Teacher / school staff solidarity needed

[OpheliasCrayon]

It's my last day of term today, but I just wanted to know if any other teachers were really upset by yesterday's news that secondary children were going to go back staggered in Jan and we needed to do online learning.

I'm primary and sen so, I'm not secondary, but I just burst into tears, I don't trust the government to stick to anything, I've been asked to prepare this anyway in case of bubble closures or if the government change their minds any further and I don't trust the government to stick to anything.

And furthermore I am very certain that they have no power of rational thought due to their insane ideas to roll out mass testing in schools. We're teachers not medics.

I just cried though. I can't take any more this term and this just felt like such a low blow from the government, dropping this on seriously exhausted teachers right at the end of term.

I know we do all plan during the holidays- that's a given, but it just felt like such a cheap shot because the government left us literally no time to prepare anything in school and basically have said here - happy Christmas, now you can prepare for this during your holidays (along with all of your usual planning) and have even less of a rest.

I just wanted to know if any other teachers felt like this?

And if you're not a teacher or member of school staff and have any inkling of having ANY sort of a go at us for what we can / can't / should / shouldn't do in school... Can I please urge you not to. I know that everyone has a right to free speech but I have no wish for this to turn into yet another teacher bashing thread (of which there have been many) when I know that I am at my absolute wit's end with this, completely exhausted and tearful and just wanting some solidarity from fellow education workers.

My school have been nothing but absolutely fantastic throughout about everything so my upset is purely at the government, just to be clear, and how they're treating us

Thank you

@Albatross26 I've only been in my job since September. I'm exams and data officer- I actually ran my first season of mock exams from my sickbed after contracting Coronavirus in school, they delivered my office phone to my house and I sat on the floor in the lounge (WiFi) and organised a full week of mock exams (which included training 5 new invigilators) and when I got back into work the head and deputy didn't even ask how I was, and I had actually been quite unwell. I can wholeheartedly believe that it will be us administering (in all senses) these tests, and with no let up of our current role. Just an extra 2 hours of work every day possibly more to organise it, and no back up if we get it wrong. Admin staff are the lowest of the low in schools, and this will be the proof.

@Albatross26 also, what union are you in please?

and for all school staff.
In my 23 years of teaching I have never been this bone tired! Weirdly happy and proud of how my school have dealt with it all. We have a very supportive SLT and morale is generally high anyway. I can't bear to hear the situation in schools with a bullying/oppressive culture.

My advice to my department is lower expectations. Teach the best you can, but choose activities and tasks that are not demanding of workload. Forget any extra stresses and work from home when ever you can. We are teaching in unprecedented times and this needs to be acknowledged. If we have to supervise testing, so be it, but other things will have to give! We can't and shouldn't be doing everything. Burnt out, stressed and ill teachers are not what the country needs at this time.
Have a restful break!

[quote Pieceofpurplesky]I'll leave this here ...

schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-staff-offered-1k-bonuses-to-work-on-school-testing-prep-over-christmas/?fbclid=IwAR3TdBqKQJu1xCjBQVv5J6PeC8JHYxHh1VA0CZjizqLVk1ydDyNOOqCf9-0[/quote]
I can't quite believe this!!!!

@inquietant

I'm not a teacher, I feel like emailing our head just to say how upset I am this has been dumped on them last minute but wasn't sure it'd be right thing to do.

I am so sad teachers are being shat on like this.

They are trying to detract from the Christmas error.

I’m a teacher. I’m sure your head teacher would appreciate an email like that. Ours sent us a letter on Friday to reassure us about next term but she sounds so few up and upset.

I think it would be good for heads to be reminded that parents are on side x

@thenewaveragebear1983 that's terrible- our head is thankfully really decent and would never expect people to work when off sick! I work closely with our exams and data officer, it's a hugely complex role. I'm in Unison

I think, as a parent, that letting the schools know you sympathise and support them is a really good thing to do. Especially at this time of year.

I'm primary but really, really feel for secondary school staff at the moment 💐

Huge hug and handhold from me! I’m a head of faculty in a secondary school but am on maternity leave until next November! I went through until October half term and I can honestly say, I have never been more exhausted! Of course, some of it was down to being pregnant but when you put in 60 hour week in non COVID times and are then even more work is sent your way...it’s simply unsustainable. It’s really terrible of the government to thrust this on school staff the day before they broke up as it just means so many won’t be able to relax and enjoy their holidays, which are so deserved, this year more than ever. It’s great to see lots of support from people on this thread! 😍

I work in SEN. We're exhausted. My team is usually close knit, supportive, and easy to laugh with. For the last half term we've been bickering, upset, and on edge. It's awful and I've never felt so unappreciated, I'm questioning my career choice and even looking at my options.

I'm a teacher in primary. We actually had our first staff member test positive on Thursday and now a Y5 child is positive today. Our last couple of days were horrendous at school.

It was so scary and worrying, stressful and upsetting. We know we're lucky to get to mid December without a positive test.

I really feel for all of you in secondary as I know what we did last week (phone calls, contacting staff etc, deep clean) is what you have been doing for months. Now on top of all that you have to become mini-medics and organise mass testing whilst teaching online.

I'm just appalled that this has been announced now. One cock up after another!