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.

[Asuitablecat]

Not. Sure high schools are going to want 250 excited yr6 kids running around school in.this climate either. Let alone all the fun transition activities.

[Feenie]

Behaviour is terrible the final half term

This ^^ Usually there is a performance to distract them. I have no idea what to do with a class of Y6s who will definitely have checked out mentally and whose behaviour wasn't great in the first place (September). I can't turn it round again under these circumstances.

I know they need closure, they just don't need seven weeks running riot and getting on everyone's nerves, including their own, to do that.

[phlebasconsidered]

At least not having seen each other for months they won't hate each other as much as they normally do at this point. Mine always really loathe each other by now and they start forming new groups depending on where they are going, dumping less "cool" friends and so on. It's all very Lord of the Flies!

[Piggywaspushed]

I actually once had a child asked 'what happened is everyone is ill at the same time, like y'know a virus'

I said ' 'well, that's not going to happen'.

They then wittered on about norovirus for quite some time.

Nostradamus alive and well and living in semi rural UK.

[Piggywaspushed]

If they decide to follow suit in 3 tier areas and worry most about transfer (this I think has ben stoked up by EduTwitter and parent groups) then middle schools will have year 8s for seven weeks. This is, surely, even WORSE than year 6! They go on constant trips and residential, never had any (official) exams in the first place, do lots of parties, have proms , hang out at playgrounds looking 'hard', generally behave like entitled twazzocks... They literally do NO work.

I really hope no one suggests they come to the upper school instead...for some learning...

[phlebasconsidered]

When I taught secondary I told a student that because their coursework was so lacksadaisical they would have to pull out all the stops for the exam. They laughed and said they'd break a leg so they didn't have to do it. Then they were in a car pile up and did one arm, a collarbone and a leg!

[FlamingoAndJohn]

Kids cannot use laptops or PCs.

Dh teaches ICT in a primary school. In year two he does a whole session on using a laptop track pad. He usually needs to redo it too.

Our head wants the year 5s in too. As said above, the year 6s have mentally checked out.

One colleague had a good idea.
Come back in September but with all the children in their old year groups for a week or two. Then slow transition to the next year group or secondary school.

[ScorpionQueen]

Good morning. Just signing in.
I'm getting increasingly anxious about reopening, my primary school hasn't been cleaned properly since doors were shut for lockdown. We've just been using the hall for keyworker children.

[Beawillalwaysbetopdog]

Hi, can I join please? I need to stop reading AIBU threads and if I just follow this then it might stop me.

Adult daughter is threatening to confiscate my phone if she finds me reading one of 'those' threads and likens it to the self-harming scrolling through the twitter pages of an ex.

The absolute best suggestion I saw, quite a few weeks ago, was the suggestion that kids do shifts of 7-12 and 1-6. At least they were considerate enough to give us an hour for lunch when I normally only get half an hour. Pretty sure if this happened we'd all be dead, and not of coronavirus...

Also, the many, many suggestions that don't worry if your kids not doing any work, the teachers will definitely help them catch up are making me worry about how exactly we do that without having a horrendous workload.

[TubereuseNordlys]

Here's a map for all the newcomers to the Third Republic

[MsAwesomeDragon]

I've finally found a positive from dd2's Roblox addiction. She is an expert at using a laptop!!! She's amazing at it, because apparently Roblox is easier on my her laptop than it is on her tablet. And she knows how to take screenshots, put them in open office documents, make PowerPoints, etc so she can share it all with her friends, lol. She has even figured out how to record her screen to make "YouTube" videos about various bits of Roblox. That's pretty good for a 10yo. I shall now pat myself on the back for her excellent ICT skills while completely ignoring her lack of fresh air and exercise 🙄

[Chosennone]

Watching Jeremy Vine. Discussion pending on teachers wearing PPE. Will be interested to see how this fares.

We went to the newly opened B&Q yesterday and had to have a safety briefing re social distancing before we could enter the door. All staff in visors too. Just can't envisage this in schools. A one way system will help but the kids will take the piss!

[TheHoneyBadger]

at your Nostradamus piggy.

Lucky for you primary teachers you only have a half term introduction to lord of the flies. We get the whole 5 year interactive re-enactment at secondary.

Thanks for new thread. Bit gutted I missed all the booze last night. Someone had sloe gin!

[TheHoneyBadger]

Ps I’m really sad that ds hasn’t read lord of the flies or had any Orwell at school. Gutted to find a Christmas Carol is his main gcse text.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

So, woman's hour are definitely on our side re returning. Lots of acknowledgement of anxiety and issues around this.

[noblegiraffe]

I saw a photo of a school in Shanghai. Full classroom, not 2m apart but everyone in masks and those plastic shields around each (single person) desk.

[Piggywaspushed]

DS could read Orwell and Golding by himself. Mine did and especially loved Animal Farm (which made him weep, bless....)

I used to go through the motions teaching A Christmas Carol but have had the joy and privilege of teaching an especially lovely Year 10 boy this year who loved it so much , and its kind hearted messages) that he gave it a standing ovation when we finished. It is one of my happiest moments in teaching.

[Piggywaspushed]

Your map looks brilliant tube although a bit slam for me to se it properly. I note , however, that you have not prepared it for stringent social distancing by installing separate entrances and exits, anti bac at every entrance and one way corridors. Noble also recommends plastic shields.

On the subject of which does anyone know any riot police? Perhaps we should just all arm ourselves with their visors and shields.. think, then we could lean over children's work.

The baton might come in handy, too. Mainly for cudgelling SLT (joke! Apologise to any tame and benign SLT!)

[Piggywaspushed]

small

[ChloeDecker]

Morning all!
Busy morning already-is it break time yet?!

Interesting to hear from posters about pupils/parents complaining about work but not fully reading/downloading instructions. Happened with me too. Lots. It’s why I take every Mumsnet claim that a teacher has done nothing with a pinch of salt...

Oh and please don’t think ICT/Computing teachers are not doing enough digital skills although I know you all don’t! since tablets are the tech ‘du jour’ and Gove removed it from the NC, it’s a nightmare to teach (and in only one lesson a week/fortnight, there is never enough time!)

Past couple of years, the number of Year 7s who have never used a mouse etc. is on the rise and it’s tough trying to teach how to double click, whilst also how to add an attachment to an email, so they can do homework for teachers in other subjects! Bane of my life that is

Biscuits anyone!?!? 🍪

[pfrench]

I just lost it on a thread about how a head teacher wanted to visit the children. They're all talking about phoning the police on him. What the actual fuck?

[ChloeDecker]

I must live in a different world pfrench! We’ve had some of my DC’s Primary teachers do a little de-tour on the way to school to wave at some of their pupils on their way in to school on rota. Absolutely lovely.
Why on earth would people call the police!?

[pfrench]

For breaking the lockdown rules I guess.

[pfrench]

I would love to be able to see the kids in my class. Love it.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Behaviour is terrible the final half term

I actually wrote my curriculum plans to take account of this; y5 do the harder summer term DT unit than y6 as without fail, I've lost them by March.