I feel seen.

That's bad optics, Pop. I'm sure you can speak to it on your next meeting though, maybe have a deck to run through.

FUCK OFF.

I don't get that management boardroom bullshit speak.

GooberTheHat wrote:

Make sure you action that FUCK OFF, pop.

I'll be mentioning this in the project debrief, just FYI.

Sounds like much ado about nothing

I'll minute that response and we can discuss at the next Town Hall.

Just had my first actual work wobble in years today. A phone call to a parent who is known to be a bit of a bully, around an incident outside of school, and I had to ring at the end of the day. At the tail end of the call I was told "all that comes out of your mouth is a load of shit". I called them on the language, and they refused to admit they had done something wrong and I just got rattled. And I hate thet I got rattled.

Anyway, thankfully my head teacher is amazing and is keen to have quite an intense sit down with that parent.

But it was the first time I felt my voice cracking on the phone, and I've dealt with serious Child Protection issues. I felt insecure and unsure, and I'm supposed to be part of the Senior Management Team.

It was a bad day. I'm not expecting responses, and I don't need any hugz etc, but the main point I am wanting to make is speaking with colleagues across the city, and with head teachers, it seems that teaching staff are being subject to complete abuse post lockdown. I get that parents will have been utterly stressed during that time, but you can't expect staff, who are also adjusting to the return to school, to bend at your beck and call, particularly if online interactions have happened (which are a police matter btw).

Argh. Today has sucked.

Feel ya there. That issue I had moving the wrong patient recently really got to me at the time but in hindsight I'm annoyed at myself for letting it get to me. We're human. Go hug the laddie.

Minnesänger wrote:

Not the first teacher I know that’s been getting abuse from parents, unfortunately. Add in sick co-workers and every teacher I know right now seems to be being run ragged.

There's a run happening, certainly among teachers in our council, getting abuse. The fallout from lockdown has emerged as where do we put the energy when kids rampantly spouting shit online has been forced upon teachers.

I'm going to say this, and I know every parent here knows this but

SCHOOL STAFF ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ONLINE INTERACTIONS. IF YOU ARE WORRIED SPEAK TO THE POLICE

I'm fine. My head teacher is something incredible, and I know he is gonna deal with it in a very very firm way. But I think the thing that school staff are mostly upset about is this concept that COVID has not affected them, or even worse, that they have had a 5 month holiday.

During lockdown I was on a school mobile to parents and carers of high risk parents and carers every day, organising food parcels, liaising work, and all sorts of other shit including numerous Teams meetings a week.
There has been no consideration that staff are putting themselves into one of the highest risk spreading environments, and that we should just get everyone caught up.

Three teachers from our school, good teachers (to paraphrase the Naked Gun Shakespeare in the park ref) have actually tendered resignations following lockdown because they do not want to be used as punchbag anymore.

Unfortunately as we have had a modest payrise in Scotland last year (and we are talking 3% after 7 years of no pay rise) that will be the political argument.

I love my job and love what I do, but I feel that if I didn't have as strong a head as I do that I would be out at this point.

My head is probably the best line manager I could ever have so fingers crossed

I grew up in a place where a teacher could beat the living fuck out of a kid, saw it with my own eyes, smashing his fucking head with a wooden board eraser. Afterwards, he says to him, tell your parents so they'll hit you some more. Obviously a psychopath, and he got me once and we slashed his fucking tires.

Point is, how do we go from that extreme to parents treating teachers like dirt, abusing them? Because it's swung too far the other way. Teacher used to be somebody. A profession, respectable. Lawyer, doctor, civil servant, teacher. Now they're just fucking serving you like the guy at Peet's. Fuck off with this individualistic, service model of everything. Parents fucking suck, and God knows what feeds through to kids.

A kid at my mum's school assaulted teachers, spat at them - it made the news last week. Whole school locked down like a shooting including - get this - some following the protocol and shutting windows (ie the ventilation). For over an hour because the 999 call said it wasn't a priority.

Surely there is a happy middle where teachers aren't abusers and their authority is questioned, but they aren't powerless figures there to provide a service to you and your child. Make teachers somebody again. Starts with the parents.

I know you didn't want the hugz Reg but I did see someone with a #hugtheteachers bumper sticker tonight. So there's at least someone out there who has a hug for you.

Could also have been #bugtheteachers tbh.

yourfavouriteuncle wrote:

I’m still not sure when the viewpoint that teachers are there to raise your child for you kicked in for so many. Bit busy to talk to your kid? Teacher will do it. Kid getting fat?  Teachers fault, they don’t do PE no more. Child mentions bullying?  Scream at a school head without hesitation. Your child’s grades are falling?  Dunno but it’ll be to do with the summer holidays.

Funny you say the because in the 15+ years of teaching my wife still takes anti-anxiety medication specifically for parents evenings where she always gets yelled at. She tells the parents the student isn't working hard enough or doing their coursework to a high enough standard and they just yell at her that she isn't doing a good enough job.

They were mainly private schools so it was pretty much 'we're paying for this so you need to do better teaching them'.