To feel like parents aren't allowed to criticise teachers anymore?

[velaryon]

I have the utmost respect for the teaching profession, especially the hard work and dedication of many teachers despite a pandemic and nationwide lockdown.
But at the same time, I've seen a lot of parents genuinely concerned about the teaching & communication at their DC's school who were immediately accused of 'teacher bashing' and being too lazy to teach their own children.
AIBU to think this is absolutely ridiculous?
I don't see anything wrong with questioning the level of teaching a school is providing, provided it's done in a sensitive and understanding way. IMO it's ridiculous how quickly someone is accused of teacher bashing for asking a legitimate question.

LEAVE US ALONE for GOODNESS sake. We're all on our knees. My headteacher is about to have a nervous breakdown.

PLEASE leave us alone.

Agreed. Unless you work in the education sector you have no idea how hard we have been working. Not to mention that we are all potentially about to enter a minefield where we are in a very vulnerable position.

Not 'immediately'. Don't exaggerate for the journalists

It is a difficult situation - teachers are doing their best, parents are doing theirs.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but no-one went into the profession ever thinking this would happen. Some parents are coping, some not too much.
Same as teachers.

Somebody make it stop.

'Allowed'? They never stop!

Even before all this.

The problem is that a lot of lay people seem to think they can do it better than the professionals. You don't see this with many other professions.

Ask legitimate questions about your school, to your school.

I think the misconception that all teachers are responsible for everything school related has led to a real frustration amongst both parents and teachers.

Class teachers have very little say in anything anymore. Decisions are made by the DfE and then at SLT level.

Obviously criticisms have a right to be heard but it would be much more useful for you to have them heard by the people that might be able to do something about it.

Short answer. For right now, no i don't think parents can criticise teachers in any format. But they will. As someone who worked in the education sector as a TA until January, I am feeling incredibly lucky I am no longer in that position during this lockdown.

That's the point. The majority of people aren't doing it in a 'sensitive' or 'understanding' way. The majority of posts are just teacher bashing. The amount of threads I have seen 'what are teachers doing', 'why are they still being paid'. The majority of teachers I know have been working flat out. We have our own families too, many of us are also home schooling. On top of that we're now being accused of being lazy, cowards by the media for not wanting to be the guinea pigs in the governments latest experiment. Underpaid, disrespected. There's a reason there's a major teacher retention crisis.

1. Most teachers do a very good job. They work much harder than most people imagine.
2. I always tell my children’s teachers I appreciate them.
3. My best friend and sister in law are teachers.

But

1. Lots of people have been working very hard throughout.
2. Lots of people have been entering a minefield with this virus.
3. Parents are also trying to do the best for their children including keeping a roof over their heads.

Teachers are literally the only sector I’ve heard complaining about it.

This is the new pushchairs on buses thread. One a week at the moment.

"Teachers are literally the only sector I’ve heard complaining about it."

I've literally heard almost everyone in every job complaining about how shit life is at the moment.

Teachers are defending themselves against people like you.

YANBU and the attitude of teachers who think that all teachers be immune to any kind of criticism is irritating.

Are people as critical of their doctor? Or their solicitor? Or thejr accountant? Do people openly, on a daily basis, tell them how to do their job? Tell them they are lazy or dont do anything? Claim to know the ins and outs of their daily job? No. Why? Because those professionals are considered professionals. Teachers are professionals. People want to criticise? Come train for 5 years and then do our job. Then you will have enough knowledge to allow you to criticise.

I think if people have concerns about their own schools, which may well be legitimate, they should communicate with their school.
The problem with a lot of the threads on Mumsnet is they are about 'teachers', not just their child's specific school or teacher.

If someone wasn't happy with something specific their lawyer had done then they wouldn't start a thread talking about how lazy lawyers were. They'd talk about their specific case.

And even though you weren't critical in your Op you've opened the floodgates for everyone to come and criticise teachers in general.

Criticising a teacher for the system set up by their school or the DfE is as pointless as criticising a nurse for the way their hospital is run.

I didn't mean to accuse all teachers of not working hard enough and I'm very sorry if that's how I came across - but many parents are (quite understandably) stressed and worried about this. Children are missing weeks (months, maybe!) of education, and it can be incredibely frustrating when the school isn't teaching effectively.
Surely parents should be allowed discuss their concerns?

@CrocodileFrock nailed it.

🌻

I didn't mean to accuse all teachers of not working hard enough and I'm very sorry if that's how I came across - but many parents are (quite understandably) stressed and worried about this. Children are missing weeks (months, maybe!) of education, and it can be incredibely frustrating when the school isn't teaching effectively.
Surely parents should be allowed discuss their concerns?

Of course we can discuss concerns but we're discussing the wrong people!

Happy Mental Health Week by the way. It's all about kindness this year.

I think george is right. Loads of people have and continue to work but they just get on with it. I don't understand why it's so different for teachers.

That's very true @CrocodileFrock, but in some situations it is the teacher who is underperforming. Otherwise you're absolutely right