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A preschool teacher has told a mum to stop packing ‘disgusting’ lunches for her son, because the ‘unpleasant’ odour is a distraction to the other students.

The 34-year-old mum says her five-year-old loves the lunches, and she can’t understand why there’s a problem.

“A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” she explained on reddit.

“She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches. I felt absolutely appalled when she said this, as me and the teacher have, up until now, always maintained a very friendly relationship.

“She added that the lunches I’m packing my son are, ‘very distracting for the other students and have an unpleasant odour.’. I told her that I understand her concerns, as the lunches I pack are definitely not the healthiest, but the lunches are according to my son’s preferences.”

So what is the highly offensive lunch?

“The usual lunch that I send him to school with is small celery sticks with blue cheese and goat cheese, kimchi and spam (we are Korean and he absolutely adores this dish), and spicy Doritos marinated in Sriracha (I know, I know, but he deserves a snack, and I don’t put that many chips in the baggy.)

“I ended the call by saying that I very much appreciated her worries, but that at the end of the day, I am not going to drastically change my sons’ lunches all of a sudden, and that it’s not my fault if other students are ‘distracted’ by his meal. It is very important to me what my son enjoys, and I want him to like my lunches.”

But the teacher refuses to let the issue go, and has followed up with an official email.

“(The email) says that my response was ‘unacceptable’ and that his lunches are, ‘just too inappropriate to be sent to school any longer’. I haven’t responded yet and don’t want to. I want to maintain a healthy relationship with my son’s teachers. I am confused as to what to do. Am I the a**hole?”

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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  • Wow, the teacher is just plain rude! I’d go higher up and complain.

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  • This is quite racist in my opinion and I would be taking it higher to the principal/CEO or whoever is in charge. I doubt it is the children who are complaining as I have always found children are interested in other foods and want to try them out, hence the problem with peanut allergies, etc. It would appear to be the teacher who is objecting to this.

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  • Make an appointment to see the principal and talk it out with them. I do think the teacher was wrong though, in the way she brought the subject up and how she handled it. Imagine what would have been said about my lunches I gave to my youngest. He only ever wanted a vegemite sandwich, 2 muesli bars and a cold juice box. If I gave him anything else it always came home or he gave it away to another child who was hungry.

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  • Personally, I would be more concerned about the nutritional value of the meal. The rest though? That just screams of racism from the teacher, and that definitely needs to be addressed.

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  • I’d go to the principal. This isn’t very healthy – and Mum knows it – but I don’t think it would be that smelly or distracting. I think the teacher has a personal issue.

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  • Best to go straight to the top and address the matter with the principal. Check policies on food prior to any meeting about the issue.

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  • It’s going to happen throughout life, the other kids will have to get used to it at some stage. If he is happy and eating all is good. You can’t risk him becoming fussy or bored.

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  • I’d take this higher as it is discrimination. This teacher really should know better and model acceptance, tolerance and exclusivity.

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  • This is ridiculous! Let the kid eat what he wants and stop mum shaming.

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  • Wow that makes me mad just reading this! I’d for sure be filing a complaint against this teacher.

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  • Play the game her way that is complain to the school board and the education dept then play the race card and complain to ethnic affairs and any other govt dept you can not to mention newspapers and social groups Be sure to use any letter teacher has sent to you to better your cause.
    Send the teacher a letter of intent that you will commence legal action against him/her if this continues not to mention the school also
    It should be noted you are great for giving your child food they like what ever style it is and keep up the good work

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  • Wow that’s full on. Stick to your guns love and feed your child what you do. I’m Italian background and when I was in primary school kids would be jealous of my lunches. I never ate sandwiches, so I got containers with salad, meatballs or schnitzel, olives, artichoke hearts etc… and this is back in 1980’s. I also had blue cheeses and other hard smelly cheeses but I didn’t care and neither di my friends. That teacher needs to wake up.

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  • Wow that is rude, what she is sending is totally acceptable and to be honest I know from experience as I have a very fussy eater that you do what you need to do to ensure they are eating.

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  • Ooh, she sounded really aggressive and not in a mood to discuss this with you at all. I’d take it further because this is not okay.

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  • I think the teacher needs to learn how to be more inclusive and tread very carefully hear as her behaviour could be seen as discriminatory.

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  • Very unprofessional approach from the teacher. And it’s just a smell. At least your child is eating and is packed a loving lunch.

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  • I think the response of the teacher is most unprofessional ! What smells disgusting for the one, is delightful to the other. Different countries serve different foods and there should be respect and inclusion. Time for a good Harmony day celebration I guess !!


    • I would certainly have a chat with the manager

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  • How unprofessional of the teacher. I would be livid. I feel like this had racial tones to it. Kids have to learn about all types of differences in life and food is one of them.. i feel like there would have been a different outcome if the teacher had of approached it in a better way and given the mum more support. It would be the cheeses and kimchi as they have a strong small but i can guarantee that those preschoolers would smell like fart all day so they are not really going to care. The teacher is completely wrong in the way shes bullying the mum. Time to complain to the education board.

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  • That’s just rude. She could have addressed it in a nicer manner.
    Also it’s hard enough to get kids to eat so if that is what will make her son eat then she shouldn’t have to change that.

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  • May be the teacher is right and your child might getting bullied for the
    Smell if sitting in a
    Class room and a
    Child opens that for lunch that would
    absolutely smell and turns others stomach especially on a hot day
    Think how
    The
    Teacher must feel she probably pulled the short straw and had to bring this to the mother’s attention being from a pre-school with other educators and not just a school with one teacher
    There is nothing worse I work in dental practice and we aren’t encouraged to go out for lunch and sit in a tiny lunch room and when the other girls heat up seafood or open tuna it stinks and makes me gag
    So what I’m saying yes unfortunately your child eats this food but also be mindful of these around you most little kids don’t have a pallet for that type of food

    Reply

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