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.

But there is thread after thread of teachers saying the one thing that they can which is helpful - contact the school. Beyond that, how can we help. But fuck me, why should we sit here and listen to people saying stuff about the profession as a whole which isn’t even true?

But there is thread after thread of teachers saying the one thing that they can which is helpful - contact the school.
Twas ever thus.

Pre Corona there'd be some threads where an OP has a concern about a school and they'd be annoyed (sometimes rightly, sometimes prematurely without the full picture). Lots of teachers would advise ignoring some of the terrible advice on here that's more about cheerleading and viewing other people's lives as soap operas, and speak to the most appropriate person in school about the situation in a reasonable manner.
Inevitably the same few posters would turn up saying 'teachers think they're Gods and should never be questioned / demand a meeting with the head / insert something wrong or misleading about safeguarding here / welcome to Mumsnet where nobody can ever criticise a teacher'.

Some people have a bizarre chip on their shoulder.

I absolutely agree with you, MNHQ, you will get a telling off over a personal attack but it seems you can attack a whole profession and expect individual not to take as a personal attack. I work in a school now but I used to be a social worker and on one of those "social worker's have targets for putting kids in care" threads I had explained to the op, backed up with facts, that this was not the case. The OP went on to write many untue and unkind things about the profession, but when I called her an idiot I received a telling off from MNHQ.

*Exactly babbas. Yesterday evening teachers on Mumsnet called me a cunt and a twat and a wanker for saying I thought it was a scandal many children aren't being educated in anyway. And they kept calling me rude names even after I asked them to stop because I have suffered DV and it was very triggering

It wasn’t teachers it was one other poster doing the name calling and all the posts were removed.

‘ it’s because there are so many of them covering the same ground.’

And that justifies the aggressive responses? People generally don’t advance search before posting. People consider their issues to be unique to their situation so want to post their own thread.
There has to be some sort of compromise. Teachers really have given themselves a bad name on MN and it’s sad to see because there are many great teachers out there. I think as well as moderating critical posts, perhaps teachers need to think about moderating the responses. No need for the aggressive or daffodils 💐

"But there is thread after thread of teachers saying the one thing that they can which is helpful - contact the school."
Which is frustrating when the school isnt really contactable. There is one main email address which all queries must go through, and you are lucky to get an answer.

TabbyMumz

To paraphrase Lemonblast "And that justifies the aggressive responses?"

"There has to be some sort of compromise. Parents really have given themselves a bad name on MN and it’s sad to see because there are many great parents out there."

And yes I have left Lemonblast's crass generalisations in.

Frippenos...
Apologies, but I dont know what you are on about?

‘And yes I have left Lemonblast's crass generalisations in.’

You really can’t help yourself

I’d respectfully suggest a social media break. I’m a nurse. As the MN tide has turned from nurses as heroes to social media dancing, pizza stealing, queue jumping whores, I’ve been much more selective about threads that I read, and engage it.

Which is frustrating when the school isnt really contactable. There is one main email address which all queries must go through, and you are lucky to get an answer

But how is that the fault of teacher's who are posting on mumsnet? Contact the chair of governors, perhaps? Or the LA? Or the HQ of the MAT if part of one of those?

It would be nice to see, just for once, people go 'oh goodness, I hadn't thought about the teacher being a single parent with an 18 month old, of course doing 6 hours of Zoom lessons would be a problem'. Or 'oh goodness, you do forget that teachers are normal people to with all the same shit going on as anyone else and of course that might mean they can't do much else at the moment other than throw out some worksheets and mark them half-heartedly' because, you know, so many of us are doing the equivalent in our own jobs.

But no, bash after bash after bash...

Lemonblast

You really can’t help yourself

You made the generalisations. If you don't want to be picked up on them don't make them.

I’d respectfully suggest a social media break.

No thanks, maybe you should take your own advice.

Anger management then. You’ll give yourself an ulcer

TabbyMumz

I am pointing out that just because the school that your child/ren has gone to is making it difficult for you to contact them, is no excuse for other posters to get nasty.

Lemonblast

Oh no, a switch to goady, your not showing yourself in a good light here.

*You’re

The problem is, there seem to be a few posters who are just trawling round the teacher posts and attacking teachers. Teachers are in the mindset that it's only going to be a few posts before someone turns up to ask why we're all sat swilling gin on our sunloungers on full pay.

I think two things are simultaneously true:

Many parents are justifiably angry at piss poor provision from their school.

Some posters love to attack teachers at any opportunity.

"Lostmyshityear9

"Which is frustrating when the school isnt really contactable. There is one main email address which all queries must go through, and you are lucky to get an answer"

"But how is that the fault of teacher's who are posting on mumsnet? "

I think you may have just lost your mind? I clearly havent said it is the fault of teachers? Are you simply reading stuff that isnt there? In my previous posts I have said how I believe a lot of it is down to school, not teachers. You are looking for fault where there is none. Go and find a post where someone is actually bashing teachers. This is exactly what people mean. People are saying quite simple stuff about not being able to contact school and all of a sudden its teacher bashing.

still being goady lemon, Your halo is slipping.

@Lostmyshityear9

That's ridiculous re parenting as priority.

do people say, oh well I needed an ambulance but I'm sure the parademics are parents so were too busy to help me. Or I wish they hadn't released the dangerous sex offenders but I'm sure prison officers had better things to be doing than their jobs. People work around it or use child care. Are teachers not counted as key workers?

I think the "teacher bashing" is more of an outcry from parents who are completely overwhelmed by the whole homeschool experience.

Many try and contact the school to no avail, parents having to work, children not wanting to do the set school work and so on. It's very stressful!
Most parents are not teachers, they don't know the curriculum and often their approach at math/ science problems is different from the way DC are taught at school. Adding a level of confusion.

Teachers on here don't help by feeding the frenzy, insisting that they are teaching, when parents feel left with some online tasks and little support or any idea of how to get DC to understand the subject matter.
Teachers on here often say that they don't want to go back because of the risks, all the while many parents are taking dayly risks themselves and seeing that KC are still allowed to go to school.

I understand that teachers are not able to teach 30 children individually, and playing to every whim of every parent.

I also think we won't be getting schools back to full capacity for a long time.

But, in all honesty, as a working parent, I really need school to resume asap. Because I am not a teacher, I am working 9-5 every day. My weekend is spent catching up on DC school work... I have very little contact with school because of my working hours. I am literally left to my own devices. (DC are primary age)

It's nobody's fault, just sad all round... a bit of understanding on both sides would go a long way.

"FrippEnos

TabbyMumz

I am pointing out that just because the school that your child/ren has gone to is making it difficult for you to contact them, is no excuse for other posters to get nasty".

Did anybody say it was? Why the comment at me? Just randomly weird.

TabbyMumz

because yours is an example of a good post that is often hijacked and twisted by posters.
And we are on a thread about teacher bashing.

So according to MN teachers it’s SLTs fault - so where are the SLT teachers on MN - I can’t believe all the teachers on here have no influence. Or is it that all the SLT teachers on here are working for the few effective schools - none willing to admit they are doing the minimum? I don’t believe the number of threads and posts about crappy education provision have no basis - they seem fairly wide spread.

Sultanarama

How much influence teachers have within their school settings is down to the headteacher and SLT.

I don’t believe the number of threads and posts about crappy education provision have no basis

No-one, including the teachers, have said that they have no basis, just that the only way to try and sort it is by contacting the school.