Teachers I need solidarity before I leave the profession

What are you doing now @Skipthisbit?

They do think it is a jolly. I've been asked if I had a nice holiday!

Hats off to anyone who stays in pastoral. I too quit. Constant complaints; my child has got into trouble for recording teachers (secretly) but she wasn’t told she couldn’t do that so it isn’t fair, my child wasn’t the only one doing it but the only one who has been punished (99% of the time not true), my child didn’t do their homework and received a punishment but it isn’t their fault (they have had 3 weeks to do it), the teacher is picking on my child (usually involves child being really rude and the teacher being unwilling to tolerate it), my child missed the bus and was left with no way to get home, my child has to wear trainers because they once had an ingrown toenail so it isn’t fair they are getting into trouble for wearing them, my child isn’t doing an after school detention because they live too far away (don’t send them here then or even better tell them not to be naughty!), teacher buys class breakfast out of their own pocket and child arrives late so parent complain they didn’t get a croissant etc etc. I could write a book. It is soul destroying.

I think you're a saint for sticking with it for this long, OP. My kids are much older but you only have to read a few threads here to see that parents now believe they should get to tell teachers what their job is these days. You must have the patient of a saint to put up with them.

We are raising a generation of pathetic snowflakes going by what I see parents posting about how teachers should deal with their darling children. Sorry that I can't be any help. I just get completely how you must be feeling. Best wishes..

I have heard of parents taking adult children to job interviews and expecting to be part of the interview process.

All your kids going to be unemployed then? They can't all get the job so don't bother going for an interview.

@BoringPackedLunch

I always thanked teachers after a school trip. If I was a teacher, I honestly do not think I could go on any school trip, never mind it was a residential one.

Sadly this is rare - most parents just grab & go without a word. They must think it's a jolly!

Exactly my point. Helicopter parents take note.

There are some crazy entitled parents and kids.

However, in DC1’s class it was the same 5 kids who got chosen for every single thing. Activities, opportunities, awards, etc….They became increasingly precocious and would brag about it, whilst the rest of the kids ( many quiet & well behaved) would remain hopeful, but would rarely get a look in. A few of us eventually moved our kids because of this. I’m not saying that this is the case in every class or school - or in your instance, but playing devils advocate it’s understandable if parents get fed up in these circumstances.

On the flip side, there are obviously many tiger parents out there who push for their kids to be at the centre of everything, kids could do no wrong etc. The kids mentioned above all had this type of parent.

Rest assured that most sane, normal parents do appreciate hard working teachers and the extra efforts that they go to. It truly is a vocation, not just a job. We also appreciate that managing all of our little treasures en mass is an enormous/ impossible task. Personally, I’d like thank you to all of those who continue to do their best to teach & include all DC’s and ask you not to quit!

Exactly the same for me. I’d just say maybe you’ll get to go next time. Recently my DD didn’t get picked for a netball match and we said just keep practising and let’s see how things go. Not everything can be instant. It’s ok to feel disappointed. I hate the word but kids do have to develop a sense of resilience. I can say from experience that young people starting out in further studies or work often simply cannot cope when things don’t go the way they want.

Parents expecting the school to step in on parents squabbling on WhatsApp was this week's nonsense

I’m so sorry to hear about these awful experiences. I wouldn’t dream of emailing my DDs teacher directly. We’re in the last year of primary and have never complained about anything. The teachers all do an amazing job and I take my hat off to them. I am shocked at the extent of the rudeness and entitlement I’m reading here. I knew it was bad but not this bad. Seems to me people need to get a grip or I’ve no idea how their kids will survive.

It’s very sad. There have been rumblings that our Head will pay staff to do it as it’s become that desperate, but no one want to volunteer anymore.

This is the first year ever my school can’t run Duke of Edinburgh as no staff will volunteer to do it. It is touch and go whether the annual Language residential will go ahead and it’s all because of the increasing parental complaints.

I left 18 months ago ….I genuinely can’t tell you how utterly life changing it has been. I simply had no idea how anxious and stressed I’d become ….the boiling frog analogy. I’m like a whole new person - happy and healthy. Parents and there utter inability to parent their children were the reason I let.

How dare teachers be trying to teach kids to read and write…

I’ve had similar, running a residential abroad and parents were told names would be picked at random (after screening by the head of year, only one was removed from almost 100 applicants for 40 places-don’t get me started on number limits, not my choice!) I can’t tell you the trauma it’s causing this year, first time in 30 years of teaching. ‘Tell me how I can justify this to my autistic child’, shouting down the phone, rude entitled emails, one parent telling me her child should be prioritised because of her great behaviour (as great as those chosen, it’s a good school) and that I’ve chosen children with poor behaviour when someone dropped out, according to her child, who has no idea who has been chosen. It’s made me not want to organise next year’s now established trip, the only residential in the department and a lot of work on top of the actual job.

I completely feel for you, OP. I recommend the ‘random name picker’ next time, just copy/paste names into it for speed. Being able to explain this has helped but the sheer entitlement of parents and the rudeness has amazed me. I even had one crying because they haven’t been able to go on holiday due to a sibling’s mh! I empathise but not sure why I should therefore prioritise one over another when it’s truly random. 🙈

My NHS email is guessable. But as I have not given it out, I do not respond to any emails sent directly to me.

I wish teachers who are leaving could collar the parents on their last day, and say ‘the reason I’m leaving is you. It is your fault your child no longer has a teacher’.

These are all crazy. My kids have just left school and I would never dream of sending these emails.

I always thanked teachers after a school trip. If I was a teacher, I honestly do not think I could go on any school trip, never mind it was a residential one.

We had many good teachers and some outstanding ones. For the latter, I would always thank them with a gift or card and perhaps more importantly, email the Head to say how much we appreciated the teacher.

The idea of asking for a video evidence of a picking names out the hat just blows my mind.

I work in the NHS, and we also see this level of entitlement. I honestly think that the more I do for some patients, the more they are likely to complain. It is strange.

I don't regret leaving teaching, I did 18 years, that was enough. I moved, within the same school from teacher to Estates Manager, which immediately bumped me up to £50K, we them became an MAT and I became overarching Estates Manager for 3 secondaries and 4 primaries, another big bump up.

I still work in a school setting of course, but love it, I still get involved with school plays, and doing the odd assembly on subjects like heath and safety, not trashing the buildings etc.. but apart from that nothing to do with pupils or parents.

Don't get the holidays of course, but the holidays are vastly different to term time, once the pupils, teachers and office staff have gone, the place fills with various contractors, building site banter, lots of effing and jeffing, pub lunches, head scratching problems etc. a change being as good as a rest.

I've been a teacher a long time, qualified in the 90's and I absolutely refuse to do any sort of school trip anymore. It just isn't worth the hassle

What gets me is the lack of Thankyous after a residential. Maybe 2 or 3 parents say thanks at collection? Then as you say the emails about food not being good enough or lack of photos roll in. So demoralising. I quit being head of year a while ago and never looked back