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.

Wow love that joint statement! Everything I would want

Thank you. I hadn't even thought about a sabbatical! I was supply for a few years after my breakdown so I could stay home on my bad days, but was persuaded to go permanent in my current school - who are very supportive . As I'm so part time I don't think I would make a big impact on staffing levels if I was off, so there is always that!

Oh and my 3 year old has forgotten how to sleep as well during lockdown. I think it's the lack of taking him to playgrounds and soft play every day to wear him out....

Very rare that we have a joint union statement

#solidarity #protectourrights #defendourprofession

If you're really keen on swapping Honey feel free to pm me. There are pros and cons and at lot will depend on where you are in your life and your ambition I think, as well as geography of where you are.

Good statement thanks for posting

I'm suffering from lack of sleep and both my kids seem.to be turning nocturnal Whynot. I think i'm just not mentally tired enough. Setting and marking work remotely is stressful but it's a different stress. I'm used to dealing with a million things at once all day and now i'm dealing with fewer things but the pain in the arse footprint is bigger.

I'm trying to exhaust myself physically and the kids too but they're of an age where they don't just comply with nice walks.

I've started taking Valerian for sleep again. It does kind of help. But not noticeably differently to toffee vodka. My sleep score was always around 78- 80% on my fitbit and now its been as low as 48%.

Just read the statement and happy with that.
What I can't understand, and I did ask this when the unions came in to uni to get us all to join, is why there are so many unions, surely one voice would be better? Since I put my hand up & asked this in their presentations in 2004 (amid many sheepish faces from the union reps, looking at each other to answer and giving no real reason) the NUT and ATL joined.

48,% is shit. You must be feeling like a zombie!
Can I just say that I love the phrase pain in the arse footprint. Fits the current situation perfectly

I've always wondered about the many unions as well. I suspect it's a case of the People's Front of Judea

The unions we have today are amalgamations if more - Nasuwt amalgamated a long time ago, NEU more recently (which surprised me as I always thought they had quite different outlooks before!)

pfrench thanks for your thread, it went exactly as I guess you thought it would! Lots of people moaning about children not attending school, but not having answers about how to implement it. And some good ideas along the way! I think the 2 days, deep clean Wed, 2 days idea could work. I'm generally fit and healthy, although over 40, but totally empathise with colleagues who are worried about returning. If I was working in school, I might not go to visit my parents and I miss then terribly.

With an engineering degree, you could teach Maths. I am an engineer and retained in my late 30s. Absolutely love teaching now but I found it very tough to start with. I'm 0.6 in an independent school and generally have a decent work life balance.

I think you mean The Judean People's Front. I must watch that again. The phrase that always gives me joy from that is "There's lumps of it round the back...." which I mentally utter in staff meetings. As well as "Crucifixion? Good..." on the way in to any pre-Ofsted call meeting.

Oh yes- I do the Crucifixion? Good.... on the way to staff meetings as well!

I like the 2 days, clean, 2 days as well

I like the 2 days, clean, 2 days as well

Me too. I'm resigned to losing continuous provision so this would allow some playtime.

We're compiling lists of siblings to make sure they are all in on the same day. HT has said that huge personality clashes have to be avoided but we cannot begin to accommodate friendships.

However, it is Friday night and DH bought lemon gin. I'm not terribly keen on lemony things normally but I'm going to be brave and have at least three just to check

I really like the Gordon's lemon gin. It's like when I put a shot of limoncello in my g&t but without the effort.

I like the 2 days, clean, 2 days as well

That sounds interesting. So half a class in for two days at a time? Max 15, but likely some wouldn’t be in, I guess. What about setting work for remote learning?

Remote learning would have to be oak national academy with a bit of twinkle and TTRS or similar I suppose?

What about setting work for remote learning?

I'm wondering if the shielding staff could take that on?

Although you'd have the Wednesday to prepare properly, and Thursday Friday would be a repeat of Monday Tuesday lessons

Yes, of course. That actually makes quite a lot of sense.

Sorry to butt in again - my DS school, and another local primary school, are sending home work packs while those in school (him and one other some days!) do the pack relatively independently in school.

I'm liking the lemon gin! It has a very holiday feel to it.

The government has supposedly said they’ll give schools 3 weeks notice of reopening. Is it likely that one of those weeks is half term? That’s a bit of a shit way for heads to spend their half term (obviously we will all be on rotas and still working and heads will be frantically planning anyway) but it’s a bit like giving you 3 days warning of something... on a Friday.