To have initially been mortified but now a bit annoyed by call from school?

[8bitgame]

I've named changed for this as it will be outing.

DS is 9. He is home schooling with lessons over Zoom.

This morning he had connection issues with Zoom - getting kicked out, camera freezing etc. I had to sign him back in a few times and he showed me that the video feed of his teacher kept freezing up and going very blocky. He commented that she looked like an 8 bit game - as in an old computer game where the graphics were pixel blocks.

About 30 minutes after his morning Zoom finished I get a call from the Head Teacher at the school. She is far from happy and it transpires that unbeknown to me DS had repeated his comment in the class discussion chat channel. He was saying he was having connection problems and then wrote "Miss X looks like an 8 bit game".

The teacher and then the Head have read this as him saying that Miss X looks like and 8 out of 10 and looks "a bit game".

I was mortified and explained this is of course not what he meant and that he was referring to the connection problems and the video feed being blocky and pixelated - like the graphics on an 8 bit game. Head was slightly mollified but still very stern and angry and I got a bit of a telling off. I apologised profusely and then had a chat with DS about not commenting on people's appearance and only using the group chat for stuff about work.

But now I've reflected I feel a bit put out as he hadn't really done anything wrong, he was commenting about his connection issues which were preventing him seeing the lesson and he's bloody 9 years old so who would read that in the way the school did??

AIBU to think it's a bit of a strange way to read that in that way and once they had the explanation maybe the tone could have changed a bit as he really hasn't done anything wrong?

I appreciate he could have found a better way to explain the connection issues and they might not be au fait with retro gaming but the only comms channel open to him was the chat feed he used and he's 9 so not always the best at explaining things.

When I told the Head he was having connection issues as were a lot of the class she said she didn't believe anyone else was (implying he was messing about and didn't have problems) WIBU to send a screenshot of the class discussion where several children were saying it had frozen and / or they had been kicked out and AIBU to think they've jumped to a bit of a conclusion here and gone a bit OTT especially by not backing down or changing the tone once it had been explained?

It feels like he's in a lot of trouble for something that is largely a misunderstanding on their part.

I didn't know what an 8-bit game was, but I know what bits are, and would assume that he meant 8 bits were not very many.

I'd be less confident trying to guess what "she's a bit game" might mean - would it mean "she's slightly up for sex"? Honest question - I'm only 51.

You don't say that people look like an 8; you say that they are an 8. Not that a 9-year-old would say that.

Get him to write a letter apologising for missing out the hyphen in "8-bit game".

Don't you think it's a bit far-fetched of the teacher to immediately think the 9 year old is ogling her?

Not far-fetched, no. A close family member is a primary school teacher and has heard much worse. I’m a teacher and have been on the receiving end of sexualised language from Y7s. It depends on the context here. Depends on the kid, I guess.

@LolaSmiles

HunkyPunk

This thread has amused me. Maybe I should have written up a behaviour report for the student who was having technical issues and said my face looked funny. It was such a rude and inappropriate comment, they were obviously objectifying me and should have been told in no uncertain terms that they are rude individuals. They should then receive direct instructions that should they have a technical issue, the correct response is to say 'I'm terribly sorry MrsSmiles. I appear to be experiencing frequent momentary technical difficulties. When the aforementioned difficulties occur, the image of your face on my screen presents in a manner that temporarily distorts your face. Obviously I would never seek to comment on your appearance in any way, and would like to clarify again that this is merely a comment about the audio-visual connection to the call. Obviously I apologise unreservedly for any offence that might have been caused by making a reference to the technological representation of your face on my screen'

@AStudyinPink

Don't you think it's a bit far-fetched of the teacher to immediately think the 9 year old is ogling her?

Not far-fetched, no. A close family member is a primary school teacher and has heard much worse. I’m a teacher and have been on the receiving end of sexualised language from Y7s. It depends on the context here. Depends on the kid, I guess.

Year 7s are 11 years plus...

Year 7s are 11 years plus...

I know this.

@LolaSmiles

HunkyPunk

This thread has amused me. Maybe I should have written up a behaviour report for the student who was having technical issues and said my face looked funny. It was such a rude and inappropriate comment, they were obviously objectifying me and should have been told in no uncertain terms that they are rude individuals. They should then receive direct instructions that should they have a technical issue, the correct response is to say 'I'm terribly sorry MrsSmiles. I appear to be experiencing frequent momentary technical difficulties. When the aforementioned difficulties occur, the image of your face on my screen presents in a manner that temporarily distorts your face. Obviously I would never seek to comment on your appearance in any way, and would like to clarify again that this is merely a comment about the audio-visual connection to the call. Obviously I apologise unreservedly for any offence that might have been caused by making a reference to the technological representation of your face on my screen'

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I haven’t commented on some posts on here, because just however many times I read and reread the posts, I still can’t fathom why there has been such a furore about a truthful comment made by a 9 year old lad? I then think I am just not seeing it as i should as a responsible adult.....no, still no change, can’t see it as reprehensible in any way. I’m being truthful by the way, I really don’t know why some posters are getting their knickers in a twist over this, poor little lad!

@AStudyinPink

MedusasBadHairDay

I agree he might have struggled for the right words, but even “I can’t see the teacher, it’s fuzzy” would have been better than a third person description to peers in public. It’s not the same as “You look...” (which at least has the benefit of being directly to the affected person) and it isn’t trying to be funny (which I think this was).

But he COULD see her, she wasn't fizzy and she did, of she were pixelated, look like an 8 bit game. You want him to replace a factual description with some vague nonsense so the teacher doesn't get a cplex about having a squarey face in real life

But he COULD see her, she wasn't fizzy and she did, of she were pixelated, look like an 8 bit game. You want him to replace a factual description with some vague nonsense so the teacher doesn't get a cplex about having a squarey face in real life

The OP has accepted the comment shouldn’t have been made. I agree with her. He should have spoken to her directly and not compared her to anything. That is what I think.

[quote TheQueef]@sleepingstandingup
8 bit is the size of the game.
Like 78 or 45 in vinyl or 2 gig.[/quote]
In the context of a 9yo on a zoom chat who is having connection problems I'd have worked that out.
A slwavy drunk in a dive of a pub eyeing me up, I'd have interpreted it differently 😂

LOL. If a child said this in my chat I would have laughed and said they’re right! And probably done a robot voice or something lame they would have groaned at. HOW ridiculous.

It's not a bad lesson to learn that starting a sentence with 'someone looks like' means people will think you're commenting on how people look.
I'm laughing at the posters who think a teacher would have time to google alternative meanings in between running live lessons.

The DS made a personal comment. They misinterpreted it. If he hadn't made a personal comment, none of this would have happened. He's a technically-minded 9 -yr-old, he could absolutely have said: 'the screen is fuzzy'; 'the picture is blurred'; 'everything is buffering' rather than opt for the comedy value of teacher looks like an 8 bit game. He went for the joke comment. Teachers, other pupils and HTs don't need to appreciate his comedy and, as has been shown, when you try to be funny people can misinterpret it.

Strange comment from a 9 year old and I wouldn't expect other 9 year olds to understand it ! That said the schools interpretation is rather odd

The misunderstanding is ridiculous. It's not that he said she was 'a bit game' and it's a semantically ambiguous phrase. He clearly wrote that she looked 'like an 8 bit game'.

Personally, if I was the teacher, I wouldn't have known what that meant, but to jump to the conclusion that he was scoring her out of 10 and commenting on whether she was up for it is preposterous.

Pupil 1: Has Miss got a pen?
Pupil 2: I don't know. I'll give her one.
Miss: YOU'LL GIVE ME ONE?? WHAT SORT OF LANGUAGE IS THAT FROM A 9 YEAR OLD?? I'M SPEAKING TO THE HEADTEACHER!!!

This thread has amused me. Maybe I should have written up a behaviour report for the student who was having technical issues and said my face looked funny. It was such a rude and inappropriate comment, they were obviously objectifying me and should have been told in no uncertain terms that they are rude individuals. They should then receive direct instructions that should they have a technical issue, the correct response is to say 'I'm terribly sorry MrsSmiles. I appear to be experiencing frequent momentary technical difficulties. When the aforementioned difficulties occur, the image of your face on my screen presents in a manner that temporarily distorts your face. Obviously I would never seek to comment on your appearance in any way, and would like to clarify again that this is merely a comment about the audio-visual connection to the call. Obviously I apologise unreservedly for any offence that might have been caused by making a reference to the technological representation of your face on my screen

I honestly don't think any of the many, many teachers I know would think the remark was inappropriate. Tbh I don't even know how anyone so sensitive and prone to overreaction would cope with being a teacher for more than a couple of weeks. 9 year-old boys, even polite and sensible ones, still talk like 9 year-old boys, even when they are talking to teachers. It's normal.

I've not heard of an 8 bit game

It is a bit of a leap but ?I wonder if they thought he was repeating something he heard in the house - as yes their interpretation was not the language of an average 9 year old!

Or was the OP brow beaten in the first instance, before coming off the uncomfortable call into the real world and realising how daft it all is, hence her post here?

Not projecting, just continuing the theme of interpreting things to align with one's personal views.

@AStudyinPink

MedusasBadHairDay

I agree he might have struggled for the right words, but even “I can’t see the teacher, it’s fuzzy” would have been better than a third person description to peers in public. It’s not the same as “You look...” (which at least has the benefit of being directly to the affected person) and it isn’t trying to be funny (which I think this was).

But pixelated isn't the same as fuzzy?? So why would he describe it as being something it wasn't?

I am a teacher and I could not find a way to be offended by the comment "Miss looks like an 8 bit game" even if I tried VERY HARD.

I mean, it's not exactly a slur on my appearance, unless the amount of pixels I have is a source of personal pride to me.

As a matter of fact, I'm remote teaching using a shitty laptop so students do sometimes I say look pixellated. I tell them to deal with it! But it's not offensive to me. I also purposely put Minecraft backgrounds on for a bit of a laugh - in fact one told me I was about to be stung by a Minecraft bee - better get that insult written up!

And for all those po-faced people thinking school Teams/Zoom chats should be entirely businesslike and professional, both my classes' (sixth form) and my DC's (y2 and 5) are full of emojis, in-jokes, silly GIFs, and general back-and-forth - honestly it's sometimes the thing that keeps me going during the day. A bit of human contact. A laugh. Some silliness between people who know each other well. Don't we all need that now more than ever?

Tomorrow your son should go straight into the class chat and say "Rodney, you plonkaaaaaahhhh!"

Exactly Ecky unless the kid has form for Sid James impressions a giant leap.

Maybe this is a good lesson in punctuation op? The important difference between "Miss looks like an 8-bit game" and "Miss looks like an 8. Bit game"

Seriously though this has had me laughing🤣

But pixelated isn't the same as fuzzy?? So why would he describe it as being something it wasn't?

If he knows that he knows how to say pixelated. He - in my opinion - wanted to make a little joke at the teacher’s expense. Not a nasty joke, but nevertheless it’s not the time or the place, and he’s now been told.

@Coffeeandaride if they thought "she's a bit game" is something he may have heard in the house it does really worry me as DH and I do not live in a Carry On film.

The teacher was seriously daft for going off and having a moan to the Head. It's also pretty strange that she thought a 9 year old with no history of this sort of behaviour said, in the context of a totally different conversation about the problems with connection, that she was a "a bit game" - it's the sort of phrase I'd expect to hear in an ancient Ealing comedy or Carry On film, from someone like Leslie Phillips.

The OP has accepted the comment shouldn’t have been made. I agree with her. He should have spoken to her directly and not compared her to anything. That is what I think.

He spoke to her directly, using the chat function. How else could he have spoken to her? He used the only medium available to him at the time; the chat function. Which is what they'd been told to do if there were any issues.

Once again, he was explaining how his screen appeared. Only the teacher was pixelated as she was the only thing in motion.

It's concerning that as a teacher you're not understanding this.