The Teachers’s Republic Refuge - solidarity comrades!

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

So continuing on from our boycott/flowers we need to continue to defend our profession. This is teacher/school staff chat - if you do not fall into that category please start you own thread elsewhere.

#solidarity

Bloody hell I got sucked into that thread

In future I must try harder to avoid those threads. I need to stay in the staffroom and drink tea and each chocolate brownies.

For the love of god why don't they just contact their school if they are not happy with provision? Oh I know it is because they have nothing else to do other than have a go at teachers online. Bet they would not say those things to my face on a parents evening - I take no prisoners!

#solidarity

My understanding is asthmatics can choose not to wear a mask, if that reassures.

Can asthmatics choose to stay at home? Or only if they are ‘severe’ enough to get a shielding letter?

Right then-the Aeropress. Tell me about them-are they better than a cafetière?! Easy to clean??

Appu I LOVE mine! I've had it about 8 years. I re-use the filter papers, so my original first packet is still going! I always said I'd buy a reusable metal filter when they ran out, but I'm still waiting!

Easy to use - it goes on the cup, coffee and water go in, stir, plunge. I heat and froth my milk (I love a latte!) and then that goes in.

After I've plunged, it goes to the sink, the cap thing at the bottom comes off, quick rinse, filter paper peeled off, quick rinse (if I'm re-using, otherwise throw away). Then you push the plunger down (I do mine over a specific tub so I can use the coffee grounds on my garden!) and the 'puck' of coffee falls out. The plunger is almost clean at this point, but I give it a quick rinse too and then stack it all to dry, ready to use next time.

Ooh, that does sound easy. I love proper coffee but the cafetière is such a pain to clean.

I may have to order one!

I haven't used a cafetiere for myself, only when I visited my grandparents'! But I found if you were too quick with plunging, you'd get coffee grounds above the plunger so in your drink. That doesn't happen with an Aeropress, in my experience.

Plus, when you're cleaning it, you have to try and get all the grounds out of the bottom and that's hard to do unless you rinse them down the sink. So I like the way I can use the grounds on my garden. I suppose it's easier because the bottom of the Aeropress comes off, whereas in a cafetiere the grounds are in the bottom and you can't get to them easily.

And I will say that once a week I give my Aeropress a proper clean - you can get a coffee residue on the plunger that is fine day-to-day but I like to scrub it off regularly.

I'm sure there are some people who are cleaner than me with it and don't just lazily rinse things each time

There's also an upside down Aeropress method (on YouTube), that I've used a few times but my BIL uses every time. He says it's good to get rid of the oil first, but I've been using mine the right way up basically every day for 8 years and I haven't died yet.

Have a good look on some YouTube videos, they'll give you a good idea (I'd make one for you if we were in touch off MN!).

Might I also suggest a grinder? I have a hand grinder, bit of a faff and I don't use it every time, but there's something to be said for freshly-ground Tanzanian Peaberry coffee!

Can you tell I like coffee?! It's keeping me off certain other threads, blabbing on about it here!

If I try to hold my board marker in my mouth whilst using my hands for something else I get a gag reflex. Weird I know

I'm the same. Going to the dentist is a tricky experience.

Half watched Gavin in Parliament it was worse than one of my lessond.

Lessons!

Have a good look on some YouTube videos, they'll give you a good idea (I'd make one for you if we were in touch off MN!).

Ooh, would love you to make me a video!!

Not happening on MN!!

I am going to make a delicious gingerbread latte now, though. Yum!

Schools will reopen in phases, says Williamson www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52469939

@SallyLovesCheese - can I have a medium size one please?

I have a double free this afternoon and I going to make pistachio and chocolate macraroons (a Guardian recipe)

#teachermentalhealth #staffroomcakes

Can asthmatics choose to stay at home?

The thing is the 12 weeks SD advice prior to lock down still exists to the 7th/8th and I suppose could be extended?

Initially we were asked if we were choosing to SD. But then I got the impression people at our place were told to if they had the specific underlying conditions.

Thank you for this thread. I thought I was doing ok until I was forwarded (why on earth would you send concerns to the class teacher first when you can send it to their boss's boss...) a horrible email from a parent of one of my students.

Basically because I don't run Zoom lessons (yay independent school teaching) her child will now fall behind because I am not available to answer questions. My carefully created PowerPoints are 'pointless' and I'm shit basically.

Luckily my HoD and the SLT academic lead both have full access to my groups on Teams and seem supportive because it's clear that I've put a lot of thought into each lesson but it's totally knocked me for 6. I sit at my desk throughout every lesson responding immediately to queries (none from this child of course).

I would of course be very happy for said parent to pay for fibre to my door and for a new router that I can't afford to upgrade because my pay is likely to be cut due to parents refusing to pay school fees... And breathe...

Thanks for that link neuro. Never sure how accurate Beeb's reporting is....

Oh ili how mean

I do PowerPoints too. MY conscience is clear. Let the kids do the work how thye want to, when they want to imo.

Reopen in phases absolutely. It will not happen before May half term . Plus our Head has said that we will not have to teach during the summer holidays because of all the on-line stuff we are doing and we are running tonnes of on-line extracurricular stuff as well.

parliamentlive.tv/Commons

I watched it Piggy. Its pretty much what was said.

New laptops ordered for disadvantaged students but not going to get to students until end of may? I'm sure I just heard this on BBC news.

I can't believe there is yet another thread asking why teachers aren't teaching.

It's getting so boring now.

Sure Staff, medium is all yours! That recipe sounds delicious - let me know how they turn out! I have recently been making brownies-in-a-mug in the evenings as I found a Harry-Potter-themed recipe book when having a tidy at home and it has this very simple recipe in and they are delicious! bang goes the diet

ili That's terrible. I hate communications like that from parents. I saw a letter written about me (sent to the head) by a parent 8 years ago and can quote it verbatim. It never leaves you. Make sure you have a nice or perhaps a little later.