"We need to stop teacher bashing, me included."

The tension between teachers and some parents over how hard they work, or don’t work, is something I’ve never really understood. It always reminds me of when my kids argue over some thing.

No, I didn’t.

Yes, you did.

No, I didn’t.

Yes, you did!

Except it goes a bit like this:

We work hard.

No you don’t.

Yes we do.

No you don’t!

It’s that juvenile and it happened again when a loving wife snapped a photo of her husband working from home, and shared it on her School Mum Facebook page.

She wrote:

My husband is a year 6 school teacher and during school term you will find him sitting here most nights like this (even on weekends) because there is no start and finish time when you are a teacher and because teaching is a massive job!! #mysaturdaynight #goodman #teachersgonnateach

Pretty innocent, right?

She had no idea what was going to happen next.

The photo and Facebook post was 'liked' over 20,000 times, shared over 1,000 times and received 1,200 comments. And that's where things got slightly out of control.

Firstly, there was much praise for teachers by teachers and parents alike, along the lines of this.

Then, some people lost their minds.

In comes School Mum, asking everyone to settle down.

That's right people. Put your weapons down. It's not a competition.

I'd like to give Geoffrey the final word because he stepped in at just the right moment to make more sense than many of the other comments.

Yes, I agree that teachers have a very difficult job. I also feel that it can be difficult for parents who are trying to ensure their children get the most out of their education.

What we need to do to achieve better outcomes for teachers, parents and children is wake up and realise we are IN THIS TOGETHER. I freely admit that there have been times in the past where I've felt like I was fighting against my children's school and some staff to achieve an outcome and it was completely wrong and ineffective. They want the same thing I do - happy children who embrace their educations as much as possible.

Our children certain value their teachers more than some. This adorable video was posted for Teacher Appreciation Week. Post continues after the video.

I do believe that teachers work hard. I believe many workers do the same. One truth doesn't take away from the other.

So let's take a moment to appreciate that while teaching may not be harder than many jobs, it's certainly not the easy ride some people mistakenly believe. Giving teachers more support is always a good thing, because at the end of the day they are incredibly important to your children's futures.

Did you find the School Mum post offensive in any way? What would you like to say about the teaching profession?