Stessed out by student comment

[BarleySugar]

This might sound stupid, but I've been stewing on this all evening. In my GCSE lesson today a boy (15) asked me if I liked teabags. Being rather innocent, (married at 20, to first boyfriend, and still with him after 3 kids and over 25 years) but not stupid, I suspected he didn't mean making a nice cuppa! However as I didn't know what he was talking about I just told him to get on with his work, and ignored the sniggers.
I've since used the wonders of the Internet to look it up, and besides being offended that he had the nerve to say that sort of thing to me, I'm now wondering what else he may have said of a similar nature that went over my head. In all the time I've been teaching I've not had anyone swear at me or say anything of a dubious nature, and I've had some pretty rough characters in my classes.
Tomorrow I'll have to tell my Head of Department, and I know I'll go bright red. I'm dreading teaching him again on Thursday, as I will fell pretty embarrased at facing him, and I definitely won't want to set a personal detention! Perhaps I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but when your almost old enough to be someone's grandmother it is pretty disconcerting.

[BrideXIII]

trust me hun, let it go over your head, when my sons first came out with that term, i too googled it, it cost them a months play on halo3 ( thats where it is used most often), its childish and purile, and whilst you might have been offended at the time, bear in mind at 15 its bike shed humour to them, they don't really get the true connotation.

if it was me i would smart comment them back, and probrably lose my job, but no need to be embarassed for not being 'up' on stupid terms used by sniggering teenagers.

and most of all, never show fear, face him next time, and if he does it again, just laugh and move on, don't give him the ammo. if he persists, send him to the head with instructions to explain the term so that all the staff can be fully briefed at the next school assembly BY HIM!

[kirsty b]

I don't have a clue what he meant either, but I won't embarrass you further by asking you to explain, I'll google it.

EDIT: don't need to. Just asked 17 yr old stepson and he's told me. Must say I've never heard it called that before! Agree with Bride, very childish, but at 15, they think its manly I suppose.

[zazen999]

Personally - I wouldn't make a fuss of it as that make the little blighters worse.

They think they invented sex - but I think you might need to learn a few retorts to have at your disposal. Either that or just don't respond as it lowers yourself to their level.

You can guarantee, if you don't understand it - it's gonna be about sex.

He's probably a virgin anyway...

[lynda66]

goes off to google too ....... and theres me thinking i was a woman of the world ..... yup just as i thought ..... a tea bag is full of tea

i'd make him eat a whole box full myself

[BarleySugar]

My first thought was to let it go, as I didn't react at the time anyway, but the problem is, if he keeps on, or the other kids jump on the bandwagon and I have to act my HoD will ask why I didn't say something before, as he's pretty hot on us being very strict and not letting anything go. He had one pupil excluded for a week for using the F word, and it wasn't even addressed directly to the teacher, just to the situation in general. It was another month before that pupil was allowed back into that class, he had to work elsewhere!

[SarzWix]

Well, call me naive too, but I had to Google to find out what you were talking about, and now I'm a little ...
I can imagine how you're feeling, but you've got to brazen it out! Take a deep breath and just act like nothing is bothering you. you know that he's trying to wrong-foot you, find a chink in the armour etc. Anything to make himself feel superior/get attention. But I know that you probably know all that already, and the answer is to not bat an eyelid, whilst somehow letting him know that you know what he's been doing... (Does that make sense?!) My mum was an HL & SN Teaching Assistant, and she had what she called "The Look" which all of her groups knew meant that they had gone too far and had better apologise pronto. It seems to be the only armoury left to a teacher these days...
Anyway, I do hope you get the problem sorted and don't allow it to intimidate it you.

[lynda66]

can we not bring back flogging ..... or stocks and rotten tomatoes ....... i'll be chief flogger *stitches razor blades onto bits of rope* just in case

[BrideXIII]

My first thought was to let it go, as I didn't react at the time anyway, but the problem is, if he keeps on, or the other kids jump on the bandwagon and I have to act my HoD will ask why I didn't say something before, as he's pretty hot on us being very strict and not letting anything go. He had one pupil excluded for a week for using the F word, and it wasn't even addressed directly to the teacher, just to the situation in general. It was another month before that pupil was allowed back into that class, he had to work elsewhere!

well in your defence, with the HoD, you really didn't know what it meant, until after, never admit that to the brat in question, if he does it again, tell him, he got away with it the first time, because you realise he is just a child/virgin ( take ya pick) but now he has to take the consequences, and send him off to the HoD. brear in mind though, they will keep testing you, so is it worth it? better to ignore the little perv if possible, than create a stand off

[nelliegemini]

Personally - I wouldn't make a fuss of it as that make the little blighters worse.

They think they invented sex - but I think you might need to learn a few retorts to have at your disposal. Either that or just don't respond as it lowers yourself to their level.

You can guarantee, if you don't understand it - it's gonna be about sex.

He's probably a virgin anyway...

If it wasn't for current policies, you could tell the little twerp that YOUR generation discovered sex, and that's why the little idiot is on this earth to plague you. I remember asking my mum what (oh dear can I say this) M£sturb&t*on meant, when I already knew - just to make her embarrassed. Aren't kids awful?! And probably, ooohhh yes, definitely

And yes, I had to google as well - every generation has it's secret language - don't you just remember when Wicked meant exactly the opposite

[di]

well I too have been on google!!!If it were me...I'd take in a pot of freshly brewed tea & ask him(in front of class)how he takes his!!!Obviously meaning the pure innocent Brit variety!!!....but maybe that's wht I'm not a teacher.....& because they'd scare the pants off me!(& O.K maybe cos I'm not quite clever enough!)

[BrideXIII]

or , point out to him that it is obvious he spends more time getting 'pwned' on halo3 than doing his homework.

[nelliegemini]

OH just suggested asking if his teabags have dropped yet - he's not a teacher either

[Snadger]

I would just ask him if his had dropped yet!

[smallblueplanet]

My first thought was to let it go, as I didn't react at the time anyway, but the problem is, if he keeps on, or the other kids jump on the bandwagon and I have to act my HoD will ask why I didn't say something before, as he's pretty hot on us being very strict and not letting anything go. He had one pupil excluded for a week for using the F word, and it wasn't even addressed directly to the teacher, just to the situation in general. It was another month before that pupil was allowed back into that class, he had to work elsewhere!

I think honesty (with your HoD) is the best policy - as you say the school is very strict. Surely the miserable toe-rag of a lad knows that too, therefore you can't let him get away with it. If you ignore it and things are said again then it'll only look worse on you later. Speak to your HoD tomorrow, pronto.