These teachers and their questionable choices

[Whitesparkled123]

1 of these teachers is a mum at my DC school and she doesn't teach at the school. One of them is a teacher at my DC school and the other is a teacher at another school. They are all friends with each other. I'm trying to be vague as this could be outing.

I'm not really that close to them but know of their partying lifestyle. All 3 have children. They often go to raves, parties and do drugs. I found out last week that 1 of them held a party and couldn't find childcare so left their children in their home whilst partying at the bottom of their garden (which is quite far). They were all there and were all on drugs. The school mum host got people to take it in turns to watch the children. Often after they have been out and are on come downs they have their children.

I've just seen one of them has been to a well known event in London. Her whole family went including the children. She's posted pics and her youngest DC is asleep on the floor (it was held on the streets). I'm shocked. I just think why would you put your own needs above those of your children.
But what can I do? I can't actually prove any of this. Plus I'm not ok with them being teachers and coming into work on the Monday with a potential come down.

If it even happened and isn't just gossip...

So it's ok to use drugs around children?

That’s awful and even if you forget the physical dangers, it causes kids lots of psychological problems later on. It’s pretty well known.

Nope, amazing women have no need to take drugs, it’s usually those who already have mental health issues who resort to drug taking to change how they feel about themselves. Pretty sad really.

@SummerFade

No. I used to smoke weed. No mental health issues

Perhaps all parents should make a list of activities that teachers are allowed to do in their own time. It could be agreed nationally and made part of our terms and conditions.

Then teachers could make a list of activities that parents should have to do with their children too. We could make it part of a child licence.

That would fix it.

Not necessary because the OP isn't concerned about anything that isn't already illegal.

A lot of the people on this thread seem to have forgotten about that...

This is insane.

This idea that anything a teacher does in their spare time is fine and doesn't count.

I once knew a male teacher who was going to Thailand to pay teenage (not underage but almost) prostitutes for sex in the summer holidays - is that fine as its outside of school hours?

What about teachers who write racist rants on Twitter?

That's not in the slightest bit true.

Recreational drug use is indulged in because it makes people feel good and recreational drug use is often just that, but sometimes becomes more because of the neurochemical effects on the brain.

Whitney Houston wasn't holed up in her bedroom for months on end smoking crack because she felt bad about herself, she was doing it because recreational drug use was fun but she had unlimited free time and money so recreational use turned into addiction.

The USA doesn't have almost 4% of their entire population misusing opiods because they'e all inadequate personalities that are mentally ill or feel bad about themselves; it was corrupt drug companies flooded the market with opiods that they told everyone weren't addictive like the other opiods and someone that was prescribed oxycontin for a bad back realised that they felt great taking it, not just pain-free but great mood, taking life in their stride, not bothered by usual worries and told all their friends about it too who then got prescriptions or bought off the street and you ended up with millions addicted and astonishing death rates through overdose.

Which did impact poorer communities more but is seen widespread across all demographics including the wealthiest and most powerful in society.

We will never be able to address substance misuse until we stop thinking that it only applies to people with 'something wrong with them'.

And alcohol is by far the substance that causes more harm than any other in the UK. But many people who think that drug users are gross, dirty, pathetic or mentally ill happily get pissed with frequency, not thinking that they're also misusing a substance, because it's legal and because the UK has a terrible drinking culture.

Well, only sort of. I mean, the OP wasn't at the parties and has no idea what they were up to really. One of the issues is that a child was asleep on the floor, which I'm pretty sure isn't illegal.

Well I would report any of them if it came to my attention without hesitation. And whether we like it or not some professions involve greater accountability.

One of the issues is that a child was asleep on the floor, which I'm pretty sure isn't illegal

<eyes the cat> What about cats?

And public sector employers can't sack anyone based on rumours and what someone might be doing in their spare time if it isn't impacting on their work.

And if an employer feels that someone has a substance use problem which is impacting on their work, they are obligated to offer that person help via their employers as part of taking action.

They don't just get to sack people, even in the public sector. They have a statutory responsibility to the employee, not just the students or public.

Thought experiment:

Your child has the best teacher - 'best' in that your child really likes them, loves going to school, has made loads of academic and developmental progress during the year, has grown in confidence and really wants the same teacher next year.

But you heard that at a weekend party they smoked some weed.

Are you reporting them? The school, your child will lose that teacher - because that's your reason for reporting them right? You want them to be more accountable for their own choices, they've made a bad choice (in your opinion) and you want them to lose their job and career. Education will lose that teacher, at a time when we're already struggling to hang on to teachers at all.

Are you still reporting them?

What if a teacher does 85mph on the motorway? I mean, that's a bad illegal choice. 35mph through a village? Pays a plumber in cash even though they probably won't pay tax on that? All of these directly or indirectly might have an impact on a child.

What illegal choices are allowed? Or is it really none at all? If it's none at all, are you in a position where you can say that you'd never do the same things? Because I'd say that you're rare and if we're saying that only these rare perfect people can become teachers, then education is in a world of trouble.

I know - I completely agree. When I left the party early with my DD I was called a ‘party pooper’ and treated like a social pariah by the organiser for weeks at the school gate. But there’s no way I’d willingly subject my DD to that

You just need look at the teacher standards and the teacher misconduct and prohibition of teachers as it covers this.someone has done the thinking and issued guidance already.

Possession if class A bad
Suppling class b or c bad
Serious driving offences involving alcohol bad

Minor driving offences come under 'less likely to end in a ban from teaching' as do minor offences of class b for personal use away from children

They are guidelines to be taken in context

So basically, do people think that every person/friend they know has used an illegal drug ought to be reported if they are in a 'responsible' job?

Blimey - the UK would be in a right mess if everyone that took an illegal drug in the last 6 months suddenly stopped working.

Who do you think all the county lines are selling to?

Drug use is rife in the UK. I'm not endorsing it at all, it needs to change. But snitching on people to the police and their employers is just not the way to go about it.

"Use" is an unnecessarily pejorative term, suggesting a 'user' is halfway to addiction. Do you always refer to people having a drink in the pub as 'using alcohol'? Like it or not, regardless of the largely irrelevant government classifications, half the country regard taking weed, MDMA, mushrooms & coke as fun ways to enhance social & cultural events - parties, gigs, festivals, carnivals etc. People of all classes and professional status. It's really not difficult to indulge responsibly.

Half the country “responsibly” use cocaine and ecstasy to enhance their social experiences? Idk what world you live in but no.

I have a few (genuine) questions for all of the posters up in arms about recreational drug use (for teachers or anyone else): Do you drink alcohol? If so, how much/often? Do you drink around your kids at all? (Even if it’s just a glass here and there).

The reason I ask is I’ve never understood the relaxed attitude to alcohol vs (some) other recreational drugs, and I also don’t understand why alcohol is legal when lots of other drugs are not. I think my lack of understanding here is the main reason I also can’t understand all of the pearl clutching in this thread.

@StolenChanel no I never drank alcohol when solely Responsible for DD until she was a teen. Now I might have a bottle of cider or a SoCo and lemonade. I haven't been drunk since I found out I was pregnant with her.

I've never smoked, vaped or done drugs that haven't been prescribed by a doctor or OTC.

Not everyone is a habitual drinker and drug taker.

Haha very true especially if the drug takee happens to be a member of the sacred career of teaching.
God forbid any of us peasants with non teaching jobs give our children a sip of orange juice

You missed the word 'regards'.

I'm with you OP, and I can't understand why anyone would think this is OK. Recreational drug use irrespective of role or responsibilities is not alright. It's completely unacceptable while responsible for children. Then there's the position they're in as a teacher. Regardless of what some on here may say, I think some jobs affect what you can do outside of work. If you want to get off your face even occasionally on drugs, then being a teacher is not for you.

FWIW, I live by my own standards. I work in a role in which drug use is completely unacceptable for safety reasons. Excessive alcohol consumption is frowned on. No one drinks if they're working the next day. We are randomly tested to ensure safety is never compromised. Even some prescription medications are on the 'cannot work' list. I'm a professional and take this seriously, as I would expect a teacher to do.

Aside from this I've seen the damage excessive alcohol and drug use can do. Teachers are role models. They have to take that responsibility seriously.

No, I don’t drink alcohol and very few of my friends touch the stuff either. We can still have plenty of fun together whilst remaining completely sober.

My father was an alcoholic and I do feel very sorry for people who resort to drinking too much or using drugs to make themselves feel part of the in-crowd, improve their mood etc. because they ought to address the root cause of their unhappiness, their own low self esteem and focus on changing that.