Confiscating Shoes

I am not mocking your post in any way, I don’t know your son and fully trust your opinion on this punishment for him, but I would be THRILLED if my son’s school chose that punishment. My kids hate wearing shoes and would definitely chose being sock footed over sitting in a desk through recess, copying a mishna or tefilla by hand, or sitting in the office where every parent and guest stares at them. For them it would be a treat. Maybe the counselor’s think they’ve picked something ‘light’?

I think you should speak to somebody in charge . That is no way to discipline a child. I would like to know his train of thought behind that ” punishment”.

thats terrible! call the camp and complain- jst dont say the counslers name… theyl tell aall the counslers and hell learn his lesson…

To take his shoes was genaiva. To force him to walk around shoeless om gravel or otherwise, is abusive. Also, a child should not walk around in sox with no shoes when his parents are alive, btw. There are more intelligent and appropriate way to teach him to behave. I would give my son a good talking to as he deserves, and complain about the counselor’s actions, as well.

I dont know why but the first thing that came to mind was the shoe exhibit at the holocaust museum. The Nazis took our shoes. Jews dont take other Jews shoes they GIVE shoes to other Jews who cant afford them.

So you started a YWN account just to tell everyone about your son’s punishment. Why not complain to the camp wouldn’t that be more productive?

That’s nothing. When I was in camp a counselor put the head of a kid who misbehaved in a toilet bowl and flushed it.

AS A teacher for many years I think that this is a disgusting punishment and I really agree with you, BUT,

I once took a couple of grades to one of these fancy play places where all the boys had to take off their shoes, and guess what? while we were there there was an electrical fault and we had to leave the building, and everyone was left in socks, without their nosh or packed lunches, freig nisht! There were a couple of really talented teachers with us, and they took the boys to a park, and they really had a blast. In fact, the boys had to return home without their shoes, and a couple (i guess those who didn’t have shabbos shoes?) came the next day to school with just an extra pair of socks. And it such fun that NOONE COMPLAINED.

So yes, i think it is disgusting, but i think that a lot of it is up to your attitude, and if you convince your son that it wasn’t so bad, i doubt he would care so much.

I was in a frum school in GG in the 1990’s and we had sports for an hour a week, and we had to bring our sneakers. After being reminded the first couple fo weeks of every school year, anyone who forgot tgeir sneakers had to JOIN IN the sports lesson, running skipping and junping, climbing on the apparatus, etc, in their socks.

The school did it for years and years, so i imagine that there were not too many complaints. i think that it was a brilliant idea, it taught boys basic concepts, such responsibility, taking care for their belongings, consequences of actions. etc.

i would have noproblem sending my sons to a school that did it today.

BTW, in those days we all wore grey socks, so it more embarrasing.

I really think that i am the ONLY NORMAL PERSON AROUND.

i have to share with you a memory. a couple of years ago, after bringing one of my children late to school, i was leaving the building, and i saw a child standing by the door to the yard, with a black bag in hand, in a thin pair of socks, with tears pouring down his cheeks, after the principal had confiscated his shoes and told him to pick up all the garbage in the yard. he was standing there just rubbing one foot against the other,unable to bring himself to go outside without shoes. come on, be normal, the nazis did things like this.

if there is anyone here who was thinking of doing such a thing, just think of this poor kid, crying pathetically.

there are specific things it says in Halocho one maynot do ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? ??? that others shouldn’t say that his children are not his (i.e.)

i think thta sending your children to a school that makes them hop around the yard or climb ropes without their shoes is one of them.

to the “only normal person” no offense, but the normal one here is me not you.

BTW, i’m waiting to see the teacher who gives in to tears. if you warn a kid and he does what he was not supposed to do, you have to carry out your punishment or you lose everything – especailly in a camp where there is less discipline to start off with.

BTW why is this post decaffinated coffee? it bothers me a lot, in fact i only regiseterd because of it, and it should be caffeinated!

Is there no title on cruelty to kids?

taking a childs shoes is unacceptable. plain and simple. no excuse, no long story.

had this been done in a public school setting it would be on the 6 o’clock news and the teacher would be under investigation.

parents should stand up for their kids with regard to things like this. i can tell you for a fact that no teacher did stuff like this to my children. my husband once hard that a rebbe had a tendency to hit children if they misbehaved even in the slightest. my husband made it known that if anyone laid a hand on his child he would come to the school with the police and have the teacher arrested. originally he wanted to beat the teacher up, but i told him then he would end up in jail as well.

BTW if your children would be THRILLED to walk without shoes, why did you buy them shoes in the first place?

seriously?

Ybrooklynteacher

A teacher has a right to confiscate only those things that are used inappropriately or that are distractions. Shoes, typically, don’t fit that category.

SiDi – thanks, I need the chizuk today.

Just a weird transposition of this story, I often work with children with Autism, and one could NOT bear wearing his shoes. His teachers used to punish him by putting them on!.

I would pull my kid out of the camp, and file a lawsuit in secular court, and report them to the appropriate administrative agency.

sending down a class only two classes need to know about, shoes the whole school plus can see. anyway Sam2 says that is the most demeaning.

ybrooklynteacher – I don’t know if you are being sarcastic toward me, or at me, but I have to tell you a funny maaisa. The Rav of our community is very involved in our chessed organization and he called me up to ask if I need anything (mind you I also work in the same organization). He asked if I needed money for anything, maybe shoes. I asked him why he would call me about that. He told me someone saw my kids walking around in their socks and they assumed I needed some financial help. I could not stop laughing. But I gave a brocha to the person who cared enough to “tell on me”, I thought it was very caring.

Hi yerushalaymer.

I think you should meet with the director of the camp and complain.

Who is the counselor to employ such a method? Are they a Rebbe? Teacher? Anyone licensed to deal with children?

Children run around in camp. It shows a lack of leadership in the counselor to do that to any camper.

What else are they doing to keep control over kids?

I suggest the camp learn about children before going into the camp business.

In fact, I would like to call the camp and tell them a huge boundary was crossed by an incompetent and ill-suited counselor.

The counselor went too far and owes you and your child an apology. They abused their influence as an adult.

Hatzlacha in getting justice.

I never heard of this phenomena and this entire thread makes me sick sick sick. The first thing that cams to mind was the nazis.

I really think Sth should be done about it, like that mother who is complaining about her sons shoes raked away, take some action , not just speak to the camp, get an apology and compensation.

Write about it in all the Jewish news papers, make these insane pple realise that nazis do it, NOT JEWS!

Dear everyone;

in an ideal world no teacher would ever discipline a child unfairly, for one very simple reason – no child would ever play up.

chinuch is VERY VERY VERY complicated. no punishment is ever given without the teacher thinking it through many times, as to how it will affect this child, and how it will affect the rest of the class.

for instance if a child is sent down a couple of grades, you can trust me that we have taken into account the humiliation, we have thought about how confident the child is, how it will affect him, in which grades he has siblings, or even nephews, etc…

When this child shoes were removed, think for a second of the counsellor. one cannot allow cheating in a camp race. the obvious punishment would have been to stop him from participating in that day’s races, but very often these children will just make more trouble if they sitting on the side, and you also need a punishment that will strongly discourage anyone else from doing it. I am not saying that i would do it, but all in all i understand the counsellor.

They’re hinting at the kid to “shoo”.