Parents vs Teachers

[TwiddlingThuasn]

Does anyone find it sad that these lockdowns are causing tensions between parents and teachers?

I can see both sides to arguments, but surely the anger should be directed at the government.

I understand parents arguments that they are not teachers and a lot of them don't have time to homeschool their children.

I also understand the argument that schools need to be made safer for coronavirus.

I hate the argument of: Schools are not babysitters.
No, schools are not a babysitting service but I don't think any parent is actually saying that - i think in modern times most parents work so of course parents will be stressed about childcare etc.
And parents aren't teachers. So it is unreasonable to expect parents to work full-time whilst homeschooling children aswell.

I just think we should all see both sides and blame the government for schools still not being as safe as they need to be.

Yes! Could not agree more.

I am both a parent and a teacher as are many of the teacher posters on here. It does feel like pure hatred thrown at us sometimes. I teach older students and worked through all lockdowns and holidays. Yet constantly feel attacked on here

I think that one problem is that if I were to home educate my child I would take a very different approach to the one the school has taken. I feel competent to HE but for their social well being and to allow me time to work, I send them to school. When school is not available I would prefer to HE in a child centred way suitable for my child. We have achieved an uneasy truce but schools need to accept that due to different family situations their idea of school at home might not be appropriate or achievable. I think it is easier at secondary level to agree and to follow the school's lead.

Also just to add we are all aware of how bloody impossible it is to home school and hold down own jobs as that is exactly what we are expecting to do. I am expected to teach 6-7 hours a day fully online while also dealing with admin and teaching my own 7year old

The government should have followed the SAGE scientist recommendations to make schools safer. It's not teachers' fault they didn't. There's no point Boris lying that schools are safe when they're not and trying to move the blame onto teachers.
Tories seem to be huge fans of divide and rule and use it a lot.

The anger should definitely be directed at the government

There's a thread running where some poor women can't guarantee her child with additional needs will be on Zoom for teaching for registration in the morning - the kid could be marked ABSENT if she doesn't by the school (no doubt the school are under pressure from local authority or governors)

You can guarantee there's going to be other parents in that class who expect teaching to happen/who have only child and it's easy for them/who aren't working from home/who don't have the technology/who are annoyed they have to send their child to school if they're a key worker and they don't think their child is safe/who do think their child is safe and should be in/who are annoyed they can't sent their child in/who are teaching themselves and are going to have to get another teacher to teach their class or have to take unpaid leave as they're not allowed to ask for furlough in the public sector - so that they can get their child to attend registration

^^ HAVE I FUCKING COVERED EVERY REASON SOMEONE MIGHT BE ANNOYED AT THIS UTTER SHIT SHOW - YES, be annoyed at the government for setting people against each other

Yes, totally agree.
I know school isn't childcare and parents may struggle, but we need to support teachers.
Also, in a state of emergency like this, all bets are off.
Bottom line they are your kids and it's your responsibility to care for them, not the states.

The majority of teachers are parents as well to school aged kids

As a parent I don't hold any ill feelings towards teachers? Why would I? Anyone with half a brain knows where the problem lies and if you're taking it out on your Head etc, that makes you a bellend.

Jeez no. I have nothing but respect for teachers and don’t expect them to put their lives at risk for their job. Those that do are just selfish bastards.

As pp said - it’s the government that have fucked up here. Even the dr on Larraaaiiine this morning said why aren’t we teaching the kids on tv as an alternative? The government have failed our kids, their teachers and parents.

I've just been reading the comments on our town's Facebook site.

There are literally hundreds of comments along the lines of - lazy workshy teachers, they have enough holidays, how would they like it if hospital staff refused to work, they only want schools to close because they're paid in full, they're responsible if my child's mental health deteriorates again, pathetic that they're scared and so on.

It made me really sad. At my school, every single member of staff is in school and ready to teach, we would infinitely prefer that to the misery of remote learning whilst simultaneously supporting the keyworker bubbles.

I know parents are stressed and worried but please don't direct your stress at teachers - many of whom have their own childcare issues to sort.

And I hate the government for setting us up to look workshy and lazy every time we raise legitimate concerns that have generally proven to be correct.

Schools not babysitters, teaching staff only employees at such great risk, some schools didn't provide education last time, parents hate teachers, etc

All these arguments make me want to bang my head against a wall. Really not helpful and just annoy people on both sides.

Work together find an answer and if your school was crappy 1st lockdown or is beyond government guidelines bad then challenge your head and governors. That goes for teachers and parents.

Other than that work together to push the government into changing safety measures for schools.

1. Masks from upper primary
2. A testing system in schools that will work and cause minimal disruption
3. Vaccinations for school staff to stop the disruption of staff shortages

A lot of teachers are also parents.

I have been told by my school that I have to be on-site with vulnerable/key worker children 3 days a week, which leaves me only 2 days a week to sort out remote learning for the rest of my class.

Parents can only do what they can do at home. It will be us teachers who are held accountable at the end of the day, regardless of how little control we have over what kids can do at home.

In real life (working in a secondary school with DC in primary school) I see and hear parents and teachers absolutely on the same side and although frustrated and worried about the weeks ahead, no side blaming the other, rather united frustration at the government.

Some of us are shock, horror both!!

Going to be working teaching all day online, whilst home schooling my own two and madly prepping lessons in evening again.

It's sh*t. I know it, you know it.

It's not a choice right now though. We've got to do it to stop the NHS from keeling over entirely

Many teachers are also parents.
It feels like that's what the government want to happen to detract from the ridiculously poor handling of the situation

I think there needs to be empathy on both sides.

I certainly understand why teachers are worried for themselves and the kids. And it's helpful when teachers empathise with the issues school closures cause parents (rather than saying 'they'll just have to deal with it' which I have seen both on here and in RL)

And dare I say it that a little less aggression towards the Gov/DFE/ civil service might also be in order.

No doubt mistakes have been made by all, but no one wants to be in the situation we are now. Certainly offer constructive suggestions and yes the Gov need to be held to account but some of the hysteria on here and other social media sites is really astonishing.

Undoubtedly the teacher bashing on here is awful. I wonder who'll bother going into teaching in the future.
The pandemic has shown that teachers are public property and should lay down their life without question in some peoples mind.
Pre-pandemic I use to think who would want to be teaching in English public schools now thinking the pandemics affect on education will be a bent in comparison to the lack of students willing to teach in the future.

I hate the argument that other professions aren't complaining so teachers shouldn't.

Teachers are not unreasonable to ask for the safety measures that they have requested. These measures can't be replicated in places like prisons and mental hospitals which are also high risk but it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be implemented in places like schools. I suspect that shops spent hundreds of millions making shops more Covid secure where as schools have had nothing from the government- not even an offer to fund cleaning costs for this academic year.

I'm appalled at how teachers are being treated. They have been badly let down by the Government - and were way before the pandemic.

I'm a parent but can't get my head around how awful some other parents are being.

It's not the teachers fault! They have no choice about any of this. None of us like what's going on but IMHO the anger should be placed firmly at Boris's door.

I have lots of empathy for those managing work and young children - especially at this time of year. Some countries had single working parents going to school with key worker children

I agree and I wish people wouldn't squabble and be rude to each other on here.

I'm only annoyed by the politicians who talk about school needing to be open for vulnerable kids but them voting against Free School Meals and not delivering laptops and dongles for home learning. Where is the practical support to social services so they can keep an eye on vulnerable kids?

Lockdown would be a good time for vulnerable children to get the tutoring money suggested last summer.

@GypsyLee

Yes, totally agree. I know school isn't childcare and parents may struggle, but we need to support teachers. Also, in a state of emergency like this, all bets are off. Bottom line they are your kids and it's your responsibility to care for them, not the states.

The thing is, what happens if people lose their jobs because there is no school?

Oh, they have to rely on the state to feed their kids....

I agree that it schools are unsafe, but your comment is ridiculously unhelpful and goady and probably the reason teachers are getting bashed on here for just wanting a safe work environment. Not everyone needs a school place to manage and we need to support those that do.