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.

I haven't seen any teacher bashing.

I have seen frustration from parents and teachers.

That's it.

Sorry they’re spelling error.

I do believe that teachers need to stay safe & schools shut to all but essential students.

September will be, hopefully a different story

my best friends‘s kids school stated that they are not obligated by the DoE to provide education in the moment. which is true i think. question is, why do other schools do more? and why do some just block with “ we don’t have to, so we don’t“?

If they don't have to they don't. End of.

If they don't have to they don't. End of. and that summarises why parents are so pissed off.
because many schools don’t have to, but they do.

What you're actually asking for OP is censorship, and that's a slippery slope.

If you don't want to read the posts about teachers, don't click. It's the same with anything, I stopped reading the Brexit threads after a whole on here as they always went the same way and got nasty.

But this is a site for parents and what the NUT is doing is in my opinion an absolute disgrace. They've also been panned by the national press, do you think they should be censored as well?

Sorry, but when it's the case that every other country in Europe is now coming out of lockdown and teachers are going back to school to teach, and all other keyworkers are expected to go into work... What actually the fuck makes our teachers a special case.

Crikey. I spend a fair bit of time on here at the moment, I'm in education, I'm honestly shocked by all the teachers who think it's ok to try and no-platform parents who just want to discuss their problems. I really hope MNHQ hold firm and let these discussions go on.

Teachers seem to think it's fine to say "go back to the school, complain to them, end of" but the Parents are mostly saying they have gone back to the schools and got nothing. And they want to hear about others' experiences. And there are LOTS of others who are also saying they've got nothing *from the schools after they've complained" and surely that's worth hearing for parents?

There are always some parents who come on and report their great experiences too. And that helps everyone see #notallschools

Please, please, teachers, don't take it so personally - despite what you've said, I very, very rarely hear parents talk about "all teachers" - mostly they are reporting their own experiences with their own schools

It's a parents board. So many, many parents are concerned about education of their kids and want to talk about their problems. It makes them feel better to hear about others' experiences. Shutting people up because you don't like what they are saying isn't in the spirit....

As many others have said, if you don't like reading what people are saying about their experiences with schools can't you just find another thread?

I think generally discussions about frustrations with schools and education alongside criticism are wholly justified. The sheer numbers of schools and children in schools mean there will be plenty of negative issues to discuss, no profession is perfect and schools aren’t always the easiest place to deal with if you have issues. That is why threads often crop up on MN.

However I think teachers are baring the brunt of frustrations re being at home with children 24/7, wfh and fear as regards jobs during this pandemic.

It isn’t the fault of schools there is a pandemic; it’s hard wfh with children; the economy is tanking or most importantly that schools have a duty of care and need to be certain their environment is safe for staff and children. Parents will be the first to complain if lives are lost.

Or just don't read them, unless they're targeting individual teachers or schools which isn't fair then take some self responsibility.

Oh stop being silly.

I admit I do think less of the teaching profession and their union since the lockdown started. They seem to think they are above other people who every day have to go into work.

My sister is a primary school teacher who told me she is barely doing anything!

I don't understand why teachers keep saying if you're unhappy with lack of work contact the school. Why? It's their job to provide work, not a parents job to chase it up.
We have been given plenty of work so not bothered but I wouldn't expect a teacher to tell me how to do my job. I shouldn't have to tell them.

If you think MNHQ should do something then wouldn't it be more appropriate to contact them?

I don't teacher bash, but all,sorts get bashed on MN. I think the ones getting a bashing for considering visiting Devon and Cornwall are faring worse at the moment!

Sorry how is there low risk to teachers when they are in constant close contact with hundreds of germ ridden children? Schools are cesspits of diseases!

I don't know if the poster here is a teacher but if they are it's this kind of sensationalist inaccurate comment that imo gets people's backs up.

There needs to be a solution, at the moment it feels like teaching unions are trying to frustrate any attempt to get the country back on it's feet, it's legitimate to discuss this.

I don't see any 'teacher bashing', I see legitimate questions raised by parents that are understandably frustrated, disappointed and angry.

It is reasonable to ask for better remote learning practices, it is reasonable to be upset at no or very little contact from class teachers 9 weeks in. So many of us have been forced to work remotely in difficult conditions with kids at home, why are teachers struggling to do the same? Believe it or not, our children's education matter to most parents and many are feeling very let down.

If they don't have to they don't. End of

And it’s that attitude that frustrates parents.

Everywhere people are going above and beyond, including parents in their day jobs, but it’s perfectly fine to have an aggressively dismissive attitude to people asking why their school isn’t doing more.

See, it’s shit like this, the post by @FirmlyRooted.

The reason we are pissed off is that this has been ASKED and ANSWERED. Literally hundreds of times since lockdown started.

And that, “why are teachers struggling to do the same?” is teacher bashing. If you can’t see that it is, join in with your DC’s schoolwork, and brush up on your fucking reading comprehension skills.

I don't understand why teachers keep saying if you're unhappy with lack of work contact the school
Because we don’t understand it either! The teachers feeling frustration with the criticism are the ones working really hard. Each school is different, so we’re saying it’s worth finding out from the Head what exactly is going on if it feels to parents like schools aren’t doing the right thing. The staff at my school are all working FT. I can only imagine that the schools that aren’t either have high sickness levels or significant IT issues or have a lot of vulnerable children that are taking up teachers’ time. I don’t know! The point being, we can’t tell you why you’re dissatisfied with your school. The parents at my school have been absolutely full of praise for how hard we’re working right now.

@VashtaNerada thanks a lot for your balanced and informative post. as parents, we don’t have s clue what goes on inside a school. we don’t know why some (my son’s, and it sounds like yours as well) are excellent, and some don’t seem to do anything. and answers like “we don’t have to, so we don’t “ as quoted above aren’t helping.
Teachers explaining what is going on really helps

This is a bit off topic but I've noticed quite a few comments complaining about the teaching unions.

I think it's worth noting that right of centre newspapers will love have a good opportunity to discredit the trade unions. It works as a distraction from the government, provides a simplistic safe focus for people to get angry, supports a much longer term aim to chip away at some aspects of employment rights, and of course newspaper owners themselves have a long and rather fraught relationship with trade unions. Win, win.

You can go on the individual union websites to read what their concerns are from the horses mouth - it's more illuminating than any front page article. You might not agree with what you read but you'll be better informed.

I also find the focus on the teaching trade unions interesting. Nobody seems to have paid much interest to the issues raised by nursing unions, the BMA, transport unions, Unite etc. Before anybody claims it's only teaching unions that will impact on their lives (parenting site blah blah) you'd have to live in a box for the medics and transport unions not to influence your life in some way.

Anyway I think a lot of it boils down to how disempowered people feel at the moment. Everyone wants their life back and something which you perceive to be an obstacle to that will be considered fair game.

Lastly, and sorry Op, but this should have been posted on Site stuff

If they don't have to they don't. End of

Then don't be surprised when people question whether the profession is still a vocation for teachers in the same way it evidently is for other keyworkers. End of.

I agree op it's disgusting, I have only seen people criticising teachers on this site, never in real life as much. Very strange, it's some weird right wing ideology I can only presume.

@ukgift2016 why is your sister doing 'hardly anything?' that sounds like a problem with the particular school she is working at. At my daughter's school the teachers are working full time to deliver a program of work and marking they have also phoned regularly to see how each child is doing. No criticism here.

I agree with freedom of speech, but when it stops being a constructive opinion or concern and turns bitchy, nasty or in to a witch hunt type of post then it needs to be stopped. Many previous posts have been taken down for this very reason.
If posters can't be trusted to keep their posts civil and balanced in order to exercise your right to free speech then yes you should be stopped.
I don't mind differing opinions when they are thought out well and put across well and the poster also accepts differing opinion but that often doesn't happen. Usually they are ill informed opinions that then turn nasty because the poster then goes all defensive and ranty when their opinion is challenged.
Basically f you can't dicuss different opinions constructively and you then through your rattle out the pram and turn nasty you clearly aren't capable of exercising freedom of speech and you turn a discussion into a bun fight and that is not freedom of speech its just a bitch bun fight!

Oh Mary, you’ve made me laugh. Stop teachers wages.
Teachers are still working. Why should their wages be stopped?

I think the issue is that some posters have seen one side of the coin and assume all schools are behaving like that.

Teachers are being directed by their SLT, who in turn are being led by the borough. I agree there should be a standard amount of work set but this is different and new for all of us. Teachers have had to find their feet quickly in this situation.

My youngest son’s school is sending out suggested work. His teacher is online to speak to the children for 2 hours a day. Their emphasis is on coming out of this with a healthy body and mind. Some other parents aren’t happy with this. Some think it’s great. A bit like the amount of homework that is sent out never pleases everybody, this isn’t either.

We are all under lots of stress. It’s a difficult time for everybody. Let’s not make this a race to the bottom and about which profession is the bravest.