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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Tips for surviving a residential please!

32 replies

glinda · 19/04/2015 10:56

Off in a few of weeks for 5 days of outdoor pursuits with lower KS2. - All good except 5 female members of staff have to share 1 bedroom and bathroom! They are all lovely, but much younger and thinner than me. Can't cope with the lack of privacy!
Anyone done this and survived???

OP posts:
Thatssofunny · 19/04/2015 11:44

Haven't done that before. I've shared with a friend previously, but it was only the two of us in one room. How come you have to be all squashed in one room? Shock On our last residential, each member of staff had their own room. (I'm at a small school, though, and we don't usually take five members of staff with us anyway.)
Apart from that, use the bathroom at different times. Get dressed in the bathroom? Take a dressing gown. Smile

Original poster
glinda · 19/04/2015 12:01

I think that there are 3 staff bedrooms available at the centre. One child we are taking would not cope in the dorm so she is in a staff bedroom with a relative. The male member of staff has a room to himself so the rest of us are squeezed in together.
We will either come back the best of friends - having faced adversity together - or hating each others guts! Wink

OP posts:
womaninthewildsofwales · 19/04/2015 12:17

Aside from your question can I just say; all the very best of luck, you deserve a medal for going in the first place!!! I say this as the mother of children who are currently all going on residential trips :-) I hope the parents of your charges are similarly thankful!

teacher54321 · 19/04/2015 12:27

Bugger that, you are a saint! Whenever I've been on residentials I've only had to share with one other member of staff (same age as me who happened to be one of my best friends) or had a room to myself. Would it not make more sense for the child who has to share with a family member to stay in a local B and B?

noblegiraffe · 19/04/2015 12:42

I had to share with a member of SLT that I didn't know very well once! Luckily we were so shattered from days of looking after a bunch of Y7s that it was straight to sleep with no awkward chatting.

esiotrot2015 · 19/04/2015 12:58

It sounds hell

On the last residential my year 6 ds went in one teacher was disturbed all night so the second night the kids weren't allowed to disturb that teacher & to knock for the others

How will that work if you're all in the same room ?!

kickassangel · 19/04/2015 13:13

I have shared with other teachers, parents, and the kids.

Get changed in the showers and get up early enough to be first in there. I use sleeping tablets as I wouldn't sleep at all without them. Accept that there will be a certain amount of dirt in your life. Try to rosta breaks individually, I tend to get one hour in 3 days when I can lie down or get a shower in privacy. Have strict instructions about a bath/lie down/ quiet when you get home, and a take away.

Original poster
glinda · 19/04/2015 13:13

Thanks for all the sympathetic posts. There is no doubt that it will be a demanding week. We did consider suggesting a B&B for the girl and her Mum, but we wanted her to be part of the class as much as possible as she finds friendships and social situations tricky.

Noblegiraffe I am SLT - It hadn't occurred to me that the other teachers might be intimidated by me! I was too busy worrying about my wrinkles and wobbly bits!

Esiotrot I don't think that any of us will get much sleep! Must take a jar of strong coffee with me!

OP posts:
Original poster
glinda · 19/04/2015 13:20

Thanks kickassangel Love the idea about a recovery plan for my return to civilisation!
We have very strict rules about not sharing bedrooms with the children. Are you outside of UK?

OP posts:
Thatssofunny · 19/04/2015 15:11

glinda You will most possibly be too knackered to be worrying about your own...or other people's wobbly bits. Grin Have fun. Smile

kickassangel You shared rooms with the kids? What fresh hell is that? Shock

Pipbin · 19/04/2015 15:13

Wine - take wine.

spanieleyes · 19/04/2015 16:56

I have to share with the Head!!

esiotrot2015 · 19/04/2015 18:24

Spaniel Shock respect !! Our head never goes on residentials!

kickassangel · 19/04/2015 19:45

I teach in the US in a small private school. I've slept in a cabin in the woods (!) where it's all one open dorm. Me and 18 girls aged 13, sharing 3 showers and 3 toilets. Even with sleeping tablets I wake up every time one of them goes to the bathroom.

You'd be amazed how many of them get homesick and need me to sit up with them until midnight until they get to sleep.

ladylily29 · 19/04/2015 19:50

Take ear plugs. You can still hear noise but it dulls it enough to sleep. We always take a suitcase of wine and chocolate for when the kids are asleep.

Lottiedoubtie · 19/04/2015 19:55

wine
ear plugs
bag a bed farthest away from the door/loo
change in the bathroom/take a dressing gown
get up early so you can use bathroom in peace.
go to bed last if you like the others and have the stamina or earliest by some distance if you lack stamina/they are all horrendous.

good luck!

Original poster
glinda · 19/04/2015 20:20

Wine, sleeping pills and earplugs????!!! Really? What if we didn't hear the children when they needed us?
The wine would definitely be a sackable offense for us.

Quite happy to be last to bed and first to rise though. Just hope the other staff don't have the same idea!

OP posts:
TheTroubleWithAngels · 19/04/2015 20:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thatssofunny · 19/04/2015 20:59

Wine, sleeping pills and earplugs????!!! Really? What if we didn't hear the children when they needed us?
The wine would definitely be a sackable offense for us.

Never had to use sleeping pill or earplugs. I can sleep in most places, but I'm quite a light sleeper (as in, if someone knocks, I wake up...I heard one of ours fall out of bed one night. No scream, no whining, no harm done. I think he just went back to bed...only to fall out again a few minutes later. Hmm )
We've always had a little bit to drink with us on residential. One place even had a bar. Don't know anybody to get drunk, but we've always had one member of staff not drink. It's never been an issue...and certainly not "a sackable offense".

teacher54321 · 19/04/2015 21:15

I have been on several school trips where staff have got properly pissed and I've been made to feel like a total pariah for not joining in (teetotal for medical reasons, but not something I'd want to share with staff I don't know very well)

Ear plugs and nytol and try to go to bed first or last!

AlternativeTentacles · 19/04/2015 21:20

Erm - why aren't you allowed a glass of wine at the end of a residential day?

Sheesh.

Smuggle some into your room and you will be the most popular staff member for several years to come.

Lottiedoubtie · 19/04/2015 21:43

Five of you in the room? nobody is sleeping well enough to not wake up if a kid needs you!

Wine is fine- as long as nobody gets silly and one person stays sober. This has been the routine anywhere I have ever worked. Are there actually any official rules on it anywhere? And I don't mean 'my jobsworth Deputy said' sort of rules...

kickassangel · 19/04/2015 22:45

Yeah. We stay at YMCA camps that are teetotal. Also miles from anywhere so have to be fit to drive. No alcohol. Plus, if you're sleeping in with the kids, and there are no rooms other than the cabin, where could I go to drink?

Lottiedoubtie · 20/04/2015 14:52

one of the many excellent reasons why uk teachers aren't allowed to sleep in with the kids Wink

SonorousBip · 20/04/2015 15:03

I have a DC on a residential trip this week and just wanted to say to all you teachers that I absolutely salute you for doing this!