TA on Twitter - message about kids

[bearthebaby]

So I woke up this morning to a wassap morning message with a screenshot of a twitter message from my child's former TA that was made at a time when my child was having problems in the class and the school weren't dealing with it. Meetings with head about the TA.

The friend sent me this as gossip and fun but the tweet has wound me up and made me question if she is supposed to tweet.

Anyway looking back over my diary I realised the tweet was on the same day as the incident I complained about, the meeting with the head was scheduled the day after. The tweet says 'ugh others people's children. Sometimes wonder why I work with them'. So obviously aimed at this incident which had involved a number of children that day.

Her profile on twitter is open so I could go and find it. How could she be so rude and stupid?! Not to mention offensive and unprofessional? Do TAs have the same duty as teachers to be careful of what they put in social media?

I'm obviously annoyed as my child was caught up in something this day which was later dealt with by the head. But she has tweeted this vague ugh tweet about children she works with every day!!!

"I didn't ask for the teacher to act unprofessionally that day, which had to be dealt with by the headteacher and resulted in TA attending further training " you've just done what you're complaining about

Why have I done what I'm complaining about?

Am I in a professional position in loco parentis of 30 children?

Even if i was just a Mum complaining about a teacher online - would I be in danger of losing my job? Erm no.

I have an anonymous name. The TA has an open profile with her own name, she is connected to parents from her school online.

Basically saying you hate working with other people kids is not akin to a glue stick or spellings or Any matter. Public ally saying you hate kids when your a TA, when there at 1000s Of other workers not than skilled to take your place is just thick!

You're revealing information about staff and a school which may be identifiable.

Just as a quick note, not being sarky in anyway, but there are an awful lot of 'skilled' TAs out there. Lots of TAs these days are teachers who want to work with children but can't bear the actual profession, lots of TAs come from other professions - for example, I know of one who spent the last 30 years working as an accountant, one who spent his former life as a child psychologist and then retired but wanted to stay working with children. At the very least, all TAs in my school and any other school I've worked in have to have a qualification now.

I'd say you are massively overreacting.

'urgh other people's kids! I often wonder why I work with them.'

This is not "obviously" aimed at anyone. It contains no names or identifying details.

This is the sort of thing that anyone who works with children in any capacity could post on any day if they are having a bad day.

It doesn't mean they hate kids, it means they sometimes find working with them hard. Who wouldn't?

I'm a TA. Although, she doesn't mention any child by name, I think it is totally unprofessional and unacceptable. As a TA I would speak negatively about my class, school or individual pupil, however generally. If any TA in my school did this they would rightly get a bollocking from the head.

Should be 'I would never' of course.

* You're revealing information about staff and a school which may be identifiable.*

I have not names the school in the same way the TA has not named the children

Anyway I agree it now no longer concerns me slightest. So I've sent the
screen shot to each of the governors, since it's public anyway, and they can do with it what they will.

I completely agree they are so many skilled and amazing TAs. She may be one of them too!

Basically saying you hate working with other people kids is not akin to a glue stick or spellings or Any matter. Public ally saying you hate kids when your a TA, when there at 1000s Of other workers not than skilled to take your place is just thick!

If someone knew me then they'd know if I was irritated by mock exams it can only be the one y11 class I teach. I know some parents from hobbies in the area and have them added and I teach some of my colleagues children.

I don't name my place of work. I haven't named a child with my 'argh if I mark one more paper with original Shakespeare spellings I might stab myself with my biro'.
I don't really post work stuff but on the off chance i did have 'sigh. Shall i retire now? Children are infuriating' I'd be pissed off ig someone reported me whrn there's no school or child mentioned.

I think you are being ridiculous. A comment about other peoples kids being annoying once is not a statement that they hate children.
You anf your friend are quite the dramatic types.

The OP is correct.

Schools will have a social media policy which the TA will be in breach of.

Anyway I agree it now no longer concerns me slightest. So I've sent the
screen shot to each of the governors, since it's public anyway, and they can do with it what they will.
It doesn't concern me in the slightest and my child has left but I just want to stir some shit up.

It's an entirely inappropriate thing to put on Twitter, Maisy

Here is one very young woman who will not be working with children again.

There is no way that the school should not have a policy for staff going onto social media, so it would worth looking on the school website to see if it is on there and what it says.
Issues with comments on social media are becoming a significant problem for schools. Whilst this comment is at the bottom of the scale in relation to some that I have had to deal with, it still shows a lack of tact and probably a lack of following the policy of the school about social media.
If you are able to go to the relevant site I would see if there are other similar tweets. If there are then you need to bring it up with the head teacher in the context of the TA is being in-discrete on a number of occasions, which I suspect will be the case. If however there are no other similar tweets I might be tempted to say it was a one off gripe and therefore best ignored.

fleurjasmine
It maybe wasn't the best decision but she hasn't named her school or a child.

The lesson here is watch you you have added in case an innoccupus comment about your job gets stirred up by bored gossips months later.

The example you give doesn't give us all the info (e g. Has she mentioned her place of work on there? Were her account settings to public?) And that's before you consider that the details she is giving are very specific anyway.

A general 'argh kids are annoying at times' is not unprofessional.

I take it nobody on this thread has ever had a crap day, has never said 'I'm ready flr friday', has never said 'bloody management' ever. Nobody has ever said that a day has dragged or that you're ready for the weekend?

If she'd gone on facebook and put I hate my job seriously some little brat decided to wipe their snot on me and have some sort of meltdown because I asked them to share the toys then that's potentially identifyable and is waaaay too much info.

'Other peoples kids are annoying'? Not an issue

I just love how the OP keeps the company of gossips then claims she doesn't care but then wants to give it a stir some more.

I think you have to do so very carefully, Maisy

I might occasionally mention something vague about the children but there is always an undercurrent of affection rather than scorn/irritation.

Despite you insisting the OP is acting out of spite, I actually think most parents would be distinctly unimpressed and I think they would be right to be so. To speak disaparagingly about children you know in a professional capacity is misguided, naive and ill judged and would concern me.

As a first 'offence' a reminder of the schools social media policy should do the job, but I do know some headteachers are more heavy handed than others.

fleurjasmine I wouldn't have made the post in the OP, but I have made jokes about hilarious moments in mock papers etc as light relief.

I've seen colleagues at other schools pulled in for meetings because another colleague saw a post saying they were ready for the weekend. I also know of someone being in trouble for a photo of them drinking because it 'sends the wrong message'. I feel quite strongly that what people say when they are not at work which doesn't identify the school/children should be out of the remit of managers unless it is a child protection or criminal.

I think people who routinely bitch about work are naive and it's not needed, but I do feel that thr OP is only looking to stir up drama here. You are judged by yhe company you keep and if you have friends who stalk people on social media and then feed it back during gossip sessions then that tells me a lot about the friendship dynamic.
She's then come on here asking if she should complain. But she doesn't care. Abd she doesn't care but has sent it to the governors!
If you are raising a concern there is a way ti do it and going straight to the governors also adds to the 'drama llama' feel.

The thing is ‘doesn’t’ identify the children is quite broad, it doesn’t involve just naming the school or children. Sometimes they can be identified without that.

And if you are daft enough to have an open profile, possibly using your own name and have friended parents on it you are quite likely to get caught out if you post something I’ll-advised.

I'm not saying they weren't a little daft.
I'm just questioning whether a non identifying generic comment about one part of someone's job is really worth digging up months later by social media stalking and going to the governors in complaint.

The TA should have her account private if it isnt already.
The TA should be careful who she accepts.
The TA should be mindful of social media stalkers and be aware that even those inoccuous comment about having a crap day can be turned into something.

I still think the OP is stirring and thriving on drama.

rafals
The only parents i have added are people i have been involved with from hobbies since before i joined my current school. School know and by their own (very sensible) admission it is soomething that happens when lots of staff have hobbies in the area or live in catchment.
My profile is private with mt maiden name not my married name and i dont name where i work. I rarely put work on there and on the rare chance i do i only ever put daft comments about drowning in marking/hillarious moment when marking/can i not retire now it's been a long week sort of comments. Nothin to individual kids or bad mouting my school.

Lots of professionals need a safe place to let off steam. Social media isn’t it.
It would never occurred to me to befriend my children’s teachers, I see no benefit to cyberstalking them.
OP is being a shit disturber.

Agree with Maisy.
Yes, TA should have been more careful.
But dig up some dirt after 6 month about her friend TA and send a screen shot to OP, op's friend is very vindictive. If it happened at the time, it would have been totally different.
And forwarding screenshot to all the governors, by passing HT, OP is the same.
To me, telling when it happened, what she said, what Op did on public forum is as bad as what TA did, regarding how identifiable to the people involved.

Digging up old Social Media posts is a horrible new trend.
It takes a special kind of arse to want to do it.
At least journalists are being paid.

How horribly vindictive and basically pathetic of you OP. I trust you have never ever made a stressed or innocuous comment about anything ever?! And if your gleeful 'she was sent for training is correct' (and how the hell do you know that?) could this have been to do with tweet?

You both sound delightful. No wonder you're friends. If the dates hadn't matched (and I can't believe you even checked) would you have bothered finding out who all the members of the current governing body are and emailing them? Or are you always looking for ways to be spiteful?