Thirteenth Republic - School’s out for summer, no more pencils no more books!

[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

On childcare and the economy my research and thinking last night was pretty eye opening. And in terms of our government I can well imagine them thinking well if anyone’s got to be economically inactive it might as well be women with young children who are always buggering off on maternity leave or sitting at home when kids have the sniffles.

I think mn gives us the illusion that working mums with children are half of the workforce. Looking into the stats made it abundantly clear a Tory government could sacrifice them.

Though they’ll want single mums working likely.

@motherrunner I'm so sorry, it is so hard. DH and I will not cope if we can't see DS again. He has very limited mental capacity so didn't understand why he couldn't see us, it absolutely broke us. You can imagine what amazing teachers we will both be if this happens again

It’s just the quickly having something up with the title and an independent starter so I can catch my breath from moving classrooms with all my stuff and get them settled whilst I take the register really.

And the fact it is incredibly rare to have enough textbooks for one between two therefore helps to be able to have stuff on screen and just do printouts for those who can’t work from the board or who need a greatly differentiated version due to literacy or sight issues.

Many boards we’re not allowed to write on annoyingly.

Already thinking of other ways to use visualiser. Might write down student q’s on paper that are ones we haven’t got to yet or extension questions or ideas that are a bit tangential (there’s always a few) and then at the end of the lesson project them with visualiser and see if they can now answer them or discuss them/reframe them in light of what we’ve learnt.

We’re going to have to look after our voices you know. No group work with us milling around doing one to one questioning etc. All from the front.

Must be awful having loved ones in care homes and not being able to see them.

It’s bad enough knowing come September I won’t be able to visit my parents or let ds see them properly. I wouldn’t feel right risking them when we’re so exposed. We have at least had a window where we could go visit them in the garden.

I think crafty employers in the future will find a way of identifying mothers with young children or caring obligations or those requiring potential shielding going forward in the recruitment process and weed them out. May also limit promotion. It is going to be tough. Thank god I am not in that situation.

Yep.

I’m a bit shocked by the levels of resentment about vulnerable and kw kids having been allowed in school if essential. I felt sorry for the poor buggers.

@monkeytennis97 I can’t even begin to imagine how hard that is for you and others.

Re visualisers - I LOVE mine. The kids love it when I show their work, even if I’m showing an error! I loved it so much when teaching remotely - I think for Maths it was so useful. I use it to big up great work/working, spot the errors (or get student to talk through what they did wrong and how they knew and fixed it), me using protractors/compasses etc..., or an exam question where I need to write on top of the question but haven’t scanned it to my computer! Also just to face the kids so they can wave at themselves 🤣🤣🤣 That’s probably their favourite - especially when I make them upside down...

Yep. Imagine it would be fun to point it at them and ask whose not working/being unsafe etc. Might be more effective than the 321 business to get attention - just point it at them and see who’s last to notice they’re on screen.

How bad do you think it will have to get for someone to say 'right, we'll just have to hold everyone back and repeat a year'? I am really concerned about having sufficient data which shows where my year 10s into 11s are genuinely at should it come to us having to grade again. I am also concerned that some areas may be out and reliant on online learning more than others and how that may impact on getting them to a place where they can sit an exam. It's never been a level playing field but right now, it's looking like a huge mountain range with people from every background, type of school and ability being placed at all different levels - tops of mountains, half way up, deep down in the valleys - depending on how their school handled lockdown learning, and how many times and for how long they have to be out of school during year 11.

I am feeling despondent. Cheer me up!

Referring to KW kids in school as a 2 tier education system when their parents were working in, for many, newly risky jobs to support the country ( a concept often used against us) is so hypocritical. These same affluent posters prop up the usual 2 tier systems of privileged catchment house purchases, or independent school, or grammars when it suits. They can't bear the thought that suddenly someone got something better ( as they see it) than their children.

I know piggy it’s pretty gross. Most kids we had in we’re eith not safe/wanted at home or from skint families where eg mum was a carer and dad was a binman and they couldn’t afford one to stay at home.

What a thing to be jealous of.

Enough-early on I was saying maybe we could just put primary start age up a year (we start crazy early in UK) and then figure out how to use that year buffer. Eg current year 10s start year 10 again, year 6 spend another year in primary to do says then intro to secondary and building literacy and numeracy and independent learning skills.

Not well thought out obviously but there could be ways of using it to our advantage to raise standards. Current year 11 and 13 would be the only ones hit and 6th form and uni could’ve been more generous in terms of entry grades.

But are there any plans for a mutation or a different pandemic that hits the young? I very much doubt it.

I think our pandemic plan was always based on something that hits the young. Suspect that’s part of the reason why the elderly were chucked into care homes from hospitals. Unfortunately it was also based on a pandemic flu strain not a corona virus and we were quite slow to chuck it out even when we could see what was happening elsewhere.

Yeah, the anger over KW children getting school places just smacks of the usual "it's a scandal the minute it affects me" selfish mentality that is really rather prevalent in society. (And KW children did not get education, just babysitting anyway...)

Bear with me as very tired and my glasses keep steaming up (bloody weather) :

DH and I discussing this lots recently - it's similar to when you ask people at what salary point should higher rate tax kick in, most people say "a bit more than I earn." So, if you wanted to bring in a large environmental tax or duty on flying or similar, many people would be up in arms "oh, it's not fair, only rich people can go on holiday now!!" Well, guess what, buttercup, loads of people poorer than you can't ever afford to go on holiday.

Or theatre: I argue that the big shows in the West End could quadruple their ticket prices to allow social distancing and be profitable and they would still sell out - to the rich and rich foreigners and corporate entertaining. But the mc would wail "ooh, I can't afford £300 a ticket, only £75, it's not fair..." Again, how many people on benefits in Darlington do you think can afford to ever travel down to London, stay over and buy tickets for a family of 5 to Hamilton?! (If theatre tickets did quadruple in price, I'd probably still choose that as my once a year treat over flying abroad, knowing I'd be bloody lucky to be able to choose.)

So, I think it's the same thing as you've all been arguing about shit funding, SEN provision, lack of tech for the most deprived. (Almost) nobody cares until it's them.

Yeah, the anger over KW children getting school places just smacks of the usual "it's a scandal the minute it affects me" selfish mentality that is really rather prevalent in society. (And KW children did not get education, just babysitting anyway...)

Ha, yes one of my work colleagues ended up doing all the home learning the school was sending home in the evening because it wasn’t done at school. (Not TB in all other ways the school have gone over and above). She wasn’t getting any education the children at home weren’t getting.

Agreed dangling though the kids in our school were doing their online learning and I, and would imagine every other teacher, helped them when I was there. Sat with no distractions and a teacher checking in with them they were getting it done.

I wonder if any schools did really just do childcare?

Ours did until May half term but in the last half term they got some time in the ICT suite per day to do home learning. Still more fun stuff than teaching/learning though in case it was unfair on the kids at home. I never got a single piece of work off the kids in school. They didn't have enough time to do every subject

Ours were spread over it suites and had timetable of home learning at this time, gymnasium at this time, more home learning, enrichment etc written on the board.

You’d go oh fuck enrichment what’s that supposed to be then as you hadn’t been told to plan anything. Lots of interesting discussions and kahoots

A dual teacher income family of 4 in York can’t afford a trip to London and theatre tickets.

Really, Carrie? At all or on top of other things like an annual holiday?

I can on a very small income (dh doesn't work, I'm pt) but I don't holiday often.

Anyway, my point stands doesn't it? People who can just afford stuff don't like the idea that they might become priced out, ignoring the millions below them who never, ever could.

@Danglingmod

Really, Carrie? At all or on top of other things like an annual holiday?

I can on a very small income (dh doesn't work, I'm pt) but I don't holiday often.

Anyway, my point stands doesn't it? People who can just afford stuff don't like the idea that they might become priced out, ignoring the millions below them who never, ever could.

Not easily - we do holiday but free accommodation so only pay ferry. But yes, your point is absolutely correct, as well as people not caring until it affects them or they see themselves as somehow getting less - which is why we don’t have a socialist party to vote for anymore.

Too many threads on the go . Just posted on the numbers thread so I will let you know their brilliant ideas for educating all the kids who miss chunks of school while we are all back full time which doesnt increase workload!

Assuming Oak , even then someone needs to know what to signpost them to, and it won't cover all subjects.

@TheHoneyBadger

Agreed dangling though the kids in our school were doing their online learning and I, and would imagine every other teacher, helped them when I was there. Sat with no distractions and a teacher checking in with them they were getting it done.

I wonder if any schools did really just do childcare?

Our kids (secondary) did their home learning in the morning, we weren't allowed within 2 m of them so didn't really help at all - think 1 kid asked a question about the work which we tried to help with. Our main jobs were making sure they started apart, supervising outdoor breaks and taking to the toilet (to ensure the bubbles didn't mix).

Yes I think you're right danglingmod . I found myself bristling about the idea that over 40s should pay more tax for social care, then I reminded myself I had free university education, even my PGCE.
In other news, the school district I worked for in the States has pushed back the start date of the new school year by a week and is all online. With a six week review. I don't even think the rate of infection is that bad in Central Oregon!

Does anyone know when the results of the consultation about exams will be released?

Jaysus MN is on fire today, there's school threads everywhere you look.

I know it must have been a pain for you all to organise but I thought it was good that UK schools opened for keyworkers (not 100% clear on if it was the whole UK so apologies if I'm just lumping you all in with England!). We didn't do that in Ireland and I thought it was a real shame.