Having two grown up children (39 and 37 years old respectively), another in year 10, one in year 5 and the littlest in year 2 I have been involved with the education of my children for the past 34 years. In that I have heard so much about what they "Have to do" and what they "Have been told we must bring in" etc. I can assure you that nine tenths of it is that the children have not understood what it is that the teachers have said to them. Countless times I have marched off to the school to complain about the unreasonable or plain stupid demands only to discover that what was actually said in class was quite different to the message that came home. Yes it is often the fault of the teachers who fail to make themselves clear. They forget that what I, as an adult, would grasp instantly is not what a inattentive child, whose mind is on something else (like how much longer must this lesson last before I can go kick a ball around), hears.
Eg. Teenage Hormone Wreck frequently tells me that she MUST work on the internet for her homework. Now they all have PCs in their rooms but the only internet connections are on mine and the wife's machines. When I check this YOU MUST command with the school I discover that the teachers are well aware that less than half their pupils have internet access at home and would never tell the kids that they must use it for homework. What the staff have said is "You can of course get some information from the internet ~ use the PCs in the school library during your lunch breaks". Teenage Hormone Wreck would rather spend her break glued by the mouth to a pile of raging male hormones behind the bike sheds than go to the library so assumes that I will hand over my PC on demand.
I suspect that fewer than half of Growler Junior's class have access to a digital camera and what in fact has happened is that G Jnr has "volunteered" to bring one in. That is the usual way these things turn out when you go steaming in to complain.
I accept that some teachers are thoughtless, silly and often downright ignorant of life as most of us live it BUT they are trained to be very careful about not making ANY child feel deprived because they don't have something. They are aware that some pupils parents are loaded and others are poor (by comparison) and therefore cannot provide all the latest gadgets.
Personally I check and recheck every demand that starts "Teacher says I have GOT TO" because teachers simply don't say that very often and then it is usually about some item of school uniform that the child doesn't want to wear.
