Austin (10yr) told a little girl to "shut up" in his class on thurs.  (she SOOOO deserved this...she has been stealing out of his desk, cheating on his papers...to the point that the teacher moved her away from the ENTIRE class.....the little girl blamed Austin and started saying ugly things about him to his classmates...he retaliated by telling her to "shut up".)  Austin is a typical straight A student and has NEVER been in trouble at school.  His teacher told him that he had to write down 50 ways to say "shut up" without saying shut up.  He AND I sat down last night and came up with a few...but NO WHERE near 50!!  I told him to tell her that we worked on it and couldn't come up with 50, her response was this...... "silent lunch, until you bring 50 ways"!!  GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!  I am SOOOO pissed!!!!!!!!!!  (keep in mind I am a FORMER teacher and I understand what goes on in a classroom)  This teacher says that for a first offense they are to write 25 ways,(Austin's first offense, yet she let a little girl do 11 ways last week, b/c she was honest....so was Austin!!)  So, before I flip on this lady, I am going to ask you guys to help me, if together WE can't come up with 50 ways, I am going to the Principal!   Here is what we have...

1)  Be Quiet

2) Hush

3) Close your mouth

4) be silent

5) Please hush

6) zip your lips

7) stop talking

8) Please stop talking

9) Turn the Volume off

10) Can you hush?

11) You need to be quiet

12) Don't talk

13) Be quiet Please!

14) You need to hush

15) Please quit running your mouth

16) Will you PLEASE be silent

17) Quit running your mouth

18) Get QUIET!

19) Can you PLEASE hush?

20) Don't say another word!

21) Quit talking

22) SHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I'm not listening

Talk to the hand

Put it in a memo

Exercise your right to silence

Stop the madness

One moment of silence please

hands over ears and start singing la, la, la, la, la

our time is up

gotta go to bathroom

your mother is calling

did i just hear the icecream truck

Brandy, I think this teacher is a bit off her rocker. I do not like the word shut up and we discouraged its use in our programs, BUT we never asked for 50 different ways. We would get the kids to calm down first if they were upset (as Austin was) and then find out why they said it. Then when all was calm, we would talk about different ways to ask people to stop talking.

However since the teacher wants it, here is my take. I may have repeated some you have, it's hard to keep up and I'm afraid, I listed some that may be less nice than shut up even. At the end, I added other languages for be quiet.

23 Shush!

24 PLease Stop Talking

25 Please stop speaking

26 Calm Down

27 I need you to be silent

28 Please become quiet

29 Please settle down

30 Please close your mouth

31 Put a lid on it

32 Seal your lips

33 Zip it!

34 Lock your lips

35 Button up!

36 Say nothing

37 Stop talking

38 Keep quiet

39 Hold  your tongue! 

40 Keep your peace

41. Stop! You are hurting my feelings

42. Stop saying those things, they aren't true!

43. Don't say another word!

44 Cease and desist (sorry but I'm getting punchy and what is that teacher thinking)

45. Put a sock in it!

46. Contain yourself

47. Pipe Down

48. Put a cork in it.

49. Enough already!

50. "I've had just about enough of your incessant jabbering" (kinda like that one!!)

And then I got really off the wall and began looking up other languages

être tranquille  French for be quiet

stil ben Dutch

ruhig sein   German

essere calmo  Italian

ser quieto  European Portuguese

ser reservado Spanish

будьте тихо  Russian

Brandy,

     Document the inconsistancies that you wrote about online and make an appointment to go see her.  Then in a friendly way discuss them with her.  Consequences should be fair and equal.  It sounds as if your son got the wrong end of the deal.

This teacher can tell the students that they can't talk at lunch?  Is this a military school?  I didn't realize that we had that power.  Here I've been teaching all these years and yet I somehow missed this magical power. 

I had a really nice English teach in high school, that would write sayings on the chalk board each day. The only one that I have remembered all these years is, "Eating without conversation, is stoking". It means like stoking a fire. Just stuffing your face.

I am so sorry that you son, Austin is dealing with this....   it is so unfair for the other kids to start stuff and then your good kids are the ones that are paying the price....   I feel the same way with my kids... 

we are having some kind of trouble or issues at school...   whatever you want to call it...   some kids have been trying to target my kid and to pick on him....   and Owen knows better and he knows that he better not start anything that is not good.   So others would start stuff with him and he ended up paying the price for it... and had a time out.  So others got away with it.  I went in and talked to the teacher about it... and Owen was so upset that he was unable to tell the teacher what really happened... but I also pointed out that he doesn't want to tattle tale.  but at the same time.... we, my husband and i, told our son in the past... if it comes down to it... don't be afraid to stand up for yourself.  That was thursday when he got punished.... all because he stuck up for himself and the teacher saw that part when he was getting rough back...   but didn't see the beginning of it when they, the girls, started it with Owen and his friends.... 

then Yesterday, on Friday... some different kid, a grade higher than Owen...   came up to him and grabbed him around the waist and knocked him down...  So Owen somehow broke loose of him and got in a position and kicked him.  they were both on the ground.  

I did asked him and made sure that he didn't start anything... and i know that he was being honest with me.... and at least he wasn't afraid to tell me when stuff like this  happens at school. 

it just seems like something happens almost everyday this past week... and it's been crazy,.... and I am getting fed up with it....   the thing is... it's different kid each day. 

I have another good one..."Talk to the Hand"... I think that teacher needs new glasses....

I like. . . .

Make like a clam

Clam up

Silenceo por favor

Stow it

Let's meditate for a moment

A moment of silence please

You lips are moving, but I can't hear you

Let's bow our heads and pray for silence

I refuse to listen to you

Put a lid on it

Your son should also put the ASL (sign language) for quiet, hush, ect. down on his paper.  Print it out from the computer and glue/tape it on his list.  As a teacher I think that is very creative.  JMO

I totally agree....   that's what i say to my son....  if it comes down to it... defend yourself.  and you will not get in trouble by me. 

Brandy, I agree that this teacher seems a little out of whack.  The punishment seems a little harsh for the crime.  I'm in school right now to become a teacher and although I haven't taken THAT many of my teaching classes yet, from what we've learned so far...this method woudn't fly in most schools.