The Twentieth Republic - all back and its time to bubble bubble ...

[StaffAssociationRepresentative]

You are most welcome to this school staff support thread to get us through stressful times. It is meant for school staff only – a sort of room of requirement. Baiters, haters, goaders 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 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

Do not give ‘The Every twat for Themselves mob’ the staffroom password as a number of them are operating in an alternative reality.

No DfE muppets allowed

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 goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom, especially if you have not used the hand gel. Close the door quietly on your way out and put your mask on.

I feel very much 'fuck this shit' now. I will go out of my way to protect my own family and will do my best for my students, but my sense of altruism and public spirit has died a death. I don't feel there's any protection or concern for me whatsoever and I know that any lasting health issues resulting from catching Covid will be my problem alone.

Anyone else having problems seeing the thread?

Today was my “day off”. I spent all day either on the phone to anxious parents and their children who haven’t come in yet because of how they feel or firing responses by email to ALL the county/NHS/CAMHS staff who all felt today was the day that emailI guess me requesting urgent appointments to see the kids they have ignored for the last six months.

Oh, and my child minder has COVID. So, my 3yo has watched TV for eight hours

I’ve spoken to a lot of my TAs today too, given how they feel and how busy they keep saying school is already, I have decided to wear a mask when I’m in next week on duty etc. I am still undecided about in class.

First inset today.

It was alright. Split into groups and social distancing/mask wearing enforced.

One member of staff off as his wife has had a positive test.

The bubbles are split up quite well, and mask wearing will be enforced in all corridors/communal areas for students, with it being allowed/encouraged in the classroom. We have also been offered visors for classroom teaching.

We move to the kids, and the kids can share equipment (e.g. gluesticks) within their bubbles. Hand sanitizer will be available in every classroom without a sink.

The systems in place are as good as they can be whilst sticking to government guidance, but they will only be as good as the students' compliance. And I think it will all start to fall apart very quickly if kids go off sick.

Then had about 2 hours of waffle on helping kids catch up which honestly could be summarised as "find out what they know in a low stakes way and provide differentiated work to help them catch up".

I keep blinking and missing the threads-thread 20 already?!

Have my new Year 12s in tomorrow-genuinely can’t wait to see them.

First proper lessons today.

My tutor group are whiny 'the PE socks are too hot' 'where will I eat if is not wet break but the ground is wet or cold' 'can I move tutor groups' (I said no, but looks like HoY has said yes 🤷‍♀️).

Y11 started off atrocious, but after 40 mins of me banging on about what an opportunity to shine vs those who won't bother seemed to be listening, so we'll see how that goes.

Oooh look:

Oh no cheese what will you do about childcare?

My dc is also sharing stuff crayons and scissors. But said not told to wash hands after which is quite blergh. I sent in pencil case hoping to avoid sharing etc.

fossie best wishes to you and DD.

I scared lots of year 7s and did the bus duty rota. I don't teach y7 and that isn't my job. I'm so tired I could cry.

Here is a fun thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4013356-school-kids-eating-outside?msgid=99699439

@SaltyAndFresh

I feel very much 'fuck this shit' now. I will go out of my way to protect my own family and will do my best for my students, but my sense of altruism and public spirit has died a death. I don't feel there's any protection or concern for me whatsoever and I know that any lasting health issues resulting from catching Covid will be my problem alone.

Same here. Can't teach my subject properly to KS3 especially due to guidance which is fair enough. We are the nations childcare at the moment. If I can't teach my subject properly it's all like cover work as far as I am concerned.

Is 50 feeling all right?

Blimey!!!

It seems normal to me!

the paranoid gullible bit is the usual covid denial.

More kids in masks in class now as they have them for the corridors. Some have no sense of how to store a mask though, touching it on both sides. Some staff have much the same problem
I've noticed as time goes on and I'm trying to teach more and deal with indiscipline more, I'm leaving my 2m area more often. So increasing my risk (and theirs, if I have it).
I think I need to really pull back from this. I'm wearing a mask most of the time, remove it to give a spiel sometimes.

As we all predicted all the schools aren't safe threads have started!

Yeah but she is defending a school...

@Piggywaspushed

As we all predicted all the schools aren't safe threads have started!

Yup

Oh dear @Fossie. Hope DD remains well and that you all do too.

@MsAwesomeDragon - we all have to fight our kids corners. IME the teachers I have spoken to seem aware that I am not being awkward for the sheer hell of it but trying to make their lives easier as well as our DC's. Hopefully yours will too.

Finally ploughed through all the emails that kept pinging in outlook from work. RA, staff handbook, student handbook, availability of student passports for SEN students - I have now been able to access the school site and folders so I now have the info for... 2 of my students. On checking my notes from the end of term, There are a further 2 students who have echp but no pupil passport and 2 who have ehcp to be applied for. One of the students has to have an LSA with them at all times and there are only 2 of us in the bubble! This could be interesting! Hopefully most of them will be in the same sets this year.

@WhyNotMe40

Is 50 feeling all right?

Looks about par for the course, to me.

Mocking people who might have concerns about Covid. No intention of enforcing SD guidelines.

Business as usual for her.

@WhyNotMe40

Yeah but she is defending a school...

Only her own - a private secondary school that will not enforce masks.

I don't think I will find staying rooted to the front that hard. I started teaching so long ago you could sit at the front, put your feet up on the desk if you liked, get on with your marking, read the paper...

@Piggywaspushed it’ll be ok, DH can work from home/take family leave and we bubbled with my single mother, who will come up and stay if needs be. (At which point 3yo DS will watch 8 hours of TV AND eat chocolate all day!)

Looks like business as usual from 50 for me too - sanctimonious “I know best, told you so, it’s all shite anyway”