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Original poster

Teachers - most disliked profession on mumsnet?

369 replies

OhReally18 · 18/07/2022 22:31

In the last few days, I've seen a lot of teacher bashing on mumsnet. Even teachers giving other teachers a hard time. Seems like it could be one of the most disliked professions on mn. Is this a true reflection of how the rest of society feels?

I've been teaching in primary for a good few years and I have never experienced bad feelings towards teaching in real life, just on here and social media occasionally. Maybe the odd envious comment about holidays but that's it.

It's by no means harder than other professions but teachers are portrayed as lazy, moany, hard done by, ungrateful, the list goes on...
Is this fair? Surely it's no different to other professions?

OP posts:
Topgub · 19/07/2022 00:44

@greenteafiend

The comments from some teachers (not just the unions) screaming for schools to be closed and kept closed (to a majority of pupils) were pretty awful.

And entirely selfish

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 00:46

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:40

It might be quite hard, sometimes very hard, but it's NOT the hardest, most stressful etc. etc. job in the world

I know what I said. So again, where do I say what is and isn't the world's hardest job? I simply said that it wasn't being a teacher.

I find it arrogant when people try and tell me what my job is like having never done it

I find it arrogant that you assume you know my CV.

I have no idea which jobs are more stressful than others. I wouldn't be so arrogant to say either way

Why on earth is is 'arrogant' to suggest that being a teacher is not the world's most stressful job?

You really SHOULD have some idea of what jobs might well be more stressful. To simply acknowledge their existence is not arrogant - that perception is simply foolish.

This is all a classic example of what I said. You reacted with outrage that I didn't think being a teacher was the most stressful job in the world. The mere suggestion that someone else might have a MORE stressful job meant that I was putting teachers down.

That's exactly what I wasn't saying.

Ffs, you aren't me so haven't done my job.

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:48

Ffs, you aren't me so haven't done my job

Okay. Well, that closes down any sensible debate.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
WrappedLikeCandyInABlueBlueNeonGlow · 19/07/2022 00:48

I agree that lockdown was a turning point, in how some teachers on MN portrayed themselves and their profession and how some parents responded to that.

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 00:48

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:40

It might be quite hard, sometimes very hard, but it's NOT the hardest, most stressful etc. etc. job in the world

I know what I said. So again, where do I say what is and isn't the world's hardest job? I simply said that it wasn't being a teacher.

I find it arrogant when people try and tell me what my job is like having never done it

I find it arrogant that you assume you know my CV.

I have no idea which jobs are more stressful than others. I wouldn't be so arrogant to say either way

Why on earth is is 'arrogant' to suggest that being a teacher is not the world's most stressful job?

You really SHOULD have some idea of what jobs might well be more stressful. To simply acknowledge their existence is not arrogant - that perception is simply foolish.

This is all a classic example of what I said. You reacted with outrage that I didn't think being a teacher was the most stressful job in the world. The mere suggestion that someone else might have a MORE stressful job meant that I was putting teachers down.

That's exactly what I wasn't saying.

It is arrogant to make assumptions about other people's jobs and state them to the face of people doing that job.

PearTree120 · 19/07/2022 00:51

It’s not an assumption to state that teaching is not the most stressful job in the world 😂

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 00:51

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:48

Ffs, you aren't me so haven't done my job

Okay. Well, that closes down any sensible debate.

Try and hear what I'm saying.

Why are you commenting on how stressful jobs are? Can you not see how irritating and arrogant it is?

howtomoveforwards · 19/07/2022 00:51

And it certainly has reaffirmed my general feeling that teachers' unions should be kept at a fairly weak level and prevented from being too powerful. That's a shame, in a way. Teachers unions could potentially be a force for good as well. But what I've seen in the last two years, looking around and comparing country/region with country/region is teachers' unions doing a lot to destroy public sympathy

There is so much shit in your post it is hard to know where to begin.

Unions exist to act on behalf of their membership. By the time we went back, it was known how covid spreads, it was known that ventilation was important, and it was clear that masks were important. There were vulnerable staff, students and members of the wider community and there was no vaccine at that point.

I am not sure what you think the unions did but we didn't get ventilation, or masks for a long time, we weren't prioritised for vaccine and neither were vulnerable children. And contrary to popular opinion, school staff died and were hospitalised and suffer with long covid.

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 00:52

PearTree120 · 19/07/2022 00:51

It’s not an assumption to state that teaching is not the most stressful job in the world 😂

That's not what I'm saying.

I don't think teaching is the most stressful job but who am I to say what is and what isn't?

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:54

It is arrogant to make assumptions about other people's jobs and state them to the face of people doing that job

Erm...

An opinion is precisely that. This is a discussion forum. It's pretty much how it works. This kind of reaction to the mere suggestion that teachers might not have the world's hardest job is precisely my point.

It's not rational.

echt · 19/07/2022 00:55

Topgub · 19/07/2022 00:44

@greenteafiend

The comments from some teachers (not just the unions) screaming for schools to be closed and kept closed (to a majority of pupils) were pretty awful.

And entirely selfish

Selfish how? Do explain. In your own time. Grin

Topgub · 19/07/2022 00:55

@Sherrystrull

Its only irritating if you think teaching is the most stressful job

Topgub · 19/07/2022 00:57

@echt

Is that how you talk to your pupils?

Have you gotten over forgetting what you actually said and trying to pretend I missed the 'nuance'

🤣

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 00:58

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:54

It is arrogant to make assumptions about other people's jobs and state them to the face of people doing that job

Erm...

An opinion is precisely that. This is a discussion forum. It's pretty much how it works. This kind of reaction to the mere suggestion that teachers might not have the world's hardest job is precisely my point.

It's not rational.

Great. Thanks for that. So your opinion is that teaching isn't the most stressful job. Based on nothing you've experienced yourself. It's just a cheap shot.

I don't think that teaching is the most stressful job. What I take against is people telling me it's not when they don't do it.

Like I said, arrogant.

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:58

Try and hear what I'm saying. Why are you commenting on how stressful jobs are? Can you not see how irritating and arrogant it is?

Every person here has every right to comment on how stressful they perceive jobs are. It is not arrogant to hold an opinion.

It's a discussion forum. This is normal.

Topgub · 19/07/2022 00:58

@howtomoveforwards

In the same numbers as anyone else in the general population.

With no evidence to suggest being in a school put them at any greater risk

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 00:59

Topgub · 19/07/2022 00:55

@Sherrystrull

Its only irritating if you think teaching is the most stressful job

What?

It's irritating to be told things about your own job from people who don't actually know anything about it,

Sherrystrull · 19/07/2022 01:01

Carmene · 19/07/2022 00:58

Try and hear what I'm saying. Why are you commenting on how stressful jobs are? Can you not see how irritating and arrogant it is?

Every person here has every right to comment on how stressful they perceive jobs are. It is not arrogant to hold an opinion.

It's a discussion forum. This is normal.

How can you have an opinion of how stressful a job is when you haven't done it?

howtomoveforwards · 19/07/2022 01:02

With no evidence to suggest being in a school put them at any greater risk

You might want to have a wider read of the statistics.

greenteafiend · 19/07/2022 01:03

Of course unions exist for their members.
If, in teaching, the interests of members are often in opposition with those of the kids, this is a reason for keeping unions from being too strong.

I am going to repeat: stronger unions, worldwide, correlated with longer and longer school closures.
I appreciate the work UK teachers did. But COVID has confirmed in my mind that teachers' unions need strong pushback; they often want stuff that's not great for kids!
By the way, US teachers in Blue areas were offered a laundry list of special stuff, including being allowed to jump the vaccine queues. In areas where this happened, teachers jumped the queues, got the vaccines.... and still refused to reopen schools. Because that is the kind of shit you get with really powerful unions who use their muscle to prioritize their members' needs and wants.

Topgub · 19/07/2022 01:03

@Sherrystrull

People are allowed theor own opinions based on their perceptions.

Thats not arrogance.

I'm not a teacher, I dont think its the most stressful job. I think it is a difficult job (depending on what and where you teach and how much work you put into it) but there are jobs I'd view asuch more stressful.

I dont do them either

Carmene · 19/07/2022 01:04

Great. Thanks for that. So your opinion is that teaching isn't the most stressful job. Based on nothing you've experienced yourself. It's just a cheap shot

What on you on about? How on earth do you have any idea what I've experienced?

But anyway...in a BJ-style U-turn...

I don't think that teaching is the most stressful job. What I take against is people telling me it's not when they don't do it

Grin Do you know how much sense that makes? So you actually agree that teaching isn't the world's most stressful job, but the only people who are allowed to say that out loud are teachers themselves?

Like I said, arrogant

The irony.

Topgub · 19/07/2022 01:04

Teaching unions don't seem to do much to improve the lot of teachers who say they're completely overworked

Carmene · 19/07/2022 01:05

How can you have an opinion of how stressful a job is when you haven't done it?

You don't know anything about me, ffs! Grin

PearTree120 · 19/07/2022 01:05

This is insaaane.

I don’t need to be a teacher to tell you that being a paramedic, a fire fighter, a police officer, a surgeon…is a lot more stressful than being a teacher. No one dies…

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