Teachers I need solidarity before I leave the profession

[Soniastrumpet1984]

I love teaching. I have done it for 22 years.
I am sick of parents moaning. Today has put the tin hat on it.
Here's my situation (this is not exact but an approximation as close to similar as I can get it without putting actual details.)
Let's say I've been teaching French bakery recipes to my cooking club. A local French bakery has offered to host 5 students( in its tiny kitchen) on Saturday morning at 7.30am before they open so they can watch the pastry chef making the items. This is a total favour and just a nice thing they do not have to do. They did this as on my way to work, I was chatting whilst waiting to get my coffee. I as a teacher have agreed to give up my Saturday morning to take them. Every child in cookery club was offered the experience, by email with their parent copied in. It was NOT first come first served, they were clearly told if there's more than 5, we will draw out of a hat. There were more than 5 interested , so I wrote them all on pieces of paper and trotted next door to a different teacher, who came and drew 5 names out. Now I have Two parental complaints demanding to see photos of the slips and why didn't I video the draw and provide evidence. I know it's Friday and I'm tired but fuck I want to leave.

I am a parent and I would have appreciated the thought and kindness to create this opportunity for the children and pulling put of a hat seems absolutely fair. The people that are complaining are just insane. Unfortunately, if you come out of teaching, you will experience these same types of people, just in different settings. These absolute bellends are everywhere, in every professionz in every job. I am not a teacher but I can relate to having to deal with idiots like this at work. I hope you stay in teaching, you sound amazing and lovely and so kind to organise this for the children.

These are the same sad sacks that message and complain that their child isn't in enough photos after a trip/ residential.

We now only share one group photo, to stop the moaning.

I'm a TA and it's just too much and I'm leaving. I've had enough

I teach I a college. I have 1 class where a small group were misbehaving. I put them in a seating plan "ish"

I asked them to choose ONE pal to sit with, explained my (admittedly high) expectations about behaviour and assumed that was it.

I've had complaints from parents, written complaints from the students, managers getting involved... I'm half way out the door.

I had similar regarding the Nativity when I was teaching. It then led to said parents demanding that the Nativity be cancelled the following year because their child couldn’t be included due to their religion. It’s madness out there.

Are all schools as bad as this? I would never in a million years dream of sending an email like this and I can’t imagine any of the parents I know sending something like this either. But maybe I’m being naive and the other parents are actually a lot more batshit than they let on…

God this. Drives me up the wall. We are looking after their kids 24/7 for a 5 days straight and all the parents can do is complain we're not taking enough pictures!

So many parents are such deeply horrible people. Which, of course, isn't specifically because they are parents but instead it's representative of the population as a whole.

It really makes me feel sad about society and about the future.

'My child is disappointed ' seems to be something that we have to now alleviate instead of parents just saying 'oh well you'll get over it'

Yep, could write a book on batshit parents. The ones who claim we've 'fixed' the cctv when it clearly shows their child in the wrong are my particular favourites

As a parent, I am horrified that people would go to those lengths because their child unfortunately missed out. It is such a shame because good teachers are gold dust. My DC have been so fortunate so have had and currently have some fantastic teachers. A few not so great ones but the good ones outweigh by far.

I would also go with sorry but GDPR says no.

Unfortunately though I don't think it is just schools. There are entitled idiots everywhere and so many out to do the absolute bare minimum and communication is almost non existent. How so many people manage to get away with it I will never know.

I had a parent have a go at me about this after a residential, when I had just got off the bus and was still handing out medicines, etc. "Why are there no photos of my child on the website?"

Well, that was because she had denied permission for her child to be on the website. Not by default, she deliberately ticked the no box. I had spent a week trying to get photos without her child but not make her child feel bad / excluded.

Apparently, I should have asked again before the residential in case she had changed her mind.

What teachers have to put up with is ridiculous, speaking as a non teacher. I once emailed a teacher to say thank you for a small kindness they did my child. Probably very much part of their job description but I still appreciated it so I said thank you. I got an email back saying I'd made their day with that message and I just thought it really showed what a shit time teachers are having. I guess every other email was probably a complaint about something and nobody ever thinks to say thanks.

Agree - no wonder so many young people struggle with resilience. Feeling disappointed or dealing with failure are things parents should be teaching kids to cope with.
Total admiration for teachers, I don't know how you do it.

I had similar with some training I was doing as a union rep at work. I had 3 spaces so I offered them up to all employees. I chose 3 of the responders and offered them places. Two were actually union members who’d missed the original offer.
Oh my god the fuss I got back from entitled arseholes was outrageous! Two line managers insisting their employee ‘deserved’ the training more than anyone else. One woman who apparently responded to my email at 09:01am so clearly thought it should be hers on a first come first served basis (it wasn’t)
Some else raised a grievance against me.
never again

Dear parent
thank you for volunteering to run a school trip
the owner of the bakery is expecting you at
6 am next Saturday
many thanks

Imagine what this generation of children are going to be like as parents! The absolute entitlement and selfishness of people is unbelievable. You have my sympathy.

This is why I left teaching, the long hours with management continually on your back to batshit parents who believe their little precious can do no wrong.

Parents wonder why kids don't go on so many school trips these days. Honestly they are not worth the bother of organising because there's always some sort of batshittery like this.

have Two parental complaints demanding to see photos of the slips and why didn't I video the draw and provide evidence.

^

One word

No

It's actually not about whether I reply or not. It's the constant drip drip of the only correspondence being negative. I have a lovely kid in one class. They were chosen to go and be an ambassador at a local community hub as past of a school project. Whilst they were there we had done hot chocolates for other students, the parent complained that her child missed out on a hot chocolate.

They are now. I've been teaching for over thirty years and the level of entitlement has become ridiculous from some parents. There are many lovely folk but those that think the school exists only for their child really grind you down. It's exhausting.

I get it. Solidarity from one teacher to another.

The only time you ever hear from parents is when they want to criticise. All of the stuff you do for their kids out of the kindness of your heart, giving up your free time to do so - as well as often spending your own money - goes completely unacknowledged. It's incredibly discouraging.

I do loads at my school, Trips, competitions, festivals, school productions, you name it. Never has a parent emailed to say thank you, despite the hours of weekend and evening time this takes up, and that I don't get paid for.

However, if a child doesn't like the part they got given in the school play, or the coach from the trip gets stuck in traffic and we're ten minutes late back to school, or their child's work didn't get chosen to go in the art exhibition, I'll hear about it, and some. Every fucking time.

I just don't reply to those emails now. I delete them on receipt. I don't give them any headspace or energy. I choose to focus on the fact I'm not doing what I'm doing for the parents - I'm doing it for their kids. And they do say thank you, at least.

But tonight, you are entitled to feel fed up and ready to chuck in the towel. You organised a wonderful event and the kids who attend will love it. Have a glass of wine, bash out the email response you really want to send to the parent, delete it, then delete the parent's asinine email, and forget all about it.

Teaching can be bloody thankless but it's also the best job in the world, really. I say this as someone who's done many other jobs - teaching offers a satisfaction and purpose like nothing else if you're in the right school. And there are thoughtless, selfish people everywhere I'm afraid - leaving teaching won't free you of them!

"...GDPR and Keeping Children Safe in Education..."

That ought to do it. 👌

I’m now retired - theoretically I’m on the LA supply list, however.

When I was a middle manager, I spent a great deal of time dealing with entitled parents and I see middle managers in schools where I’ve worked as supply dealing with the same.

I'd love to give some stories, this week alone I could give a handful of ridiculous requests or complete minimising of awful behaviour, but i worry they are too identifiable.
I work in a great school, in a lovely area. The increasing self-centredness of parents, and absolute refusal to accept or tackle any issues with their children is shocking, and increasing every year.
It does genuinely concern me.
It is still a minority parents, but a growing minority and it takes up so much time.
What worries me is there is a real recruitment issue, and no one in poweris accepting that this is a major part of it, so coming up with solutions around to help.