To think it’s about time @MNHQ stepped up and did something about the teacher bashing.

[SachaStark]

This evening has been AWFUL here on the AIBU board.

@MNHQ, at what point do you actually plan to intervene and do something about the sheer number of teacher bashing threads, and individual posts? Should we expect any kind of moderation?

Or, is this in fact, “all in the spirit of Mumsnet”? Because at the moment, you’re making it look a darn sight like you agree by proxy.

As for your last sentence 😂😂. Well, most of the people I deal with don’t give a shit about the law at the best of time and a wee virus like corona isn’t stopping them in their activities.

Fully understand that, the teens I teach at my interesting (think lots of county lines and knife crime training and spot check sniffer dogs coming in) school are much the same. I meant more is it approaching people in the street? Is it being in poorly ventilated interview rooms? Is it having to go into homes? Etc. As in specific situations that make you feel particularly at risk of infection.

For me it’s the inability to social distance, the being in confined space with people from 15 different households at once for very extended periods of time, the lack of ppe and the fact I have no way of enforcing people with aggressive anti social behaviour (often taller than me) from deliberately encroaching on my space and coughing on me as some colleagues experienced before lockdown.

Then there’s the fact that I’ll be in an understaffed situation without back up if a major incident occurs-we don’t have phones let alone walk-in talkies in our classrooms if a fight kicks off or a child has an epileptic fit or allergic reaction-it’s nerve wracking at the best of times but obviously worse with massive understaffing and pupils, some of whom have behaviours and risk assessments that really require 1:1 supervision but we can’t meet that requirement at the best of times. And they’ll have had no social worker check ups or intervention for a couple of months so no up to date info or management plans.

There’s quite a lot of concerns for a solo middle aged woman with no back up really and I’m liable if anything goes wrong.

MyHoneyBadger I don’t worry about my risk of infection, to be honest. I can only do what I can do and my officer safety takes priority over infection.

We have been told to use large conference rooms for interviewing suspects with mobile video equipment. This may be suitable for some suspects but most of my workload is violent offenders and I am not comfortable interviewing in a room with no panic strip, outwith the custody suite and with more opportunities for an offender to either try escape or assault me. So smaller interview room it will be most of the time. Although things may have changed since I was last there ten days ago.

I would never diminish the work you or anyone else does, especially without ever having done that job or understanding what it entails in 2020. I can comment a bit on mental health stuff having worked on locked units with both criminal offenders and high risk adolescents and iI can comment on schools having worked in many over the last 2 decades and I can comment on other occupations I’ve worked in with the awareness my knowledge may be considerably out of date in a fast changing society facing particular challenges from a decade of austerity.

dreaming yup.
Also not leaving the house but ordering all manner of ‘essential’ stuff from Amazon - who have some of the worst working practices in the world and are currently not allwoiubg staff even unpaid sickness leave.

I wish we could have panic strips in schools. In hospital we had pips on our belts that you could pull in an emergency. Don’t begrudge you of them in the slightest obviously and I don’t mean that competitively.

I think people sometimes forget the breadth of behaviour and backgrounds we deal with in schools. An example is students I’ve had who are meant to be under constant supervision as they’ve already committed sexual offences against other children. It’s the kind of reality most people understandably don’t want to know about.

In some ways we face some similar risk assessment issues but people expect them for police stations but don’t realise they’re issues in schools and ignoring staff ratios and risk assessments can be dangerous

My impressions:

• The standard response is 'why don't you ask the school', wherever people have done this there is no acknowledgement that failure to provide more than worksheets is unacceptable.

• Teachers are not all working more hours than they would at school. I know several teachers, one of whom is my brother. He spent almost all of last week clearing his garden out or teaching his own children. I'm not saying he's not working at all but he's definitely doing less than normal, he works in a school in a deprived area and, despite phoning to check up on pupils they are not doing the set work.

Why people are afraid to acknowledge this possibility is beyond me, especially where there is an acknowledgement that some LAs / schools have responded by saying that the schools do not have to make provision because the national curriculum is suspended.

• I have 2 sen children who are not in school. My experience is that really good teachers are quite rare. My children would not have been the easiest to teach but they were failed by the bulk of their teachers. I'm not bashing all teachers by saying this but it is my experience and my experience is valid.

People are bound to be upset that their children are not being adequately educated pandemic or not. I've just been through the Ombudsman process for compensation for lost education for the time that my kids were out of school without being provided an appropriate education. Yes this is a unique position that we are in but LAs and schools ought to step up more.

OH and teachers/ the school and the LA all denied they had failed my child by failing to make adequate provision. The Ombudsman saw things differently and ordered an apology and compensation.

Again I know these times are different but the local authority ought to do better and ought to be directing the schools/ teachers to do more.

A legal claim has been lodged by a solicitor and barrister today against the government for the suspension of some SEN provisions, it is a matter of time before similar legal arguments are made , quite rightly in my opinion, for the failure to make provision for our children during this crisis.

If they’re local authority schools. Has anyone noticed the hideous yet suddenly normalised use of “chains” in the media. Eg. Uks largest primary chain ready to return. Bit like kfc or top shop and share holder oriented

But that’s what academy school chains are. They are run as businesses. Surely this cannot be news to anyone?

No but this is the first time I’ve seen this use of language widely used and unquestioned. Perhaps because it’s brand positive in the context of forcing schools open despite union and medical profession advice

What point are you trying to make TheHoneyBadger?

Would saying "UK's largest primary trust ready to return" be better for you? Why?

Chain / Trust- it's what they are called.

It’s the middle of a pandemic, @NeverTwerkNaked, grow up.

A pandemic where a lot of parents are getting a decent amount of input from schools. In that regard, parents who aren't are quite right to be angry about it. The current situation is simply laying bare the truth that there are some schools who deal with things well and some who do not.

If there is any growing up to be done, it is by people who refuse to accept not all teachers are equal.

@MNHQ, see? Posters like this, as just one example.

This is not teacher bashing. This is simply stating fact.

My point is, that to me at least as a parent, places entrusted with the safeguarding of our children shouldn’t be described or run like fast food outlets.

Ie. Whilst all zinger burgers look the same kids, communities and their demographics vary massively and need tailored approaches

It's what academy chains are called though TheHoneyBadger. There's no great conspirisy. Lots of words in the English language have several different meanings and uses in different contexts.

I'm reminded of the Albus Dumbledore quote: "Always usethe propernamefor things. Fear of anameincreases fear of the thing itself."

There is nothing to fear in a word. Or a name.

YADBU
Look at all the childish posting of biscuits and flowers by teachers to fill up threads. Pathetic.
I a teacher (but eager to go back asap without all the hysterical PPE/distancing b**. Sand ashamed at the unprofessional attitude of some teachers on here.

Thank you @MintyMabel, exactly.

And exact @BeltaneBride . I have had some really sensible measured conversations with teacher friends in real life who agree with me ( including heads and deputy heads ) so I think the very vocal and frankly (last night at least) quite rude and petty teachers on here probably (hopefully) aren't representative of the profession as a whole.

NeverTwerk, that is so reassuring to hear, I hope many more of your colleagues feel the same way, not going back at any cost but without the hysteria that seems to be currently surrounding the issue

Oh, honestly, 22 hours ago, I was absolutely infuriated by all of the threads on teaching, and trying to defend my excellent colleagues on here... I’m not even a teacher anymore! Got out last July, and thank fuck I did, I’ve never been so grateful for it before!

22 hours, a beautiful day at the beach, and half a bottle of wine later, I’ve just accepted that all of you are SUCH... well, you know, mustn’t go name-calling now. And there’s just no arguing with unintelligent people.

Also, rolling around laughing at the sudden thought that some of your DC will undoubtedly BE teachers one day, and they will tell you how awful you are to your face.

Cheers to my fellow teachers of Mumsnet! More wine now.

And BeltaneBride sorry - same comment goes for you. (Did think about putting but worried it might appear sarcastic )

That's so reassuring to know Sacha - particularly as you seemed to start many posts with Fucking hell..... probably not the poster girl/boy for teaching you think you are

Yes, yes, because language used on a forum is EXACTLY the same as the language I would use in a classroom.

How fucking precious.