !:rolleyes:

Sleepy

Of if she's genuinely OCD, request a meeting with her for a LONG chat some Monday when you've spent the weekend gardening and haven't showered in 2 days

Daisy M

This woman sounds like a bit of a nutter to be honest, Have a word with other parents and see what the general concensus is, could be possible she is having an off day but you need to be sure there is no way you want your child attending a school where the person in charge has such poor judgement.
It doesnt say a lot about her and her personality if she wouldnt even help a little girl wash her hands. My kids have often came home from school with tales of the junior teacher having to clean up a child because they were sick or had an accident, this is something that any decent human being would do for a child .

meg3178

I once had a problem with a headteacher when my children were young. Like you, I was unhappy with his response, even though he mumbled a half hearted apology. I wrote to the board of management and also sent copies of my complaint to the headteacher and the DOE and requested a written apology and assurance that my child would not be treated unfairly again.
well, he had such a turnaround! I received a written apology and my child was never treated unfairly again.

If you don't think your child was treated with respect, then stand up for her. We live in a different Ireland to 20 years ago, although there are still some teachers who would love to go back to the old days!
Your child has the right to a happy time at school and your have the right to feel comfortable in the knowledge she is in great hands. If this incident has caused you both to feel otherwise, then it needs to be addressed in writing. Remember, you are the parent and it is your right to question the people you entrust your daughter to.

chirogirl

How awful!!! ....just for a tiny bit of dirt.

I remember when I was at primary school, you'd get the odd unkempt kid but they were never singled out of the classroom by the teacher / principal.

CrazyRabbit

Bordering bullying of a child by a teacher, and should be reported to the board of management for the school.

tfitzgerald

Dee42 wrote: »

BTW I would also write a strong letter of complaint to the board of management of the school

This is your only road . Write a strong worded but polite letter to the BOM and tell them you expect a reply

planetX

Crazy behaviour. I count it as a good day at school when my child comes home covered in mud and generally filthy. Do they not do outdoor sports in this school?- 100% of the class will have dirty nails after that. Playing outside at lunch, more dirt - who cares?

Besides I thought after the swine flu hysteria that all kids were supposed to be encouraged to frequently wash hands themselves. Sending someone home to wash their hands is just stupid.

The Princess Bride

Hi OP
As a mother with a heart,I was horrified that an adult would treat a child like this-that this adult is in a position of authority begs serious questions.
I would not discuss this event any further in front of your daughter,she may develop a complex.
Only a few weeks left until summer holidays,so each evening when she comes home from school,just ask casually how was her day,and tell her how yours was (eg: one good thing that happened/one not so good thing)
I personally would not be discussing issue with other parents,as people talk,and other children talk and within days the story will have been multiplied and altered.

Write everything down as it happened and, yes,seriously consider consulting the Board of Management- bearing in mind the Principal may be on the board.

As to changing your child to another school, you'll have to ask yourself why you sent her there in the first place, sometimes it makes a difficult situation worse by having to start a child in new school,where friendships are already established.
Lastly, contact the National Parents Council for advice,number on internet.
Best of luck,it's not easy being a parent sometimes,as others rattle our
cages- enjoy your daughter,she's lucky you care

Tayla

I am very rarely shocked but oh my god :eek:

That is a disgrace, your poor child.

You definitely need to report that as that is an appalling way for her to react.
She had no right to react like that....none whatsoever.

It sounds like the way the nuns would have reacted back in the day of Magdelane homes....

Poor you, my blood is actually boiling on your behalf :mad:

smileyeyes

OMG...... is all I can say... I am in total and utter shock!!!!:eek:

This is absolutely disgraceful!! A bit of dirt never harmed anyone! I agree with previous posters that the principal totally over-reacted and was out of order!

Your poor daughter...I can understand why you would be so upset for her!

I would not let this matter go without an official apology! And, I probably would change schools also and let the principal and teacher know exactly why you are changing schools!!!

Let us know how is it going! I wish you and your daughter all the very best of luck!!! xxxx

amen

a bit off post but

Possibly the only thing in relation to hygiene that the teacher should have a major issue with is if a child has lice and the teacher sees this

Lice generally favour children/people with good hygiene and clean hair.

dark crystal

Quick update:

I kept my daughter off school the next day, because she was genuinely upset and didn't want to go in.

Cue 3 O'clock and my elder daughter arrives home and tells me the principal had called her out of class to the office to enquire as to why my younger daughter hadn't gone on her school tour. She said she was out because she was feeling ill (I told her this was the reason, because my younger daughter was too embarrassed to tell her the real reason), to which the principal apparantly snorted and said that wasn't the reason at all, sure wasn't it because she had sent her home the previous day to have a shower because she looked like she had been "dragged up and down a chimney".

I saw red at that point, picked up the phone and proceeded to tell the principal in no uncertain terms how dare she a) get my other daughter involved and b) use such offensive and untrue language to describe the incident.
I told her she had not only acted unprofessionally, but had caused distress to my daughter. She was also informed that I would be taking the matter to the Board of Management and removing my daughter from the school after the summer. I also told her not to discuss the matter any further with any of my children, or I would report her to the Board of Education for misconduct.

I am completely at a loss as to why she has decided to exaggerate and exascerbate the incident to such a degree. The woman comes across as a vicious shrew with some axe to grind at this stage - I was so upset yesterday, I shut myself in my bedroom and cried for 20 minutes.

anyway, I have contacted another school and they are sending me out an application form to go on a waiting list for September. I'm hoping the fact she lives so nearby will swing it and she'll be enrolled there, or else I'm at a loss! I'll be damned if I ever let her set foot in that school come September.

Honestly, I haven't been this angry in a long, long time.

LadyMayBelle

Apalling behaviour from her. This shouldn't lie. Good on you.

smileyeyes

Well Done DarkCrystal!!

I am still so gobsmacked at the principal's unprofessional and quite frankly disgusting behaviour!! How dare she!:mad:

Daisy M

I am so shocked, I think regardless of weather you move your child or not this woman needs to be reported immediately she is clearly not suited to her position and is coming across as unhinged, is she new to teaching?

kaa

dark crystal wrote: »

The more I think about it, the angrier I'm getting.

I'm actually thinking of switching schools in Spetember. There have been numerous stories about this particular principle and her OCD issues, it just seems my daughter was the poor sap who got picked on today.

I'm wondering how hard it would be to get her a place in another primary school over the summer.....

o i would be fuming aswell girl. i mean come on abit of dirt under the nails. they are kids like...its there job to get dirty.
i dont think you are over reacting at all.

well i dont know how hard it would to get her changed like.
but i think you should complain about the principle and get the other parents of kids she had picked on too....and you might be surprised how many other parents she has offended over the years.

angelfire9

As I always tell my mother when my eldest comes in from the garden covered from head to toe in muck..... A mucky child is a happy child"

dark crystal

angelfire9 wrote: »

As I always tell my mother when my eldest comes in from the garden covered from head to toe in muck..... A mucky child is a happy child"

Ha ha, that's it!

My daughter is such a tomboy - two of her best friends are boys - and she'd have a fit if I tried to put her in summer dress and sandals!

She's the type of child that you have to drag the jogging pants off her to put them in the wash and I actually have to time her in the shower, to make sure she has a proper wash!

Dirty nails are a fact of life with this one, but she's very clean, other the hands, which she uses to climb walls, play in the garden etc., always has a clean uniform/hair/shoes, so that's why this principal has really got me angry by claiming she needed a shower. She was perfectly clean and tidy, except for the fingernails and elbows that one morning, which could have been taken care of with a bit of soap and water in the bathroom.

Ah well, I'm sure she'll have a great summer, getting as mucky as she likes and then hopefully, this new school will be a new start for her.

CJhaughey

Make an official complaint, who knows what kid will be next to get that kind of treatment.
Their parents may not be as aware or supportive as you are.

dillo2k10

Wow, I would not have been as calm as you, especially if it was made known to the other children why she was going home.

When I was in secondary school there was a child that was absolutely filthy every day. He was never sent home and no one even mentioned the dirt of him or the smell, not the other pupils or the teachers. If we had of he would have been so ashamed.

Id be writing a very long letter to the Board of Management if I were you.

smelltheglove

OP I cant believe the principal saw fit to include your eldest child. First thing tomorrow you should be onto the board of education or hse or whoever it is that is above her and ask for an immediate investigation of the matter. It is disgraceful that she could get away with treating a child like this!

deisemum

I attended the International Daycare Conference at UCC nearly 2 years ago.
Like the Persil advert "Dirt is Good" that's one of the important things I came away with, that's it's very important to let children get dirty, to get stuck into things, to smell and look at and to touch and feel textures etc a lot of which involves getting dirty.

Unfortunately I'm not surprised at how unprofessional this principal has behaved because there are plenty of them like that and that's had a big part in why so many people have lost respect for teachers which isn't fair on the good hard working teachers who are often threatened by their principal and/or union rep to toe the line.

I hope you get a place in the nearer school because I wouldn't be relying on the Board of Management to do much as they tend to go along with a principal and the very nature of a BOM is stacked against parents especially now that you've told the principal that you're taking your daughter out of the school.

I wouldn't waste any time bothering with the Dept. of Education as they'll only say that the BOM are the employers and refer you back to it.

Local media are often good at raising this sort of bullying behaviour especially on local radio, maybe mentioning that to the BOM might help focus their attention on this bullying behaviour and do something about it.

dark crystal

deisemum wrote: »

I attended the International Daycare Conference at UCC nearly 2 years ago.
Like the Persil advert "Dirt is Good" that's one of the important things I came away with, that's it's very important to let children get dirty, to get stuck into things, to smell and look at and to touch and feel textures etc a lot of which involves getting dirty.

Unfortunately I'm not surprised at how unprofessional this principal has behaved because there are plenty of them like that and that's had a big part in why so many people have lost respect for teachers which isn't fair on the good hard working teachers who are often threatened by their principal and/or union rep to toe the line.

I hope you get a place in the nearer school because I wouldn't be relying on the Board of Management to do much as they tend to go along with a principal and the very nature of a BOM is stacked against parents especially now that you've told the principal that you're taking your daughter out of the school.

I wouldn't waste any time bothering with the Dept. of Education as they'll only say that the BOM are the employers and refer you back to it.

Local media are often good at raising this sort of bullying behaviour especially on local radio, maybe mentioning that to the BOM might help focus their attention on this bullying behaviour and do something about it.

It's worth mentioning that her teacher is a dote, who has never had anything but the highest praise for my daughter and I have the utmost respect for her.

She must have heard what happened, because when my daughter came home today, she had two little presents from the teacher, who she said had been extra extra nice to her today

It's just a shame that some others in the profession haven't the same decency and compassion. I honestly think a good teacher can be the making of a child.

Like you say, I have little faith in the Board of Management doing anything tangible in this case, as it is my word against hers at the end of the day and I'm sure she will twist the incident to suit her. However, I will be informing them of the issue, just to have it on record. As others have said, if there are other similar complaints, it might just make them think twice about her overall abilities as a principal.

Miaireland

Op I am shocked reading this thread. Your poor daughter, what a terrible thing to go through.

I think that you must write to the Board of Management and also to the Department of Education about this woman.

I would also pop a letter to the National Education Welfare Board. Although they may not deal with this issue directly they should be made aware of the person in charge of the school in case there are issues with other students.

Your daughter's teacher sounds lovely.

Best of luck to you and your daughter with the new school.

nkay1985

Been keeping an eye on this thread and must say I am incredulous that the principal escalated it further. She sounds like a nasty piece of work with some serious issues. Hope it all works out well for your daughter.

And PM me the school name so I know to avoid it if I have any girls and she's still the principal!

willow tree

i cant believe she could get away with this, but i dont know why im suprised(i think so much goes on with people in 'power' positions' behaving badly) .. she really needs to deal with ocd issue if she has one (sounds like it).. the main thing is that your daughter feels good about herself and knows she did nothing wrong and i can tell by your messages your a great mum who made sure she knew this and you put her feelings first, (god love the kids who are treated like that at school and go home to similar)..

Moonbeam

Have you spoken to her class teacher?

I think you need to talk to as many other parents as you can.
She sounds like an awful bully and her behaviour does not at all appropriate for a school principal.
Write your letter asap,speak to the teacher asap too because the school holidays are really close.

Catari Jaguar

Ask to see the school's policy folder for one about hygiene, cleanliness, ringing parents to take children out of class for being dirty. If it's in there, she's covered. If not, heads will roll.