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.

I don’t have a set classroom or a car. Not sure where I’m meant to go for breaks if I’m to avoid other staff? Ah but the pubs are reopening

@TheHoneyBadger

I don’t have a set classroom or a car. Not sure where I’m meant to go for breaks if I’m to avoid other staff? Ah but the pubs are reopening

Yay! Return of lunchtimes at the pub!

You will have to disinfect your cane in between each use now goats.

I’m going against the grain here - I’m the only maths teacher in my department who likes my tables in groups! I realise I’m an outlier though 🤣

Ooooh yes pub at lunchtimes. Like my early days if teaching 20 years ago. I could get behind that!

I'll be eating in the car rather than the classroom with the kids too. Or I might go for a walk and eat on the go, which would work fine with sandwiches but less so with soup or salad 😉 We all use the department office at lunch, to eat, work (pretty much all of us print things off for the afternoon and/or discuss planning), etc. It's not purely a social place, it's a place of work, with colleagues. Never mind, I'll just print things while I'm teaching another class, and go out for a walk at lunch. Or maybe in nice weather we might be able to have a departmental picnic? On the bit of grass behind our building? We might even reach the WiFi with our laptops so it could be a working picnic.

My HT teaches... So, does that mean he can't ever discipline or have a "conversation" with any other students?

My HT teaches too top set GCSE, and a very small A Level group so can he only speak to 35 pupils in total, in a school of nearly 2000?

I have just completed my training ready to go back next week.
Apparently I am cleaning the classroom during break and lunch as well as the toilets and emptying the various bins.
I'll do it because I have to but i'll be wearing my fucked off face.

I'm going to hate the last 3 weeks of term. Seeing my class on a rota through the week will be nice as I've missed the interaction with the children. And a routine to my days.

But we are 9-3 with our kids. Eating in the classroom with them, taking them out.for breaks etc.

There is a TA shared between 4 classes who will be supervising the common area when children go to the toilet (also on a rota through different classes). In theory we can be released by this ta at some point in the day but... this will then leave the common area unsupervised so we can spend our break there... supervising toilet trips.
And someone has told me we aren't allowed to leave the school site during the break should we get one, although I can't see sign of that in the risk assessment anywhere.
I

WTF, that is ridiculous. You are still entitled to your breaks, pandemic or not. Who says 'you have to'??

I would definitely draw the line at toilet cleaning.

And the rest of MN think we are protected by rabid unions!

I have reported the AIBU. Blatant teacher bash : the two options even both teacher bash.

I'm an English teacher who loves rows. They manage to talk well enough like that. But I hated working in.groups as a kid. Just let me get on with it and stop wasting time..then I can read my book.

I have 2 holidays booked. I return from.one country at 1am Monday, then fly to another 7 am Tuesday. I feel I'm on shaky ground with that one, though. It was going to be stressful enough before covid.

I read that as rows, like arguments

Nobel neu conspiracy theory is now that RLB was sacked because she agreed with the unions over opening schools and KS agreed with Boris....

I feel like I've spent a lot of time eye rolling today and not being very productive.

I read that as rows, like arguments

Me too, and I’ve never met an English teacher who doesn’t!

Ah phleb, I've been thinking of you!Your place sounds horrendous. I hope you are ok. 3 more weeks...

I honestly think sept will be business as usual, I can't see how they're going to do anything otherwise. We will just all hobble along with raw hands and bubbles closing here and there. It's going to be chaos.

I'm primary. The whole of N Wales were promoted to send their schools on very prescriptive Shirley Clarke training the other year. She advocated lots, and seating in rows was in there. I'm upper primary and have kept the rows whereas some of the younger classes have reverted back to groups.

Now I have 7 lots of 2 tables pushed together, with the children's chairs still front facing.

School is not all about the learning at the moment when we go back on Monday so I'm temped to turn the chairs so they are able to talk better to each other rather than facing forward.

My classroom doubles up as the dinner hall. So I'm always in with them anyway if I want to do any prep for the afternoon, or plan (I can only use laptop in class as battery is shot and it does the second not plugged in, and doesn't pick up internet in broom cupboard that doubles as staffroom)

I think it was clear RLB was team teacher.

@Piggywaspushed

I read that as rows, like arguments

Me too!

I prefer to call it Speaking and Listening😀

Hello all, I teach in primary and have enjoyed lurking here recently whilst the other boards go crazy with teacher bashing. I've just reported my first ever thread - the AIBU about the suspended head teacher. I despair, sigh.

@Piggywaspushed

I have reported the AIBU. Blatant teacher bash : the two options even both teacher bash.

Nah. Apparently it's "legitimate debate" and we're welcome to enter into it and put our point of view.

DH has already volunteered to go and live in the shed. Luckily we have two tents too so one child in each of those and I’ll have the house to myself - then we won’t be mixing with either teachers or children outside our bubbles 🤔😂

Yes, September will be "business as usual," even if we do get a second wave.
Where the fuck does Boris get "schools are safe" from? Is the Coronovirus scared of entering the gates? And how come we are "safe" on the premises, but not in Tesco?