Class 3 maths teacher has banned erasers, and my neat son hates his notebook now

silver_paper_849727 Sept 2026

From this term the maths teacher wants mistakes crossed out with a single line, no rubbing out. I can see the reasoning; I ask my own students to keep their working for much the same reason. My son, though, would rather start a page again than leave a crossing on it. Last night he tore out a page and redid it twice, which took longer than the sums. Has anyone's child had this rule? Did they settle into it, and is there something I can say at home that doesn't undermine the teacher?

4 comments

sunny_parrot_7427 Sept 2026
My daughter's chess coach has the same rule for scoresheets, no rubbing out moves. She hated it for weeks and now doesn't even notice. At 8 it might take a little longer.
saffron_violin_390227 Sept 2026
Both mine had this around class 4. The younger one adjusted in two weeks. The elder, my neat one, still rewrites whole pages at 15. Some children just are like that. A rough page at the back for trying things first did help a little ❤
maple_trail_72727 Sept 2026
Before anything else, I would find out whether crossings affect presentation marks. If the teacher says they don't, that is the most useful sentence you can repeat to him.
olive_badminton_267229 Sept 2026
The tearing out is what I'd watch. Ask the teacher whether she would rather see a crossed-out line than a missing page. I suspect she would, and hearing that from her may count for more than hearing it from you.
- tulsi_swing_25029 Sept 2026
  I taught primary classes for some years before we moved here, and we had the same rule. It was about seeing where the child went wrong, not about neatness. The children who tore out pages were always the careful ones, and a quiet word from the teacher usually settled them.