Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

927 replies

8bitgame · 10/02/2021 11:22

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.

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 10/02/2021 12:48

@stackemhigh

YABU, he commented specifically about his teacher. He didn't say the screen looks like an 8 bit game.

Sounds like he knew he was being cheeky.

The screen didn't look like it though. The person on the screen (teacher) did.
EvilPea · 10/02/2021 12:49

Dear head

I just wanted to send an email following up from our conversation. Please find attached the discussion between students about connectivity issues, I appreciate this is not the schools fault and we are all doing our best at this time, including openreach. I would also like to reiterate that ds was not commenting on the teacher in that regard, he was merely pointing out the graphics on his pc was making her look like an 8 bit computer game e.g a retro computer game.

I have also spoken to ds at length about commenting on people’s appearances on the off chance, he had confirmed his teacher is not a solid 8 and a bit game, she is in fact a 3.5 most days, rising to a 5 on the day ofsted inspected and she made a bit more effort. His dad also agreed shes far from “game”

I trust this misunderstanding has now been put to bed.

Regards

Opticabbage · 10/02/2021 12:50

So the head accused your son of being an inappropriate letch, and then accused you of lying about technical issues, but it was you that emailed an apology? Oook.

Ladesiderata · 10/02/2021 12:50

I think this is worrying, particularly as the Head is usually Safeguarding lead. They have sexualised comments from a nine year old wrongly, they don't understand it and didn't back down when you explained. I would follow it up and say you find their junping-to-conclusions highly dangerous. I would also demand FOI request about the initial report made about your son because it will DEFINITELY be on file somewhere, and where professionals can't admit they are wrong, lies will be on file about your child.

JoanOfArc8 · 10/02/2021 12:55

That’s bonkers OP!

Glad you’ve emailed the school, I would have to do the same, can’t stand injustice.

Cam77 · 10/02/2021 12:55

To be honest they should know what an 8 bit game is. This new computer/technology "fad" isn't going anywhere and teachers should have a basic literacy in it.

DWPmisery1972 · 10/02/2021 12:55

Teacher has obviously got a high opinion of herself if she thinks she’d get an 8/10 Grin

TheChip · 10/02/2021 12:57

I'm not going to lie, this made me laugh. Although the teacher and head have really really jumped with this one! I can understand why you would be annoyed.
Tell the head to pop the teachers head a bit, and that she's no higher than a 4 and is far too uptight to be a bit game.

How dare they assume that your child would even understand that kind of language. Its disgusting

FreakinFrankNFurter · 10/02/2021 12:57

@8bitgame

I do get they might not have understood what an 8 bit game is but it's a bit of a leap to him rubbing his thighs and calling his teacher "a bit game" and rating her a solid 8. Hmm
Thanks op, this really made me laugh.

They are being utterly ridiculous

Gretafamily · 10/02/2021 13:01

@EvilPea GrinGrin

MumW · 10/02/2021 13:02

Teacher has obviously got a high opinion of herself if she thinks she’d get an 8/10
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

toocold54 · 10/02/2021 13:09

Although I feel like you may have misunderstood them - just because I don't know any 9-year-olds who speak like that!

You should listen to my 7 year old talk about Minecraft servers, or the different ways to run Minecraft Pocket Edition on a Mac.

I meant by calling his teacher an 8 or that she's a bit game! Grin I should have been more clear haha.
I don't know many little ones that speak in that way about women - maybe teenagers Grin

LolaSmiles · 10/02/2021 13:09

The teacher has been a bit silly and the head has blown it out of proportion.

I teach secondary and if there are any genuinely inappropriate comments then I deal with it first and would only be reporting them if there were persistent issues, or there were safeguarding concerns.

Aside from the fact he is 9, none of the students that I teach would use the phrase 'bit game'. They have a range of other phrases for the same thing, but that's not a phrase that's used.

MedusasBadHairDay · 10/02/2021 13:10

@Opticabbage

So the head accused your son of being an inappropriate letch, and then accused you of lying about technical issues, but it was you that emailed an apology? Oook.
This.
toocold54 · 10/02/2021 13:11

Although I feel like you may have misunderstood them - just because I don't know any 9-year-olds who speak like that!

Do you know a lot of 9 year olds who call women 'a bit game' instead?

@TrialOfStyle - that's what I mean, I don't know any 9 year olds who would speak like that.

AStudyinPink · 10/02/2021 13:11

They misunderstood the comment but your child shouldn’t be commenting on how the teacher looks at all.

AStudyinPink · 10/02/2021 13:12

To be honest they should know what an 8 bit game is. This new computer/technology "fad" isn't going anywhere and teachers should have a basic literacy in it.

Behave.

Quartz2208 · 10/02/2021 13:13

8bitgame I recently made the mistake of asking my 8 year old why it was called Super Mario 64 and he launched into an long explanation.

I asked him and he said if he were on the chat he would understand instantly - he also rickrolls me as well. I forever have that song in my head.

For someone who teaches 9 year old she doesnt seem to know that retro is very in at the moment

borntohula · 10/02/2021 13:14

What the hell!? 😂 As if a 9yo is gonna use that description, sorry, that's tickled me tbh.

hannayeah · 10/02/2021 13:15

Just tell them, “Oh no, he meant she looks cheap. 8 bits!”

Dumbasses.

borntohula · 10/02/2021 13:15

@AStudyinPink

They misunderstood the comment but your child shouldn’t be commenting on how the teacher looks at all.
He was commenting on how the picture looked ffs.
Original poster
8bitgame · 10/02/2021 13:16

@Quartz2208 - I get Rick rolled too - it's odd that my whole youth now seems to be an amusing meme :)

OP posts:
AStudyinPink · 10/02/2021 13:16

have also spoken to ds at length about commenting on people’s appearances on the off chance, he had confirmed his teacher is not a solid 8 and a bit game, she is in fact a 3.5 most days, rising to a 5 on the day ofsted inspected and she made a bit more effort. His dad also agreed shes far from “game”

What has the teacher done to deserve this nasty misogyny, even as a joke?

MintyCedric · 10/02/2021 13:17

@8bitgame

I do get they might not have understood what an 8 bit game is but it's a bit of a leap to him rubbing his thighs and calling his teacher "a bit game" and rating her a solid 8. Hmm
ROFLMAO Grin

The teacher and the head sounds absolutely bonkers.

MedusasBadHairDay · 10/02/2021 13:17

@AStudyinPink

They misunderstood the comment but your child shouldn’t be commenting on how the teacher looks at all.
Good thing he wasn't then
Swipe left for the next trending thread