Is it normal for a kindergarten teacher to do this?

Is it normal for a Kindergarten teacher to write a sad face on a coloring sheet the second week of school because the student colored outside the lines? Trying to look at this from all sides, but my husband is really upset over it.

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. https://answers.mamasuncut.com/t/is-it-normal-for-a-kindergarten-teacher-to-do-this/21403

No it’s not. Make sure it doesnt happen again.

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I wouldn’t be happy either

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I’d be a bit upset with the teacher myself.a calm conversation needs to be had

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I would be pissed too. Need positive encouragement

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Maybe it was not about the coloring but the color

It encourages the kid to color neater :tipping_hand_woman:

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Instead of the sad face, she should have just sent a separate note home asking the parents to help them start coloring within the lines (if that was the issue)

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Should always have positive with a negative…sad face…let’s work on staying in lines…held crayon correctly and really enjoyed this activity with her classmates

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Nope. Not nice at all

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Me too. Maybe he needs fine motor skills or patience but he doesn’t need negativity

I’d be speaking up. It’s Kindergarten. They should be encouraging not something negative.

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She did it because the child needs to improve with the coloring-staying inside the lines. Maybe work with the child at home and get a happy face next time. Kindergarten is WAYYYYY different from when I was in it. Good Luck!

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Umm no I’d be livid… most of them are 5 years old… covid put kids at a disadvantage of going to preschool.

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Not nice at all … and I would address it to the teacher and ask her why

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I would talk with the teacher I mean that is kind of harsh. She could have written something about the lines and said we will get better together or something more positive

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Not cool I’d be pissed

Ur husband is totall correct :bangbang::bangbang::bangbang::bangbang::bangbang::bangbang:totally ridiculous ! My opinion she shoujlf not b a kindergarten teacher what grade did she teach before??? ugh! :bangbang::bangbang::bangbang::bangbang::upside_down_face::stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

That’s sad. Public school is one size fits all. If your child does not fit in the box, they fail. Who says coloring inside the lines is the right way anyway??

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That’s not right for sure . Document, keep everything negative she writes on your child assignments. Kindergarten is for having fun , learning boundaries, simple skills . If she’s worried about colouring inside the lines , maybe kindergarten isn’t the place for her

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I teach at a prek/k school and no, that is not ok.

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Actually teachers should know that you aren’t supposed to stifle creativeTy and imagination as that’s what makes someone smart

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sigh I can see yall calling the teachers alot

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Kids are so impressionable especially at that young age. What you tell them they will take to heart and become less because of it. Talk to the teacher.

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Are you sure it was because it was “out of the lines?”. Or could it be that it was done hurriedly and an honest “effort” wasn’t given??? I personally have never done something like that in the “second” week of school…

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I’d be extremely upset about that. They’re 5. My extremely smart first grader still colors outside the lines sometimes.

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I am so old I remember when kindergarten was when kids learned things and had fun. Now it’s filled with expectations and no fun

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I would be LIVID! Your husband is absolutely right for feeling how he does.

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Umm, no. Art can be anything…inside or outside of the lines. :confused: I’d be livid.

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I would just talk to the teacher, but man if this is the worst thing that’s happened in your day and that y’all this upset maybe get some help…

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That is so not cool… your child is a kindergartner she is an adult she should not be mean

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Man these 1st world problems are intense…

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My sons prek teacher did that for my son on the first day of school for not staying in his seat​:face_with_diagonal_mouth::roll_eyes::woman_facepalming:

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I’d be pissed off to ! Let kids be kids!

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Nope. Absolutely not

There is no right “side” to this. I’d be pissed. Its kindergarten. Its a time to lift up the child, not put them down. Your suppose to get ALL smiley faces in kindergarten!

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My son’s teacher did this but I just encouraged him to do better.He worked harder for those happy faces.I felt it taught him that not everything he does is perfect and that he should always try harder.But also that it’s okay to not be perfect,we learn something new every day.

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at five they have the ability to color inside the lines, and if that’s the instruction they were given and they didn’t do it then they’re not gonna get a happy face. don’t fret over something so small

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It doesn’t matter why the child got a sad face it is wrong no matter what! TERRIBLE!

No. Not cool.
Kids at that age are still learning how to do everything.
The amount of pictures my son brought home from school that was outside the lines was a lot. We praised him for each drawing he did.
That teacher is out of line.

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Tell your kid to say “if my coloring skills are what make you sad, maybe you need a hug and a cookie”,

I don’t see a problem with it

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She’d probably really frown when I got done with her. She should know better. We’re talking about kindergarten. What 5 years old? Cmon.

Did the child follow instructions?

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Colored out of the lines? Wtf all the kids art work in the class room look like a baby’s buttcrack colored.

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Yes if they color outside of the lines. They are there to teach not coddle your child. Smdh

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I think it’s not only normal, but GOOD!! In a time of participation trophies and everyone makes the team, it’s good to start as early as possible showing children that good work and hard work pays off.

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I’m telling you right now if I was that five year old I would purposely never color in the lines again.

Oh you got sad faces? Lady I got color boundary issues for daaaaaaays. I WILL outlast you :joy:

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I mean I would be upset about it, but the school district where I’m from is really strict and expects them to know better by kindergarten. One reason why I home school. So best thing to do is talk to the teacher about it and figure out what’s going on.

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If her grading methods are sad or happy faces then yes it’s normal.

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No, as a kinder teacher it is their job to encourage kids, not put them down for coloring. Especially when it’s only the second week of school. I would definitely be saying something to that teacher. Coloring is not a subject anyways. So she shouldn’t be grading their coloring either way.

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Speak to the teacher, there’s probably another reason why that was done. Kids start learning & need to understand. If he is she isn’t understanding then Speak to your child & the teacher before anything.

In kindergarten?! Nope. I’d be upset too.
And no, not my “first kid”.

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That’s not ok ! Let’s shame a kindergarten kid .

I would be very upset

Sounds like a great excuse for Dad to color with your child. Encourage your child to stay in the lines so they can get a smiley face to make hubby happy next time…. Most the time parents get more upset over these sorts of things than the actual kids do but if your child was upset use the frowny face as an incentive for them to try harder next time

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I think the first two weeks is a little soon. As a kindergarten teacher in my earlier career I used sad faces on students paper later on in the year and then only after I would have asked the student to slow down an do their best.

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A sad face the second week of school for whatever reason is ridiculous!! Especially in kindergarten. Most kids in kindergarten still do not color within the lines.

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That’s BS, especially at that age.

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This is why early childhood education is so important. Kindergarten teachers have expectations now. Skills that should have been taught in preschool/prek. It’s not personal, the requirements have changed since we were all kids.

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It seems like they expect an awful lot of kids anymore but I would say absolutely not OK

1 are you sure the teacher did it? 2 have you talked to said teacher? I would chat this one out because that doesn’t seem right

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It would entirely depend on what the assignment was. If it was simply to color the picture, then yeah I’d be upset to, as this isn’t really positive reinforcement or direction. But, we can’t have a happy face all the time, and teaching our children to understand that is important to. Teaching them to accept that sometimes it takes several tries to get it right. The teacher should have put a positive note stating what was asked of the child. Stay in lines? Certain color? I’d calmly ask why the sad face. But teaching children young, (and husband’s) lol coping skills is just as significant as the sad face. This must be the first school experience for you. Sad faces are going to happen sometimes, and from your post your child wasn’t bothered by it. I know it’s tough to see them disappointed, or to see a sad face when you know they tried. But that’s how they learn to keep trying. I would just ask the teacher to write a positive note next time, so he can positively identify what he’s doing wrong and correct it.

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Kindergarten is intense these days. If that’s a standard in your state (pretty sure it’s a pre-K standard in mine) and your child can’t do it, a frown face makes sense.

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Absolutely not! Many years Kdg teacher

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If the assignment was to do your best and draw in the lines and the teacher feels like the student didn’t do that then I think it is a reasonable thing for a teacher to do.

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So one thing I had to pay attention to when my daughter went to kindergarten was that the school she went to had Pre-K and basically every kid went.
We had just moved to that school district and the district we came from did not offer pre-k so my daughter started a bit behind. The other kids already knew how to function in a classroom.

Are you sure the teacher did it though? My daughter had a habit of writing A+ in green and a huge F in red on her own work in kindergarten lol I mean just double check then go ahead and speak with teacher about it, open communication is the best

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They’ll hire pretty much anyone these days. His teacher probably isn’t even qualified.

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I’d ask her not to put that on my child’s paper, but instead ask what you can do with him at home if she thinks he’s behind.

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No that’s normal. I’d be concerned

Not appropriate they are supposed to teach them how to color in the lines.

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very unreasonable… i’d personally be speaking with the teacher.

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I mean… was your child coloring outside the lines or just scribbling, and legitimately not trying? I think so soon I’m the school year is a bit early but I think the teacher is more so trying to encourage your child to try (would be my best guess)

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I was shocked my kid had homework in kindergarten. Unfortunately it’s not the same as when we were in school.

they’re only small. I’d talk to the teacher

Working with children for over 10 years , I just would never :pensive:

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I’d talk to the school and the teacher. Not okay whatsoever.

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That happened to my son a few years ago. I let that teacher have it! I told her she could have called, emailed me or something and told me to work with him more but to put that on his paper and break his confidence was way out of line. So yes, your husband has every right to be upset

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Did the paper say it was for coloring outside the lines or did the child say that was why? I would bet that it’s not for coloring but the only person that can give you the correct answer as to what it was regarding is the teacher

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Unfortunately teachers are expecting a lot more things these days… my mom volunteers in my daughters kinder class, they started the end of july, and she says the teachers are upset over the lack of kids going to pre k… my daughter learned a lot of sight words in prek as well as syllables and adding and subtracting… she also can write 3 work sentences. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is now

I didn’t even give sad faces when i taught 2nd & 3rd. I wouldnt at any grade level. The grade itself is enough to make a kid feel bad if its not a good score so why make them feel worse with a :frowning: and in KG which I currently am I definitely wouldnt.

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My grandsons kindergarten teacher kept doing that I got passed one day and tore them off she saw papers next day never did it again

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In today’s life they expect kindergarten students to be able to do 1st grade work. My baby is just starting pre k and when I met with his teachers they were talking about them learning 1+1. Like it’s pre K not 1st grade.

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To be honest this happen to my son in first year I just work with him a guided him some more :woman_shrugging:t2: I wasn’t upset about it neither…

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Shame on the teacher. She should be encouraging even while correcting. Maybe have a discussion with her to see what her expectations are and why. This could be very damaging to the child that needs encouragement.

No and the only papers my kindergartener has brought home are her self portraits. So odd I’ve never seen such a thing with my older children either.

They did it when I was in school kindergarten n , I ended up failing her class to learn she flunked me for no reason in ,7 th grade could u imagine the knowing I wasn’t dumb n ,that teacher did that on purpose n ,my 3 rd grade one too

Yes my daughter’s teacher has told us they will first learn class procedures, before classroom management and will be working on class procedures for next second week of school she is in kindergarten I would want to see if there is another teacher in english class or Spanish which ever she is and see what the teacher does in the class as every teacher is very different then others

I would give the teacher a fking sad face.

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I’m more disturbed that a grown woman would attempt to communicate by drawing a sad face - your husband should call and tell her to use her big girl words

Kindergarten isn’t even mandatory who does that Bish think she is making your baby feel less than😤

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Well my granddaughter hates to color and she went to prek4. She does it on purpose just because she’s not going to it. She can read already and do math. She just refuses to color in the line’s she just scribbles.

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Not the norm at all…
I would be speaking to the teacher immediately and asking her to explain what the sad face was about…
Its the height of rudeness…
Shame on her…

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Hell no that’s not right

Yeah i would be annoyed. Im 37 and i still can’t color in the lines

Not at all!!! I’m 64 years old and I can remember to this day when my kindergarten teacher held up my coloring sheet and a peers and asked the class which one was better and well…it wasn’t mine!

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These days, yes. They expect way too much outta kids now.

Maybe, if it’s something they have been working on for 2 weeks.

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