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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

To privately not have much respect for a lot of teachers

287 replies

parsnipandmushroom · 18/03/2015 18:52

Obviously I would never communicate this to a child, but when the "teacher knows best" lines emerge on here I often think 'no, they don't.'

I've known so many teachers make numerous basic errors with resources, and give children the wrong information. This wouldn't actually bother me much but coupled with the complaints about pay, working hours and stress, I do often think 'stop whining.'

So I am not accused of being a troll - I only mean some teachers, and so I'm not accused of drip feeding information, I am a teacher.

AIBU?

OP posts:
MNHQ
YetAnotherHelenMumsnet · 18/03/2015 21:27

AHEM

GraysAnalogy · 18/03/2015 21:29

I may have missed it but since your last warning what has happened except debate?

I don't see any PA or anything

x2boys · 18/03/2015 21:33

My sister is s primary school teacher has been for nearly twenty years I think its a bloody hard job with little thanks so many targets to reach Ofsted etc have lost sight of the actual children and just care about results I can empathise as i, m a nurse and the same things happen in the NHS ,I would hate my kids to go into either profession .

ConstanceMoan · 18/03/2015 21:37

What are you AHEMing about HelenMumsnet? No talk guidelines are being broken.

Sparklingbrook · 18/03/2015 21:39

I think it's a general AHEM.

ConstanceMoan · 18/03/2015 21:40

A general AHEM about what?

WyrdSmyth · 18/03/2015 21:48

I have known some highly intelligent, charismatic and talented teachers. I have known some unintelligent, boring and uninterested teachers.

As regards moaning about working long hours, I am sceptical when the teacher moaning has only ever been a teacher. I pay a lot more attention to my friends who worked long hours as professionals in the private sector before becoming teachers. They don't tend to moan about long teaching hours or having to do work at home.

AnneElliott · 18/03/2015 21:52

There are good and bad in every profession, but yes I find them whingy. Many teachers seem to think they have it harder than anyone else, and I don't believe that is true. Many jobs are stressful; nurse, social work etc.

Great teachers have such an impact though. I am still in touch with my Year 6 primary school teacher and he made such a difference. Hopefully the good ones know they are appreciated. I do agree that often the ones that moan the most are the less good ones. It is the same in the civil service where I work. Those who moan generally contribute the least.

Ellengriswold · 18/03/2015 21:55

I'm afraid I tend to agree with OP. And no I'm not a teacher. Grammar, spelling, punctuation and basic maths seem to be a struggle for some teachers and I worry they're teaching these habits to our children. And as for hours and the seemingly low resistance to anything approaching a normal full time working week. Well I guess you did getme started.
Of course there are good and bad in every profession. I take that point. "Men among children, children among men."

BoneyBackJefferson · 18/03/2015 21:57

"And as for hours and the seemingly low resistance to anything approaching a normal full time working week"

Love to know where you get this from.

Salmotrutta · 18/03/2015 22:00

I was in another job before I became a teacher.

And since I've entered teaching I've met an awful lot of very crap parents.

They delegate responsibility for their offspring onto us (Secondary).
If their offspring doesn't get the all-important "A" grade it is my fault.
If their offspring doesn't arrive prepared and ready to Learn it is somehow my fault for not telling them they needed a pencil/ruler/ their textbook etc.
If their offspring gets a telling off I am picking on them.
If their offspring gets caught smoking behind the bike shed its probably my fault too for not telling them the facts about smoking and how bad it is.
If their offspring does well in the exam it most likely has nothing to do with me.
If their offspring is unhappy it must be the school - not the fact that they are a car crash of a parent with a frankly chaotic domestic set up.

But I love teaching because most parents aren't crap. Just a sizeable minority are crap.

Mistigri · 18/03/2015 22:03

I don't see why teachers are a special case - adults generally respect other adults who are good at their jobs, behave decently and reasonably, and treat colleagues/clients/parents with respect. Many teachers meet these criteria but by no means all do. Respect is earned, not deserved.

That doesn't mean I encourage my children to disrespect teachers. They respect the role, even when objectively the individual in question is not especially deserving of respect. My kids seem to be pretty lucid when it comes to judging which teachers are doing a decent job!

MNHQ
YetAnotherHelenMumsnet · 18/03/2015 22:05

Hi chaps,
I've looked and looked and can't see where we commented before? This is our first intervention on the thread, and is a bit of a general ahem, as stated.

teacherwith2kids · 18/03/2015 22:05

Ellen, just as a matter of interest, what would you regard as a full time working week?

As a manager in industry, 10 hours per day was fairly normal - 8.30 am to 6.30 pm, sandwich at desk type of mentality. I'd answer e-mails at home, I travelled for work in my own time etc. So a 50 hour week as a minimum, probably more like 60ish at busy times and if working at home was taken into account.

As a teacher (primary, often the worst for hours) with a family, I start work at 7.45 am. I work in school until, on average, 5 pm. After a break to be a mum taxi, cook, do homework with my own children etc, I work another 3ish hours per night except Friday. I also work a full 8-10 hour day or so on Sunday every week. So 65 hours a week every week. Yes, I get longer holidays - but if you average out those 5-15 extra hours a week worked in term time, it works out much the same . My DH once called teaching 'the ultimate compressed hours job', and I feel he is right.

GraysAnalogy · 18/03/2015 22:06

Helen before you said ahem it said at the top of the tread that mumsnet had commented.

whattheseithakasmean · 18/03/2015 22:07

I agree with the OP. My DH is a teacher (secondary). He doesn't whinge because he is so delighted to be out of the rat race. He retrained in his 40s after working in industry & finds teaching less hours, immense holidays and highly rewarding.

The whingers have usually gone straight from school to university to teaching and have no idea of the hours put in by most people without the compensation of vast holidays. The mention of 'unpaid overtime' is usually the giveaway. No professionals/managerial grade get paid overtime FGS, that is for manual grade staff who are on a lower wage. I think teachers are usually better for some pre classroom real life experience.

GraysAnalogy · 18/03/2015 22:07

This was a good few minutes before you posted, as it was before I posted.

not sure what the problem is anyway? debates do get heated but no rules are being broken.

teacherwith2kids · 18/03/2015 22:08

(So I am not saying teaching is worse for hours than a professional managerial job in industry - it is very much the same. Equally I don't think teaching is a uniquely hard profession, but that it is equally as hard as many much more respected and better-paid ones!)

calmseeker · 18/03/2015 22:09

Boring ...............................................................

calmseeker · 18/03/2015 22:09

And pointless..................................................

teacherwith2kids · 18/03/2015 22:09

Whatthe - most teachers would say that secondary has 'lumpier' hours due to marking peaks and troughs, primary has the longest in terms of continuous grind!

Salmotrutta · 18/03/2015 22:11

Ellen - "resistance to anything approaching a full time working week"

Hahahahaha!

You do actually realise our day doesn't finish at 4.30pm don't you?

Or do you?

Maybe someone should tell my 4.30-6.00pm revision classes that I'm not really there - im at home whinging.
...before I go to bed then get up to be in school for 8.00am next day.

Oh, and let's not forget the supervision at extra-curricular events Eh?

fourcorneredcircle · 18/03/2015 22:13

No professionals/managerial grade get paid overtime FGS, that is for manual grade staff who are on a lower wage. Not entirely true... Mr 4CornCircle is paid overtime and he's a professional. In his line of work (engineering) it's fairly standard. Although I concede that those in management in his company often have personal contracts - they are by no means that majority though. I love my job as a teacher, yes, it's stressful, yes it's not the best paid, yes, we have good holidays, yes, some work all through those holidays. What I hate about my job is the constant bashing as a profession we seem to take. It's very demoralising.

WetAugust · 18/03/2015 22:18

I agree with you OP. I have met some terrible teachers. I have a relative who is teacher in a State school but prefers to send her child to private school as she says the state sector targets are too low.

The teachers I respect are those in the private sector who teach long hours, who voluntarily run after school activities, while acting as house masters/mistresses in schools that hold lessons on Saturday mornings. These are the truly dedicated teachers for whom teaching is a vocation. If you are working 65 hours a week as a teacher in a state primary or bog standard comp you really need to question whether you're working effectively

BoneyBackJefferson · 18/03/2015 22:26

WetAugust

"The teachers I respect are those in the private sector who teach long hours"

"If you are working 65 hours a week as a teacher in a state primary or bog standard comp you really need to question whether you're working effectively"

Contradictory statements, you respect private sector teachers for working long hours but not state sector for doing the same. (FYI, A lot of teachers tick all the points mentioned in your post)