Teachers who gossip: a cautionary tale

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, just to clarify...
Your kids had their computer on, and the class was still there (or the video link for the class was still on and active) and a teacher left that on and then called up another teacher and was talking about a kid?
That's... really bad.
I'm pro-teacher, but that should be reported.

Yep. That’s what happened.

Zoom doesn’t work that way.

Class was in session, and kids were supposed to be working independently.

Camera and microphone were on.

The teacher picked up her cell phone and called another teacher to trash talk a kid.

All the students saw and heard what was going on.

Kids messaged the teacher in chat to tell her that the mic was on and they could hear her.

She eventually glanced at the chat, realized her mistake, etc.

This happened. Today. This afternoon. MCPS middle school.

Zoom/video absolutely works this way.

My team would just send a text. No way would call each other to complain about a student. We absolutely complain about students to each other. And sometimes that vent is what is needed to move on without being totally drained by the psychic vampire parents some of our students have. Such as the student who tells you at the end of class that they were frozen the entire Zoom and didn’t hear any of the lesson, can you reteaching it during lunch. And this happens 3 times a month, but they can’t watch the Zoom recording because after school their parents takes away their computer and makes them practice piano, their native language, and do math problems until bed time. And thinking this is a joke, you ask the parent who says it’s true and you should reteach during lunch.

I’m shocked anyone would blindly trust a coworker to not share that info with admin. While they might be your pal today, who knows how they might feel tomorrow?

[Anonymous]

What does "unbox a delivery" mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does "unbox a delivery" mean?

Ask your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does "unbox a delivery" mean?

Ask your kid.

helpful

[Anonymous]

Opening a box delivered by Amazon/FedEx/UPS and showing its contents in a show and tell way.

It had nothing to do with school. It was something the teacher’s mother had sent her. Not cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Opening a box delivered by Amazon/FedEx/UPS and showing its contents in a show and tell way.

It had nothing to do with school. It was something the teacher’s mother had sent her. Not cool.

Thanks. I thought it was something specific with zoom settings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, just to clarify...
Your kids had their computer on, and the class was still there (or the video link for the class was still on and active) and a teacher left that on and then called up another teacher and was talking about a kid?
That's... really bad.
I'm pro-teacher, but that should be reported.

Yep. That’s what happened.

Zoom doesn’t work that way.

Class was in session, and kids were supposed to be working independently.

Camera and microphone were on.

The teacher picked up her cell phone and called another teacher to trash talk a kid.

All the students saw and heard what was going on.

Kids messaged the teacher in chat to tell her that the mic was on and they could hear her.

She eventually glanced at the chat, realized her mistake, etc.

This happened. Today. This afternoon. MCPS middle school.

Zoom/video absolutely works this way.

My team would just send a text. No way would call each other to complain about a student. We absolutely complain about students to each other. And sometimes that vent is what is needed to move on without being totally drained by the psychic vampire parents some of our students have. Such as the student who tells you at the end of class that they were frozen the entire Zoom and didn’t hear any of the lesson, can you reteaching it during lunch. And this happens 3 times a month, but they can’t watch the Zoom recording because after school their parents takes away their computer and makes them practice piano, their native language, and do math problems until bed time. And thinking this is a joke, you ask the parent who says it’s true and you should reteach during lunch.

I’m shocked anyone would blindly trust a coworker to not share that info with admin. While they might be your pal today, who knows how they might feel tomorrow?

Some teacher friendships are crazy close. Trauma bonds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gentle tip, teachers:

If you feel compelled to call another teacher to trash talk a student, perhaps mute your video first?

This happened today. MCPS middle school. Teacher realized her mistake eventually, but it was clear what was happening.

Since I was in earshot, I heard it, too.

Not cool, teacher.

This wasn’t the first time I heard a teacher say/do something inappropriate. Distance learning has been an eye opening experience.

I don’t hate on all teachers. I know it’s a tough job. But gimme a break! Be professional. And if you can’t be professional, then be smart enough to mute your video.

DL is definitely an eye opening experience. We are in a neighbor county public school system. The unprofessionalism of our teacher is depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least she was fully dressed. One time in my office we had a very large town hall, Two people were have a side chat thinking they were on mute. They were totallly bashing the speaker, It was awful.

Cool story, but what does being dressed have to do with anything?

Referencing the other recent caught on camera event at a mcps me...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least she was fully dressed. One time in my office we had a very large town hall, Two people were have a side chat thinking they were on mute. They were totallly bashing the speaker, It was awful.

Cool story, but what does being dressed have to do with anything?

Referencing the other recent caught on camera event at a mcps me...

It was county council, you dolt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Opening a box delivered by Amazon/FedEx/UPS and showing its contents in a show and tell way.

It had nothing to do with school. It was something the teacher’s mother had sent her. Not cool.

Depends on the class. DS’s Spanish teacher does that kinds of stuff all the time and the students love it. They get to practice conversations and learn new vocabulary. When my Instacart order was delivered late and arrived in the last 20 min of a class last June rather than during lunch, I incorporated it into the lesson, which was about culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol our principal did this

Sounds like you have an immature, unprofessional principal who isn’t equipped to do her job.

Nailed it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers talk. But in my experience, the moms standing outside the school and at the bus stop are even worse. They will trash talk another mom's child in a heartbeat. Overheard it too many times to count from a distance, because I avoid most other moms like the plague.

My kids are 9 and 6 and I’ve literally never heard a parent shit-talk child. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Opening a box delivered by Amazon/FedEx/UPS and showing its contents in a show and tell way.

It had nothing to do with school. It was something the teacher’s mother had sent her. Not cool.

Um, unless the goods were contraband of some kind, that is totally fine.

[Anonymous]

My team would just send a text. No way would call each other to complain about a student. We absolutely complain about students to each other. And sometimes that vent is what is needed to move on without being totally drained by the psychic vampire parents some of our students have.

I think you meant "psychotic vampire?" If the parent was a "psychic vampire", they'd divine what you're doing / thinking and then drain you; then you'd be really screwed.

It's a shame your ethos isn't to reach every child and teach them?