The Tenth Republic - what is the new normal?

[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.

If you are fed up with cakes and biscuits there is now a cheeseboard on offer

If you come with a stick to beat us with then please do so elsewhere and not in the staffroom.

Where's the thread?

Nice is over rated

Nice is very over rated. I used to be nice. I've been a lot more content with my lot since I stopped worrying about being nice

It's in chat.

I'm pretty sure it's in the first bit of advice we get as trainees - don't be their friends, don't worry about being 'nice'.

@TheHoneyBadger can I DM you about RE? I had my Y6 bubble and had an absolute mare, our lovely TA stepped in as I was just floundering.
I came out of the whole day thinking I was absolutely shit, wondering WTF I'd done all day and failing as a teacher as all they wanted to talk about was football and bowel habits. All day. Every conversation, even RE.
If any of my day had been observed I'd have sacked myself and saved the HT the bother.

@StaffAssociationRepresentative thanks for starting this new thread. I've read through all the last one and this and I may have drunk wine and argued a bit with my mother about the teaching unions.

@DrMadelineMaxwell I think that was my trouble, I'd missed them so much that I wanted to actually talk to them, hear their news, make sure they were ok rather than teach.

@Mistressiggi

Nice is over rated

Definitely. We are so conditioned to it as women that I find myself being 'nice' to people who are absolute arseholes to me and feeling guilty when I put my foot down over really basic boundaries that I have every right to defend.

pinkrocker - yay for having you back in your old guise. Yes feel free to pm. Don't worry - I've had bitchface HOD walk into my classroom unannounced when I was having a lesson like that to walk around doing a marking spot check. Had to really think on my feet to try and link the random discussion that was going on to the lesson I was teaching Feel free to pm.

I went for a long walk with the dog and ended up in my parents lovely garden for a socially distanced nightcap of my dad's homemade blackcurrant gin. I have no idea what's going to happen with work - but fairly low expectations. Determined to try and hold onto my mental health though whatever the cost even if that includes not being seen as 'nice'

I'm not nice. I'm fine with that.

Listened to a Louis Theroux podcast today - interviewing Myriam Margolyes. There's a brilliant not nice woman.

Ooh have you a link? Or was it live? I like Louis Theroux as an interviewer - he seems to really provide the space for people to 'come out' honestly.

Louis Theroux Grounded podcast. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p089sfrz

Thank you. I'm up way too late and have just taken the dog and the boy out for a midnight walk. Will listen to it in bed.

I cannot believev, glossing through some threads how some posters are 'get em back, come what come may' types. The SAME posters banging on about mental health now want years 10 and 11 eating lunches in classrooms and dropping all subjects that could appear to be a bit of a nuisance! Just get em in, keep em in one room, teach them in streams (so long, presumably as Penelope isn't in the oiks stream), tutor tutor tutor, and only do maths, English , science and maybe a humanity ( fripperies like school transport and music and PE and science practical notwithstanding)

I note we have moved on from the it'll be gone by September to we have to live with it.

The crying tree commented on how we had to cope with change because she has and then literally listed all the H and S measures she is putting up with!!

On the subject of nice. My old bully head used to call me 'abrasive' and 'difficult' whereas I actually am nice! I like to be told by other staff (and pupils)that I am kind and nice because it counteracts years of relentless workplace bullying. A Dep Head told me once that she was 'surprised how nice I actually was to the children'

Oh dear :

schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-advised-to-spend-650m-catch-up-cash-on-summer-activities-longer-days-and-extra-books/

Can't wait.

And the private schools will have to do none of that because

a) they aren't getting any money

and

b) the narrative is that their children haven't fallen behind

Although they may well find some other stuck to beat private school teachers with!

They do realise they can't just extend the school day don't they. That takes a year and has to go through governors and schools would need to contact bus companies. Our school has actually reduced the school day this year and the process was started around November time so imagine gov/schools will except teachers just to do after school sessions out of the goodness of our hearts and think about the children 🙄 what those same non disadvantaged children who have done bugger all for the last 10 weeks.
Sorry rant over!

Morning everyone, hating this muggy closeness.

I'm sure ds2 sleeps worse the days I work and Dh has him. 😴 gah.

I still haven't heard wor gav but did I pick up it's was the intention to get all kids back in, carefully evading the question about full days, every week?

Even with 1 m rule we couldn't do it unless there really was limited risk any more. The bubble thing is still very restrictive.

I've said before, one of the issues with children who are falling behind due to mild learning difficulties is that thinking is tiring. A longer day doesn't mean they learn more, unless what they are doing is really fun eg pe, art, cookery.

Subscriptions to reading eggs would help a lot, plus doing it while in school as it give more structure and motivation to do it. Plus it has maths. And the teacher can check in on progress.

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jun/20/against-natural-justice-father-to-sue-exams-regulator-over-a-level-grades-system

Interesting article. I started off eye rolling but keep reading. It is a worry.

It worries me for my DS more than my students as at his school music ahs had terrible results. The music teacher was replaced, but Ofqual aren't interested in backstory.

They do realise they can't just extend the school day don't they.

I think they can if it's just for some students.

Just out of interest, is anyone else at the Complete Maths Virtual Conference today?

Yes i think they can do a catch up club without officially extending the day.

I wondered if some will buy in sports deliverers to do outside games and scrap pe lessons to use as catch up, which may also support with wraparound care for key workers. (In primary)

Hmm piggy, that's complex. I do think there should be some kind of highlight around this and the next couple of years of grades.

At the same time, I didn't do well at degree level for a range of reasons but got distinction at pgce level.

I would hope that grades don't define these young people. I don't know if they still do this but many unis used to offer two EEs to some pupils they wanted. I had that based on interview and teacher's recommendation alone.

I don't know what it's like now though.

This is a tough climate to be graduating into though.