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.

Howaboutanewname Where have I demanded that teachers do more? I haven’t once said that.

Don’t give me your sanctimonious bollocks about ignoring your own kids.

@howabout. You are clearly working very hard.and delivering what sounds exemplary in the circumstances.

But other teachers on here are saying parents should be satisfied with a couple of Twinkl worksheets each day. Surely you would agree parents are right to be angry if that is all the "education" their children are getting m

"Ican’t understand how Some schools can just make themselves effectively uncontactable."
I dont either, but ours has. Chat on teams has been turned off, so the kids cant contact teachers, and parents have never had teachers email addresses. We have one main school email address, that's it. Horrendous from a safeguarding point of view. What about the vulnerable kids who cant contact teachers? And the kids left home alone for days on end because their parents are working, but not using school childcare. I'm not saying this is teachers fault, but schools fault, management fault. And you are right about partnership working. Some schools have lost an awful lot of respect from parents.

They are, because in AIBU and Coronavirus there's dozens of threads where people seem incapable of understanding the difference between:
A) I have this issue with my child's school. How should I go about resolving it?
And
B) What exactly are teachers doing all day? They're just sitting around on holiday. For fucks sake can we not just open schools and teachers get on with doing their jobs instead of expecting me to do it for them

Some provisions differ. Some schools, particularly primary due to the challenges of younger ages, have reduced provision. Within this some threads are very reasonable in their questions about their child's education.

The issue is that what seems to happen most of the time is more like this:

"My school isn't doing live lessons on Google classroom/teams/zoom. The school down the road is. Therefore my child's school is being useless."

"The private school down the road with students who have all the study space and resources at home are offering something different to the state school my DC go to. Therefore my child's school is useless".

"The school are setting too much work. How the hell am I meant to do this with the children and work from home? Therefore school are useless and teachers don't care about the struggles of working from home with two kids. Teachers have no idea what it is to work from home with children around."

"The school haven't set enough work. All we get is directions to online material for their year group and some worksheets. Now I'm having to go around finding material online to give to DC. Therefore school are useless and teachers are just twiddling their thumbs all day. They don't care about out children and just want an extended holiday. Bring schools back in August"

And, my favourite one 'shall I refuse to pay fees because I don't think the stack of work set by the school is as engaging as I would like'

I think my favourite one so far has been, “We are doing 60% of the teachers’ jobs right now!”

Mmhmm, sure you are, Jan. Let me know when you finish collating all the data and evidence for the Year 11 grade submission so that they can have GCSE results this summer.

Yes, because primary teachers are always submitting data for GCSE. Makes me wonder how they get time to teach the little ones.

But other teachers on here are saying parents should be satisfied with a couple of Twinkl worksheets each day. Surely you would agree parents are right to be angry if that is all the "education" their children are getting

See above. See the literally hundreds of posts that teachers have made. I can work because my children are old enough to respect the boundary, others don’t have that. Some teachers will be throwing out worksheets whilst managing their own illness or that of someone else. Others won’t be working because they are too ill. Still more will try and do what they can in the evening when the baby is in bed but it is less than some of her colleagues. We are ALL working in difficult situations. If you don’t think it’s enough, complain. But remember some staff are in school and can’t be expected to do 2 jobs, and a head cannot say to you ‘Mrs Smith’s husband is in hospital, Mrs Jones lost both her parents last week, Mrs Peters has had a mental breakdown and Mrs Richards has just had a miscarriage’. It is OK to ask for more work or ask to be directed to more resources but stop expecting full service in the circumstances.

Many of my friends in primary are having to rewrite the curriculum for when schools open.
They can't expect parents to be teaching the nuances of grammar and new maths topics so their whole long term planning needs redoing to ensure that everything is covered once things start getting back to normal.
Teaching lessons 9-3.30 is only part of the job and doesn't just appear.

Yes, because primary teachers are always submitting data for GCSE. Makes me wonder how they get time to teach the little ones

You quiet know fuck all when it comes to understanding the data that schools are required to collect and submit at both primary and secondary lelvels.

To be fair, if a teacher is unable to supply work for their class due to illness or unmanageable caring responsibilities, that workload should probably be distributed to the other teachers in their school. Easier done in large schools than small ones, of course.

NeverTwerkNaked

But other teachers on here are saying parents should be satisfied with a couple of Twinkl worksheets each day.

I haven't seen any teachers on here say that.
The response that I have seen is contact your child's school.

Don’t give me your sanctimonious bollocks about ignoring your own kids

Oh, so now I’m a liar? What do you think I do when I am teaching live? That is a requirement of my school. How can I teach my own children, or even talk to them, if I am teaching to the masses?!

To be fair, if a teacher is unable to supply work for their class due to illness or unmanageable caring responsibilities, that workload should probably be distributed to the other teachers in their school

To be fair, that would usually be the work of supply. No,supply in current set ups.

Howaboutanewname I think I can say, with confidence, that my six year olds teacher won’t be submitting any data to the exam board.

Howaboutanewname.....why are you biting?! You are clearly doing a lot of work, and very diligent, and you are not the teachers nicknacky is complaining about.

The issue is that even when a parent posts a genuine issue of concern, it degenerates into a ‘how dare you bash all teachers’ within a couple of posts.
I have yet to see a single thread on MN where a legitimate concern from a parent seeking advice or information about whether their experience is ‘normal’ doesn’t automatically descend into anarchy when the teacher klaxon goes off. Teachers on MN are their own worst enemy. Stop being so bloody defensive. EVERY single thread is labelled teacher bashing by a teacher by the end of page 1.
And as for the daffodils? 😂

I’ve said it on a few posts before. We’ve had a woeful school lockdown education experience. Family and friends have had very different experiences. The ‘anti teacher’ sentiment on MN has been created by teachers and their angry, acerbic responses to parents who raise concerns.

Lemonblast

Interesting how you blame the teachers and not those spouting bile.

On many of those threads the teachers have given good advice only for posters to come in and have a pop at teachers. (not always but most)

But people will see what they want to see.

You try reading 50 posts a day telling you you're crap, deserve a pay cut, etc.

I think the problem is selection bias. People who are looking to share concerns about subpar provision see these posts. Teachers tend to notice the ones accusing us of being workshy whingers (and yes, there are a tonne of those, too.)

I have tried to engage pleasantly and informatively. People have asked me for a breakdown of what I do all day and I have obliged (when maybe the correct response was to tell them to Fuck Off) and then a few posts later had people saying "Don't you just love it when teachers tell you exactly what they do all day! Like they're so special." And "Why are we paying them?" and "If they're worried about being safe, thy should just quit".

nellodee that is exactly what I am seeing too and it is demoralising.

why are you biting?! You are clearly doing a lot of work, and very diligent, and you are not the teachers nicknacky is complaining about

But that’s the whole thing, isn’t it? That even if we explain we’re working, we’re branded liars? That if we explain data needs submitting all over the place at all levels, there’s a quick quip about one teacher not being required to do it from someone who is not even a fucking teacher? That other teachers should be in school, setting work for classes and covering colleague absence? I am quite sure that sooner or later when a teacher is on a fucking ventilator in hospital there will be comments about her not having set work from the ambulance.

It is relentless. No consider whatsoever for what we face as individuals or professionals as a whole. Just we’re all shit. It is unfair and unreasonable.

Teacher bashing is not on. It is ok to ask questions of other parents. The education our children are currently receiving is not of a normal standard. Looks like this will continue for some time.

Would add that parent bashing is also not on. Speaking personally, I do not view schools as cheap childcare. Nor am I desperate to get rid of my kids.

I am very aware that being off school long term is not good for my kids. Am very aware I am no substitute for their wonderful teachers. Am very aware that working from home, attending virtual meetings etc makes home schooling even less viable.

We all know it's not perfect. We all know a return to school will not be risk free. Very little is.

A little more empathy all round would go a long way. I see that in rl, not so much on these threads. From both directions.

Frippenos so a parent on a parenting forum posts a reasonable enough thread expressing concern about the widely publicised negativity around schools opening. A perfect opportunity for engagement and discussion. And the opening punt from teachers? Post after post of ridiculous passive aggressive daffodils? It would be understandable if that happened on a teachers forum but as has been pointed out time after time after time this is a PARENTING forum.

The issue is that even when a parent posts a genuine issue of concern, it degenerates into a ‘how dare you bash all teachers’ within a couple of posts
Usually because the original post starts with a genuine concern about their child's school and ends with some ranty generalisations.

Lemonblast

As I said the responses from teachers to the opening post (mainly) are good responses in good faith.

Then other posters post goady shit about teachers and the teachers respond with as much effort as it deserves.

Maybe you should pull up the posters that are posting goady shit.

Whether its a parenting forum or not, goady posts are against the talk guidelines.

But again as I said you see want you want to see.

Lemonblast it’s because there are so many of them covering the same ground. At first teachers tried to explain what’s going on but that didn’t work, and some posters keep taking any opportunity to have a go.