To find sharing school reports on social media crass...

[Grammarist]

Exactly as the title says, really.

I just don't get it.

A school report really isn't something for parents to take photos of and splash all over Facebook, or wherever. I find it pretty cringeworthy to see all these posts where parents are after reflected glory because of something that belongs to their child.

Or the flip side where parents are going off on one about something a teacher has written in confidence to them, and putting it all over social media.

Plus - I find it very intrusive and feel that the children may not want that information shared.

Anyone else find this awful?

Don’t they realise that reports are fairly generic, and that in the case of primary are generally written with a positive, glass half full spin?

My kids (not bragging, this isn’t an achievement so much as box ticking) have each achieved 2 gymnastics certs in the past month.

I’m so happy - because they have found a sport they enjoy and are not bad at - something I never managed.

My happiness isn’t improved by putting pics of their certs on Facebook.

I wouldn’t mind so much except it’s usually the same parents:

Look at our massive Christmas
Look at our new house
Look at the £10 I’m giving my 6 year old for losing a tooth
Look at our massive Easter pile
Look at my kids fantastic amazing stupendous reception report and attendance award

It’s never look at this amazing reception report I’m so proud, but wait that same kid just drew all over his baby sister in permanent marker, wish he wasn’t so good at writing, where is the gin.

Or what Percy said; slightly less dramatically lol

As a teacher, I'd be fucking furious if someone posted online a professional report I'd written.

For a lot of people social media is the only way they can share this stuff with a large part of their family. Plus it's their Facebook, they can be proud of their child on their if they want. It's only natural.

I've seen several of these posts recently and cringed each time. I don't think reports are something to be shared on fb. Sil shared my nephew's on our family whatsapp group which is much more appropriate, although I'm personally not even comfortable doing that. Interested parties have read the report in person, that's enough for me.

YANBU it is bad taste and an invasion of privacy of the teacher/school and also to pupil. I think the school should be made aware. It is hard to report though as they will likely be told off. I'd unfollow someone like that.

Its not something I would do as a parent although I will admit to having shared Billy the kid's swimming report once. She was year 2 and the report read 'Billy DD struggles to swim a width' at the time she was a county swimmer for her age group and had swum 24 lengths of the local pool the day before for a sponsored swim. I thought they may have got her confused with another child of the same name but I asked her mum who said not as theirs was even worse.

Not even a stealth boast here. I expect my DDs was one of, if not the best in the class. She's exceeding in every area except 3.

She's a hugely dramatic hard work whinging pain in the neck who I love so very much but she is draining!

The school report reflects none of this. It would be disingenuous of me to wax lyrical about her achievements academically when she can't hold down many friendships because she's a demanding friend.

What I'd give for nice, kind, average, pleasant on her school report. Obviously FB brings out the worst in people with their one upmanship. I'm more of a 'race to the bottom' kind of mum. ^You'll never guess what DD whinged about today? Her socks were too sticky after sunscreen was put on her legs!!^ FML.

I'm just glad that when my children were growing up the Internet was in its infancy and social media had not yet come of age.

I don't do Facebook etc and when I read about the bragging etc that goes on I am glad I am not part of that world.

WTFF?

This is an actual thing??

My DD is two and a half and I feel like things have changed soooooooooooooooooo much since I was at school it terrifies me what I have to look forward to in a couple of years.

This is the most crackers yet. This and everyone buying a gift for teacher, Christ NO.

Yes. The only people who give a fig about your dc school reports are you and the grandparents. No need to blast it out on your social media account.

But then I've been on Facebook for 9 years and have never once seen a friend of mine do this. So perhaps it isn't a common thing?

Yes. Unfortunately it is a thing. It makes me feels so uncomfortable and I'm sure it'll have a huge impact on how honest teachers are in reports. They'll become sanitised social-media-worthy pieces of nothingness so that teachers feel that their professionalism won't be totally undermined.

I've seen quite a lot of people doing it on FB. The concerning thing is that the vast majority of my friends are apparently very intelligent people in quite high-powered jobs who really should know better as they should be aware of the impact that sharing confidential documents can have. But common sense doesn't seem to be being applied.

I don't understand the need to share everything on social media nowadays. I'm currently taking a break from Facebook after a "heated discussion" with a mum friend who thought it necessary to post her Downs Syndrome test results (negative) with a comment along the lines of "so blessed to be negative". I asked her to consider any mums with children with Downs and how her post might be hurtful, and also told her I'd found the image quite hard to see as we had a difficult time when I was pregnant waiting for results as my own test came back high risk and we spent a couple of weeks mentally preparing for what might happen. I understand that might make me a hypocrite in that I was also relieved my own tests were negative but I didn't ever post it online or even tell anyone except my husband and mum.

The woman I was discussing it with just posted a passive-aggressive meme in response about how she "has no time for empty drama" because she's a "person who focuses on nice". This was after I told her that I have friends with kids with Downs who would find her post triggering and offensive.

Why the need to post literally everything online?

I'll add that I approached her privately and she posted the meme publicly. Why?!!

Well all my Facebook friends are actually my friends and also my family. So if I did post things now and then. I would hope they would be happy for my dc not start to moan it’s cringe. I have a dd with severe sn. I don’t post much on my children on Facebook but if she’s done something amazing I want to shout out from the roof tops.
If you don’t like it. Don’t do it.

YANBU.

I feel that Facebook is a platform for negative behaviour in general. I'm genuinely shocked to see how many of my seemingly intelligent and normal friends turn into needy, bragging attention seekers, posting statuses for 'likes'.

I'm genuinely happy for people when they do well in life, whether personally or through their children. However I can't help but feel a bit sorry for people who do this.

YoYo - I'm in the same in that my FB contacts are all friends/family however why on earth would they want to see photos of my child's school report? And why would it be ok to share it? It's just not ok. A status post about how I'm proud is fine and lovely but full on photos that show the whole thing is wrong, in my opinion. I'm sure the teacher/headteacher won't be happy that their signatures are now splurged all over social media, let alone the confidential results and information contained in the report.

It's crass. It's oversharing and it's completely unnecessary.

Tell the child well done. Have a hug. Have a treat. Phone the grandparents.

Don't gain some odd reflected glory on FB. It's not about the parent but so many parents seem to think it is...

Fuck me. I'm so glad my children grew up a few years before all this shite.

Having a child with sn - I completely understand that you'd want to tell people all about her achievements. My best friend has a boy with severe sn and we all love to share/comment things that he's done that are truly marvellous and also heartbreaking at the same time.

I know I want to sing my children's praises to anyone who will listen but I draw the line at photos of school reports!

My kids know I'm proud of their reports and we take them to show Nana who makes a big fuss of them. That's where it ends. It's private and, honestly, who really cares apart from family?

It makes me very concerned about how I will word any future reports of this becomes more 'normal'. It's concerning. I suppose it's a reflection of social media parenting in general.

Why share the first picture you take when you can take hundreds and find the best one? Why show any imperfections?

Teachers are going to back off being honest on paper and reports are going to become more and more generic with use of bland statement banks that disguise the truth.

I've put quotations where the teacher has said she was kind and above expected progress in certain areas which she has struggled with throughout school. I never even thought about privacy if I'm honest but it's something I will think about in future

YANBU