Us for Them

[namechangchange]

I've name changed for this.
Had a wee look over on that page tonight as I have a ( possible ex) friend who's really active there and shares things all the time.
There is a post on tonight where people are actively threatening to take on the police as they have " weapons to match them ". I get we are all scunnered but I'm really worried by it. It has nothing to do with keeping schools open or protecting children!

@mrshoho

Thanks *@Outsidemum1*, yes the Scottish group appear fanatical. In what way can they compare the victims of Pinochet to the circumstances here? It is disgusting. The link I shared lists JOHANNAH BISSET, Parent, Businesswoman as USFORTHEMSCOTLAND.

Ah sorry, I missed she was in the list. It is disgusting and just the latest political strategy - the FM is a dictator, repeat enough times and the hard of thinking will believe it. Unfortunately it works ( on some) as it's been repeated on mumsnet. Also comforted to see their are normal, empathetic people on here.

I really feel like the person who put the picture up . Jo? Don't know, but it just shows such a lack of basic human morals. Especially to not take it down when others have expressed their disgust.

I agree @outsidemum1 and it is hard to fathom the agenda of these people. I did say on another thread USforTHEM should go away and crawl under the rock they came from. However they appear to have stakeholders and influence in various political parties and media.

UFT are currently asking members to post examples of home learning they get in January so they can "name and shame" those schools and teachers who aren't doing enough. I'm wondering what qualification they have to decide whether a lesson I post is good quality or not. I was thinking of doing videos with me talking but no way am I when these people might share it and slag me off So well done UFT, you've actually made your child get a lower quality of education due to your threats.

I did join UFT back in June as I was stressed at the thought of blended learning when dh and I are both key workers. Can't work from home, can't reduce hours, no childcare to fall back on.
I left in August when they started their nonsense about stupid things, and I wasn't alone.
I sometimes have a look on their Facebook page but have to leave v quickly as it gives me the rage.

@Possums4evr

UFT are currently asking members to post examples of home learning they get in January so they can "name and shame" those schools and teachers who aren't doing enough. I'm wondering what qualification they have to decide whether a lesson I post is good quality or not. I was thinking of doing videos with me talking but no way am I when these people might share it and slag me off So well done UFT, you've actually made your child get a lower quality of education due to your threats.

That is so nasty Possums and I don't blame you one bit. Don't these people get that if they joined forces with schools and campaigned for government funding, equipment, protection for teachers, they could have helped to achieve better outcomes for all children?

@mrshoho I think you're a bit naive if you genuinely think a campaigning group could have pumped more money into schools.

I suspect SG did the Maths and realised schools needed to be open otherwise worse impact on economy and less votes for SNP.

Convenient to have a protest group to blame for any subsequent fall out.

Let's not forget that no matter what groups choose to lobby, ultimately the government makes and owns their decisions .

Not at all rookie. A big part of why the Scottish and National gov went with schools open was certain groups bringing potential legal claims for lack of education being provided citing the education act. I blame the government definitely. I also believe Usforthem and all they campaigned for was deeply damaging to education.

UfT have gone utterly batshit.

That said, the idea that parents should have accepted 'blended learning' with a smile on our face and a spring in our step, at a time when cases were in single digits and the government was planning to reopen pubs, restaurants and cinemas, is really just ridiculous. What kind of 'conversation about flexible working' do you expect working parents to have with their employers? "Hi, please continue to pay me my full salary although I will be available for 20% of my hours"?

But the reason the government prioritised schools for reopening is not because of UfT, it's because they realise a) how important schools are - to children's life prospects, and to the economy of the future, not just to allow parents to work - and b) how limited their ability was to fix the damage caused by long-term school closures. If governments close private sector businesses, they can mitigate the damage a lot by writing a cheque. If they close schools, there is no cheque they can write to cancel out lost education and increased social inequality. There are no non-damaging measures to take, so they take the measures where they can mitigate more of the damage.

I know it became rather fashionable on Mumsnet this year to believe that schools were really just some kind of luxury babysitting service that parents were being a bit entitled to want in the first place, and all education could easily be delivered by BBC Bitesize, but schools are important. When Nicola Sturgeon said in Parliament yesterday that she was willing to close down even more of the economy to keep schools open, she was not saying that because she's scared of a Facebook group of anti-mask conspiracy theorists being mean.

Totally agree with you @GoldenOmber!

I've left the group too thanks to this thread. All I ever wanted was my DC to be back at school and, unlike many on that group, I accept whatever changes are necessary to make that happen.

I'm sad about the requirement for face coverings and the loss of singing. I am really happy that my DD is learning to sign all the songs they normally sing.

The solutions that schools have come up with are not perfect, but they are good enough given the circumstances.

I am eternally grateful to all the staff for everything they have done during lockdown and since then too.

They have absolutely undermined their case by engaging in all the anti-mask, anti-vax conspiracy theory nonsense.
However this current school closure is interesting, what has driven it? I’ve got one devastated little boy who although will attend the keyworker school he’s devastated that he won’t be back with his friends. He’s worried that the virus has got much worse. I’m just not sure the ‘new’ super strain is clear. It seems very speculative to close schools at least until the 18th of January.
Us for them has a purpose again, but sadly has undermined its purpose with all its nonsense since July.

@GoldenOmber

UfT have gone utterly batshit.

That said, the idea that parents should have accepted 'blended learning' with a smile on our face and a spring in our step, at a time when cases were in single digits and the government was planning to reopen pubs, restaurants and cinemas, is really just ridiculous. What kind of 'conversation about flexible working' do you expect working parents to have with their employers? "Hi, please continue to pay me my full salary although I will be available for 20% of my hours"?

But the reason the government prioritised schools for reopening is not because of UfT, it's because they realise a) how important schools are - to children's life prospects, and to the economy of the future, not just to allow parents to work - and b) how limited their ability was to fix the damage caused by long-term school closures. If governments close private sector businesses, they can mitigate the damage a lot by writing a cheque. If they close schools, there is no cheque they can write to cancel out lost education and increased social inequality. There are no non-damaging measures to take, so they take the measures where they can mitigate more of the damage.

I know it became rather fashionable on Mumsnet this year to believe that schools were really just some kind of luxury babysitting service that parents were being a bit entitled to want in the first place, and all education could easily be delivered by BBC Bitesize, but schools are important. When Nicola Sturgeon said in Parliament yesterday that she was willing to close down even more of the economy to keep schools open, she was not saying that because she's scared of a Facebook group of anti-mask conspiracy theorists being mean.

Wel said. Although they were trying to find out where she lives which is quite scary but guess she has protection. This thread has cheered me up no end. I saw the post slagging off a pack of stationery which had been given home by a school. Do these parents not realise that in other countries ( including some in the UK) that would not happen? And it's done to ensure all pupils have what they need?

Well said @GoldenOmber you articulated what I was trying to say, so much more successfully than I did.

Trying to find out where politicians live, truly the mark of a reasonable group there

Why were they complaining about stationery?

They’re all mad. I joined back in June because I wanted kids back at school but very quickly left.

@GoldenOmber

Trying to find out where politicians live, truly the mark of a reasonable group there

Why were they complaining about stationery?

I don't remember exactly, one put up a picture of the home learning stationery pack and others put general s*itey comments, with an accompanying 'Call To Action' beside it. I had a look tonight and I must admit I laughed way too hard at the template email re 'We're going to get on up on you SG by making sure our children do no home learning. ' The irony knows no bounds with this lot.

There's a new thread on there tonight about Matt Hancock. To be fair I'm not a fan either but the increasingly aggressive tone is very evident, and the batshit theorists are out in full force again winding each other up

I'm actually stunned at the number of seemingly sensible people I know who are still members of that group. Presumably they've stopped reading threads or have turned off alerts or I'm sure they'd be running for the hills.

Unsurprisingly the couple of incredibly high maintenance people I recognise are still there and still commenting. They've clearly found their tribe and unlike the school playground no-one there is running away when they see them coming!

What's wrong with providing stationery FFS? In the first lockdown my daughter's Higher Art teacher dropped round materials for her coursework projects and I was really impressed. Even if we're just talking paper/pens/pencils, some families will be on tight budgets/stressed about getting everyday shopping and this might not be on their list.

Take a screenshot then send to the police. It might be somebody running their mouth, but what if they are not?

I think if it was made clearer why schools are closing, and there was a clear return date it would help ease so many worries. Are the schools shutting to minimise the impact after Christmas mixing, or because of the new “super strain”? It’s hard to tell a child why the schools are shutting again, after assuring them it is safe, now it’s not again? What’s the reasoning? It’s confusing for young kids. I don’t want my P1 scared of going there, I’ve not mentioned the online learning yet, not sure how I’m going to tell him we’ve got to do homework after so long on holiday 🙈

Please don't join Usforthem to try to get answers to those questions. You won't. But you will add to the numbers and help validate their boasts of increases.

Usforthem aren't interested in answers only their rhetoric which involves threats to medics, the police, teachers and even the clergy if they don't follow their extreme ideologies.

I hate the lack of knowledge too both as a parent and a professional. I am lucky that I have medics, scientists and police officers amount my friends and relatives so can ask questions of them . I had hoped we'd get some more information today.

Someone has posted on their fb page that their child's teacher has passed away from Covid. How many comments do you think there are sympathising with this man or his family? (If you're thinking anything above zero, you'd be wrong).

Such a sad lack of empathy for others. No one should be unsafe at work and people working in schools are only safe if community levels are low. The new strain is particularly worrying and areas of Scotland which have had 0 cases since June are now in double figures. I've just came off another thread on here as can't stand the downplaying of the seriousness of the current situation.

They are currently saying they won't engage with online learning (I assume their dc don't get a say in this). No doubt they will still complain about what is on offer.