Shocked by hatred of kids & parents on TES website

[kris007]

I've spent a bit of time reading the TES website which contains threads and postings from teachers and I am stunned by the level of hatred and abuse directed towards students and their parents. I am horrified to think that some of these creatures may actually be teaching my kids!
It appears that the "state of war" we read about it British classrooms is by no means one way traffic - the teachers
seem to relish getting in on the all the drama.

By kris007 Wed 20-Feb-08 19:22:13
I agree - the spelling on the TES site is shocking. I've only just come accross MN and, after paging through quite a bit of the Education and Secondary threads, I've not found anything remotely like I read on TES in terms of abuse directed towards teachers. The most popular descriptive word on TES when talking about kids appears to be "feral"- these 23 year old fools with little or no life experience are actually teaching our kids!

ACROSS :

On my desk tomorrow morning, copied out neatly 30 times.

The majority of teachers won't ever post on TES. Anyone can post on there-they do not have to prove they are a teacher. They are letting off steam-some students and parents are very difficult to deal with! They have to be polite when faced with abusive parents, so it isn't surprising they vent later.

Me too! I am still amazed at the way rules such as "no make up or jewelry, shirts tucked in etc" seem to be so important, when standards of spelling etc are going down the drain. Very odd. Especially as back in my home country people haven't been wearing uniforms for 50 years lol and at the top notch school I went to, girls wore make up, jewelry and designer clothes at school age 13....(yet they all went on to become lawyers/doctors/professionals, etc)

This thread is nearly two years old!
I am a teacher and I post on the TES forums. It's an excellent place to get advice from other teachers, and to let off steam.

I post on TES and I am not a teacher
I think op sounds like a real shit stirrer and is trying to make her daughter the same.
I imagine the school will be DELIGHTED when she leaves.

It may surprise you, but looking neat, taking off coats etc is indicative of schools that care and pupils that strive.
When viewing a school I would look for the little things-they are very important. I would also want a school where parents back them up-if it is a school where parents try and insist on the DC having the 'right' to wear large earrings when they are against the rules I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole!
TES is very like here. If you go onto threads about teaching you will even find teachers asking for advice on Literacy lessons on Christmas Day! They are very helpful. If you go onto Opinion or Have Your Say -you will get threads like AIBU. People could get a very one sided view of Mumsnet posters if they opened some of the threads starting with swear words for example.

I recently turned down work in a school because on the school's website, there was a picture of a girl (I guessed at year 9) CAKED in make-up.

That says it all really and, if her parents back her in this, it is most definitely a school to be avoided.

I don't really care what teachers say about my children on a website. I do care what they say to them, and behave towards them, in the flesh. That is what matters. I have long ago given up the hope that every teacher would fall to their knees and worship my precious offspring.

I would liketo think that the teachers teaching my kids think they are delightful little people

But my mum was a secondary school teacher (a good one, too) and she had many a hair-raising story about things that happened (though mainly to other teachers- they wouldn't have dared in my mum's class!)

I personally think teachers have a hard job. I know a few parents who whinge constantly about their little darlings' teachers, for petty reasons, and are never away from the school complaining. You might be surprised at some of the things teachers have to put up with all in a day's work

piscesmoon Sun 28-Feb-10 19:29:06
"It may surprise you, but looking neat, taking off coats etc is indicative of schools that care and pupils that strive."

I don't think the foreigners on this thread are exactly denying that as such: they are more wondering why this is the case in the UK when these things clearly are not the case in their own home countries. I have often wondered that myself actually. In this country, yes I have noticed that a school can often be judged on attention to dress code, how you address teachers etc. But Swedish schools don't have a dress code and the children address their teachers by their first name; yet, this alone (ime) is not a sign that any one Swedish school is going to be full of feral kids. So clearly it's not a universal sign but more something cultural.

What I think it means is something like this: All societies have ways in which they express respect. In this country, wearing uniform and addressing adults as Mrs X happens to be the way it is done. Most people are aware of this and therefore it is a fair bet that when someone turns up with in a T-shirt and heavy makeup at a uniform wearing UK school, they are making a Deliberate Statement ('I don't have to adhere to the usual respect code').

In Sweden or Canada, the respect code is not based around clothing so a child who turns up wearing casual clothing isn't making a statement at all, hence will not be judged as statement making. Which is fair enough. But of course there are other ways of showing disrespect: all you have to do is to depart from whatever code is the norm where you happen to live. All societies have ways in which you can signal that.

A really good point cory. It isn't one I have thought of, but it must be cultural. I only know that in the UK I would refuse to go and supply teach in a school where they kept their coats on and wore thick make up and huge earrings. I wouldn't even do it for double pay!

Funny to see this thread - I sat last night reading a confession's thread on the TES website - I was quite shocked at some of the very slack practices suppposedly taking place in classrooms across the UK. The teachers on that site really need to get a grip & grow up, if they don't like teaching kids then they should change their careers, I'd hate to think any of them were anywhere near my kids never mind teaching them.

I am a teacher, MrsMatey and I was shocked by a lot of it. Some I could agree with-I would love to see Chris Woodhead teach a class of 30 mixed ability 10yr olds.
However I am shocked by some threads on Mumsnet. Others are very caring and helpful. TES is the same-read them all to get a balanced view.

Parents let off steam about teachers constantly on Mumsnet and I haven't noticed them being toasted! I defend the teacher-generally I tell them they don't want to end up the staffroom joke (or find themselves on TES!)

You really ought to read other forums, such as primary education, to get a proper picture. If people just read AIBU on here they would get a distorted picture of modern parenting!

i dont knwo anyone in the private who gets paid more

they do a little bit pisces, you know, "oh another teacherbashing thread "

it's true that there is a good balance on mn and usually when there's a thread criticising a teacher, other parents not just teachers will come on and say how hard they work and how difficult their job is

i think teachers paint themselves as victims on mn a bit

i have teachers in teh family by the way and teachers as friends

what's with all this "a bit", maybe I'm trying not to offend

i don't really care that much, don't know why I'm pussy footing

teachers do paint themselves as victims very often on mn

there

they do
BUT conversely they never get any thanks

True-they get defended. I suppose all teachers have come across the impossible parent!
I have occasionally posted on TES but never on Opinion-I bet many teachers steer clear-if I was to go on and say 'I'm glad you don't teach my DC' I would get lynched! However if I went on Primary Education and asked for the best way to teach a particular lesson, I would get lots of help and useful suggestions.
I would never start a thread on here on AIBU-simply not worth the abuse!

they get loads of thanks, loads and loads, and lots of parents on their side

don't hear much about how brilliant and helpful parents are though

we're all terrified of seeming like pushy parents and being consigned to the staff room conversation pig pen

teachers often have a crappy job it seems but so much of what is wrong is due not to them but NC requirements, the push towards the middle ground, pro forma worksheets, time deprivation due to paper work, stupid twatty homework etc etc

there's a lot to criticise, it's not always the teacher but to the parent -- it could look like it's the teacher's fault