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.

Our HT sent out a memo yesterday with plans going forward from 1st June. School will no longer be providing as many home school resources as they have been after 1st June. So Years 2 3 4 5 aren't having the guidance from school so understandably some parents are upset with this. It feels as though some years are being penalised to allow others to be in school. Surely everyone should be provided with the same regardless of whether they will be in school or still at home?

Presumably because the teachers who have been providing work for year 2/3/4 and 5 are now going to be in school teaching R/1/6. Do you want them to do both?
We are still going to be providing home school resources going forward but that is because we have some staff who are at high risk and who are continuing to work from home . But that means one member of staff is now producing work for yr 3, 4 and 5. The work set for home will,not be as extensive as it was, she can't do everything!

I am amazed teachers are taking it upon themselves to deliver food. It isn't appropriate. If children are being neglected then social services should be involved.

Why are lunches being delivered not appropriate or do you want those children to go hungry with your acceptance appropriate?

As I’ve shown above also, in some of these cases social services are involved.

@Megatron agree

I’ve been pretty negative about some schools on here and I’m sure I’ve got some teachers backs up. But providing fsm to pupils in need is not a reason to moan at them.

Fsm is a meal normally provided by the school in the school hall to the pupils. There isn’t a massive system to provide it to lots of different children’s houses, so a school taking the initiative to deliver these meals to pupils using there staff is thinking outside the box and ensuring some of it’s most vulnerable Students are safe.

I think it’s a great idea as provides an excuse to visit daily, means that the children can be seen and interacted with and given some “work” in the form of low resource activities. Not all kids on fsm are being neglected so they would not be on social services radar and unless someone is visiting them how do the schools know which ones should be referred to social services! It’s the schools that are not doing this that I’m worried about.

As someone said on another thread the saddest thing about lockdown is that the bastards that abuse children and women are not even having to try and cover up their abusive behaviour at the movement.

Thank you to all the teachers working hard to check on these kids.

I don’t understand why, perhaps because I see it often, teachers feel they’re working harder than everyone else at the moment. It isn’t great for anyone. I fail to see why teachers are some sort of special part of the work force who will be impacted the most by the current situation and it will be worse for them than for everyone else. Very bizarre.

Thank you HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend. I completely agree with you.
I would also like to follow on from your point that My issues is and always will be of around those threads where a OP have a genuine query/frustration/vent due to their children’s educational needs/issues not be met/ignored etc in that it goes both ways and some of the regular posters who do ‘bash’ teachers or at least throw in the same goady one liners should also avoid hijacking those threads and derailing them too.

Sorry I’ve only just seen this, no I agree frankly those posters are arses, there
is always a few trolling posters unfortunately.

*I fail to see why teachers are some sort of special part of the work force who will be impacted the most by the current situation and it will be worse for them than for everyone else. Very bizarre

And yet I’ve never seen any teacher say this or seen this on MN!

@spanieleyes that sounds amazing. I’m sorry for making you feel picked on I was more thinking about the posts along the lines of “why would I waste my time making a you tube video when there is bbc bite size” and wanted to point out that there is an real value in a less glossy resource that features someone the kids know rather than something generic. It sounds like your pupils are getting that Interaction in other ways but many are not.

I think I’m trying to say that teachers are valuable and that bbc bit size and oak academy cannot replace the powerful bond between pupil and teacher which is a massive factor in children’s lives. I’m sad when I read posts about children that feel abandoned by their school as there has been no personalised content. I’m sure your pupils don’t feel like that.

A shame there had to be one just before your post there HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

Nonotthatdr

So, you want teachers to upload videos of themselves? How are they meant to be recording, editing and uploading these videos? Who is providing and paying for the necessary equipment?

What safeguards are you putting in place to stop students editing these videos and then dubbing other soundtracks pin and reposting them to.platforms like tik tok?

How are they meant to be recording, editing and uploading these videos? Who is providing and paying for the necessary equipment?

I am tired of this point being overplayed. You can record a video on your phone. Lots of teachers are actually doing it, it doesn’t take much skill or equipment.

I fail to see why teachers are some sort of special part of the work force who will be impacted the most by the current situation and it will be worse for them than for everyone else. Very bizarre

What's 'very bizarre' is people just making things up thinking that it makes something a fact. I've never seen this on MN, or anywhere else.

Why can’t we have the “like” function on MN

VivienneMary, You mention teachers "taking it upon themselves" to deliver food packages direct to the home as if they are being presumptuous in some way?
Now it's been pointed out to you the rationale behind the scheme, how about an apology?

I am tired of this point being overplayed. You can record a video on your phone. Lots of teachers are actually doing it, it doesn’t take much skill or equipment.

Oh I'm sure you can if you have s phone with a working camera and large enough memory, or memory card, to record onto. Plus WiFi fast enough to upload the video. Plus you are slick enough to be able to record it in one take, without a mistake or a housemate interrupting, because otherwise you have to edit it how?

As far as I know, having fast broadband and a bells and whistles mobile phone aren't s pre requisite of being a teacher. We are still.paying for my son's phone. He's 25 but can't afford a phone contract. His phone is on its last legs but right now we can't afford to.upgrade it.

And the point about students editing these videos and then posting them on social media? How would you stop that?

LaurieMarlow

I'm tired of people thinking that everyone has a phone that is able to record, edit and upload a decent watchable video.

@hearhoovesthinkzebras

Some schools are able to manage this. I really have no idea why it is a safeguarding risk in some places and not others. However that misses the point of what I was trying to say. I was responding to a poster who asked why should these resources be made by individuals teachers rather than using generic ones online.

Mine DD school actually are not doing recorded videos although they have zoom assemblies. We get a daily personalised email (just a few lines) from her teacher after she has “marked” the days work (uploaded on padlet) and it always had a nice comment and some house points, it makes her feel her teacher still cares about her and we read it together. I have a friend on the other side of the country whose reception age DS gets a terrible dad joke sent out with days work - this teacher is a real comedian in RL and apparently always asks for jokes before he starts the register, it’s a personal touch and it makes her son think that his teacher still cares and that somethings are still the same.

The point I was trying to make (and clearly badly) as several pps have misunderstood me is that there is value in resources made for the Kids from their own teacher rather than generic links, worksheets and videos. This something that ties them in To their teacher (and to primary school kids their teacher is often the centre of their little worlds) has a value far beyond the quality of the resource.

It’s really not teacher bashing at all. It’s saying that the value of teachers as inspiring educators that make personal connections to the children cannot be replicated but something like Oak Acadamey.

I am standing by what I've said. So some schools are delivering meals and some schools aren't even providing any school work. I'd say it's a shambles.

I would actually far rather vulnerable children got fed than my child got work if it was to come to a choice of either.

I can find work for my child if need be, these kids can’t source their own food.

How anyone can have an issue with this is absolutely beyond me.

Nonotthatdr

We'll the teachers that I know of are personalising work, but it isn't easy. From what my son is telling me, it's very time consuming to produce the resources for home learning, to differentiate work, to provide the reference material plus then devise the work that the students will do. He's been phoning students at home where parents have requested it, he's contactable all day via e mail for all of his students.

The variation is because schools are very individual and have individual resources and level of need.

Parents really need to be speaking to the individual school if it isn't providing suitable levels of work for students to find out the reasons why although I'm not sure not providing a daily dad joke is grounds for a complaint to be honest.

Parents should be the ones providing social support for their children. I really don't think it's right to expect every single one of our needs to be met by external agencies.

Nicknacky

I completely agree. I can't understand how that can even be called into question.

I didn't realise it was a 'thing' for meals to be delivered to homes by teachers. But doesn't that set a precedent. Like such a school delivers meals and another school doesn't. I was amazed to hear teachers were delivering food to homes as I've never heard of such a thing happening.

Viviennemary Would you rather these children didn’t get fed? And who else is in a position to donit but schools?

Who cares about setting precedents?!

Viviennemary

Well no, it shouldn't be up to teachers to have to do it. But who else do you think you should do it?

I'm surprised people hadn't heard about the food deliveries it was all over the press before they decided to attack teachers instead. There was a real delay with guidance and funding from central government so many schools rightly just got on with doing it.