The Twenty-first Republic - All back but for how long? Why is Big Gav still in post?

[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.

Is the ‘teachers having a life’ thread in Chat really insinuating that 6 teachers were at some sort of orgy?! ‘Parties that footballers go to’ was the description I think.

WTF sort of school is that 🤢

I'm baby sitting tonight and have been ordered to take fancy pjs so we can have a spa day. That's the kind of party I go to.

Dc1 has a sore throat. 9days and we havent been anywhere else inside.
#school not virus secure

@DollyMixtureLulus

Is the ‘teachers having a life’ thread in Chat really insinuating that 6 teachers were at some sort of orgy?! ‘Parties that footballers go to’ was the description I think.

WTF sort of school is that 🤢

Surprise surprise-the OP has asked that the thread be deleted as it revealed too much identifying information.

That’s a bit unprofessional

Why oh why is no one in the media, or elsewhere recalling what (?)Whitty said a few weeks ago about pubs maybe having to close to keep schools open?

I've had a mild headache the last few days and I've realised it's because my jaw is clenched a lot at the moment.

I need to do some sort of wind down when I get out of school that isn't just collapsing in a heap.

I thought I was just busy, but it appears I am actually stressed.

It’s so bloody awful that so many of us are so stressed. Hugs to everyone and lots of gin/wine/chocolate.

We’ve had a message to remind kids not to touch. More Covid-secure theatre where we are expected to pretend that sitting centimetres from each other, sharing equipment and breathing in the same air is fine, but they might catch it from touching each other.

My mouth ulcers are off the charts, I'm definitely stressed.

I've got a cold - a snotty one but nowt else. So now the dithering about getting a test begins. It's just snot, the kids in my class had just snot all week.

Did anyone see the thread in health about 'what's it like in schools?', where someone started banging on about how being a waitress during eat out to help out was exhausting and we should stop claiming we're victims.

Luckily I was in a chilled out mood when I responded to it.

Vits D, C and zinc all round!

(Though it's more than likely stress plus germy kids that we are all ill.)

A mask and Covid denier I know (mum of diabetic child) kept banging on about everyone should "chill out as it wasn't good for the immune system" and how being stressed is a "choice" back in March.

A number of people told her to politely fuck off, including someone who'd just lost their mum to it and an ICU nurse.

I do vit D and C every day anyway! Started zinc and lysine last night.

What with that and the sciatica pain killers, I'm rattling.

What I'm going to do this week is make a concerted effort to go to bed so I can be asleep by 10.30. I've been on 5 hours sleep max each night this week, having gone down from 8 hours over the holidays. I think that's a key driver in me getting run down and ill.

Headspace app might be worth looking at for anyone stressed out and needing a bit of time out.

It’s what work are recommending and someone from the CMHT has recommended it before.

@ohthegoats I'm with you on the sleep drive, it's so vital to physical and mental health I think. There's all this going on plus I've got some family issues looming.

Poster on another thread said the current 119 message says don't bother them until your test results are more than 7 days late!

Wow this week has been tough! The kids have been superb and department clicks have vanished with everyone just pulling together so that's been good at least.

I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life - or done so many set of stairs! Managed to teach in a mask - No it doesn't hamper learning and no it doesn't scare the kids (some are wearing them too). Tricky having to change breathing patterns especially with asthma but it is what it is - and it's my choice.

Huge to everyone for getting through it. Sorry that some of you are struggling. Is there any way we could muck in with resources to help each other out?

It’s possibly the placebo effect and my immune system back in fighting mode after the break, but I’ve been drinking the Tetley’s Immune/ Vitamin tea and do feel brighter.

I’m also going to get one of those gradual wake up lamps to see if it helps.

Dolly that wake up lamp/alarm is the difference between feeling tired but human and a complete zombie for me. Highly recommend them!

Yes I ring fence sleep.

I used one of those lamps for years; it was wonderful.

Doesn't work with smalls in the bed though

When he's older and in his own room which we still have to build in the roof I will definitely go back to one of those.

And I've mentioned it before but I've found taurine excellent to help reset my sleep. It boost melatonin naturally apparently.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4018817-Making-the-best-of-things-this-autumn

I’m keeping an eye on this thread too. There might be a few ideas for making things a bit easier mentally over the next few months.

I’m quite happy to try mucking in with resources if anyone needs a hand. I can’t promise they’ll be any good but if it helps someone out a bit.

I'm a pretty good sleeper. I don't think I ever lose sleep through stress. I lose sleep when dh kicks me for snoring . And the night before we go back to school, but I think that's panic that I might sleep through the alarm rather than anything else.

for everyone feeling stressed and losing sleep.

I'm just finding school a bit of a lonely place at the minute. Not being able to sit in the office and eat lunch together as a department makes a huge difference. 5 minutes here and there is not the same at all. We're losing the team feeling, and all a bit isolated staying in our own classrooms all the time.

The head was loitering outside my door at the end of the day yesterday. He heard me ranting at year 10 that they've "obviously forgotten how school works, we have an hour of maths, not 40 minutes of maths and 20 minutes of messing around". We were all tired and narky at the end of the week. When the kids left, the head popped in to see if I was ok

Oooh you’ve sold me on the light! Thanks 💐

I'm not really losing sleep - when I get to bed, I go to sleep. It's just that by the time I've done the daytime treadmill it's 7.30pm, then alternate nights I do bedtime, so not downstairs until 8.30 or 9pm, then if I've got work to do I'm on that for an hour or so... then I need to do 'something' else for an hour before bed... then it's gone midnight, and my alarm goes off at 6. So, 5 hours sleep. Boooooooo....

I have one of those lamps too and I really rate it. If I stay somewhere else and have to use an alarm clock, the shock waking is horrible.
Good on your head for checking on you Dragon. Our SLT are mainly patrolling near their offices - which are all in the same building. They'd not have a clue if I'd gone mad and fled the scene...

I was amazed he was anywhere near tbh MrsH, he never normally ventures anywhere near maths. I think he's attempting to be more visible and supportive this year, as we're getting kids back to following our expectations after so long at home. He said he would have come in but I sounded like I was handling it and the kids looked suitably chastised when he looked in the window, so he didn't want to undermine my authority and suggest I needed help. Which is fine, as the kids always go a bit giggly and disruptive after he pops in to a lesson, because they want to talk about him 🤦