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Original poster

Parents - how do you feel about teaching unions?

359 replies

Musicaldilemma · 27/01/2021 19:39

Following various exchanges in real life and on here, I was wondering what other parents currently feel and think of teaching unions? Do you know a lot about them? What do you feel their role is and should be in this pandemic? If you are able to, please clarify if you are a parent married to a teacher or teacher parent. Or just a parent like myself with a few friends who are teachers. I was interested to see that teaching unions in Switzerland, for example, really pushed the message that schools must be and stay open for children’s mental health.

OP posts:
Justthebeerlighttoguide · 27/01/2021 19:45

Well I wasn't happy with their stance on the first 🔒 down, my dc were dropped by their school, not even a work sheet for dd 2.
Yet most schools around us did help their children work on line or with weekly work sheet s.

I also really loathe their political stance, I shy away from far right and far left in equal measure although some people think the far left are somehow better than far right.

However!! I've been bloody grateful for their latest action, putting the gov on notice.. Saying the gov need to prove its safe and stopping the utter Maddness of pushing children into school with cleaners, catering staff, teachers, tas.. In to massive mixing pots, with not even a mask mandate for classrooms!

It's bizzare and thankfully their stand, coupled with the 'science' 'helped to stop the madness and keep us all safe.
So right now I'm very grateful to them.

It was beyond cruel what was happening.

Randomschoolworker19 · 27/01/2021 19:45

I'm not sure you can compare Switzerland's schools to schools in the UK. Scandinavian schools are notorious for being better than ours, having better funding, facilities and smaller classroom sizes etc just to name a few. Children there often don't start school until they are around 7 years of age and I'd wager that people in Switzerland are far more socially responsible than they are here.

minniemango · 27/01/2021 19:47

100% support them and think they should be more militant to be honest.

LastStarFighter · 27/01/2021 19:51

I am a parent, no connections to a teacher. I support the teachers unions.

Monkeytennis97 · 27/01/2021 19:53

100% support them. Totally think the staff at my DC's special school should be prioritized for the vaccine. They do personal care and tube feed the kids. All education workers have been poorly treated by this government. The unions have been misrepresented by the right wing media. Look at their actual campaigns.

Monkeytennis97 · 27/01/2021 19:55

For clarity I'm a teacher. DH is a teacher but first and foremost we are parents.

ineedaholidaynow · 27/01/2021 19:55

It was the Government that suspended the curriculum not the unions. So if schools didn't provide work that is down to the Government.

lunapeace · 27/01/2021 19:58

Fat lot of good they've been in the time before Covid. What's their excuse?

HipTightOnions · 27/01/2021 19:59

OP, you do understand what unions are for, do you?

DuckonaBike · 27/01/2021 19:59

I’m incredibly grateful to teachers and the way they have handled the pandemic. They are in a potentially dangerous situation, having to spend the day with large groups of people, in the same room, no masks and we’ve all seem children’s idea of social distancing, but they don’t wear PPE and aren’t high priority for a vaccine. They have had to adapt massively how they teach, moving to online with no notice, and they seem to be doing a great job (I have 2 DC, one primary one secondary, both at local state schools).

I’m not a teacher though I have friends who are, but this is really about my experience as a parent.

LacyEdge · 27/01/2021 20:00

Parent here, no connections to teachers. I support them 100% and think they should be more hardline than they are.

You surely can’t be under the impression that schools were closed because the teaching unions demanded it? It was scientists who said there was no other way. Unions had zero say in it.

formerbabe · 27/01/2021 20:00

I am not a teacher badger by any means...I'm endlessly grateful to them but I'm appalled by the unions.

formerbabe · 27/01/2021 20:01

Basher not badger Grin

Justthebeerlighttoguide · 27/01/2021 20:02

Sorry I need, it's an argument that doesn't wash. Some heads are unionist and followed the unions, I don't know why people keep trotting this out... It was they governments... When so many schools kept going with worksheet.. Weekly work... And many smoothly transitioned on line without missing a beat.. All schools under the government.. Not private...

formerbabe · 27/01/2021 20:02

I will say that my opinion is based on what I read in the newspapers so might not be all that accurate!

DuckonaBike · 27/01/2021 20:03

And yes, unions are essential and they have done a great job of keeping going and not politicising the situation. Sorry OP I forgot to answer your main question in that essay!

Justthebeerlighttoguide · 27/01/2021 20:03

Union action definitely put pressure on the government however.... Definitely.

Pastanred · 27/01/2021 20:04

I’m a teacher and think the union has been disgraceful

Their list of demands means we won’t be face to face all year

Half my colleagues do not agree with them

BogRollBOGOF · 27/01/2021 20:04

Lets just say that I never paid subs to the NUT (now significant part of the NEU) when I was a teacher, and was a member of a quieter union.

The longer they pressurise to keep the schools off, the more workload their members will face in catching up the disparities in the classroom that have opened up from children damaged by lockdown, socially, educationally and worse.

They've been a PR disaster for their profession, particularly when lockdown provision has varied so wildly in quality (even within the same school in my experience Mar-July. My y4 child has SENs, couldn't access the work set, the teacher never checked about the absence of work submitted and basically fucked off to teach one of the chosen year groups in June, meanwhile the y2 teacher continued to do a weekly social quiz to check in. Thank goodness they're behaving better now although my DCs still don't cope)

Having been a teacher, I always defended my profession against lazy stereotypes. Now I feel sour about the way that some very vocal teachers and their union have behaved in recent times.

HipTightOnions · 27/01/2021 20:05

the union has been disgraceful

Which one? What have they “demanded” that is so unreasonable?

Monkeytennis97 · 27/01/2021 20:06

Covid UK: Teaching unions push for an EVEN LONGER schools closure
mol.im/a/9193397

Look at this and then read what Dr Bousted actually says.

That's what has been happening all the way through. Dangerous spin from the right wing media.

katedan · 27/01/2021 20:07

I think they are doing significant damage to the reputation of the teaching profession, after the many strikes in the 80s teachers were seen as work shy and lazy in the last 40 years most people had a lot of respect for teachers and the tough job they do but the unions have made teachers a laughing stock again and you see far more teacher bashing again. I cant believe any teacher who cares about the kids they teach and their welfare would choose to not be in school currently especially those who teach the exam years who will know that following their union and refusing to work will have a massive impact on the childrens futures! For those who think the unions are doing the right thing you need to get out of teaching and retrain as you are in the wrong job!!

Carlislemumof4 · 27/01/2021 20:08

Parent. I read the NEU's statement earlier after Boris' mention of the 8th March. It just came across as designed to block the reopening of schools.

If the unions were to sound positive about reopening and focused on campaigning for one or two specific measures (eg vaccines for school staff) I could get behind that. They need to drop the 'when it's safe' bluster, if 'safe' means no chance of catching covid then that's classrooms closed for the next few years.

meditrina · 27/01/2021 20:10

I am glad there is a consistent voice saying that schools need to be safer

And the only way to have then properly open on a sustainable basis is to get the safety right.

Two prongs to that
a) getting community transmission right down (lockdown when needed, good social distancing etc and reducing contacts in tiers, hoping for fewer restrictions in the summer when sun isstringer)
b) the right measures in the schools themselves

And definitely not the half-assed idea of ending SI for close classroom contacts (relying instead on notoriously inaccurate ateral flow tests) - difficult to trust with safety issues a department that could come up with such a disaster.

Parent, who wants to see schools sustainably and safely open.

Rosehip10 · 27/01/2021 20:10

The teaching unions are deluded if they think the government gives a damn what they think. They are also walking into a huge elephant trap with their "vaccinate teachers as a priority" wants - let's say the government did this, then ANY complaints about school safety, assessments etc would be presented as "look, lazy teachers, we have vaccinated them and they still don't want to teach your kids" and you can guarantee that the press and parents would be massivley against them.