The Fifth Republic - safe space? Solidarity Comrades!

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff. 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.

In the other staffroom, there is rhubarb & ginger gin, along with tea and coffee.

Also James O'Brien the man says everything I want to say but just so eloquently.

@StaffAssociationRepresentative
I am sorry your school is in that position. I appreciate some schools have different financial years so its not a new year for them and the money has been committed. We have also been buying meals but from our personal credit cards as the books were closed. The voucher scheme is working now for us. I just thought some posters were worried it was still the position that we couldnt get hold of products and cleaners were closed like it was before lockdown. Obviously this might be regional too.

ChloeDecker Thu 14-May-20 08:41:44
Shit yet essential

This should be our advertising slogan

right??? Teachers: we fucking hate you and think you're a lazy bunch of lefty bastards but we insist you take our kids off our hands from 8 till 4. We don't think you can teach or encourage or develop our kids in any meaningful way that makes you more valuable than free soft play that doesn't require parental supervision but hey ho. Needs must.

Thank you brie will look in my messages here and on that board and try to get my head round it all later. Literally had no sleep overnight and nor did ds. So we talked and looked through old photos and compared and contrasted our memories and perceptions around periods of his childhood. We then went for a walk with the dog (and stalker cat) through back alleys, footpaths and fields to my parents garden and left their meds on the kitchen windowsill for them to find when they got up and saw the sun rise.

Obviously I understand some kids have more complex needs and/are more challenging than others BUT....

If NT children are massively distressed by having to stay home with their parent/s for a few weeks then they/you have issues that need to be looked at and addressed by a counsellor or pyschologist imo. No one, be they adult or child, needs to be suffering and freaking out about wfh and a change to their usual routine. Those who are really do imo need to look at their issues and seek professional help rather than think it will all be magically fixed by schools reopenng.

He's a pain in the arse in many ways and it's a nightmare getting him to shut up and listen to me trying to explain to him how to do the task that he's loudly declaring impossible and how should he know and 'I'm just going to guess' BUT i fucking love him swear words and all and he loves me swear words and all and every shouty battle leads to a new break through in understanding and a new skill mastered.

I can't say I have much sympathy for people who aren't prepared to put in that frustrating, infuriarting, confusing effort to their own child's learning and development..

I'd love to say wer're in this together but we're not. Sahms for example are home and available for their kids but no this forum at least are screaming for their kids to go back to school.

Agree with all of that honey badger.

They said on LBC nobody should have a right to criticise us until they can answer this question.

What proof do you have we can trust this government?

Is it the care homes? Is it the PPE? What? Tell me then criticise.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/parenting/children-covid-tests-coronavirus-study-18243244

NEU posted on Facebook

I'm not sure that parents are trained sufficiently to take a swab from their own children. I understand there is a large amount of false negatives if the proper technique is not used.
Or is that on purpose so the government can say what a low proportion of children are infected?

Yes Honeybadger totally agree. Am getting fed up with this constant argument that kids are all going to have 'severe mental health issues' from staying at home for a few weeks. I mean if that's the case then we really need some kind of large scale investigation into lack of resilience.

Feedback from parents at my school has been 99% positive with the majority saying their kids are coping very well. Seems to be a certain breed on mn who are desperate to get their little darlings out of the house

Well I suppose if your child is normally ferried from activity to activity (gymnastics, brownies, tutoring, cricket, swimming) and put in holiday clubs etc then I suppose both parent and child might struggle if stuck at home without those activities for a protracted period.
Personally I think it's good for kids to get bored. Although mine are genuinely loving the BBC Bitesize daily lessons now I've let them have free choice from any year in their key stage

Sorry you had a rubbish night honey. I agree with your post.

Personally I think it's good for kids to get bored. bloody bang on. Kids get way to much organised entertainment these days. Research says they should be bored; creativity comes from boredom!

I found letting ds choose from his work book worked after a sulk yesterday; may try that approach on Bitesize!

Yes Honeybadger totally agree. Am getting fed up with this constant argument that kids are all going to have 'severe mental health issues' from staying at home for a few weeks. I mean if that's the case then we really need some kind of large scale investigation into lack of resilience

This.

The all of this was on the way I read a number of articles that anticipated mental health problems as a given in youth under lockdown, and in a moment I've no doubt will be attributed to a version of Godwin's Law, I thought of Anne Frank. There's a lockdown.

A significant number of parents need to do one of two things: 1. Go to the grip shop and buy one 2. Own that their kids get on their tits and they can't wait to see the back of them and back to school.

Oh, and 3. Stop blaming the teachers when they don't really like their children.

Mine is arguing about having to do school work, but is loving this time at home, with more screen time than she's normally allowed, baking, walks, etc. The only thing she misses is her friends, but they are keeping in touch via facetime etc. She would genuinely love to stay at home forever and never go back to school. I'm slightly concerned that she'll have forgotten how to talk and act in a classroom as she's an anxious wee soul. But I'll cross that bridge when we come to it, and she can just enjoy being at home with this extra time to pursue her own interests (Roblox, YouTube and elephants mainly)

I agree that any child who is traumatised by this situation is in need of some therapy. I realise some families are going through tougher times than others, and in some cases they are genuinely traumatic circumstances, but those traumatic circumstances would not be made better for them if school was open.

I know we shouldn't compare but think of kids being evacuated during the war, kids in war torn Syria, kids living in abject poverty all over the world. Yet ours are supposedly having some sort of mental health crisis because they have to do their school work in their bedrooms rather than in school and they cant meet up with all their mates in one go.

It worries me the amount some parents are clearly projecting onto their kids!

We had our going back plan from our HT today.
He’s really strong on H&S and I’m sure he’s done the very best he can for the safety of children and staff.

But the thought of 4-5-6 year old children sat at one desk all day just made me cry. How can you tell a reception child that they can’t go and play.
It’s horrible and not anything that I recognise as EYFS education.

Flamingo that really worried me aboutds starting reception in September. It's not going to be the nice play free flow experience my older children had. I'm wondering if it's too late to defer him

We've had only 10 Reception children "sign up" for possibly returning on the 1st. Out of 60.

That is so sad flamingo. There's no way of want any child that young to have to sit still at a desk all day, it's just not normal at all.

@echt

#solidarity

Mine aren't bored cos they have a lot of screen.time. They also have a lot more down time cos they're not out from 7until 6 every day. And mum only shouts during maths lessons, so that's better. And they actually get to.see parents during the week. And we do bike ride/ walk/ run as a family 2/3 times a week now, rather than occasionally.

Little bit worrried about dd's addiction to The Dumping Ground, but lots of adults are addicted to.soaps.

My concern with all this talk of mental health for otherwise NT children is that my 2 children and others who are already on CAMHS lists will get pushed further back as a 'known quantity' rather than parents and schools accessing the other support that is available. Our DC's primary has recently announced the new role of mental health lead. She is a lovely lady and I have already spoken to her about concerns with DD2. Our concerns are not specifically Covid related and have been going on since DD2 started at this school. However, as a parent, now I have someone other than SENDCO to discuss this with.

Hello. Have been lurking. For the last 2 days I've felt so ill with headaches and nausea. I think it's the constant looking at a computer screen instead of the faces of pupils. Hope everyone is ok today.

I am very sure that some of mine are suffering from MH problems . But they already probably were prone.

I have repeatedly stated on here that there will be some children who suffer terrible school related anxiety who are probably feeling better at the moment, so there is a balance to the argument which is overlooked.

I do think some parents are projecting : mostly out of panic, some in a desire to blame others for the uncontrollable.

We will be inundated with posts about MH as well when the schools do reopen and teachers are being cold and distant, children can't play, summer schoolwork is given and whole classes are isolated because of a positive test ...

asuitable! But yes v similar here!

Sorry cross post, yes I agree piggy.

And children with additional needs are also a concern.

Oh god, just had Head contact. We are opening 1st June, 15 to a class. All the DofE advice distilled into one sheet, airy-fairy unworkable nonsense. We are not allowed to wear masks.
I feel physically sick. There is an online meeting next week - do I sign up for it as requested or do what my union advises and not engage? I won’t have a job next year I suspect, if I do that. But do I want this job anyway, now? Shit.

@flumposie - I’ve had headaches pretty much everyday this week - and the associated worry that it’s more sinister (no temperature, I’ve been obsessively checking)