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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Teacher no mask

134 replies

Lipstickpowderpaint · 09/10/2020 18:46

Nc for this as may be outing.
Dh went to london yesterday on train and returned about 11pm.
On the return he saw the Head of the pre-order at my son's school with 3 friends - 2 ladies and 2 men altogether- all without masks and drinking from cans of g&t.
This is a £30k a year prep school, not that it should make any difference. But the head gets a lot of shit, because everyone pays they expect so much.
I'm inclined not to say anything, but wondered what would mn do?

OP posts:
Toontown · 10/10/2020 00:01

Around here any twat not wearing a mask gets a bad look. I just got off a bus, inner city, Friday night and everyone had a mask on. Even the wide boy who didn't put it on when he realised everyone else had one on. I would have judged the fucking pants off any teacher not wearing one and I was out with 3 teachers tonight!

thebellsofsaintclements · 10/10/2020 00:10

OP this is very identifying- the school name states with a D and the teachers name with an A, am I correct???

MotherPiglet · 10/10/2020 00:19

Surely noone would say anything?? The teacher is allowed to do what they want outside of work. Dont be so ridiculous. They were having a drink, crack on.

MotherPiglet · 10/10/2020 00:22

What has it got to do with them being a head teacher..?

Theluggage15 · 10/10/2020 00:29

It’s not your business or your husband’s. I think as other people have previously suggested, that if I were you, I’d try really hard to get a life.

Catsup · 10/10/2020 00:33

You're inclined to not say anything?... If you were inclined to say something then who would you actually say that to? Would you ring the school to make an official complaint as a concerned parent? Would email her directly and say she'd been spotted? Would you inform the board of governors? Would you notify the local police?

Topseyt · 10/10/2020 09:12

Actually, I do think you should complain.

Phone the schoo. Say that drinking gin and tonic out of cans on trains is really common and uncouth and you expect better of them in future. Say that as you are paying £30k a year you expect them to have at least had the decency to have taken crystal tumblers with them.

Topseyt · 10/10/2020 09:13

*Schoot.

Topseyt · 10/10/2020 09:13

Or school even.

whatsyournamenow · 10/10/2020 10:30

I got what I wanted and am now planning to grab a coffee which is a very hot and takes 45 mins to sip next time I pop up to town.

Yeah you do that! Happy now?

HandfulofDust · 10/10/2020 10:35

Not wearing a mask on the train is annoying and unreasonable. Whether she was drinking G&T or a bottle of water really isn't relevant. While her behaviour was bad I don't think it's bad enough to warrant any action. I don't think the head teacher can be expected to police the teacher's private lives.

lazylinguist · 10/10/2020 10:38

I think we need a function to help people to identify the point of a post vs. small details just put in for context/so everyone doesn't ask well where, when, how etc.

Hmm We already have that function. It's called 'the OP using their common sense'. Or alternatively 'The OP not being goady'.

If you didn't want to give the (possibly unintentional) impression that you were criticising teachers for drinking alcohol in public in their own time, then you really didn't need to mention the G&T. What useful 'context' did it give, if your only concern here was mask-wearing?

Greysparkles · 10/10/2020 10:49

So by the logic of most on here, you can just carry a bottle of water/coffee/can of gin and never have to wear a mask on public transport?

HandfulofDust · 10/10/2020 10:57

@Greysparkles I actually agree that drinking G&T or coffee is no excuse for not wearing a mask. It's completely different from actually being thirsty on a long journey and briefly taking your mask off to have a sip.

A train isn't a bar. People who may be high ris and wouldn't choose to go to a bar still need to travel by train. You don't need to drink G&T's on a train.

timeforanewstart · 10/10/2020 11:18

@SchrodingersImmigrant love that comment Smile

AndreaTwo · 10/10/2020 11:27

This is what the National Rail Guidance says "Can I remove my face covering to eat or drink?
Yes. If a passenger needs to temporarily remove a face covering whilst eating, drinking or taking medication whilst maintaining social distancing, then this should be permitted with an expectation that they replace it to continue their journey. We kindly ask passengers to keep the removal of face coverings, when it comes to eating, drinking or taking medication, to a minimum especially on short journeys".

If your husband had concerns, perhaps he should have raised them with the train guard / conductor.

Maireas · 10/10/2020 11:35

What does National Rail Guidance say about headteachers of "£30k pa" prep schools? There must surely be some sub clause about them being forbidden to drink and/or communicate with friends?

Greysparkles · 10/10/2020 11:49

What does National Rail Guidance say about headteachers of "£30k pa" prep schools? There must surely be some sub clause about them being forbidden to drink and/or communicate with friends?

Well I'm not au fait with the sub clauses of national rail guidelines.
But the 30k per annum prep school headteacher seems to think she doesn't have to wear a mask on public transport so maybe there is a clause saying you don't have to wear one if your chatting, drinking with your friends 🤷🏼‍♂️
I doubt it tho

Theimpossiblegirl · 10/10/2020 11:53

@Lipstickpowderpaint

Brilliant.

I thank mn as I now have a great get out clause. Drink something, fuck the mask all the way!

Careful, your agenda is showing. You obviously wanted everyone to tell you to complain. I'm amazed you can get a mask big enough to fit over your nosy beak.
Maireas · 10/10/2020 12:07

@Greysparkles - maybe not, maybe she's flouting all the rules and OP's husband was right to monitor her reckless behaviour. If she was being so bad, I wonder why he didn't report it to train staff?

zingally · 10/10/2020 12:39

I'd mind my own GD business.

LittleMissnotLittleMrs · 10/10/2020 12:47

My thoughts... if you’re not willing to raise it at the time with the group themselves or a conductor, you don’t get to moan afterwards. The opportunity to ask politely to wear their masks if they aren’t exempt was given to your husband. He didn’t use it. Tough.

motherrunner · 10/10/2020 12:47

I’m a secondary school teacher.

Let me get this straight. It’s fine for me to teach 150 pupils a day without either me or them wearing a mask, but if I’m in public, socially distancing in my group of 6 and drinking then I’m a pariah? 🤔

Maireas · 10/10/2020 12:56

@motherrunner - that seems about right according to the OP and some other people on here 😉!

movingonup20 · 10/10/2020 12:59

I do get what you are saying @Lipstickpowderpaint , the rules are you can remove to drink and must replace immediately so take a swig of premixed gin then mask on, remove drink replace repeat basically. I've taken long distance journeys and most people complied. I did notice taking a late night train yesterday groups drinking not wearing masks and we grumbled too as it's us at risk from them (we were masked)

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