Off topic ... sort of "shout out" to frequent Education posters ...

[MN164]

Being slightly too regular a reader and poster here, I wondered who else here is, like me, spends perhaps a bit too much time here.

I decided to use an online search of www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education to see which were the most common words used throughout the forum. I scanned down the list until user names started appearing.

www.online-utility.org/text/frequent_words.jsp

Here's the result (probably fraught with errors):

clondonmumsy
gracegrapecherry
katew70
fidelmabaldwin
freelancersself
thewordfactory
cazzyg
tarquinmoria
camptownraces
gopherssitonsofas
whywhywhy101
wotsit123
experiencesfat
kateclarke
zipitydooda
zerofundame
polkadotsand
heartofgold25

It must be wrong as loads of regulars aren't included......

Talkinpeace
Hakluyt
summerends
TheOriginalSteamingNit
rabbitstew
etc

Probably thinking of London centric threads though ....

Also missing

Mrz
Panelchair
Admission
Prh

To name a couple.

A seperate London private school
Boards would be useful

I go through periods of madly posting and then lie dormant for a while.

At the moment the Education thread is clogged up with "What do you think of..." posts which are very boring - eg, "St Ponky's or St Smelly's?" or "Help me choose between Leafylane and Woodyway!"

Could there be a separate section on specific schools or else there won't be any posters, let alone frequent ones.

It goes through seasons - the run up to open days, the run up to entrance exams, national offer day. I guess that's to be expected.

I'd like some sort of tagging system where you declare the schools your kids are at in your profile and then it's clear who's commenting from direct experience and who's just "gossiping".

"A seperate London private school Boards would be useful"

I agree, but isn't London almost a separate nation now anyway? It has it's own internet domain too ".London"

www.dotlondondomains.london/

I practically live on the education boards and I'm not on your list. Neither are most of my coevals/opponents.......

Soz. Hak. I did add you to my manual list, but the rubbish computer didn't. You're definitely a regular in my books!

Education is one of three main areas I post.
I often appear as TiP in threads as well - actually on education, people call me talkin

I'm usually on education too. Often Secindary Ed or Staffroom though, but the education boards are the only ones I really frequent.

Now I feel picked on.

(Nasty searchy thing.)

And - although I'm sure you're all very lovely I don't recognize most of the names in the first list (apart from Word) as people I'm regularly on threads with. They're all in the second list.

What's your conclusion OP? (FWIW I really don't love the sound of my own phonekeys tapping - I'm generally just trying to be helpful.)

My conclusion is that once we have a list, we can then start dreading some sort of MeetUp, a bit like a school reunion where no one wants to actually meet the people going but feels strangely compelled to.

PS - I've never ever gone to a school reunion.

Me neither!

I went to a school reunion - it was hysterical.
Not because of the other pupils, but because the former year 1 teacher waited till the whole place was heaving with old girls and then bellowed her trademark
hands on heads
and we all did - ranging in age up to 40
the wine and canapes went everywhere

TBH a word search will not pick up name changers like Hak and Xenia

Whatever happened to Litchick?

I've been on MN under various guises for 11 years and I've never seen any of those names in the first list

A MeetUp would probably leave me wanting to jump off a cliff because everyone else's dc would have 15 A*s, be Grade 8 on six instruments, have Oxford dons bashing down their door and be all set to be an investment banking doctor (with a bit of Magic Circle firm legal work on the side).

Ooh I'm on that list!

FWIW I probably do post more than the other usual suspects. They have proper jobs . My working days kinda lend themselves to regular short bursts on MN.

pickled I heard that litchick had to change her NN because a journalist worked out who she was and brought up an MN thread in an interview .

I haven't been to a school reuinion but I have been back to my old school to give a talk.

There's still a (terrible) picture of me on the wall, holding my offer letter to Oxbridge. My hair is backcombed and I've got so much Coty Sunshimmer on, I look like one of the black and white minstrels!

Oh Word, that pleases me no end .

Yes, of course I do know WordFactory from the first list. I suppose one does notice other people posting about similar education stages as one's own dcs. And in fact generally only about one's first dc's milestones. I find that the minute one has graduated to a new phase one absolutely doesn't care about what's gone before. I particularly wince when people complain about the cost of primary school trips. That £6 looks decidedly bargainous when at secondary school you are faced with a letter extolling the educational virtues of a trip to New York costing £900.

I don't post all that frequently, but when I do, it is mainly on the Education boards.
I agree, I go crazy with the acronyms for the London schools, plus all the 11+ angst does my head in as I'm luckily in a comp area.

How rude of me. I forgot to serve ..... hope no one goes short.

You forgot the and the and the and the

TalkinPeace - (sorry everyone about hijacking here) but could you hike on over to the Year 12 thread cos I am a bit clueless about how PS deals with university application procedure... and ds is even more clueless!