I never thought I would consider this, but I think there ought to be a subforum in the Parents Forum for a Parents only section. And if a parent would like to post there, they could know that the responses were to be only from parents. And nonparents posting can be reported and posts deleted.
There are many times now where “know-it-all” students are completely monopolizing threads, and hijacking the initial post. The OP and the problem gets lost. A parent posts a genuine problem–a parent who has been around and is not a ■■■■■. And a student with attitude goes on to post and then argue about how stupid something is, and how they “can’t believe” this or that. And then parents argue A and the student and then a few others argue B C & D ----but the original problem X is lost, And now we are into an us against them several pages off the topic run on and the parent with the problem is not getting the feedback. The thread gets to the point no one wants to bother anymore. The student attacks can get disrespectful.
And if a parent posts in the regular Parents forum, and the thread starts to go off, a parent could request the thread get moved to the parents only section.
Currently, there are several threads where the back and forth between students with attitude and parents wanting to get the final say is just ruining the whole topic.
I’d sure like to see something like this - there are several “trolls” currently disrupting the flow on the Parents board. I don’t object to non parents contributing if they do so in a thoughtful manner - but the current set of trolls are not productive.
It could be a Forum where one who is not a parent could post by a simple “knock knock” at the start of every nonparent post. This immediately identifies the poster as a nonparent requesting to post. But if the post is inflammatory, it gets deleted and the posted is asked not to post.
I have been a member of a board that has a student only section, a parent only section, a teachers only section etc. But some of the forums are set up so that someone who is not a member simply “knocks,” posts a short idea with a request to partidipate, and asks if it is OK to continue. Clearly, this requires a bit more moderation, but I really think it could work. While this may be a board for students, the parents are involved, and would like to be able to post real life parental problems of high school and college age students. And parents would like to be able to ask and receive advice from other parents/mature adults without the attitude, lip, and criticism that has been dished out by some students recently.
Sometime my child/student can be a wealth of information. Sometimes a student’s perspective is critical. And sometimes there are issues in the Parents Forum or Parents Cafe that a parent would like feedback from just the other parents/seasoned adults.
I find myself reading certain threads on the Parents Forum and just tuning out the thread or the problem, as there are a few student posters who just can’t let their view go…
I have enjoyed the participation of some non parents. There have only been a few kids that have irked me, and that is when I feel that they have missed the purpose of the thread and are going off on a completely different tangent without awareness that they are doing so.
Since this is a blind board, anyone can post as a parent even if s(he) is not. Most of the time when a kid is off point, parents let him know, and ask him to take a hike on the many student boards.
I have posted on the student boards when I feel I have something positive to contribute, knowledge to share, but can immediately tell if I am not “getting it”. And I leave when that happens.
Yes, anyone can post as a parent, but I think we can tell when we have a poser on our hands. It’s just recently, there have been some problems with a few student posters, and we are having to PM to deal with the OP’s problem, and this is never as good as being able to post on a forum.
I , and a lot of long time parent posters, would sure like it if the parents forum would not just become just another “blog” for non parent “know it all’s”. There are plenty of current threads on CC for younger posters. If someone has a legitimate question of CC parents, or they want to get the viewpoint of other adults, then of course they would be welcome. Otherwise they should have to show their “ID” to post. How this could be achieved I don’t know. But I sure don’t like the direction some of the threads in the parents forum seem to be heading recently…
while I understand your sentiment I do not like (OK I hate) the idea of any conversation on CC being closed to classes of posters … just as I don’t like the closed communities or whatever they were that started up during the election
^^ I agree with 3togo. Besides, such a thing is impossible. I have ‘parent’ in my name but how do you know that I’m not some 15 year old posting here? Let us judge people by the content of their posts and report trolls if they disrupt the flow. Are there annoying youngsters? Of course. But there are also annoying adults. Some of you might find me annoying- will you want to shut me out some day?
Wouldn’t it work to just report suspected non-parents to a mod? When the students disrupt the threads in the parents forum, they are not posing as non-students, they are just asserting their right to post wherever they want. If a forum is set up for only parents, any student could justifiably have their post removed by a mod. I have enough know it all students in my own house, it’s frustrating to try to escape to the parents section only to find some know it all students there.
