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.

if it's outside the public sector you may get a shock

And I convinced myself you were here in good faith.

I had a bar job as well before this so I understand how the private sector works. I'm a TA and don't get a great wage, but I loved my job. I'm just demoralised by how little I'm thought of despite all I've done.

Do you not trust a doctor or teacher to make a decision without your input? It clearly depends what the decision was - some decisions are more important than others. Big decisions? - allow someone else to make them on my behalf - absolutely not! Schools are making the decision not to teach my kids adequately when other schools seem to be making the decision to support adequate learning. - should they be trusted?

But then instead of rational (helpful) discussion, you end up getting unsupportive doom-mongering answers that verge on coersion to discourage parents to send pupils back in school.

Yes. This!

Suggestion 1. "Not possible "
Suggestion 2. "We'll never afford that"
Suggestion 3. "We're not trainer for that"
Suggestion 4. "We're not paid for that"
Suggestion 5. "You do it then"

And on and on and on.

Many teachers would be more than happy working under the Danish approach.
Unfortunately their system and ours are different. For example, they have all through schools so they can have primary spaced out more by using classrooms that would normally be used by secondary students. Their class sizes are smaller to start with and the number to a class on returning is smaller than what the government is proposing here.

A summary of examples from Danish schools include:

Twice a day, we clean all desks with disinfectant, and we also clean door handles, playgrounds and other critical areas.
Arrivals and departures are staggered in year groups, so the children come into school in ones.
Children have been told to arrive with thoroughly washed hands, and must wash hands and use the hand sanitisers that are placed at entrances and in classrooms
Children with symptoms need to stay home for 48 hours. Children who come to school with symptoms are sent home immediately, which has proven difficult in the season of pollen allergies.
Staff are limited to working with only one or two classes and restricted to certain buildings.
Each class is divided into two classrooms, and some are even using outside areas.
"Support and subject teachers are helping class teachers to cover the two rooms, and most of our part-time staff are now working full-time.*
*Classes take turns to go out to play in restricted areas as the children play only with those in the same class."
All children need to be self-sufficient for the whole day bringing their packed lunch, drink and pencil case as they can't borrow anything from anyone else.
Parents and visitors are not allowed on the school premises at all.

Some of the things they have done would work well, but it doesn't change the fact that the government has said no rotas and no part time arrangements and our primary schools aren't big enough to have classes split down that much.

We absolutely need a solution but that solution needs to be right for our schools and our system.

On a more amusing note, we all know there'd be some disgruntled mumsnetters (who'll have been arguing schools should get on with opening) complaining if their DC has a TA supervising rather than a class teacher.

I think the pp stating they have just resigned is joking. However just in case they aren’t. Have they ever been in the private sector? Not giving out contact details, being paid 100% yet complaining that they have other things to do, pointing parents towards HOD, SLT.

You do know that in the private sector you will be expected to own and manage issues and problems yourself. Not hide behind others....

bathroom
I career changed to teaching and love many aspects of it. I've nearly left the profession on a couple of occasions and can't stand the 'teachers have no idea' response when staff raise often valid issues.

Bathroom go crawl back under your rock, there's a dear.

@SmileEachDay I think you are a good sort - I honestly do, I wish we had more like you - but I am struggling with the can't, won't, don't we are seeing from lots of teachers - how can they inspire our kids to be the next generation of problem solvers?
I actually believe teachers should be paid more - a lot more but they should also be a lot better or less bad? It should be a job that the best graduates want but it isn't. Teachers should be valued more but in my experience they don't do themselves any favours, some of the crap I have seem over the years does not leave them covered in glory.

I was not joking about resigning.

You do know that in the private sector you will be expected to own and manage issues and problems yourself. Not hide behind others

I'm a TA so have absolutely no control over many of the problems that are occurring, . I also had a second job in the private sector before this happened. I know how it works.

To be fair to Bathroom the private sector seem to have managed the whole distanced teaching a lot better. My neighbour is a private school teacher and there are no excuses - she'll be teaching despite her having small kids.

You do know that in the private sector you will be expected to own and manage issues and problems yourself. Not hide behind others....

Many teachers have also had careers in the private sector. Have you done both?

Sultanarama
I think if the government accepted that there isn't the staffing or building capacity to run what there wanting then that would be a good starting point for some proper dialogue.

If the government stopped with their no rota/no part time line then schools could work out a programme of flexible study that blends home and school-based learning.
They won't go for this because their primary reason for ignoring their own criteria for opening schools is because they want to push parents back to work, especially those who can't work from home.

So instead of working with schools, the government has put out impossible guidance, knowing fine well unions will rightly object and they can avoid taking responsibility for their poor handling of the situation.

Schools are making the decision not to teach my kids adequately when other schools seem to be making the decision to support adequate learning. - should they be trusted?

Schools are using guidance from the government and making informed decisions about how best to proceed, often at very short notice. I'm sure that schools sending out little work believe it is in the best interest of stakeholders, for whatever reason. (I'm not saying it's right in my opinion, but I don't know the individual schools nor am I party to the discussions had by SLT/governors leading to that decision.)

Whether or not you trust your child's school leadership, that's up to you.

I’ve got to be honest, the schools we’re dealing with for our foster kids have been horrendous. Utterly heartless and horrendous.

They’re clearly used to treating parents like shit.

Do I trust the SLT? No.
Do I think their class teachers give a flying fuck. No.

But it’s not my call where they attend.

LolaSmiles many schools do have the staffing or building capacity to run what they are wanting

Our school (LA 350 pupil state primary in area of top 10% social economic deprivation) is:

● purchasing temporary partition walls - to split rooms and create extra classroom spaces
● removing unnecessary furnature from classrooms (tray cupboards, paint stations, library corners, carpet areas etc) to create extra floor space
● employing their usual team of cleaners full time throughout whole day (instead of before/after school shifts).
● purchasing portable washing facilities that can be moved between classes (by cleaners) on a hand washing rota and disinfected between classes
● purchasing portaloos
● All usual classes (of 30 ish) have 1 teacher and 1TA. So split into 2×15 bubbles will be lead by usual teacher and TA.
● Supply teachers and supply TA's (who are getting no work so are thankful and keen to be employed) used as extras and to replace any self isolating adults.
● have an existing bank of casually employed cleaners who can be called if needed (most of these are our usual dinner ladies, so known to the kids)

You do know that in the private sector you will be expected to own and manage issues and problems yourself. Not hide behind others

I wasn't always a teacher. I worked in retail for nearly a decade before doing my PGCE. I was an assistant manager by the end. I had a lot more autonomy in the day-to-day running of the shopfloor than I do as a teacher. For a lot of us, our every move is scrutinised. You can't even pick up a pen without checking that it's the right colour for what you want to do. Even if you're not micro-managed to that degree, there is still a mountain of paperwork saying what you can and can't do (Safeguarding etc. aside, I'm talking about the staff handbook, marking policy, display policy, template for trip letters, template for teacher assessments and so on and so forth).

If you haven't worked in both then I think you'll find it hard to see exactly how they compare.

Do I think their class teachers give a flying fuck.

What a horrible thing to say about those teachers.

sally their behaviour has been appalling.
It took them 4 weeks and over 20 emails to even acknowledge us.

SLT and class teachers know these are looked after children.
They know that we have fostered them before.
They KNOW how bloody vulnerable these kids are!
Yet they would not even acknowledge our communications let alone answer them.

Do you know that the teachers are to blame for that, though? I find it hard to believe that there are three or four class teachers all deliberately ignoring your communications because they don't "give a flying fuck". One, possibly, but all of them? There has to be another explanation.

It took them 4 weeks and over 20 emails to even acknowledge us

Were SS helping with school contact?

But I'd like to add that I'm sorry that you and your foster kids are experiencing this, whatever the reason.

That's dreadful, did you get the Designated Teacher involved, or the Virtual Head or Social,Services, they are all there to help.