to think teachers and schools do a fooking amazing job, and to be stunned and disgusted that they get such unnecessary arse-ache from ridiculous parents?

[bejeezus]

Im despairing of the amount of AIBU threads recently along the lines of- teachers shouldnt be telling my dc to go to bed early/ shouldnt be promoting 100% attendance blah blah blah

I understand there are other routes to adulthood besides main-stream education. But whilst you do use mainstream education you should understand what a difficult job it is for schools and teachers to educate groups of 30 children and maintain discipline, if those children are late/absent/tired and if the parents are constantly undermining the teachers/schools authority.

Schools have a whole diversity of families and children to accomodate including children with English as a 2nd/3rd language,social problems,SENs, disabilities and a whole range of abilities to cater for within each class. The last thing they need on top of this is spending valuable time and resources accomodating whiney-arsed parents who think the rules should not apply to them because they are in some way 'special'; ie. they are educated and rich and capable of home tutoring to facilitate an extended trip and absence from school. Ifthat isthe case, then do your home schooling and free up the schoolplace for a child that is not going to disrupt the class by extended absences/lateness and duvet days.

And, no, having your childrens lead an enriched and cultured lifestyle does not constitute a valid excuse for lateness and tiredness. Get your kids to bed on time so the teachers have the best chance of getting the best education to the most kids

There are very many countries and cultures where only1 child per family is educated (at best) because the family cannot afford more. This is almost always not a daughter

Its appalling. Education is a priviledge. What chance in hell do teachers have of getting kids to appreciate that, if the parents insisted on taken it for granted.

And finally, big-up to the teachers on here. You do a grand job, in the face of lunacy!

[MordecaiAndTheRigbys]

Christ I hate these teacher threads, Im going to have to hide this thread too....

Yes some teachers do a good job because they should...same as I do a good job because it is what I am paid to do. Same as the shop keeper, the doctor, the nurse.

To imply that they are anything other than good at their job is ridiculous....

[exoticfruits]

Of course some people have serious problems, but a lot could be cleared up with a friendly chat and it really would take the two ticks-as a teacher I have done it-if they bother to discuss it, before they go marching off to the Head.

[MrsHeffley]

I don't think many do march off straight to the head(said heads would have queues out of the front entrance every morning if that was the case),I never had parents who did that,not once.

Most parents will approach the teacher,if they don't get answers or reassurance they move on to the head.This is the same in every line of work.

[Heswall]

if they bother to discuss it, before they go marching off to the Head

The parents or the teachers ?

[BackforGood]

It seems a lot of posters haven't actually read the OP, before replying - just the title. She didn't say "I think all teachers are great" or "All our schools are fantastic - please comment" in the OP, she said she can't understand why so many parents waste schools and teachers' valuable time with moaning about rivial things. I'd totally agree with this.
Not only the moaning about the HT advising pupils to get an earlier night, but that long thread a couple of weeks ago where the OP's son had not gone to his afterschool club, and she went in and abused the staff (over her son's behaviour), then asked if she'd BU ? The threads are on here week after week where people's repsonse is always "Write to the Governors" or "Go in to the HT" or "Report to OFSTED" over the slightest thing.
Good post by Exotic.

[BackforGood]

trivial things, not rivial!

[letseatgrandma]

I think the reason teachers get defensive is that they are criticised on here far more than any other profession. They are moaned at for...

only working 9-3
having too many holidays
having 5 inset days every year
school being closed because it has snowed heavily
school not being closed because it has snowed heavily

and countless other things that individual teachers have little or no control over.

I can't think of another job that is villified to the same extent on Mumsnet. It's no wonder that they start to get defensive. No, teachers don't work 27 hours a day down a pit, but at no point have they claimed to; it's the insinuation they are skivers that is often objected to.

[MrsHeffley]

Re the after school club thing the op was flamed.

Sorry re the bed thing,I object to being told how to parent. One minute schools are moaning about not being able to be left to teach,the next they're meddling in parenting which the vast maj of parents can do beautifully.

There is a minority in this country that need support.This one size fits all (lets treat all parents as if they are totally incompetent)way of dealing with issues is a complete waste of time,pisses off the maj and doesn't do anything to support parents who need support.

[MrsHeffley]

I don't think anybody has accused teachers of being skivers. It has been pointed out that teachers get paid a decent wage and that many professions(not just teaching)have pressures.

[letseatgrandma]

It has been pointed out that teachers get paid a decent wage and that many professions(not just teaching)have pressures.

But those other professions don't get slated in the same way that teachers do.

[nothingoldcanstay]

The reason letseat.. it because most people on here knows someone who works in a school. It's a pretty standard profession for women really. Therefore it's easy to have a go at the people that work there.

The really hardcore schools and the best teachers/headteachers all seem to be blokes now. I think that's more concerning.

[Heswall]

I cannot think of another job in which you get a payrise just for length of service regardless of performance, is that still the case for teaching that the bands are based purely on the time in the job ?

[MrsHeffley]

Yes doesn't pay just go up year after from being an NQT(regardless of performance) until you get to threshold?

[MrsHeffley]

Don't agree with all the best teachers being blokes at all.The vast maj of teachers are women so the maj of good teachers must be women,they certainly are in my dc's school.PLenty of good teachers all women(only one man on the staff).

[nothingoldcanstay]

I mean all the ones that you hear about. The ones being promoted on radio 4 as super teachers or on TV dealing with problem children. All men.
All you get to hear about with women teachers is how no one understands how hard the job is etc.
Not saying it's the truth but it's certainly what I'm seeing.

[blackcoffee]

all you hear about ... yy male teachers have that added wow factor don't they, like single dads (brave noble dedicated) over single mums (feckless, impecunious etc)
or sahds
aka the nobility factor - pioneering and brave to do what was traditionally a female role

[roundtable]

No, pay is linked to an annual performance management review, it doesn't just go up.

I've known teachers to be turned down.

[empirestateofmind]

I agree blackcoffee. Good old misogyny.

I am a maths teacher and I find some of the comments about teachers on MN extremely depressing.

[Heswall]

That's a recent change though isn't it roundtable I graduated in 1997 and people from my year who went on to teach bragged about their pay rises for just turning up. They will be on £40k a year whether they are/were any good or not and I think that is what raises the eyebrows.

I am not unhappy with all teachers, my eldest has a maths teacher who has changed her life but it's unfortunate the man is having to undo all the negativity the primary school planted in her m ind that she was "no good" at maths - aged 8.

[roundtable]

Not sure heswell. Someone with more experience will know better but I'm on my 9th year of teaching, although I'm on maternity leave at the mo, and that's always been the case.

[cory]

"As, there was apparently not a better workable system to be suggested"

I wrote at least three posts on the other thread suggesting that schools should adopt a code system of the type used by universities so that children with known conditions could be treated outside the standard letters-escalating-to-threats system. This way the parents of a child who is dying from cancer would no longer get letters threatening them with fines, as happens today.

Noone on the thread commented on this suggestion or seemed to notice it. It works well for other educational institutions with far higher student numbers.

[cory]

"I can't think of another job that is villified to the same extent on Mumsnet."

How often does anyone have a good word to say about social workers? Health visitors?

I'd say health visitors are probably the most accepted target- and unlike teachers, there will never be a pile of posters queuing up to protest that you must learn to respect the health visitor.

[echt]

Nah, cory, do the math; teachers get way more shit than any others on this site. Not saying the others aren't reviled, just not so often. Can't think of an HV thread that hit 3 figures, or a social worker's.

[exoticfruits]

Most parents will approach the teacher,if they don't get answers or reassurance they move on to the head.This is the same in every line of work.

That is my whole argument-it is how it should be done. Far too often posters pile in with 'see the Head, write to the governors' and they miss out the first port of call-seeing the teacher concerned.

In answer to Heswell-a teacher is wise to report any dealings with a difficult parent with the Head.

I remember one thread where a teacher apparently slapped a DC on the arm and the Head had said she would look into it. That wasn't good enough, her DC never lied and she wanted the teacher instantly suspended.It was surprising how many agreed.
She couldn't give any good reason why a teacher would slap a very well behaved, 6 yr old DC. It transpired that a DC fell in the playground and my likely interpretation was that as the teacher rushed over the 6yr old was about to move her friend and so she quickly batted her hand away in case the DC had broken something.
The OP was going back in to see the Head and we never heard another word-despite several requests for updates. I can only assume that it was a complete misunderstanding by the DC. Meanwhile had the teacher been suspended it would have damaged her career for nothing. How much simpler to pop in and have a chat with the teacher, rather than ask the MN jury.

[cory]

echt Fri 23-Mar-12 08:05:57
"Nah, cory, do the math; teachers get way more shit than any others on this site. Not saying the others aren't reviled, just not so often. Can't think of an HV thread that hit 3 figures, or a social worker's."

I'd say the reason the teacher threads hit 3 figures is because they are more controversial than the threads knocking HVS or SWs; the numbers are swelled by the number of posters joining to defend the teachers. Have never seen that happen on a thread about health visitors: the OP gets a few pats on the back and "of course we know about useless HVs" and then the thread dies.