The Twelfth Republic - push and glide to the summer break

[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 have really bad anxiety too at the moment.
I just can’t see myself getting a break in the day next term. Lunchtime duties are happening. I normally work through my lunch anyway, but it’s about having a break from behaviour management isn’t it? And all the work I haven’t had time to do will be added on to my pile at the end of the day.
I’m not just concerned about Covid, I’m concerned about my mental health.
People who haven’t taught just do not understand what our job entails.

I’m not just concerned about Covid, I’m concerned about my mental health.

I'm much more concerned about my mental health than COVID, right or wrongly.

I'm much more concerned about my mental health than COVID, right or wrongly

I think you’re right. Mental Health is the certain problem in the picture, Covid if you get it may not affect you as badly or for as long.

Teachers need to protect their mental health- if you don’t the consequences aren’t pretty.

I agree. Im guilty of hobbling on with the broken brain.

I'm sitting (still) writing curriculum schemes of work with associated knowledge organisers. (Who the f decided they are mandatory?) Under labour they were all there on the dfe website. I've spent a good few years writing and re writing these as things changed.

If I see anyone who voted Tory today I won't be held responsible for the broken crockery.

Boris looking to mandate mask wearing in shops according to BBC. Decision within days.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53388444

I feel your pain neuro . I am writing Schemes of Learning that may well be rejected by the new Trust. We have now had an email just today saying we need to have homework booklets for each half term ready for September. That's 10 per half term for a four-person department, one of whom is very part-time and another is an NQT from September. I really appreciate that kind of notice! 🙄

[quote notlonguntilchristmas]Boris looking to mandate mask wearing in shops according to BBC. Decision within days.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53388444[/quote]
I think Johnson has gone rogue on this one, hence Cummings making Gove day that they shouldn’t be mandatory. They’ll have a very difficult job justifying not wearing them in schools if masks have to be worn in shops for the few minutes you’re inside

*say

Current position in Scotland though is masks in shops but not in schools (we have not, so far, been told we aren't allowed them but they certainly aren't being supplied or recommended.

Just caught up. We’ve gone from mythical posters with consultant partners to ones who personally know accountants and gps who are cleaning toilets

I’m in school later this week with vulnerable kids again and then it’s end of term. Hoping to get a time table so I at least know what days I’m working come September!

Oh the consultant partner! Well and truly outed her NC there eh?

Oh well. Plus ca change.

Oh the consultant partner! Well and truly outed her NC there eh?

Ooh, it’s THAT poster then?! I thought things sounded familiar.

Just heard we will be teaching in tutor groups for year 7,8 and 9 instead of maths sets so that’s me fucked then.

@Fossie have a look at the mixedattainmentmaths.com website, it might have some ideas/support for you?

Got our outline today and I'm not unhappy!

Tad, it's soul destroying.

I'm getting idea fatigue. And so much will be impossible to deliver in sept.

I'm holding out hope that at least it's there in sept 2021... possibly.

I know what you mean. I have spent all day trying to make a summer activities booklet that no kids will bother to do and I can't even manage that. 😩 Someone on the loo thread is telling me that secondary SLT should organise a rota if we don't have the same amount of adults as her primary. Bang goes PPA then!

I will not find out until the end of term when and where I will be working. SLT making a big deal about switching off completely after the last day for at least a fortnight. Which of course is understandable and they deserve it, all of us do. But I am not impressed that non-teaching staff are being left hanging until the end of Aug before timetables finalised, that seems a bit shoddy to me. We do have lives to plan ourselves and other things going on if we are part time. My good will vanished in a puff of green smoke when I was told that, I’m afraid.

Advice in Wales out today. Not very far different from what I've picked up from here about England's advice. My class already sit facing the front but I'm going to struggle with the stay 2m apart bit.

And no assemblies/singing prac to break up the day? I'm in charge of the singing and will miss leading that weekly a bit .

I have live lesson fatigue and have to do zippy, exciting year 12 induction lessons !!

Our sxhool are pretty much ignoring all advice.
They are doing 'bubbles' of 60.
They have gone back to round tables so kids facing each other.

All they are doing is staggering the drop/pick but that is probably lowest risk bit anyway as it is outside...
And kids have to be taken from the gates. So
1 big queues likely
2 reception may not want to go so bigger q
3 it will mean more hanging about waiting for teachers
4 teachers will surely have to get closer to kids to walk with them
5 tbh it's ridiculous and in fact parents will end up closer together than spread over playground.
Im sure that might help a little. But ignoring the main things the gov is doing to reduce risk.
Maybe they will have a rethink about bubble size if the who says more about airborne transmission.
That would also affect plans for kids to eat in the canteen together...

It's the little things that will take more time. I am used to spending the evening sorting photocopying for tomorrow, then i'll bang it out early in the morning. Now we are not allowed to and we have to put pc requests in to the office 3 days in advance. This will stop me being able to respond to learning. Usually I can see what a gap is, find something from my 20 year strong collection, print it. No more. I also can't respond to a request and print something immediately.

Plus I HATE everything on one desk. I am trying to do something lovely and artistic for year 6 but the fact is we don't have enough gluesticks, pens, pencil crayons or felttips for one set each let alone enough pastels or paint. We only get given 3 pencil sharpener in September ffs! And 10 rubbers!

Today I ate my lunch outside with them after wiping tables and doing loos and sinks. I had a quick sandwich and a chat then i'm back on. I realised that by 3pm I had had 1 cup of tea and a sandwich standing up supervising. I'd squeezed a wee in while they were outside by dint of another staff member still teaching watching them through a window. That's one wee from 8am till 3pm.

I actually do have a husband who is a chef. He isnot cleaning loos and he is a darn sight happier to be going into work than I am. I am happy he is in work too. A chef without a kitchen to run is a bloody annoying one as it turns out. His leaving at 5am and not getting back till late has been the glue that held our marriage together. I mentioned the loo thing and he said (quote) "Fuck off - clean what? That's not my job!"

Apparently, I'm too aggressive on either the loo thread or the other one.
Anyone got any gin?

And can I ask, if we've not done it already, where we stand on masks if they become mandatory in shops?

We need Scotland to mandate them and the Boris will follow suit.

And can I ask, if we've not done it already, where we stand on masks if they become mandatory in shops?

I would hope the unions would have a field day.

Will Boris do it though?

It was a "thing" on the bbc news but not one single person asked if it would apply to schools.