Teacher Sends Boy Home With His Own Poo

Teacher Sends Boy Home With His Own Poo

Friday, April 24, 2009

filed under: family

Washington kindergarten teacher does a sh*tty job.

Imagine opening up your kindergartner's backpack at the end of the school day and finding a bag of poo and a note from the teacher that reads, "This little turd was on the floor in my room."

That's what happened to parents of a 5-year-old student at Apple Valley Elementary in Yakima, Washington. "I'm still kind of in shock over this, because why would somebody do this? It's disgusting!" said the boy's father, who wishes to remain anonymous.

According to the Yakima Herald, the child's father admits his son had a couple of accidents in the classroom in the past, but always sends the boy with a change of clothes.

Former grade school teacher Christine Bartsch says she can understand how a teacher might reach the point of frustration if the child had repeated accidents in the classroom.

"Kids who aren't potty trained shouldn't be at school," she says. But Bartsch clarifies, "I of course wouldn't take it to that level of sending the 'poo' home. I might think about it, but I wouldn't do it."

Representatives from Apple Valley Elementary School refused to comment, but that doesn't mean you can't. Tell us what you think of this teacher's punishment!

Click to see other misguided school rulings.

41 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

Whatever happened to sending a simple note home to the parents or a phone call to the parents?

- Nell

Posted 04/24/09 01:07 PM

Whatever happened to potty training your children?

- Seth

Posted 04/24/09 01:38 PM

Children have accidents and for late learners those accidents can be embarrassing and also more frequent because they are afraid to ask to go to the bathroom. This teacher should have sent a note home and spoken to the parents. That being said another reason I’m not sending my child to public school.

- Pamala

Posted 04/24/09 01:48 PM

Unbelievable. That poor child! The teacher should be fired for shaming a child like that!

- Sarah

Posted 04/24/09 02:14 PM

I am a classroom teacher who experienced a similar event a couple months ago. One of my third graders brought a turd from the gym into the classroom and laid it on the floor. We went to lunch where he told the other students there would be a surprise waiting for them when we got into the room. I called his mom and asked her to come to the school to look at it, but she did not come. After having a conference with her later, she said that he is afraid of poop!

- Miss Teacher

Posted 04/24/09 02:21 PM

If there not yet trained at 5 yrs THEN THE PARENTS ARE LACKING! They themselves need training. ( In Parenting! )

- Anonymous

Posted 04/24/09 02:27 PM

Children have accidents-even at the age of 5! There can be medical or psychological reasons behind it. While student teaching I had a student have an accident because he simply didn’t make it in time. So he shouldn’t have been at school?! And I cannot believe the comment about children who are not potty trained having no place in school. Where does that leave children who have disabilities?!

- Renee

Posted 04/24/09 02:41 PM

If you commented sarcastically “potty train your child” you are naive indeed. I had two sons who were so hard to toilet train they were always having accidents in school. You cannot beat the child, you HAVE to be patient. Parents and teachers MUST be a team! If you can’t handle that, teaching is NOT FOR YOU! I have had my dealings with teachers who should not be teaching our children from public school, private schools and DOD (Department of Defense) schools. I have had natural children, step children and adopted children. I’m amazed at the people who tolerate pets but humiliate our own wonderful children. If someone wants to argue this point, trust me, I have more experience across the board in this subject than most people and I will ALWAYS side on the child’s side. I’m the mom who had to wipe the eyes, put the child in the shower and clean the clothes at the end of the day.

- Annie

Posted 04/24/09 03:07 PM

I have a 6th grader that is just now getting over a condition that causes “soiling”. She is not aware of the “leakage” until after the fact, and its something that has to be outgrown… We have been to SEVERAL specialist since she was 4, and there is truely NO CURE for this. Thankfully, we have a GREAT school nurse, and wonderful teachers that have helped her get thru this without embarrassment. The condition is Encopresis….you can google that and find its somewhat common, and a child CAN NOT HELP IT! This teacher should face some form of punishment for what she did!

- Just sayin....

Posted 04/24/09 03:26 PM

OMG, the teacher is there to teach this mans child, not change his diapers. This sounds like it happens alot if the father keeps having to send a change of clothes to school. If this child has a problem, then the father should look into some other kind of schooling that can better cope with his child. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but teachers are not paid enough to handle this. I used to be one, I know!

- kelly

Posted 04/24/09 03:50 PM

Wow, some of these people are so judging (esp. abbi)! Honestly—you have no idea why this child had an accident. He could have a disorder. There are adults who have issues like this. Poor child! Just like some of you said that a teacher that can’t handle this shouldn’t be a teacher—well the people commenting on here with no compassion should not be PARENTS!

- VeggieMomma

Posted 04/24/09 03:55 PM

If the kids is 5 and still not potty trained then either there is something wrong with his parents parenting skills or there is something else going on. Years ago a friend of mine’s 6 (nearly 7) year old was still “having accidents” (pooping in his pants). He was beginning to get picked on at school. When it would happen in an effort to not “traumatize” him she would be very sweet and kind and say things like ‘oh honey that’s okay mommy will clean you up’. Y’know the kind of thing I’m talking about. Well long story short… She lost her sitter and needed some help so I wound up watching him several hours a day for a few months. After a week I decided that I couldn’t deal with it. So I told him in a grossed out voice… oh this is so gross… you shouldn’t do this anymore… this is what babies do. Are you a baby? he said no and agreed that it was gross. I told him that if he would promise to try to use the potty every time I asked that he wouldn’t have to feel that gross feeling. Guess what … No more accidents. None. All he needed was frequent reminders. Yes he needed more reminders than some other kids but that is what he needed and it worked. The teacher should have tried to be helpful and since she couldn’t be then teaching kids is not the job for her.

- AM

Posted 04/24/09 04:15 PM

Thank you, just saying- Before you get all harsh on the child or parent, encophresis is more common that you know. No one really talks about the #2 accidents, that is why. That little guy needs to see the Dr. He is probably massively constipated. My GS did not want to use the bathroom at school. Some of the older boys picked on kids there. You never know. I would be more concerned than angry, or grossed out if I was his teacher. What if that was you child?

- jm

Posted 04/24/09 05:21 PM

Did the kid poo on the floor? Or did he just PUT the poo on the floor? Either way might have been more the issue instead of just the accident. I know if I were a teacher I would be upset having that sort of mess in my classroom, not healthy for other kids!

- birdsfly

Posted 04/24/09 05:26 PM

I think this teacher must not have children of her own. She should be reprimanded. It’s kindergarten, people!

- Ms. V

Posted 04/24/09 05:56 PM

well, this is gross. Kindergarten teachers know there will be kids that are not 100% trained or that have accidents. To those who say that kids that have accidents at 5 have problems you need to take a child development class.

- well..

Posted 04/24/09 07:38 PM

I wonder if the child had asked to go to the bathroom and was refused. Being refused to go to the bathroom has been a problem in Washington State schools in the past. When I was in Kindergarten I asked to go to the bathroom and was refused and I ended up peeing on the floor because I could’t hold it anymore. That was the first time I had pee’d my pants in a few years according to my parents. Sometimes teachers just don’t understand when a kid says they need to go to the bathroom they really need to go.

- Bec Thomas

Posted 04/24/09 09:39 PM

THIS IS JUST WRONG!!! This is a 5yr old CHILD!!! Not some preteen/teen trying to play a prank on teacher. When for some kids it’s the first time they are away from home for a long period of time where they have never had to experience having to go poop outside the home. While a perfectly potty trained child is able to hold their potty till getting to the bathroom they may be to frighted to ask a teacher to go. And boys seem to have more struggle with this. So people saying the child should be potty trained is neither here nor there. I think that Kindergarten teachers should be better trained to handle such instances as this for children at this age! Like maybe a preschool teacher might be. Accidents happen. I mean come on these little guys/girls are just learning what life is all about give them a fricken break!!! It’s scary for them to be away from familiar surrounings where normally they would be comfortable to go poop if at home with no problem and otherwise totally ready for school. Think about how you as an adult feels when you have to go poop in the little office building you work in where everyone knows you just went and stunk up the place! Of course you try to hold it till you get home or at least to go to a bathroom you don’t know anyone..haha. My point is this “teacher” should NOT be a kindergarten teacher. What she did was just rude and disgusting and humiliating to the child and she should be FIRED!! If too many accidents were happening with this child then a conference with the parent should have been set and other arrangements made.

- Anonymous

Posted 04/24/09 09:55 PM

Kids are gross. Period. My daughter is five and some kid puked in her hair at school. The nurse and teacher had to wash her hair before I got her. This is a hazard of working with kids that age. You don’t work in a pet store and expect not to get nipped on the hand now and then. Barring any physical conditions, the kid should be potty trained by now-absolutely. I don’t know of anyone who works with kids that age that feel an ‘accident’ won’t ever happen. Regardless-what the teacher did was inappropriate and she should be fired. She obviously lacks the patience for that age range, just look at her writing. She’s angry. The poor kid had an accident, if she knew it had happened before-she should have been reminding him.

- just me

Posted 04/24/09 11:31 PM

This is such a terrible story I would be very upset if I was his parents. As a professional she should have known that that was not the way to go about addressing the issue. However I can understand her frustration!

- kristi

Posted 04/25/09 01:15 PM