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.

Is there more of a history to this?

...as the for last ten or so posters - RTFT!

"email them back" is going to be the new cancel the cheque.

You got off lightly OP. When DD was 5 I had to talk to her teacher because she called someone a 'little bitch'. She was distraught, I was mortified. Realised a few days later that her new favourite phrase was 'little bit'.

They clearly thought that's what I called her.....

Just send them this thread - Your son sounds like a star and will probably end up working in IT

Thank goodness that they accept that they were in the wrong. They owe you an apology for lecturing you imo but I would let it go this time or it will be awkward when school is back full-time.

Your son made an innocent and reasonable comment and despite a person saying otherwise I think it's unusual for primary school educators not to know what primary school kids are interested in. Retro style 8 bit games are hardly niche interests.

The 8 bit comment is not a commentary on the teacher's looks. It is an observation of the graphics. If the screen was showing everything in black and white and he commented that she looks like she's from an olden days movie, that would be a comment about the graphics and not a comment saying that she's old looking. When people talk about problems with technology it's normal to talk like your son does. We might say that a phone call sounds like the other person is on a building site or when audio and image doesn't match we might say it's like a dubbed film. Once the TA clarified things, that should have been the end result of things,

That would have upset me to and yes the school handled a none issue really poorly,I am glad you got to sort it out and quite right to,for goodness sake he's 9yrs old and seems like a good child and the most important thing that happened here was your son got to see you challenging something that wasn't right and got the desired result

Honestly, why do you consider 'Miss X looks like an 8-bit game' so offensive?

I don’t, and haven’t said it’s “offensive”. I’ve said it’s not polite.

In the context of a 9 year old describing the effects of connection problems, how is that impolite? It's a factual description.

In the context of a 9 year old describing the effects of connection problems, how is that impolite? It's a factual description.

I’ve said enough. I’ve answered this and answered it. You don’t agree. I hear you. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And they are supposed to be teachers!!!! They need to get themselves educated. Considering IT is an integral part of educational settings they really should know what 8-bit is, and even if they don’t should have at least been educated enough to know it was an IT reference. Shocking!!

Good on your Son for using this kind of tech terminology appropriately, accurately and in a relevant manner. A well observed, insightful and pretty accurate way of describing the technical difficulties he was experiencing. I get the impression he may like techy things, he’ll do well, I’d be pretty proud if it was my child and I’d encourage this side of him and his talent for using such advanced terminology correctly. This is a light of future talent and specialist interest just starting to shine, don’t dim that light down.

I’m a qualified Further Education Lecturer by the way!

The teacher and head are bonkers How many 9 year olds know what “a bit game” means? Why on earth did they jump to that conclusion! I understand you’re embarrassed OP, but I’ve laughed until tears ran down my cheeks at a 9 year old describing his teacher as a bit game

Well done OP! Hope your DS is ok.

Personally I think that reflects badly on them more than your DS. That's utterly ridiculous on their part - perhaps he froze and they didn't hear clearly, but they have fitted in the blanks themselves! I'd be telling them that's I'm discussed they thought a small boy thinks like that and they are over sexualising children.

There’s no evidence he was trying to communicate with the TA

Yet you, @AStudyinPink, concluded that he was talking to another teacher.

Tell us, what do you imagine the function of a class TA in an online lesson to be? It's not like they can do everything that they normally do in the classroom where they might be sitting with an individual child, walking around to help them etc. Do you think it's possible that the idea is that they should share duties, and at times when the teacher is teaching the whole class the TA should keep an eye on chat to help children who are having difficulties, whether with the lesson itself or connection problems? I know you're itching to say that OP said it was to be used for communicating only with the teacher, but it's pretty obvious that it's to be used for communicating with both, otherwise there's little point in the TA being there at all.

Yet you, @AStudyinPink, concluded that he was talking to another teacher.

No, I didn’t “conclude” this. 😂

Anyway, can we just stop? Half the people here are moaning that I keep posting, the others are asking me questions.

Teachers are my least favourite career group. They’re always moaning about something or other. I think they’ve got a real cheek doing what they did but that’s teachers for you. I’d follow up on this and put your point over and ask for an apology. YANBU. However they are

unfortunately state schools are more about conformity, curriculum and punishment, then enlightenment, truth or individuality. it's a shame because teachers do a fantastic job with such austerity funding/resources.

i would make an official complaint here however, make them feel as insignificant as they made your poor DS

@AStudyinPink

You’re really not getting it, are you pink? He was neither impolite nor disrespectful; he was simply using a simile to describe how how Miss X looked on the screen.

I get that that’s what happened. I think using similes to describe your teacher is very dodgy ground. Hopefully he won’t do it again.

Why? "Miss, you're as clever as Alfred Newton". "I think Miss is as kind as an angel". "The way Mr X told that joke, he was as funny as [well-known comedian].

What's dodgy about that, @AStudyinPink?

You don't seem to have explained why this wording isn't OK but saying that Miss looks pixellated is fine.

And there I was, thinking that at least this thread hadn't descended into general teacher-bashing . Did you notice, Jzpap that some of the posters on this thread who were most indignant or baffled at the school's reaction are actually teachers? And that we've said our colleagues wouldn't react like that, and that it's normal to have the kind of relationship with classes where it would be fine with this kind of lighthearted remark?

"Teachers are my least favourite career group"

Arobase

I said dodgy ground. I didn’t say it would always offend. And yes, I have explained; go back and read it.

The teachers should be mortified, perhaps on reflection they are.

24 hours later, @AStudyinPink is still here, begging people not to ask her any more questions, having not realised that if she answered them satisfactorily, people would stop on their own. Or that she could just choose not to answer them.

Your school has gone bat sh#t crazy!!

I dont know a 9 year old that would even know what 'a bit game' meant let alone use it in a class chat!! What an insane way to read what he said. For a start surely it should read 'an 8, a bit game' and only after 'what do you think of Miss?' not that he is having issues and it's like an old game...

Like an 8 bit game is exactly the best way to describe live feed malfunctions. We've had the same here and both my kids have said it's like an old 8 bit game (they have played on my old games for a laugh) they are 8 and 15 and no one has gone off their nut about inappropriate comments - if fact my eldest has had the teachers laughing about does that make them Mario or Donkey Kong.

In all honesty i would be having words with the school about accusing your son of using such words. And when schools are pointed out as being wrong - they dont apologise or change their tune - they continue on the same angry vent they started on and dont back down so dont be surprised if nothing comes of it. But I couldnt let that one slide, it's just not ok to accuse your son of being inappropriate in a lesson when he did nothing wrong.

I dont know what provider you have but virgin have been appalling - our whole area has been out for weeks virgin plan on getting it sorted some time in march!