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 some people are not adequately protected, does that mean we shouldnt even try to protect others?

If you want to go back and read the bit where I specifically said that I didn't think teachers should be subjected to the same just because others aren't protected, that may help.

My point was there has been a lot of 'they are sat behind a screen, they are only dealing with one customer at a time etc etc' when anyone points out that there are other people going out to work i.e. shop workers, public transport etc.

I'm saying that that response is a load of shit because shop workers and the other examples given are not all protected by some screen only dealing with one person at a time. I understand the argument, but let's not downplay the risk other people going out to work in the public are facing.

CallMeAngelina Try being a police officer. Threads are full of criticism and how badly they do their job. I try not to post on them now, there no point!

I'm not missing the point. I understand what you're saying about generalisations, I do and no it's not pleasant I agree.

I think that LOTS of professions are generalised on here though, in fact lots of subjects are. There are tonnes of things people make generalisations on a PP listed some but again for example, solicitors are all slow and never answer calls, midwives all want to refuse people pain relief, Brexit voters are all racists, landlords are all greedy arseholes, step parents are all selfish and wicked, anyone who doesn't breastfeed doesn't want the best for their baby, police officers are all power hungry and sexist...

I understand it happens more often in respect of teachers but I don't think generalisations are unique to teaching on this forum and I don't think it's surprising that it happens more often about a subject which affects 99% of the posters here.

And especially right now when teaching and education is at the forefront of a lot of parents daily lives atm and has changed so dramatically in a matter of weeks/months.

@Nicknacky I always assume people who criticise the police are wrong uns And i also know someone will now come and give a very specific and rare example that affected them as if it is the standard.

Thats my point too Ron. People are getting angry in the wrong direction. Why does our government not look at what is working and do that?! Countries that havent even lockdown and are doing better than We are. Why wont the government say we need to do x t z rather than the vague bull we actually get from Boris.

Ron, you missed estate agents...

This is not meant to be incendiary and I see it everywhere on here, the media, etc. Meaningful discourse about particulars is made impossible by this relatively recent (as in it’s relatively recent that I’ve noticed how much it’s taken hold) phenomenon of “what about-ism”.

Oh yes. Everyone went to school themselves, so knows everything about it

Did I say it means they know everything about it? I said they will have experience with it.

I have experience with all sorts of things, that's not the same as saying I know everything about it. I have experienced going to the GP, I have experienced being cared for by a midwife. That's not the same as saying I know their job and everything about it.

Having a child in school and being taught by teachers is having an experience with schooling and education.

Ron, you missed estate agents...

Oh yes of course, devils incarnate obviously.

FATEdestiny

Remind me of who started those thread and who posted the goady stuff first.

Also, Why are you changing the dynamic of the question.

Which was thread after thread being posted by teachers incandescent with rage?

Is it because you can't find any either?

And you're more likely to discuss and have opinions on something you experience regularly or which affects your/your childs life regularly... Like y'know your child's education.

People bash and generalise police officers. Just not as much because I'm assuming most users of MN don't have regular/daily experiences with the police.

And especially right now when teaching and education is at the forefront of a lot of parents daily lives atm and has changed so dramatically in a matter of weeks/months

and what is also being forgotten is that life has changed dramatically for teachers too and that huge numbers of us (probably a majority) are also parents. It seems to be me that people posting negativity about teachers forget that we have the same shit going on in the background. The number of 'but I have to do a Zoom meeting for half the day so how can I teach my child?' posts is astonishing - because as a teacher I am also doing Zoom meetings during teaching hours on my working days and what happens to my children?! Someone called me 'sanctimonious' up thread because the reality of that is my children are pretty much ignored for that time. So I'm shit if I don't teach and I'm shit if I do...

I think that was me that called you “sanctimonious” after you said you were ignoring your children to teach ours. And yes it do think you are being sanctimonious. You are no different to many other parents who are trying to work from home, thankfully I don’t.

That’s great you do zoom classes, we get nothing like that. We are getting no work at all this week as it’s mental health awareness week so the teachers aren’t setting any work.

I'm on a couple of adoption/fostering forums on Facebook, as an adoptive mum. There are plenty of harsh comments about social workers on there (and some teachers too admittedly). But it's not judgement of all social workers and teachers, just ones that we've had difficulties with.

My DD1's social worker was a jobsworth and pretty useless (we had no life story book from her despite her saying constantly that she was working on it). DD2's social worker was excellent and completed life story books for both of them.

Why is it that complaining about one social worker/teacher means that we're tackling the whole profession? We're not at all. Any more than saying that our DDs' birth parents were inadequate as parents means that we think all parents are inadequate? (Which I'm obviously not, because I'm one myself and have plenty of friends who are great parents.)

I think there are lots of parents currently spending a lot of their day 'ignoring' their children as they try to work from home, in lots of different jobs.

It's shit for all to be honest.

My DH has to ignore our DDs downstairs when he focuses on his job. And sadly, I'm not up to doing anything much, as I'm still unwell. So yes, I feel very guilty about that but it's needs must at the moment.

I'm also worried about my DDs going back to school as I'm concerned about further risk to my health (I haven't been tested for COVID-19 so I can't even know for certain that I've had it. (I probably have.) My DH has asthma so I'm even more worried about him.

I feel for the teachers on here and think that the HQ response was totally inadequate.

But what are MNHQ supposed to do? They can't be expected to police people's opinions. There is such a thing as freedom of speech and unless it goes against their talk guidelines, people have the right to post it.

I'm not for one second saying I agree with the posts in question, but really you can't expect MN to start policing this stuff. Unless they are also expected to police all the other negative opinions and generalising seen on a whole range of other subjects as well?

But what are MNHQ supposed to do? They can't be expected to police people's opinions

Oh, but they do in respect to trans issues. Yet so few members are trans. Yet so many, who have given so much, are teachers.

Even if they did not actively police they could at least be a lot more supportive and direct re what is unacceptable.

What do you mean by “direct”?

How about 'lay off the teacher-bashing'?

Why should they? It’s a major issue for every household with children right now and if people are posting about their negative experiences then they shouldn’t be told not to post.

There is absolutely nothing to stop posters starting threads about how great teachers and their lockdown experiences are.

I'm not a teacher and so not invested in this at all. But what I see, frankly, are a lot of spoiled-brat parents who expect teachers to perform miracles when the teachers concerned are working against the odds, in their own time and with few resources. The other side of the equation are parents who expect bloody miracles and who are unable to motivate their own children. Meanwhile, individual teachers are taking the blame for major systemic failures in an unprecedented environment. I also think that some parents are simply nasty bullies. Others don't want to admit that their DCs are of average or below-average intelligence and so are blaming teachers.

I think that was me that called you “sanctimonious” after you said you were ignoring your children to teach ours. And yes it do think you are being sanctimonious. You are no different to many other parents who are trying to work from home, thankfully I don’t

See, can't win! You do lessons, you work hard, you're sanctimonious. You don't do lessons, you're lazy and getting paid for nothing.

That you can't see that, is beyond me.

That’s great you do zoom classes, we get nothing like that

We don't use Zoom.