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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect teachers not to comment on their pupils performance on facebook?

89 replies

mumoffraser · 10/08/2010 12:13

I am a bit Shock actually. A friend who is a teacher commented on facebook (yes facebook again)how well her pupils had done in their exams but a friend of hers then added the following "my lot are a bunch of fannies I didn't have high hopes and they performed exactly as expected"

I could chose to ignore this but FFS with a teacher prepared to make comments like this in a pretty public place (with friends of friends able to read) what chance do the kids have? I don't even know which school it relates to but do I just ignore or make a polite addition to the thread along the lines of "thanks my kids attend your school" Have even thought about highlighting to school head. IMO as a professional eg. teacher, nurse, police etc you need to be very very careful what you post on the internet. AIBU here?

OP posts:
maddy68 · 10/08/2010 15:21

How do you know it is a school teacher?
could have been a uni or college?

I dont know why you are getting worked up about it tbh, the first teacher put how proud she was - nice!
the second 'teacher, lecturer, driving instructor, dance teacher?' put a funny comment. She didnt put it on her page where she would be recognised, she added onto a status of a friend.

by all means add a sarky comment but I really wouldnt 'report' it to anyone. She/he may be a fabulous teacher and a funny comment could result in a ruined career.

thumbwitch · 10/08/2010 15:24

Totally unprofessional and if his head teacher were to see it, could result in problems for him. Daft bloke! Really really stupid thing to have done.

compo · 10/08/2010 15:25

I think the key is you don't know where she teaches

so how can anyone find her comment

or some of your friend's friends pupil at this particular teacher's school? Idoubt it

compo · 10/08/2010 15:29

But itvwoukd have to be bloody effing random for the headteacher to find the comment surely?!!

traceybath · 10/08/2010 15:32

Although I love Vinny's response.

I'd probably just say 'you may want to delete that as its not terribly professional and you wouldn't want to end up in a disciplinary' or something along those lines.

SaliMali1 · 10/08/2010 15:33

Its actually a sackable ofence !!!! They are breaking child protection, confidentiality etc

FlookCrow · 10/08/2010 15:37

YABU. Private facebook page, she is entitled to her status updates. Why is it ok for them to break confidentiality if the children have done well, but not if the children have done badly?

If the teacher had said "Johnny Bumface did shit in his exams, knew he would" or "West End School for Boys is the crappest school in the world", then that would be different as they are identifying the child's name/school.

bleedingheart · 10/08/2010 15:39

It is so unprofessional! Why oh why are people so ignorant as to think what they write online is private? Clearly the pupils have only risen to the standard of their teacher!

Original poster
mumoffraser · 10/08/2010 15:45

I have turned into a cyber stalker, clicked on his profile and I know where he lives and his birthday, 1 question to my friend will reveal where he works. Interesting how it seems not to matter if it is not my child or I don't know where he teaches. How do you know it's not your child he is referring to and how would you feel?

I am a nurse no longer in clinical practice but there are still expected professional standards which are important both in and outside work. would it be ok for me to de-stress on fb tonight along the lines of "Some of my patients today were complete fannies, serves them right for stuffing cakes & being obese, no wonder they have high blood pressure!" Makes no odds if I believe it or not, my professionalism dictates how I behave. Maybe this doesn't apply to other professions anymore.

OP posts:
Original poster
mumoffraser · 10/08/2010 15:48

FlookCrow - if I can see what he has written and he is not a friend of mine then it's not really private is it? Maybe if he had said he was disappointed that would have been different to calling them fannies!

OP posts:
thumbwitch · 10/08/2010 15:48

mumoffraser - I think that you are reacting to a small minority of posters there - most people have agreed that it is totally unprofessional and a potential disciplinary matter.

lenak · 10/08/2010 15:50

I'd write a reply along the lines of:

It's no surprise the kids didn't do well given the obvious stupidity and unprofessionalism of their teacher.

Original poster
mumoffraser · 10/08/2010 15:51

Yes thumbwitch you are right.

OP posts:
foxytocin · 10/08/2010 15:52

funny you mention your profession, OP, there is a very funny (to me) NHS staffer who I follow on Facebook. Most of the people who follow her on FB don't know her either but some think they do. The humour if I can call it that, is black and if the average MNer was to read this page, this person would be crucified on here.

I try to remember that this / these are people doing a very difficult, highly stressful job and they are entitled to de-stress in ways that some of us would find very hurtful.

This person has been stupid in writing what she did but it doesn't make her evil for saying what she has either. No confidentiality was breached. Unless you want to behave like the Stazi and seek her out, of course.

xstitch · 10/08/2010 16:39

If I mention any details about work on my FB status it is considered to be gross misconduct and a sacking offence. I don't see why teachers should be any different. Having said that I personally would have no problems with status updates along the lines of x is stressed about the exams or x is glad the exams are over.

BoneyBackJefferson · 10/08/2010 17:14

bleedingheart Tue 10-Aug-10 15:39:05
Clearly the pupils have only risen to the standard of their teacher!

Ignorance truly is bliss, you have no idea what the teacher teaches nor what level of pupils thay have been given.

nor do we even know how well the pupils did.

thislittlesisterlola · 10/08/2010 17:17

YANBU. Highly unprofessional imo.

Goblinchild · 10/08/2010 17:21

Oh, you may well teach individuals and cohorts who may be total fannies, losers or arses.
The trick is not to voice your opinion to anyone. You can think it, but never express it in any form.
I have yet to identify, in the press or on the news, any of one particular group that rejected all education on offer because they were going to be pop stars or premier league footballers.
I will continue to wait hopefully. It's only been 12 years so far.

Original poster
mumoffraser · 10/08/2010 17:43

foxytocin- it is true many of us in the nhs do have a black sense of humour which sometimes helps you cope. Our regulatory body however would absolutely not see it that way and I have had to think twice about what I have posted on many occasions when I felt like letting rip!

OP posts:
Heracles · 10/08/2010 17:49

Very odd; teachers are usually warned about this kind of thing, I believe.

Not really your place to complain though.

MrsIndianaJones2 · 10/08/2010 22:43

Her FB page should have higher privacy settings - I would suggest it to her via her your mutual friend. Not sure it actually counts as a big deal - unless a parent/pupil at her school reads it. Otherwise, no point in reporting it. If you'd overheard her in the pub saying it, would you track her down and report?

However, having taught in a uni, I used to use students' FB pages to catch them out in their 'excuses' for late work (now legitimately allowed by Uni admin...) - they changed their privacy setting pdq...

I NEVER had any students as friends, and had high privacy settings, exactly so that I could make comments like that (and MUCH worse) - to my friends.

foxytocin · 11/08/2010 05:54

I am sure of it mumoffraser but I don't see it as my place to complain or even out the group on a place like MN even though this is an open group on FB and lots of other workers in her nhs field also make similar remarks. totally my opinion I know. For me I like reading it because it reminds me of how hard they work for me and also how dangerous the 'care' is when staff is so overstretched and stressed and at times inept.

SurreyDad · 11/08/2010 08:03

I thought people would know by now to keep Facebook and work separate, regardless of what you do for a living.

Spinkle · 11/08/2010 08:14

FB and teaching is a dodgy area. I'm a teacher with a FB account. That teacher was pretty daft to put that on there. Really ought to know better.

My boss asked the staff to not have FB accounts. We refused to do this. It's bad enough having the contents of your shopping trolley and own kids scrutinised by the parents without having to give up communicating with your friends online.

Bad thing to write, even crapper to hear. Maybe a word with the head.

Mowiol · 11/08/2010 08:29

If this teacher's FB page is viewable (don't have FB so not that knowledgeable about privacy etc.) then that is a very very silly thing he/she did. Also unpleasant to be so dismissive of pupils. It may turn round and bite them on the bum. My OH tells of two colleagues (not teachers but other profession) on different occasions who went out, got drunk and both ended up posting work related things on FB. They both got absolutely flamed when it was discovered as one of them posted sensitive stuff. So stupid.