One of the hardest things for many parents is to see their young child struggle in school, and feeling like you have no control.  It can really tug at your heart.  

Making a child write repeated sentences for not paying attention may not be the best practice, but it is not harmful in and of itself.  The way your son explains the situation, it does sound excessive.  But, if the teacher seems to be caring and understanding in other areas, this will not necessarily harm your son’s self esteem.  If she berates your son in front of the class and does not give him a chance to explain himself, then there will be cause for concern.  

Make sure you talk to your son’s teacher, rather then take your son’s explanation of what happened as the complete story.  His perception of what precipitated her giving him the writing assignment could be very different than the teacher’s.  

As a parent, it is important that your son does not hear you question the teacher’s authority.  Try not to take “sides” with your son on this issue.  Until you know the entire story from the teacher herself, you can continue to support your son and encourage him to do his best.  If your son develops anxiety about going to school for example, then there definately may be more problems in his classroom than he is able to express or verbalize.  

Best wishes to you and your son!
Sincerely,

Boys Town National Hotline
1-800-448-3000