to think Gavin Williamsons views on teachers have been found out and he is trying to back pedal

[cakeorwine]

Leaked WhatsApp messages about schools during Covid and re-opening.

www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/01/leaked-messages-boris-johnson-bemoaning-face-masks-u-turn

In October 2020, Williamson said publicly the following year’s exams would be postponed for a few weeks to make up teaching time. According to the leaked messages, Hancock then got in touch with his cabinet colleague to say “what a bunch of absolute arses the teaching unions are”.

Williamson replied: “I know they really really do just hate work.” Hancock then responded with a laughing emoji and a bullseye.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said in response to the leak: “Why am I utterly unsurprised to now have it absolutely confirmed that Gavin Williamson was unfit to be secretary of state for education?”

According to Williamson, these comments were about "some unions" and he has the utmost respect for teachers who went above and beyond during the pandemic.

Yet it's the teachers who would be doing the work, not the Unions. So who was he saying who "really really just hate work"

I’m surprised that line is still coming up. It’s pretty obvious people clamoured for key worker provision because it was childcare. It’s why it was set up.

Oh, and we now...

• run a food bank (throughout covid as well)
• provide free hot meals 3 evenings a week
• personally (as in me, teaching staff, not pastoral) call students who were struggling with their mental health daily because they couldn't access CAMHS support. Requested by school. Last year we were going and getting kids out of bed for their exams because parents couldn't.

So off you trot on the horse you rode in on if you agree with Gavin and his utter disdain for my colleagues.

It’s the utter contempt that really brings you down after a while if you’re a teacher. I wouldn’t think most of us think we are hero’s at all. I care about my job and try and do it to the best of my ability. I have a one year old but will spend several hours of my weekend prepping for work and I only work part time as it is. Last week I had a parent scream at me for something I hadn’t done… and then you read messages like this…I don’t think I’m a victim but I do think some comments are a bit unjust!

@jumperoozles did the parent literally scream at you? Imagine what they're like with their child 😞 sorry you have to go through that x

My thoughts exactly. Thank you @jumperoozles for everything you do

Yes. I was particularly struck by a quote from a Union leader that teachers couldn't do live 'on-line' teaching for safety reasons. What did many private schools do? Live on-line teaching.
Which sector's pupils do you suppose were most disadvantaged by that approach?

I've said much worse things than that about the government.

Even though I detest the Tories, I don't think people should be crucified over comments they make in private conversations.

Yes. I was particularly struck by a quote from a Union leader that teachers couldn't do live 'on-line' teaching for safety reasons.

Concerns that were then validated when numerous teachers received online abuse, yes?

You do understand that the concerns were valid, don’t you?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59264238.amp

@ilovesooty maybe teachers need to ask themselves why they are viewed this way by so many people? Why the teaching profession doesn't gain the respect of people the way it used to? Why do people support the nurses, railway staff and ambulance workers but not the teachers?

Meanwhile the private schools went online immediately and throughout the pandemic.

People don't support the other strikes, not en masse. The nurses and ambulance workers get hideous abuse - see a PP up thread - basically accusing them of letting people die. The railway workers had the reasons for their strike totally misrepresented in the media, which was lapped up by the public.

Teachers come in for particular venom because, simply, the majority of people are unlikely to need an ambulance or a nurse on a strike day (lots will but the majority won't); they can find another way to get to work/wherever they're going, given enough notice, although it may be a nuisance. A huge percentage of adults are parents and run the risk of being severely inconvenienced by school closing. So the venom has little or nothing to do with the relative merits of the case for strikes; it is simply because it is actually costing them something to support the strike, whereas by and large lip service can be paid as it's no skin of most people's noses.

We are an incredibly selfish society. There is so little sense of cohesiveness, so little respect for others' contribution.

Maybe they can afford more sophisticated software that prevents misuse; maybe they can afford to incentivise their staff more to withstand online abuse, or support their staff with the emotional upshot, or have very stringent behaviour policies that enable them to expel a pupil who did something like this to a teacher.

When you're getting paid a low wage, asked to completely change your working practice at no notice and with inadequate technology, only to be exposed on the internet and have the piss taken out of you by thousands of viewers, do you not think that might impact your mental health? Or make you think 'fuck it I don't get paid enough to put up with this shite"?

That’s not true, why are you claiming something that isn’t true? Teachers are more supported than the railway workers

Wasn't it Hancock who called the teaching unions 'arses'?

The private schools had no choice if they wanted to continue to charge fees!

I think the biggest problem now is what started off as a strike because teachers wanted better for the children now looks like it's all down to the money and that's on the unions not the teachers.

Same during covid, unions made things difficult at every turn when plenty of other workers were rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it.

Another problem is support for teachers waned when many parents struggled to home school and work from home and now they are probably taking time off because of the strikes and using annual leave because they can't afford to take it unpaid.

Unions don't always have their members best interests at heart, most of them are political party donors and have ulterior motives.

@herewegoroundthebastardbush you should really try and get out today. Enjoy your day. You're literally wasting your life arguing and getting angry at strangers online and that isn't good for your Mental Health either...

Can’t imagine what it is about private schools that meant they not only had the facilities to do this, but so did their students.

Also can’t imagine why a private school teacher may generally experience less abuse in their teaching career than one in a state school.

No wait, I can.

Why me particularly? Just out of interest.

@herewegoroundthebastardbush in my world that's simply not true! Not one single person i know doesn't support NHS staff and railway workers but adversely very few support the teachers! Teachers are viewed as lazy, constantly moaning, self important and work-shy! Not my opinion btw but things that have been said when discussing the strikes! When i was at school teaching was a very respected profession ( I'm in my late 40's) now not many people have respect for teachers, why is that?

@bungleandgeorge about 30% in England

@Evvyjb and others

Demonstrating the contempt some teachers seem to have for their jobs and the parents of the children they teach

Don't do extras and then throw a temper tantrum that no one cares

If no one appreciates it, don't do it.

Some teachers do seem to really resent actually having to do their jobs, and seem to expect parents to be massively grateful.

Teaching is clearly a difficult job. Harder work for some than others

But it's not parenting and you're not doing parents a favour by doing it. It's a job you're paid for.

Agree with this.

Oh PS I'm not a teacher. I couldn't be if you paid me twice what I earn now (which is more than a teacher). So I have the utmost respect for them and cannot understand how anyone with kids in state school can be anything other than grateful to them for the work they do every day and supportive of them strike action when we have the government we do, who seem hellbent on tearing down anything which is funded through general taxation for the good of all.

I agree. I do think the teachers unions were unreasonable about returning to work post Covid