A teacher says she broke down in tears after being abused for 25 minutes during a parents' evening at her school.
The woman wrote about her distressing experience on Mumsnet, in a thread titled: "I am a teacher and have had to sit and listen to 25min of abuse today." Explaining further, she added: "That's all, really. I told them how their kid behaved.
"I was not the only one. But I got the brunt of the parental rant, saying they disrespected me as a person and criticising every interaction I ever had with their child.
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"I held it together well in front of them, but I sought the Head of Year afterwards and broke down in tears in the 10 min I had between then and the next appointment (which were meant to last 7 min, not the 25 those parents took). Thank God I am quitting soon. But here I am, having a big drink so I can sleep, too exhausted to do much else, because I was in school from 7am to 7.30pm."
Scores of people responded to her post, sympathising with her and commenting on the "awful" situation. One said: "This is partly why so many are leaving the profession. It’s awful. I’m glad you’re getting out."
Another added: "I'm sorry you've had this experience. It's unacceptable. I hope tomorrow is a better day."
And a third wrote: "Am frontline healthcare, face similar difficulties as the teaching profession. Today I came home and told my family I just don’t like people anymore. So many entitled, selfish and just plain nasty people. Wears you out eventually."
A number of teachers also spoke about their own experiences at school parents' evenings. One commented: "Really sorry to hear that - I’ve been there too. It’s so horrible and you still have to do other appointments afterwards. Solidarity and hugs xxx"
Another teacher added: "So sorry you had to listen to their aggressive rant. I have twice before had to end meetings with parents who were being abusive. I said something like, I see we will not resolve this between us. You should take this up with the head. Her email is on the website. It did work both times but of course it depends on the situation and where you are and how safe you feel. I hope you get some sleep."
And one parent told the woman: "I’m so sorry to hear this. We’ve just been to my kids parents evening and I left feeling so much admiration for the teachers.
"I work in healthcare and try to remember that most patients are really nice. It’s just unfortunate that’s the d**** spoilt it for everyone - making your jobs miserable, and leaving the kids short of teachers."
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