Schools to remain closed until October half term?

[stopcollaborateandlisten]

Lots and lots coming out in the news how schools will finally be re-opening - anyone else think it might get pushed back at the last minute to after the October half term?

@Danglingmod if you wanted to pm me, I could try to help. Is it a blood cancer? Bare minimum you need a FBC & film which should easily be arranged.
Does he have a CNS?

Fedup21

It a sad situation when those posters have only had their names for about four weeks.

Yet spout the same type of hatred that has been on these boards since lockdown began.

And that doesn't even mention that MNHQ have let so much of it run rife on the boards.

Fripp I often notice that’s it only a small handful of posters, and often only one or two left a few pages into a thread. (In fact, I do wonder if there are a handful of “NHS workers” who teacher bash, or just one very loud one.)

But I agree. The vitriol is ridiculous, and actually quite pointless. I can’t be discouraged by someone who has no idea what my job actually involves. Water off a duck’s chuff, etc

TaxTheRatFarms

I agree that it is only a few vocal posters that TB, leave snide comments and post lies and mistruths.

TBH after the first couple of weeks it was more annoying that MN let them get away with it than anything else.

I’m haven’t seen nhs workers being particularly critical.

Agree with you there Fripp I’ve been really disappointed with how teacher bashing has been handled. Or not handled. I understand that it’s a really emotive topic, but there have been some really inexcusable comments.

@Pomegranatepompom

I’m haven’t seen nhs workers being particularly critical.

No, I think it’s just the one, actually. But they have posted an awful lot over lockdown.

If my posts seemed hostile to the NHS, that was intentional. I was mirroring the posts made to teachers and showing how unpleasant they were. I think it IS shocking when people are so critical of the NHS. Somehow it is much more acceptable when the same hostility is shown to teachers. The point is, neither is acceptable.

pomegranate

Absolutely #notallNHSworkers.
By a long shot. My point was that the most vocal one or two poster/s worked in healthcare/NHS and might actually be the same person, not that all nhs staff hated teachers.

Fedup wait are we the same person

@TaxTheRatFarms

Fedup wait are we the same person

I’ve coped really well with lockdown. Nothing has really bothered me except the schools closing. I’ll be devastated if they don’t, so will my kids.

Maybe we should stop feeding it.

First law of the internet, and all that.

The thing is, it would be very, very, easy for me as a teacher to swing the lead if I so wished.

I'm a good teacher & a terrible presentee-ist who's gone in with broken ribs (sustained very audibly in a teacher sporting event - ouch) & every minor illness going.

If, say, I rang in next week saying I had crippling back pain & my doctor had signed me off for three weeks, it would absolutely be accepted. By then there'll probably be a covid related closure if there's going to be one, & I'd be very vocally happy to supervise distance learning, monitor students who couldn't attend, do everyone else's marking etc etc.

Return early October briefly, put back out again. That takes me until half term.

Covid symptoms in early November, oh dear, need to self isolate. Covid symptoms turn out to be flu, oops, couple more weeks off. More school closures happen & miraculously I'm invariably fit & raring to go every time school closes anyway.

After Xmas, stress & anxiety caused by being out of the classroom for nearly a year...oh dear, I still can't come in.

By the time anyone put me on capability, it could be Easter, & hopefully by then we are over the worst & I stage a miraculous recovery. Or, I hand my notice in, go off sick again & spin it out until the end of the summer term.

Now, I would not do any of this as I'm not naturally dishonest, & anyway I'm rather looking forward to going back, albeit with some trepidation.

But teachers are scared. & the whole 'get back in the classroom or you should be fired!' shtick is likely to lead to variations on the above.

We all know that teachers are getting younger, & retention of experienced teachers is appalling. More bashing will just lead to more 'Ah bollocks to it, I'm done'.

Government initiatives to get more bright young things into the classroom demonstrably don't work - people suck up the bursaries or whatever & then bugger off.

I'll be in front of my classes in September come hell or high water, as I've done for 20 years. Because I like my job. & I'm willing to take the unusual risks this year. But a bit less of the berating, please, because there are plenty of perfectly competent teachers who don't especially love what they do, & would ditch it without a backwards glance, & they are not easily replaced.