Omg my child’s class WhatsApp group is so annoying. Would I be unreasonable to leave it?

[Waterwaterwater1]

There is major fury on it absolutely all the time about anything.

If anyone says anything against the fury, they get shouted down.

It’s a really annoying group and is making me like the parents less.

If I left, people would notice. Politically, that feels a bit bold.

Would you leave?

(Silencing WhatsApp doesn’t work out for me. I’m someone who has to tidy away unread notifications or unread emails etc. It would drive me mad to see loads of messages unread there.)

I left dd's class whatsapp group quickly by telling them I'd changed my number and give them Hubbys number and he accepted their invite he finds the group amusing but he don't reply to anyone's messages unless it about a party.

@ rc22

If your above post is a reply to mine then I mean a mums only one with no teachers.

Do any teachers (Primary) also have their own WhatsApp groups with mums too?

Plenty of people leave and sometimes rejoin on ours. Don't think anyone cares.

Am expecting my first baby - I will never be joining a group whatsapp with any other parents at the nursery or school - they sound bloody awful hahaha i can't even cope with a group chat with a small group of friends tbh it's just too much! Just leave - they sound like annoying people anyway so not sure they are worth keeping happy / trying to be friends with - so who cares if they notice you leave

Can't you just mute it

This is why I don't join class groups if there's anything I need to know to do with school, school informs me anyway

They do have value of your school comms are 90 percent awful as ours have been - wrong dates, missing dates etc. I see no need if they aren’t.

I’ve just off all WhatsApp notifications and my life is much happier. Check it each evening / every other day in case there is anything important. It’s much less stressful than it beeping all the time

I left our class one at the beginning of lockdown because it was so irritating. It felt wonderful! Just do it OP

Do just leave if you want. However don’t flounce and then expect people to proactively contact you to advise you of anything happening as one parent on mine did.

I haven't found these groups to be that bad, but my dc is only Yr R, so there is still plenty of time! I mute mine and even then, if I feel inclined to tidy up, I just scroll through it without reading unless something looks especially interesting or relates to me personally. I wouldn't leave mine, as, although nobody on there is my bestie and although I don't comment all that much, it still can be useful. Maybe I haven't really seen the ugly side of it yet though and I may change my tune!

I mute ours and just catch up every so often. I don't get dragged into anything that way.

Just mute it. Or leave. It doesn't need to be a big deal and if you're really this conflict avoidant, then leaving is probably far better for your mental health.

I left our group it was clear early on to many chiefs trying to establish their presence.

This reminds me why I didn't join DS class WhatsApp group! He is Y1. DH does 99% of pick up/drop off and he joined it. Our school are great at communicating important info so I have no need to join the WhatsApp group.

From what DH says, it's a lot of whinging and complaining about anything and everything.

I'd leave the group -who cares if they notice? That said, I don't mind being unsociable

I left a group like this. I've never regretted it.

The beauty of SM and whatsapp groups is you have the power to mute or leave. I was getting really wound up by certain individuals on various platforms and I have since (probably too late) realised I can shut them up/off with a click of a button! Its so refreshing. I also left a friends whatsapp group because of the constant (constant) benign nattering and arguments over Covid 19. We're still friends but I don't have to listen to the benign claptrap anymore.

Time to take ownership of your life. Leave. Mute. Don't explain. Change notification settings. Open and close so it looks read. Plenty of options other than let people who just so happened to have had a child when you did, dictate your life.

Leave in the middle of 'the fury'

It will either:

1. get lost amongst the stream of angry texts
2. make a statement that you don't want to see this or be a part of it any more

win win

Our school has an official app it gives all the relevant information without the gossip.
Set your boundaries early the school politics can pull you in.

@ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia

I was responding to you I'm a primary school teacher and haven't heard of schools having official whatsapp groups but some responses on here sound as though some schools do. I thought if it was an official one and that's sometimes how information about dates was shared by the school it would be a shame to leave.

If it's an informal one for parents and it's winding you up, I would go ahead and leave. I don't even think you need to post a message explaining your decision. I don't think the parents at our school have a whatsapp group but I know there is a Facebook page. The negative stuff always gets back to us school staff via some parents!! I know some parents choose not to engage with it.

I left mine for similar reasons, I don't miss it at all and when I left I don't think anyone really noticed ;)

flamegame ironically, the most shouty one on it atm is a dad (I think, they have a non-name name).

Good idea on the rapid fire convo quitting. I’m going to do that next time!

Where s the conflict in leaving?

Unless you're actually getting real useful information that supports your child's education or social life from it I would leave without hesitation.

My daughter's classmates parents are generally a nice bunch and I have some social interaction with some of them on SM but I've never really got the urge to turn school into a great social playground for the adults and the endless angst and gossip that seems to go with it.

Life is too short.