Oddities of a Mommy-and-Me instructor

[limabean]

My 22mo DD and I started a Mommy-and-Me class 2 weeks ago, and the teacher has said some strange things. She seems nice for the most part, but a few comments have just rubbed me the wrong way. This week, for example, she complimented one mom, whose son had shoes with laces, on "not using idiot shoes," even though every other student in the class was wearing velcro shoes. (And yes, she went on to explain that she calls velcro shoes "idiot shoes," so there was no misunderstanding. I guess kids between the ages of 18 months and 3, which is the age range of the class, are idiots if they can't tie their own shoes?)

Then at the end of class, she always draws a small picture on each student's arm with a washable marker. My DD says no and just watches, but most of the other students like it. This week, one little girl loved it and kept going back for more drawings, and after doing each arm and leg, the teacher drew lines on the girl's lower back and said it was pin-striping like Sally (from the movie Cars). That part was fine, but then she went on to say, "I guess it's better to call it that than a tramp stamp at this age, huh?" So yeah ... she wasn't exactly calling it a tramp stamp, but to even say that term as you're drawing on a baby's lower back? Rather inappropriate, IMO.

Anyway, we'll keep going to the class, because the kids have a good time and comments like that go right over their heads, but I just thought it was strange and worth mentioning.

Any Mommy-and-Me stories you want to share?

[Chalex]

Wow! Pretty inappropriate talk for someone in her workplace!
I'm sure she's just trying to bond with the Mommies but ick, putting down the kiddo's shoes and talking over the kids heads is the wrong way to go about it.
(is she young? have children of her own?)
....Hmmm, and I think I'd rather her give out stickers than write all over my kids....

[limabean]

Originally Posted by Chalex

Wow! Pretty inappropriate talk for someone in her workplace!
I'm sure she's just trying to bond with the Mommies but ick, putting down the kiddo's shoes and talking over the kids heads is the wrong way to go about it.
(is she young? have children of her own?)
....Hmmm, and I think I'd rather her give out stickers than write all over my kids....

She looks to be in her 40s -- she has 2 teens I think. Yeah, even more than the inappropriate references, it just felt disrespectful to be going above the kids' heads like that. She did that a lot, even with non-inappropriate language, and after the first couple of times it felt like it wasn't as respectful as I'd like to be of the kids. The class is for them, so I think it should be mostly kept at their level.

[elleystar]

Wow...just wow! That's terribly inappropriate! Are you paying money to go to this class??

It would be kind of hard to discuss it with her when you're there since there's not really any way to pull her aside for any kind of private chat, what with other parents and kids and your own LO there. I think I would write her a note of some kind. I'm not sure what I'd say exactly though. Someone else here would have better skills than I on that front.

[Snowflower]

Gee Whiz! She literally called All the other kids wearing velcro shoes idiots- And the parents that put the shoes on their little feet are...condoning the use of "idiot shoes" !? Pffft. Velcro shoes for a child just seems safer to me, nothing to trip on when they come untied and so much less of a hassle. Maybe she's just kind of an "idiot". And ya.. tramp stamp? Inapro-pro.

[sapphire_chan]

How does she feel about adults who wear slip-on shoes then? Is she saying most professional women are idiots?

[blizzard_babe]

Weirdo!

Seriously, Idiot Shoes? Now, I'll admit, when I was a kindergarten teacher, they drove me NUTS, but only because they make the most horrific brain-rattling noise when like two or three of them get going opening and closing, opening and closing, opening and closing their shoes during floor time . The closures themselves don't bother me, and calling them "Idiot Shoes?" What the heck?

And the tramp stamp thing is just... way inappropriate.

[gbailey]

Her comments would irritate me too. At least the kids are having fun. I would likely say something to whomever is the director/supervisor of the facility.

I wore my "idiot" boots today when I went out in the snow. LOL

[lach]

Very weird. My first thought upon reading your post is that she sounds like a teenager, and that maybe if you jut have a talk with her about what's appropriate for toddlers because she obviously doesn't know. But then you say she's in her 40s? Yikes. I'd say this sort of thing might be normal coming from a 16 year old who thinks she's really cool and "tells it like it is."

Is she the owner of the franchise? If no, then I'd talk to the owner. If yes, then I might look for other classes.

[limabean]

Originally Posted by lach

Is she the owner of the franchise? If no, then I'd talk to the owner. If yes, then I might look for other classes.

No, it's a class offered by my city's community center.

The kids do have a nice time, and we've already shelled out our $70 for the 6-week course, so we'll just keep going I guess. But we definitely won't be signing up for another session with this instructor. We have 4 more classes to go, so I'll see if she continues in this vein, and if she's saying inappropriate stuff every time I might say something. Or, sometimes instructors will hand out a feedback sheet for us to fill out on the last day, so I could always include comments there if she does that.

Yeah, the shoes thing is weird to me. My kids have lacing boards and such where they practice tying knots/bows -- it's not as though shoes with laces are their only opportunity for learning that, you know? Even my 5yo DS, who can tie a bow, likes to wear slip-on Vans most of the time because he likes the way they look. And my 2 favorite pairs of shoes are clogs and flats, both of which are slip-on. And, as I said, the age range for this class is 18 months to 3 years -- I don't know any kids in that age group who can tie a bow, and I know some pretty smart toddlers!