The Third Republic - solidarity comrades!

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. Baiters and bashers can jog on somewhere else.

If you are not staff and just have a general education query please start your own thread.

You can play here only if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes and the ability to sniff out where the toffee vodka is hidden.

I'm a University Lecturer - I've been lurking up until now because I was getting sick of the teacher-bashing, but I'm popping in to say that they have started on us now, so I've decided to found ASISWT - Academic Staff In Solidarity. I tried to make that acronym naughtier but I couldn't.

Totally understandable YetAnotherSpartacus - it really is getting relentless and so unfair MNHQ is doing so little. Send our solidarity biscuits and coffee to your common room!

Welcome yet. Solidarity.

I feel slightly better after reading that staff with underlying health issues are wfh in Denmark. But their R has gone from 0.6 to 0.9 since schools went back.

Welcome @YetAnotherSpartacus you could have SLUT Senior Lecturers Uniting with Teachers (I know you aren't all senior lecturers, but it makes a naught acronym, which you said you wanted) or LUST Lecturers Uniting in Solidarity with Teachers.

Everybody wants somebody to blame for the problems they are having in this crisis, and we educational professionals seem to be an easy target for a lot of people.

Hopefully, your coffee is better than ours :).

I've jumped in on a few TB threads to give support in the past and have also tried to make sense of aspects of the sustained animosity. I didn't get it at first until I began to see a real pattern and real nastiness out there.

My perception is that it's not just about consumer rights (schools not coming up with the goods in some way), but the emotional content of some of the bashing is actually linked to some parents having an ego-investment in their children to the extent that they personalise their children's failures or poor performance or accusations of poor behaviour as if it were their own. And, of course, nothing can be due to their poor parenting :).

I know that teachers are doing their best, as are we - maybe with the odd couple slacking off here and there, as in any workplace.

But parents and my mature students don't know what is happening for us and that sometimes there are mistakes or similar - in my case, I put a wrong assessment up on a day I was grieving for a friend who had died - my brain was simply not working. And I'm tired because I'm working stupid hours. Added to that, teaching is not as seamless as it was because I'm missing the classroom context and having to focus on the technology as well as reconfigure a lot of content for online delivery. I'm doing my best!

Checking in with . This thread moves so fast I don't want to miss it before we move onto thread 4!

I've only got 2 live lessons today, in the afternoon, as all exam classes in the morning and they're pretty happy getting on with the work by themselves. Spending the morning providing feedback on yesterday's work as I had a glass of wine and went to bed instead last night!

Feeling a bit anxious about all of the speculation about returning to school. Just the uncertainty, really, a bit anxious about having to pick up classes I haven't taught this year and how things might be in school. Stayed off the teacher bashing threads and did some crochet instead, which was definitely good for my mental health!

I think I'll go with LUST :) Thank you and thank you for the welcome :)

I was just going to suggest Academic Staff Solidarity Union - ASSU has a certain ring to it.
Reading that article Piggy I think it did mean volunteer - I sent an earlier article like that to a retired friend and I could not print her response!

I know that teachers are doing their best, as are we - maybe with the odd couple slacking off here and there, as in any workplace

And you know the slackers how?

If I could retire now, I would. I've genuinely considered options for getting out of teaching for a couple of years, cos let's face it, they're going to be awful.

I do like ASSU. :)

I know that teachers are doing their best, as are we - maybe with the odd couple slacking off here and there, as in any workplace

In my workplace (a university, admittedly) I know there are slackers and I know who they are. Please do note the 'maybe' and 'couple' above, but I am sorry that I have offended you.

And you know the slackers how?

My line manager is definitely one! Literally has downed tools and in a department of only two, it means I have been setting the work and giving feedback on all his kids too. I will find it hard to forgive him when I see him next, that’s for sure!

My perception is that it's not just about consumer rights (schools not coming up with the goods in some way), but the emotional content of some of the bashing is actually linked to some parents having an ego-

Agree with this

Hancock on sky saying he can't say when schools will open but hopefully he can in the next few weeks.

So it won't be three weeks from now, but three weeks from when he says it, I assume

I don't think we'll get much notice - maybe a week.

I've just had a parent contact me to say that their child isn't able to concentrate, and has to watch lessons 5 or more times and is really struggling.

Uh, yerp, and this is why he has all the support that you don't like him having. I'm about to have an interested phone conversation....

James: When will I be allowed to go back to college?
Hancock says that although children don't suffer the consequences of COVID-19 as much as adults, "they still spread it".
Colleges and schools are places where lots of people from different households come and mix so it is a "real spreader" environment.
"It's too soon" to re-open schools and colleges he confirms. "I have three children who are currently homeschooling and I'm not able to help with that very much but my wife is - she has to put a huge amount of effort into that as well."
"I totally understand the frustration of those who want to get back to school in fact I admire children who want to go back to school."
Kay Burley suggests realistically it won't be until September and Hancock admits "if it's something we can do before then then we will - but I can't make any promises".
In the next couple of weeks? "I hope so."

Interesting to hear from you @YetAnotherSpartacus. IMHO, the source of teacher-bashing is a deep-seated suspicion in our culture of education and the educated. Look at the way in which educated people are derided and misrepresented in the media, and compare that with the adulation received by sporting heroes. When my secondary school students complain about working hard, I make the analogy with an athlete preparing for the Olympics. Dumbfounded responses.

@ChloeDecker - I take the teacher-bashing with a pinch of salt! Incidentally, in this climate of 'honest and open feedback' from every Tom, Dick and Harry (they've all been to school, so are experts on education!) I was fascinated to read this morning that OFSTED has declined to publish in full their survey of teacher feedback about inspections. Negative comments (7%) would be 'potentially misleading'. Welcome to our world, Amanda!

So retired medical staff who return to help are to be paid. Teachers are expected to volunteer!

BTW, my favourite student response to remote learning so far:

'miss, i don't no what to do'

LOL

So retired medical staff who return to help are to be paid. Teachers are expected to volunteer!

Typical!

And you know the slackers how?

My point is that this thread is not to put down teachers. We don't invite from outsiders, so let's not do it to ourselves:

*You can play here only if you are a member of one the following groups-

-ABBA - anti bashers and baiting association
-SWAB - school workers against bashers
-SWOT - school workers opposing teacherbashers
-STARS - schoolworkers together against ranting + slurs

Other requirements for staff room entry include the ability to find the staff room, the ability to find a clean mug in the staff room, knowledge of the photocopier codes and the ability to sniff out where the toffee vodka is hidden*

This is the spirit of this thread.

Interesting to hear from you @YetAnotherSpartacus. IMHO, the source of teacher-bashing is a deep-seated suspicion in our culture of education and the educated. Look at the way in which educated people are derided and misrepresented in the media, and compare that with the adulation received by sporting heroes. When my secondary school students complain about working hard, I make the analogy with an athlete preparing for the Olympics. Dumbfounded responses

I totally agree. I think the issue is multi-causal and this is certainly one aspect - along with 'those who can, do and those who can't teach'.

My point is that this thread is not to put down teachers. We don't invite from outsiders, so let's not do it to ourselves:

In fairness, people have mentioned SLT quite negatively since the first thread which is similar (and very common to do!) and there has been discussion about rights/wrongs of teachers, so I’m just not sure a flower was needed there but you do have a point that this should be a supportive place. It’s nice to have somewhere for a good safe moan!

I’ll put the kettle on for everyone

I'm happy to go back to lurking :). I don't want to cause any tension amongst you, seriously :). Some of my own students are teachers and we have quickly shared experiences. I know how tough it is. Good luck to you all. I do know how important good teachers were in my own life, and what an important job you do. Take care all.