Staffroom. It's not fay-err. Secondary have got one. Can we??

[clam]

Come on, ladies. And gents. We need a place to rant and let off steam. What do you reckon?

Hi, I'm sec teacher by training and experience (did 10 years) but currently TA in mixed Year 5/6 class with a view to transfering into primary asap. Can I sit here? Ooh, are they chocolate biscuits? Go on, then.

NOT THAT CHAIR, fgs!

Only joking. We're not that kind of staffroom. You can use the special mugs, too.

What, all the mugs? Even Mrs Whoevers much with beige flowers on, brought in when she 1st started teaching in 1961?

Well, obviously not that one.

don't touch my mug either!!

P7 (Yr6) here...god they're all taller than me....

Back FT after mat leave and desparate to go down to 3 days...soon I hope!

You need to watch yourself at some schools though...
One of our teachers was doing supply a few years ago & was told 'just make yourself a coffee at break', so he found the staff room, found a mug, made his coffe. Two minutes later, another teacher walked in, looked at the mug he was drinking from and without a word marched over, took it out of his hand, poured his coffee away & made heself a coffee.
No-one else said a word....

Wow! I always thought the old 'special mug/chair' thing was just a cliche. Obviously not.

Hi Slouchy - Houdini did not go over the fence today, thank goodness! The morning was fine, but by the afternoon, it was simply a matter of containing them and preventing them doing any harm to themselves or others!

Just to keep you all in the know... On the first day of term, a child in my class scaled a 9ft high fence and tried to go home . What I didn't know is that he's done it several times before and no-one else was surprised!

Communication systems working as normal then?

I think that my class just has so many things like this which may or may not happen, that they couldn't possibly have told me all of them! It was just a bit of a shocker on my first day.

At least we only need a virtual kitty so no 'I don't take milk' 'I bring my own de-caf' tea money conversations.

Which mug valued member of staff gets to collect the tea money in your school?

littlefish are you teaching again?

All is well with my job - second year now.

May I join please? Primary teacher too, you can never talk about school too much.

Hi Beety - yes, back in school after 2.5 years doing an "advisory" role. I just couldn't take advising adults anymore, or at least advising adults who didn't want to be advised!

However, new school is a bit of an eye-opener. I knew it was going to be tough, but I don't think I realised quite how tough!

I can't believe you're into your second year! How are all the dcs? Still as wonderfully musical? Do any of them sing, I can't remember? My dd is turning out to be very tuneful which is a great joy to me - I can't wait to start her on piano and singing lessons.

ain't that true bamboostalks - my colleague and I have actually been emailing each other this weekend, talking about school, extremely sad behaviour!

But I always find this time of year so full on, I have 105 things to do on my list and I know I never get through it...

littlefish I had an escape artist a couple of years ago, except his tactic was to slink off VERY quietly then run full pelt out the school, it's quite scary!

Awful isn't it Caz! I think the slinking off very quietly version is worse somehow. I would spend my whole time terrified that I wouldn't notice he'd gone, until it was too late.

At least this child in my class is blatant about it - starts shouting "I'm goin''ome and you can't stop me" before he legs it

We have an absconder at ours. Sat, legs astride the tall gate this morning, waiting for someone to notice him (we had, but were pretending we hadn't, because that's what prompts him to leg it). Hey ho....
Have there always been kids like these, or is it something in the water?!

I think there are more of them Clam. Also, fences around schools are now higher, so there's more of a health and safety risk attached to them trying to abscond. They used to just walk out!

And we're not allowed to run after them, either. Once they're out, it's up to the police.

2 days in y6 here...but on maternity leave right now

With us, if possible, a member of staff will follow them at a safe distance (never chasing, in case they run into the road). If they go out of sight, we call the police.

When are you due to go back popsycal?

Years ago, we had one who ran off and we all watched in barely-suppressed mirth as our extremely unpopular deputy head teetered off after him in ridiculously high stilettos.
In the end, one of teachers went out to look for him in her sports' car and found him wandering along the High Street. She stopped for a chat and he leapt in no problem, having always wanted a ride in it!
That scenario would not be able to happen nowadays, on so many levels!