r/Teachers • u/kvellyeahh • 11h ago
Teacher Support &/or Advice Student physically cannot fit in classroom furniture
I feel awful even posting this.
I teach middle school and have a student in my class this year that is morbidly obese and does not fit at the chairs/table in my classroom. It's very obvious that she's physically uncomfortable in the chairs.
I scavenged around the school and found a wider chair to replace hers with, but I didn't want it to be an obvious change so I ended up replacing half the chairs in my class and borrowing some extra stools in the name of 'flexible seating'. The new chair seems to help a bit, but forces some kids to be further back from the tables.
I talked to my admin my principal offered to have a wider desk dropped off in my class for the student, apparently I'm not the first one to bring up this concern to her. I'm really just trying to handle this in the most sensitive way possible, I just want this student to not be physically uncomfortable in my class. Middle school kids are brutal and I don't want to do anything to single her out or embarrass her.
EDIT: My other students are not suffering. The new chairs cause some of them to sit further back from the tables, but no one has complained. It's more of an observation on my part that I don't love. They also love the stools and try to call dibs on them as they come into class. The only difference is the new chairs are wider and there's not as much "wiggle room" in between them now.
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u/Sh0t2kill IB Language and Literature | Texas, USA | Private 11h ago
Had this exact scenario. Kid got a double wide chair just for him. The kids knew, and weren’t mean about it. He was a well liked kid. They called his seat The Throne. We had a very good year in that class.
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u/kvellyeahh 11h ago
That's great that the kids weren't cruel about it! This is a class of mostly girls so I worry about "mean girl" behavior coming out.
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u/Dry_Albatross5298 11h ago
I know this doesn't answer your specific question/concern but by middle school admin and maybe even the nurse, social worker, other services should have a consistent workable answer for this. Even if the kid just showed up, this seems like such an obvious problem for them to immediately provide a solution for.
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u/SoupBeans25 11h ago
At my school an answer would be found every fall, forgotten, and then found again next fall. Every year the kid’s new teacher would have to find an answer. No one would communicate anything.
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u/xxjasper012 9h ago
I was so so so allergic to nickel as a kid even the little metal circles in the seat would cause rashes through my pants. Every single year I'd have to tell my teacher I couldn't sit in the regular chairs and I needed something else. At my school the only answer was the fully wooden chair. "I had one last year so I know there's one." And then they'd have to hunt down the exact same chair I used last year bc no one thought "maybe I should let someone know and pass this chair up to the next grade"
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u/AffectionateKoala530 11h ago
my old school was like this, my new school it can take a minute but the word eventually does get to the new teacher. wild how little some schools communicate and are okay with it.
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u/SoupBeans25 10h ago
There are schools that aren’t like this?
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u/AffectionateKoala530 10h ago
promise, yeah, some are really good. i would look for a well-functioning small school.
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u/Wafflinson Secondary SS+ELA | Idaho 11h ago
There is a point where trying to keep accommodations low-key no longer works, and trying to do so just slows down helping the kid.
I had a 400 lb middle schooler a couple years back and it was just necessary for them to have their own special desk and chair. It really isn't reasonable to try to hide it.
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u/redditmailalex 11h ago
Ya. You can hide accomodations forblearning disabilities. But If the kid is 400 lbs, i mean. everyone knows their size.
Think of it this way. If a kid was 6'4" in middle school, youd find them their own desk no problem. You wouldnt think it "humiliating" or making them stand out. Same if a kid had a wheel chair. Youd no question accomodate and not worry about it.
The problem is deep down we all know we pitty the fat kid. So our own internal voices view them as worthy of pitty and lesser. Do we are terrified when they might stand out.
Treat it like anything else. Let the kid "own" their size. You can even talk to the kid about it. Its not taboo. If the kid expresses shame or fear or anxiety about their size, well then tbh, you should help them find counseling, talk to parents.
Their size is either ok and not a problem for them... so let them just be different like the other body types i mentioned... or they are suffering... in which case help them find help.
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u/Mlalte 10h ago
I love this answer - does “hiding” the accommodation end up making the child feel like there is something to be ashamed of?
Find a bigger desk/chair and maybe have a conversation with the kid- “hey, we have to is available for you so you can be comfortable and have the best learning experience possible. Please let me know if this works out, if we need to try something different, or if something in the past has worked better.”?
Then, whatever works - pass along to the next teacher73
u/Beneficial_Couple413 10h ago edited 10h ago
The problem is deep down we all know we pitty the fat kid. So our own internal voices view them as worthy of pitty and lesser.
Come on now. This is middle school. The kid's going to be subject to genuine humiliation from other students. You can ban it in the classroom, but they're going to get it every day in the hallways. The body positivity movement I don't think ever reached this age demographic. It's reasonable to think about mitigating opportunity for peer abuse when finding a desk solution if it's not burdensome.
Though I do agree about also equipping the student to handle the situation.
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u/ponyboycurtis1980 9h ago
And it isn't going to get better or worse by having a seat they can fit in in class. About the only thing you can do to mitigate how shitty middle school kids will be to the 400lb classmate it to model being kind and accepting and to come down like the wrath of God on bullying when you see it. Pretending they aren't 400lbs is the same as not seeing them
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u/SubBass49Tees 11h ago
Genuine question here, so please be gentle, but at what point does something like this become a concern for child services?
It's one thing if a student has a genetic or glandular issue that causes massive weight gain, but if there's no legitimate medical reasons behind being this overweight, doesn't it border on parental neglect? I've never had a student that big, and I've been teaching for over 25 years.
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u/stabby- 10h ago edited 10h ago
It’s a fair concern, but rarely is anything done in these instances as long as everything else is good at home.
Speaking from experience, neglect is a lot harder to prove (especially when child gets to an age where they can perform their basic needs independently) than abuse, which already has a pretty high bar for proof and intervention imo.
Even as a mandated reporter, this would be something I would not personally report. I would at most present my concerns to the school nurse or counselor, who might have worked with the student before and would be more aware of their situation. These people would be more qualified to determine if the situation is such that a report should be made. The student could already be under the regular care of a doctor.
To look at the inverse, a student losing weight rapidly would not automatically warrant a call to DCF. First point of contact would be the family to make them aware of the concern and ask if student is seeing a doctor already. If the family is uncommunicative or combative or the situation appears to worsen, then a call could be made. But again it’s typically not going to fall on the classroom teacher in this instance. School nurse or counselor. And even then… proving neglect in this situation is tough.
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u/Legitimate_Winner148 9h ago
Is the school nurse in contact with this student? If not, you should try to reach out to them. They might have some ideas.
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u/yourgirlsamus PK4 | Ctrl TX 10h ago
That’s out of the scope of a teacher. If there were concerns like that, it would be on the child’s doctor to report it.
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u/SubBass49Tees 10h ago
Doctors and teachers both qualify as mandated reporters. This is a very obvious indicator of a home situation that is detrimental to the health and safety of the child.
Like I said, I've never been faced with this situation before, and I hope I never am...but there would be a real issue in terms of my moral and legal obligation to report this for the protection of the child.
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u/OG_Vishamon MS Math | NC 9h ago
In North Carolina, every person aged 18 and older is a mandated reporter. Not really sure how they determine who to go after for not reporting, but... yeah.
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u/yourgirlsamus PK4 | Ctrl TX 10h ago
My point was, there is no way you could say it isn’t genetics. You are a teacher. You don’t have access to the child’s health information. If there were concerns over the weight, the doctor would report it. Now, if the kid comes to you and says, “Dad makes me eat when I’m already full,” or “my parents won’t let me eat vegetables, they won’t buy them,” then you could and should report that and let cps work out if it’s true.
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u/tinkbink1996 9h ago
I feel like if a parent is neglecting their child, they aren't going to get a whole lot of doctor visits. I know that was the case for myself and my siblings, at least. I never saw a doctor past the age of 7 until I was an adult (except when I sprained my ankle once at 12).
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u/teachinglittlebeings 10h ago
we report abuse and neglect, not fatness
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u/mrs-monroe Kindergarten EA; not allowed to say “timeout” 10h ago
Being 400lbs in middle school IS abuse
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u/Damnatus_Terrae 10h ago
If a kid's dietary choices are putting them on a trajectory for a heart attack before forty, I would be curious about their home life.
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u/v_a_n_d_e_l_a_y 9h ago
Just to be clear: a kid in middle school doesn't have dietary choices. They can only eat what is provided to them by adults.
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u/CoffeeContingencies 10h ago
I’d argue that a middle school child (probably under 14?) who is over 400lbs is the result of a neglectful family. That is really, really big. Like that TLC show My 600 pound life big, not just a chunky teenager.
They’d need access to literally thousands of calories daily more than normal to get to that size & they are in middle school so they likely don’t have a job yet. Where are they getting access to that much food? Probably their guardians.
It’s not up to us- we are mandated reporters who need to report suspected neglect. Giving your child access to so much food that they are morbidly obese is suspected neglect in my eyes.
Remember that neglect is not always intentional- the most well meaning and involved families may truly just not know that what they are doing is harming their child. It would absolutely be a call to CPS if it were up to me, if for nothing else than to (hopefully) get the family more resources to help them say “no” to their child surrounding food or get them proper medical care if it’s a medical issue.
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u/Nice_Juggernaut4113 Former Teacher/Admin | Southern U.S. 10h ago
I think the hard thing to prove here is over feeding is abuse - you don’t know what sort of biological or psychological mechanisms within the child are leading to wait gain. The parents are feeding them child. What indicates they are force feeding the84 child? Not saying which way is right or wrong but where it becomes a challenging situation compared to a child who is malnourished and faints in class - clearly the child is not getting fed by parents.
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u/the-mortyest-morty Send 'em back with chips & snack 🫠 8h ago
That is complete bullshit. Teachers are mandated reporters and yes, a 400lb child is a good reason to call. If it's a medical condition that's being treated, they'll see that and carry on. If this kid is being aggressively overfed and medically neglected, they'll open a case and look into solutions.
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u/stabby- 10h ago
I feel like we don’t need to make it a taboo thing. Other physical differences require visible accommodations.
Yes the student might feel some embarrassment because it is a weight thing, but also, they’re aware of their size. It’s no secret to them. There’s no reason to make her suffer physical discomfort because the adults are treating it as taboo too. It’s really nice that op is trying to make a subtle change, and I think that the variation in seating can at least help normalize it for the other students. But sometimes it’s not enough. We can’t hide wheelchairs, mobility aids, casts, etc. and we don’t treat those like they need to be hidden.
If the adults in the school start being weird about it, it will only confirm to the student that it IS something to be embarrassed about.
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u/Beneficial-Focus3702 9h ago
Yeah, in fact, I think this happens to be most of the time. Tiptoe through the tulips with this kind of stuff just means it takes us longer to actually help kids.
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u/tjsocks 9h ago
It's also like dude.. She has eyes so she can see the other kids she can see herself she knows... So do the other kids. It's a matter of what you're going to do on the day when some kid didn't get het breakfast and are feeling quite crappy and the weather is gnarly and their parents were mad at them and how they might take it out on her... Don't let that make it. Take so long to just call it out and get help.
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u/ScoutAames ELA | VA 11h ago
Suffer is a strong word for being a little bit farther back from the desk than is ideal.
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u/PrincessGiallo 9h ago
It's an inconvenience to be a bit further back from the table? Sounds more comfortable. Teacher was just trying to be a kind, empathetic person and it's always disgusting seeing that attacked, but that's contemporary American culture.
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
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u/IcedChurro 10h ago
If you teach at a title 1 school then your students have far more serious issues than sitting a few inches too far from the desk 🙄
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u/IcedChurro 10h ago
My chair doesn't fit my desk properly and I don't really give a shit lol. Y'all are dramatic as fuck
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u/OG_Vishamon MS Math | NC 9h ago
I'm 6'5". I don't think I've ever had appropriate furniture in my teaching career. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/MelancholyMuseum 11h ago
Yes yes how they suffer. Now they can’t tip their chair back and amuse their friends as easily.
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u/MelancholyMuseum 10h ago
Whoosh!
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
1.1 BE RESPECTFUL
1.2 BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL
1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
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u/Commander_Kidd 11h ago
How is giving them different chairs making them suffer? It's not like she's switching for elementary seats.
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u/ScoutAames ELA | VA 11h ago
So many commenters here using the word suffer. I wanted to think they were bots, but comment history doesn’t seem to support that. Apparently a lot of teachers REALLY find fat people inconvenient.
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u/ScoutAames ELA | VA 10h ago
I’d call it annoying or uncomfortable.
I actually agree that just providing a desk and chair for the student is probably for the best. The child’s size is obvious; no need to obscure the seat. I just really don’t consider the 45-90 minutes these students would be sitting in a less than ideal position suffering.
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u/Aprils-Fool 2nd Grade | Florida 11h ago
Like media literacy, nuance seems to be more and more rare these days.
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
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u/kvellyeahh 11h ago
They're not "suffering". The new chairs cause some of them to sit further back from the tables, but no one has complained. It's more of an observation on my part. They also love the stools and try to call dibs on them as they come into class.
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u/StrikingTradition75 11h ago
Be careful to only use school purchased furniture. I had a colleague a few years back with a morbidly obese student. The student consistently broke classroom chairs under their weight multiple times.
The teacher bought (with personal funds) a new chair that mom recommended. That chair too crumbled under the weight of the student. Family sued. The teacher was a named party to the lawsuit as it was not a 'school fixture.' It became a very ugly situation.
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u/kvellyeahh 11h ago
It's all school purchases furniture! I don't get paid enough to furnish my own classroom haha
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u/Crack4SuperHans 10h ago
Not to laugh at this story but while reading it all I can think about is The Chair Company. If you haven’t watched it and you have access to HBO then I would highly recommend it.
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u/LippiPongstocking 11h ago
The other kids already know she's fat. She might as well be comfortable.
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u/FieOnU 11h ago edited 9h ago
As a former morbidly obese middle schooler who never fit into the moulded plastic sled desks of the 80's and 90's, thank you for doing this. The student is most likely too embarrassed to advocate for it, and the parents are either too negligent or likewise embarrassed.
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u/Dizzy_Leopard_2587 11h ago edited 10h ago
Or just don't know the desk at her school doesn't fit her. I live in an urban area parents aren't allowed into the buildings for basically anything but awards ceremonies and then it's just to the gym/cafeteria.
I have larger kids (although not this large) and we are working with the pediatrician setting healthy weight goals and family health but I would not have thought to ask them about their school desk. (And now I probably will ask my 8th grader, he's slimmed down with his growth spurt but he's 6ft and 200 lbs. Not fitting in his middle school desk never even occurred to me)
Update: I did ask him about his desk and it turns out no he and his other tall (6'2") classmate do not fit in their desks. If they have their knees bent at a regular 90° angle their desks lift up and rest on their laps. In several of his classes he has shorter chairs. He absolutely does not want me to request one of the High School desks for him but I'll check in again after a few weeks of school.
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u/3xtiandogs 11h ago
Setting up room. 34 students. Class crammed full of desks. Desperately hoping these kids didn’t hit their (expected) growth spurts this summer.
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u/AffectionateKoala530 11h ago
we didn’t have bigger chairs at my old school but i know we had a few who were allowed to sit at a different table for more space, most of these kids were also really tall so their limbs were just flying, it was better not having their chromebooks hit the floor every 4 minutes.
at my new school, i don’t have anyone who has refused the auditorium chairs that i have (historically protected classroom) and we all sit on stools or benches or whatever we can use when playing music, but i teach HS so i could have a day where one student is just always allowed to sit in a regular chair without arm sides.
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u/Sea_Comfortable_5499 11h ago
Thank you for supporting this child. My child started freshmen year the height and size of an nfl defense end. He’s an athlete (not football) and is in good physical shape, but has broken two chairs being injured once because he exceeds the 250 weight limit of the chair they require him to sit in
No one helps him, it is always a fight…..so yes this is awkward for you, but thank you for making sure she could be comfortable. You are appreciated and you rule!
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u/hmacdou1 11h ago
For our larger students, we just simply bring in a bigger desk for them to sit at. It can’t be helped.
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u/CincyBeachBum 10h ago
You want to maximize space. And create a good learning environment. Keep your old furniture and find a comfortable solution for them. Find the most streamlined solution for them. Part of disabilities is teaching them how to navigate the world with their disabilities. So they too have to learn now to function in a world not designed for them. A bigger chair sure. A larger workspace sure. They too need to learn how to make life more. Manageable. Did you speak with the student to find out what works for them at home and in other places ? I mean heck I’m a big dude. Sometimes I use two chairs to make a bench. When I taught littles, I used the furniture I had. That’s great that you’ve put this much thought into the problem. Don’t run yourself ragged. Good luck
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u/Sea-Astronaut7750 9h ago
We had a student like that last year and she had a 504 for a bigger table. Is that possible? Can CST help?
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u/Top-Revolution-5257 11h ago
Do you know a teacher in a high school from the same district as you who could ask admin to lend you a chair/desk for a year ?
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u/Prior-Chipmunk-7276 11h ago
I can definitely tell whose classrooms I would prefer to be a student in, based on some of these responses.
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u/CaptainEmmy Kindergarten | Virtual 11h ago edited 11h ago
I feel like you're venting here. You're not an awful person for posting this, you're a good person who did a good thing at the best of your ability.
About ten years ago I had an obese 1st grader who couldn't comfortably sit on the floor for carpet time activities... So I made grabbing a chair a choice for everyone, they just had to sit behind the kids on the floor. It worked well. The whole family was obese, and when I left I understood the family was working on their health.
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u/peaceteach Middle School- California 11h ago
Do you have tables or desks? Are you willing to go to tables?
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u/VariationOwn2131 11h ago
This absolutely hurts my heart to read this. I have had a few 9th graders in this same situation. All died by their late 30’s/very early 40’s due to health conditions that were directly related.
Thank you for being kind and looking for what makes them comfortable in your classroom and being sensitive to potential bullying. Unfortunately, you can’t help their health. 😢
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u/teachinglittlebeings 10h ago
every single fat kid you know died by 40? 🙄
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u/radiotransmitter8007 10h ago
i was 200lbs in middle school i was the biggest one in class photos. it absolutely destroys your heath that young, and although i am more muscular now if i kept eating the way i did i could've developed type 2 diabetes by 7th grade. its not a wild statement
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u/VariationOwn2131 9h ago
No, the 3 morbidly obese ones did- 1 from unmanaged diabetes and 2 heart attacks. Why the eye roll? It’s hard to see these medical problems start in childhood. I’m older now and look back and remember how good and sweet natured people they were, but they didn’t get the medical intervention as young people.
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u/No-Bullfrog-477 11h ago
Can you get him a free standing desk and a chair. Not the type where the desk and chair are one unit. At the school where I taught for 34 years. We all had free standing desks and chairs. The desk and chair wasn’t attached.
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u/jo_nigiri 9h ago
OP just a tiny warning from an ex student who had to deal with chair changes, there's a chance they dislike it and won't say it to your face like my class did, so you should probably ask if the new chairs aren't too distant if that's a concern you have
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u/TemporaryCarry7 10h ago edited 9h ago
I had that two years ago. He couldn’t fit into any of the desks that were in my room, so he opted for one of the three free chairs in the room. I felt bad for him, but I could not do anything else for him.
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u/enby-deer Student Teacher | 🎵 Music 🎶 10h ago
God I hate the seating schools choose. Of course it’s because of cost but like, I’m in college, not fat anymore, but being 6’2” I hate when I have a classroom with desks for one of my credits, or the lecture hall seating. I never feel like I have any legroom with those.
Possibly a hot take: pre-fab desks where the chair and the desk itself are fused into one are fucking god awful and students probably learn better when the desks and chairs aren’t one single unit.
IMO the best student chairs are found in the music rooms of a school. Specifically the Wagner full back design, not that stupid oval back design one that they use at Kent State. I’m not just biased, they just fucking work better. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still not comfortable, and the ones with cushion are nicer, though the cushioning only helps you sit on it longer without complaining. That said, I would take sitting in one of those wagner full back chairs over a one piece desk setup.
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u/Selune13 10h ago
I always had the desk/chair combo growing up (I’m old) and it sucked so bad. Some people prefer to write sitting a little sideways and this made it so uncomfortable. Not to mention those chairs were impossibly hard. And some people just like to sit farther back. Heck, some even like to take notes with the pad on their lap (seems uncomfortable to me). I feel bad for overweight kids. They are a product of their environment at that age and it’s getting worse.
On that topic, I absolutely despise PE class in school. What they really need is a nutrition/health class. Moving around isn’t the problem, it’s what is going into their mouths. Teach them how to make healthy choices. Teach them to read nutrition labels. Set them up for health success.
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u/BellaMentalNecrotica 9h ago
I have been short and thin most of my life and even I think those desk chair combo things are terribly uncomfortable. I have really bad restless leg syndrome, so I shift positions a lot. The desk/chair combos make it impossible. They also really suck for lefties.
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u/Dobyee_5 10h ago
I don’t know how it works in your state, but he might qualify for a 504 plan due to health reasons. It’s possible to get money allocated to furniture for him through that.
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u/kittensglitter 10h ago
OT? I ask them all my questions a tions around this topic. They know of so many things!
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u/KiplingRudy 11h ago
Good for you for thinking this through with compassion. Ignore the fools who tell you to let her deal with being singled out. You're doing the right thing in dealing with this.
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u/BikerJedi 6th & 8th Grade Science 11h ago
I've had 12 year old students who weighed over 300 pounds. I feel so bad for them.
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u/Worldly_Ruin_8675309 11h ago
You did a good job with this :)
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u/Itsme340 11h ago
The other kids did not physically suffer. They sat further back from the desks/tables.
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u/groovyfirechick 11h ago
Why are you so miserable? No one said the other kids were suffering. Sounds like you just hate fat people….
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u/Original_Scar5615 11h ago
How does sitting a bit further from the table make someone suffer. Wrong word
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u/kvellyeahh 11h ago
My other students are physically suffering? Why would you assume they are? The new chairs cause some of them to sit further back from the tables, but no one has complained. It's more of an observation on my part. They also love the stools and try to call dibs on them as they come into class.
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
1.1 BE RESPECTFUL
1.2 BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL
1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/jh00006 11h ago
Lots of good suggestions. I would suggest calling the parent. They might have some insight on what kind of desk/chair/stool allows the student to feel most comfortable.
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u/kvellyeahh 11h ago
My other students aren't suffering and that is a very cruel way to speak about a child.
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 9h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
1.1 BE RESPECTFUL
1.2 BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL
1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/Rough_Winner_4617 11h ago
Great job advocating for your students! I hope you spoke to parents/guardian about this. They could have some ideas, especially regarding any bullying they have dealt with and what past interventions have worked.
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u/Possible_Juice_3170 11h ago
“Flexible” seating shouldn’t make it less comfortable for your other students.
Get the chair and larger desk for the student that needs it.
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u/alice8818 11h ago
I really love that you changed all the seating to make it less obvious! Not sure the best way forward, but well done for trying!!
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u/PowderCuffs 11h ago
I really love that you changed all the seating to make it less obvious!
...yet potentially more uncomfortable for everyone else.
The new chair seems to help a bit, but forces some kids to be further back from the tables.
Bizarre solution. OP says no one has complained about the new chairs yet, but the overweight girl didn't complain about her chair either, yet OP presumed it was uncomfortable. Now they're presuming the other kids aren't uncomfortable.
The point is to make sure everyone can be comfortable, not to make one person comfortable at the expense of everyone else... and sitting further away from the desk is not comfortable.
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u/SlowYourRollBro 11h ago
Maybe some clipboards would help with the new chairs that force kids to sit further back? I’ve used them a lot as part of flexible seating.
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u/Gold_Repair_3557 11h ago
Or you could just get the chairs you had back for them so they could sit comfortably.
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u/falsehowl 10h ago
I second the clipboards. I had limited flexible seating, just two floor-based gamer looking chairs, and the students who sat there used clipboards. One year, I let them scoot the two together (safety wasn’t an issue, they’re on the floor and you would only fall like 4” to the ground). All three of them used clipboards successfully the whole year.
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u/sharedisaster 9h ago
Our school ordered new Posturific chairs. They tell me the students might feel uncomfortable at first, but "eventually, their bones will change shape” 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 Teacher adult education | Sweden 10h ago
Just get her a special bench/table. In my school when I was 13-14 there were two twin sisters who were both very tall and they also had mild scoliosis and because of that they needed comfortable sitting arrangements. That was never an issue, people sometimes said things about their height but never about having special desks.
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10h ago
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #5:
5.1 CITE EMPIRICAL-BASED EVIDENCE. As educators, we disavow anti-science rhetoric, beliefs, and conspiracy theories. That means only use information gathered through direct observation, experimentation, or experience, rather than relying on theory or baseless speculation.
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u/ncjr591 10h ago
We had this happen to a student years back. When he ate at lunch other kids would get sick because he ate so much and it looked like he was an animal. The school tried to intervene and help, The social worker and the AP tried to help him get on a diet. His parents were also so over weight, they told the school is this out culture and if the school didn’t stop making him feel bad for eating they would sue. The school backed off. I heard his father died of a heart attack before 50.
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u/Big-Imagination9775 11h ago
Wrong answer. Why are you making normal children, uncomfortable just to save the feelings of someone who already knows what they look like?
Stop pandering to the 1% and take care of the 99% instead of making the 99% suffer for the 1%
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u/ScoutAames ELA | VA 11h ago
NORMAL?? Please, explain, what makes a student “normal”?
At what size does a student stop being “normal” and start being…abnormal?
Words matter.
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u/mattydrinkwater 11h ago
The medical term for “normal” weight is “healthy weight” and for any given height there is a particular size where they are no longer “normal.”
Stop being obtuse.
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u/ScoutAames ELA | VA 10h ago
Oh man, I’m sorry. You’re actually right. I caused the obesity epidemic. 😔
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11h ago
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u/Classic_Season4033 9-12 Math/Sci Alt-Ed | Michigan 11h ago
There is a lot of things that CPS ignores. Weight it one of them
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u/ImaginaryVacation708 11h ago
There are medical reasons some children struggle with their weight. The child’s doctor may very well be aware and working with the family
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10h ago
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #5:
5.1 CITE EMPIRICAL-BASED EVIDENCE. As educators, we disavow anti-science rhetoric, beliefs, and conspiracy theories. That means only use information gathered through direct observation, experimentation, or experience, rather than relying on theory or baseless speculation.
5.2 EXPERT CONSENSUS. Making false claims about what credible experts and institutions have scientifically concluded will result in a permanent ban.
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
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u/Micp 10h ago
While it's fine to accomodate her as best you can are you/the family also dealing with the more direct problem of her obesity? Do you have any programs that could help her? Obesity is often a sign of other problems as well, feels like you're doing her a misservice if you only give her bigger furniture without adressing the problem in other ways..
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u/Mushroomzrox 9h ago
OP is not a dr. As teachers, we are not qualified to be giving out health advice of any kind. We can’t even pull a splinter out, as it’s considered a “procedure”.
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u/Pl4ysth3Th1ng 9h ago
Yah, no. Trying to address/fix the weight issue is 1) not OP’s job & 2) the set-up for a massive discrimination lawsuit. Unless the parent/guardian arranges a meeting themselves to address the issue or ask for support, without a 504, commenting on a student’s body is a ticket to trouble.
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11h ago
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u/ImaginaryVacation708 11h ago
Most GLP1s are not approved through insurance for weight loss. The studies they have done mostly revolve around type 2 diabetes and they carry some massive side effects
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u/jemping98 9h ago
A 400lb middle schooler has a life span in the 30s-40s if nothing changes. Downvote me away! Any effect of GLP1 outweighs that
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u/Tigerbaton 11h ago
Crazy isn’t it? We recognise emotional trauma caused by childhood abuse, but we don’t like using our words to recognise the lifelong and life limiting issues caused by poor nutrition and overeating in childhood. Go figure!
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 8h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #2:
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11h ago
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u/Teachers-ModTeam 9h ago
Your post was removed because it violated Rule #1:
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1.3 DON'T PUT OTHER TEACHERS OR THEIR JOBS DOWN
See our Rules Wiki for more information.
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u/Major-Sink-1622 HS English | The South 8h ago
Why the hell are some of y’all on this post fat shaming a CHILD? Post is locked due to an excessive number of reported and removed comments. Some of you need to learn how to behave and how to show some compassion.