Yesterday, while on Twitter, I saw a tweet from @Clairelouise82 saying:
@Clairelouise82Claire Sarcone
Still spreading the word disgusting teachers thread is your childs teacher one of the 600?wp.me/plAS9-wq /via@wordpressdotcom
Being a teacher myself (now a SAHM), I wanted to see what this was all about.
I clicked on the link, read the post and can only say that I was horrified by what I read.
I retweeted the post – I think people should be aware that things like this are happening in schools, and I received a response from @mummybarrow who was as disgusted as I was. She very quickly found @timesed on Twitter and asked them if they were aware of the thread on their forum and wanted to know why it hadn’t been removed. I have to say that I was quite impressed that they replied promptly, thanking @mummybarrow for bringing it to their attention and removed it from their forum.
HOWEVER, @timesed then tweeted her again and said:
@timesedThe TES
@mummybarrow We’re sorry you’re offended, but our website is for teachers – a place they can blow off steam providing they don’t ID anyone.
People disagreed with this, say that these comments should have been in private. When @mummybarrow said this, @timesed replied:
@timesedThe TES
@mummybarrow Clearly we wouldn’t defend every comment. But if teachers defuse a situation with a joke it’s better than disciplinary action
I replied:
@LagosMumDia
@timesed @mummybarrow I don’t think the student that is humiliated would see it as a joke.
No other tweets were answered by @timesed.
@mummybarrow went on to write this post.
I cannot express how disgusted I am by it all… Not because the TES defended their members. And not because these people posted their insults on an open forum. So why I am so appalled?
It is because these people call themselves teachers. A teacher is not meant to put down, humiliate or verbally abuse their students (no matter how old they are). A teacher is meant to help boost self-esteem and nurture a love for learning.
All teachers have bad days, I know that. I’ve had enough of them myself. And sometimes, the kids can be very difficult – I know that too. But *never* have I spoken to a child in that manner. I would never make them feel self-conscious or embarrassed. Especially in front of their peers.
Sometimes a situation can be defused with a joke – but sarcasm and insults aren’t funny. And if the matter were serious, and the student is being particulary difficult (and other ‘by the book’ avenues explored), maybe disciplinary action *would* be best? Isn’t the child more likely to learn something from their actions that way?
I know I’m not over-reacting, I know many are as repulsed by the comments they have read.
Are teachers not receiving enough support? Are students becoming more ‘in your face’? Is behaviour getting more out of control? Can *any* excuse even be accepted?
How did this happen? How did we get here?
The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t matter if the thread has been removed or not, these are the people in classrooms, calling themselves teachers. Educating the future.
The Diary of a Lagos Mum 
Really shocked by this. Surely what goes on in a classroom should not be on public forums, even if it is venting cos we’ve had a bad day? Perhaps keep it in the staffroom and be judged by your peers?
I am horrified by the vast majority of comments made, a few I think were friendly banter but have been lost with the translation into the written word. Dodgy writing it on such a public forum.
Yes – some of the comments are friendly banter, and that’s just fine. What’s bothered me the most is not that it’s on a public forum or shared with other people… The problem is that they’ve been said at all!We all get annoyed sometimes and say things in the heat of the moment, but some of these are just completely uncalled for!Ok – rant over!