Do you appreciate teachers more, or less now than in normal times?

[Bluewavescrashing]

Genuine question. I'm a full time infant school teacher. Our school is offering more than most in terms of online education, personalised learning, 1:1 zoom sessions etc. But I wonder how parents feel. Has lockdown showed you how much teachers give to your children through planning lessons, making resources, delivering lessons to cater for all levels of attainment? Do you find it easy to teach your child? When lockdown ends would you carry on with home learning and deregister as they have made more progress 1:1 with you or are you looking forward to sending them back to school?

Nb I have a large group of key worker children, up to 25 each day whom I teach in person in school - this is aimed at parents accessing home learning rather than key worker / vulnerable provision in school.

[CayrolBaaaskin]

I would say I appreciate teachers less at the moment than usual as they are doing much less teaching of dds. I will appreciate them more when dds get back to school.

[CayrolBaaaskin]

@bluewavescrashing - I doubt anyone is getting a three day training session on teams. I work for a large wealthy personal services organisation and we got an hour.

[Carouselfish]

I wondered this, especially with parents who don't accept any fault lies with their child in terms of getting work done well!

[CayrolBaaaskin]

Also it really concerns me on mn that when anyone tries to start a discussion about education that could be seen to be in the slightest critical of teachers, there are a group of posters who try to shut it down claiming “teacher bashing”. This is mumsnet- discussions on education are really important and should be permitted.

[CallmeAngelina]

@CayrolBaaaskin

Also it really concerns me on mn that when anyone tries to start a discussion about education that could be seen to be in the slightest critical of teachers, there are a group of posters who try to shut it down claiming “teacher bashing”. This is mumsnet- discussions on education are really important and should be permitted.

Yeah, said one of the worst bashers of the lot.

[noblegiraffe]

discussions on education are really important and should be permitted

They are. Being a goady twat isn’t.

Worth remembering also that there is a shady political campaign group with dubious funding sources masquerading as a grassroots parental campaign group who have been astroturfing MN since the summer and one of their favourite activities is slating teachers. They are desperate to see teacher bashing comments stand.

[mangoandraspberries]

For the teachers I know at my DCs school, definitely more. I see how they interact with him and how difficult it is to teach a large number of small children.

But I do think teachers as a profession need a better PR machine - the media tends to be full of teachers complaining at the moment, far more than other key workers, which is a pity I think as it devalues the work many are doing on the ground.

[HelloMissus]

I’ve three adult children and have fostered more kids than you can shake a stick at, so I’ve been through more schools and teachers than your average Joe.

As you’d expect, they’re a mixed bag.
Some great, some good, some awful.

We had a terrible experience with teachers during lockdown 1 but are having a great experience currently.

[Seriouslymole]

@CayrolBaaaskin

Also it really concerns me on mn that when anyone tries to start a discussion about education that could be seen to be in the slightest critical of teachers, there are a group of posters who try to shut it down claiming “teacher bashing”. This is mumsnet- discussions on education are really important and should be permitted.

This, with bells on. What hasn't made me appreciate teachers at all are a lot of teachers on MN with the moaning and whinging and "we're not safe" and "don't you dare criticise us" brigade. OP - you would seem to be an exception to the MN rules so no offence intended.

However, the majority of teachers I know IRL, DH included, 5 friends included (yes we hang out with a lot of teachers here) have been just as they usually have, pragmatic. Those that have a tendency to feel stressed are still feeling stressed, those who don't, aren't. Those with children are pretty much desperate for school to open because they see what home schooling is doing to their own families - although a couple have theirs in school all the time and are very grateful to be able to do so.

From my own DC's teachers - some have been exceptional, but always were anyway so whilst I have been very grateful, I always was grateful and some, including the HT of our primary school have really shown their true colours and been unbelievably shit and see the children as an inconvenience.

So yeah, like any other work of life, some amazing, some OK, some shite. Who knew? Teachers are all individuals, rather than a homogenous group - shock horror!

[WishingHopingThinkingPraying]

I always did and still do appreciate good teachers. Crappy ones, not so much.

[TheNortherner]

@Puzzler333 and @Pinkblueberry thank you so much for explaining. I think perhaps there are many non teachers (like myself) who dont understand the complexities of what is involved and maybe because it just comes under a broad 'planning' and the.output that we as parents see can be quite brief, unless you ask further and people take the time to inform, you wouldn't ever know.

[BogRollBOGOF]

@CayrolBaaaskin

Also it really concerns me on mn that when anyone tries to start a discussion about education that could be seen to be in the slightest critical of teachers, there are a group of posters who try to shut it down claiming “teacher bashing”. This is mumsnet- discussions on education are really important and should be permitted.

It was incredibly frustrating last spring/ summer that MN teachers really could not accept that some in their profession absolutely were not earning their salary.

Historically there is a lot of unfair criticism of teachers, but that doesn't mean that fair criticism has to be shouted down and dismissed too.

[ichundich]

It's true that certain people seem to be watching MN for potential "teacher bashing" like hawks. It's also true that the majority of parents who question the current education system which is leaving a lot of children behind don't have any political agenda, they just want their kids to be happy and successful.

[MarshaBradyo]

I’m not on an FB group and have questioned ideas on return as numbers are logistically difficult.

I think positively about teachers I know irl though. They’ve been pretty good to really good. Except summer had own challenges unfortunately.

[FrenchFancie]

I loved home schooling mine so much I became a TA!
And actually, although the job is tough at the moment (I am in covering keyworker children in year 1), I really enjoy it. I especially love the sessions I get to lead / teach (using other peoples planning). I love seeing the pupils progress, year 1 are just like little sponges and it’s fab to see they way they have improved.
I have a huge huge admiration for the teaching staff, it’s both physically hard work teaching and being on your feet, then when I go home at the end of they day they start their planning marking and prep time. I had no idea as a parent how much ‘behind the scenes’ stuff happened, all the data and measuring and knowing where each child is vs where they need to be and making a road map of how to get them there.
It’s literally blood sweat and tears at times. Chuck in remote learning and the whole thing is 900 times harder.
Honestly hats off to teachers.

[HelloMissus]

Last year when I said the constant insistence that teachers were still teaching felt like gaslighting because I couldn’t even get my foster children’s to acknowledge their existence let alone send us some work.

That was then lifted by the vocal teachers here and placed in a mocking teacher-bashing-bingo thread.

I asked them to remove my quote as it was highly offensive to some of the most vulnerable children and was told no and ‘tough shit’. Fortunately admins didn’t agree.

[noblegiraffe]

That wasn't a teacher collating all the teacher bashing quotes, just a normal poster who could see how shit it was for teachers to be constantly slated on here.

Now, of course, we know that a lot of it was a targeted anti-teacher campaign by an astroturfing organisation. They mostly get deleted by the mods these days.

[HelloMissus]

noble and you and other teachers kept bumping it so it would be seen repeatedly.
I asked you all to remove my quote about my foster children and you told me no. Specifically you told me it was my ‘tough shit’ for posting my concerns about them.

[HelloMissus]

And I’ve no clue what campaign you’re talking about.
I’m just a foster parent who was at the end of my tether and worried.

[noblegiraffe]

Just checked and no I didn't.

[HelloMissus]

So what did you say when I asked you to remove it?

[noblegiraffe]

I said that it wasn't my list, I'd just copied and pasted a massive list of teacher bashing, and the person whose list it was included your post which was extrapolating from your personal experience to slate teachers in general, as they told you at the time. My post quoting the list was deleted.

And here you are telling everyone a different story. You got, if I recall, quite a few supportive posts from teachers trying to help you with your situation and yet you don't appear to be mentioning that.

[CallmeAngelina]

So, not quite "specifically " then?

These accusations, months on, when it's harder to set the actual circumstances straight, are very tiresome.

[HelloMissus]

noble that’s not the full extent tho is it? You told me it was my fault for posting about my foster children. And then you bumped the three again.
I apologise if it wasn’t you who told me ‘tough shit.’ Someone definitely did.

[HelloMissus]

callme I’ve just apologised if it was noble but someone definitely said it.
And noble definitely said it was my fault.
And despite my requests it was not removed and I had to contact admins.

Sorry that truth is ‘tiresome’. It was pretty fucking appalling at the time.