To be getting annoyed with teachers Facebook posts?

[CundtBake]

A family friend of mine recently qualified as a teacher

Since then she's posted a load of things on Facebook basically slating parents. Posts about how people should really parent, 'the problem with parents today' etc etc.

Now I understand that as a teacher she will have to deal with the most annoying parents out there, and I'm sure it's frustrating. But AIBU to think that being a teacher doesn't necessarily make you an expert on parenting? She doesn't have children of her own yet, and I guess I can't help but feel judged myself by her posts.

(I do know that this isn't the biggest problem in the world)

Unprofessional maybe a friend of a friend of a parent will see it.

Yeah she needs to stop that straight away.
Whether she has children or not is beside the point as some parents are just awful from any perspective, but she could lose her job if someone sees what she's writing.

Really unprofessional.

Very unprofessional. I cannot understand how people can air their dirty laundry on FB. Yes moan at a good Friend or partner, but not everyone and his dog to see.

She wants to hope no one reports it or the daily mail gets hold of it

She could get sacked for that

Extremely unprofessional. I'm surprised they haven't covered the dangers of posting on social media in her teacher training. Someone should warn her before she lands in hot water.

I should clarify her posts never seem to be about specific parents, but just parents in general, and how parenting should really be done. She shares a lot of parent-bashing stuff that she hasn't written herself too.

Is that still a disciplinary offence?

Unprofessional.

Please have a word with her and explain why it's unprofessional, and what could happen.

She sounds naive (and judgy and daft etc) but mainly naive. She's probably never had a professional job before and needs some guidance. It would be kinder if the guidance came from someone close rather than her Head Teacher.

That's extremely unprofessional and she potentially could lose her job over it.
If anybody working at her school or any parent saw this they'd take a dim view indeed.
Her posts obviously have nothing to do with you and your parenting. Personally I'd be more worried that her career might be over before its even started.

I'm a teacher and use my Facebook fairly regularly but I NEVER post anything about school. No photos either. She needs to stop ASAP. Her school will have a strict policy on using social media.

Post this article on her facebook page with the caption and sit back and wait. You could post a sarcastic comment about the lack of professionalsim & integrity of certain teachers these days....

m.bbc.co.uk/news/education-29482160

Sounds like she's chosen the wrong job....

General parent bashing in her first teaching post.

She needs to grow up.

I'm facebook friends with a girl who recently qualified as a teacher and just bangs on all the time about how gross kids are and how annoying etc. I sometimes feel like responding something along the lines of 'Get Another Job'.

It's not professional. I'm a TA and parent and wouldn't post those types of things, mainly because they are always unpleasant and judgey to someone.
If it is not about specific parents then it wouldn't be a disciplinary offence unless the school felt she was bringing their reputation into disrepute but it certainly isn't casting her in a very good light proffesionally.

I worked as a doctor and this Hippocratic Oath thing is a myth. I do not even know what is in the Hippocratic Oath, we were never made to recite or sign anything. We did have to adhere to the GMCs Guidance on Duties of a Doctor, so perhaps that is the modern version of it.

As the OP has said clearly that the comments aren't about any specific parent or family, it's not unprofessional, just ill-advised.

Like many people, she's been in the job five minutes and thinks she's an expert.

But it could easily tip over into criticising specific parents or making comments that could identify someone. As a friend, you need to advise her to stop before it gets to that stage.

If you know her and like her tell her to take them down pdq! It's beyond unprofessional and could damage her job potential both current and future. She needs to learn not to vent on Facebook or in public at all. It sounds like a very naive and uncertain new teacher who is out of their depth in the classroom and thus blaming others in poor defence. She needs a proper mentor and to learn the rules of social media ASAP.

It is unprofessional, I appreciate some parents are a nightmare and it's reasonable for her to want to let off steam but FB is not the appropriate place to do this.

Even if the posts aren't about specific people any parent of a child at the school she teaches at might think the post is about them.

What she is doing is unprofessional, unethical and stupid. It sounds like she shouldn't be teaching.

I would discipline my teaching staff for that.

Very unprofessional. Someone should tell her she's putting her career in jeopardy. She sounds very immature.

Ok, so it's unprofessional

Oh I love Mr Hunt. 2 separate issues in that link your young lady needs to consider:

1. Singapore - where children go to school all day and then go to night school, private tuition for the evening. That's why they perform so well. Their whole childhood is education, specifically maths and the sciences. Fear drives their parents, fear of perceived failure. So many kids lose childhood, creativity, play.

1. That Oath. He wants us to swear it whilst consecutive governments tear apart the structure (that one they focus on so much) that provides education opportunities. So we will be bound by a professional oath to an edifice that is becoming more and more unwieldy. As time goes by kids grow up through that inadequate edifice and some want to become teachers... but, no matter how passionate they are, how much that Oath might mean, they will be inadequate... because of the inadequacies of the very monolith they now wish to join.

Mr Hunt is Bastard Son of Gove in this. For example, he acknowledges that there needs to be focus on teachers, not the structure, but still believes in year in year improvement.

Your young lady should be aware that her heart felt denigration of parents is anathema to the new Oath. We teachers are the professionals, therefore it is obviously our fault if a child grows up without learning maths, science or manners (which it will as the teacher teaching it will have grown up with a very loose understanding of them too). By trying to blame the parent she is denying her calling, blaspheming. She will be Struck Off. Violation of The Oath will not be tolerated.

Oh, and she needs someone who likes her to tell her how silly she is being. Such fb posts may come to haunt her.

OP, if you like her even a little bit, take her aside and tell her, show her this thread.

We teachers don't have the freedom to post such things. Not if we wish to continue working as teachers. We are not allowed to criticise, be less than pleasant, and must never ever tell the truth about the job - well, not if we can be recognised, we can't.

I have said before that, as a teacher who wishes to continue to teach, I have lost some of the freedom of speech many others take for granted. I was called stupid then, but threads such as this do show what I meant.

That is why I don't have any net presence in my real name. None, nothing at all. Not even my hobby (sewing) is safe to be identified with - as found out early on when a parent reported my small business as if I were trying to kill someone, or rip her off, or evade taxes.

It would have been preferable if you'd put an apostrophe in your thread title, as it currently reads as though all teachers have annoying Facebook posts. Most of us, of course, are sensible enough not to post so unprofessionally.