The Twenty-fifth Republic - circuit breaker before/during/after half term

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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 and you will receive a detention

Another positive in a different year group today, only a handful sent home though as they are in a lot of smallish option classes with the same others I think.

As usual the first I knew was when the kids told me!

Cleaning team showed up halfway through P3 to do a desk in my room occupied in P2 by a student subsequently sent home with all three symptoms. From a year group that already has one positive and is down to about 60% attending.

Is anyone else feeling really old at @GuyFawkesDay's comment about someone being "stuck in 2005"!
2005 seems pretty modern to me

Communication back about how to handle the trainee and it sounds like a lot of extra work that would perhaps feel worthwhile if she had any interest in learning but as it is just feels like thankless extra hours.

Non paid day today but have done some planning and marking (not all of it mind - I'm getting better) and answered emails including from parent and kids.

I was supposed to go to the chemist and the gym today but I'm wiped out and suddenly felt really anxious and like I couldn't make myself leave the house. I am hoping this is hormones and short lived but I'm tired and emotional and anxious.

Totally relate to pp poster describing the inside of their head and feeling paranoid. I keep catching my thoughts going over the business with the head and what if it's me and I'm awful and lazy (hence not wanting to have to deal with a rude and bloody hard work trainee so intensely when I'm not her mentor) and everyone thinks I''m shit and I just don't know it type nonsense. I know it's nonsense hence catching myself and telling myself so.

Think stress and exhaustion levels are climbing plus imminent period and not being able to sleep recently. Hopefully a blip.

The over 100 per 100,000 is still a thing and being used to justify putting London in tier 2 (several boroughs have passed the magic 100 number). Finding this strange as the town close to us is at 112 but no mention anywhere of that being an issue.

@Mistressiggi

Is anyone else feeling really old at *@GuyFawkesDay*'s comment about someone being "stuck in 2005"! 2005 seems pretty modern to me

yep!

My area is quite a bit higher than London... No sign at all of moving to Tier 2!

I’ve seen on another post today that the weekly surveillance report won’t be showing the outbreaks by sector any more!! Is this true and how can this possibly be ok?!!

The only comment I can muster for today (from behind my very large 2nd glass of wine, is..... FUCKING Wellington boots!

Still there I think. Is this from today?

My boss is 60 tomorrow not retard man. I've just made her birthday cake.. and realised it has nuts in and we're a nut free school 🤦🏼‍♀️

Sorry guys, I totally get it, my head is still in 2005 sometimes....but school has moved on.

My HoD never wanted to be one, I fear. Moved to the area, so took the job as HoD but had been a pastoral head. Not great at drawing the line between home and school (I know way more than I want to about marriage/divorce/arrangements for DC) and seems rather embittered.

Luckily everyone else is lovely. I'm just going to have to satisfy myself that I'll probably never achieve anything career wise, and roll onwards. I'd like to be a HoD myself but I've had no real, meaningful CPD. No coaching as to how to teach or mark a level. Feel very stuck and powerless as to what to do.

Murderer! Oh dear. Can you swing by the Coop on route? They have some nice cakes.

Similar GuyFawkes - though I've no interest in being a HOD unless they let me bring in GCSE Sociology. I am more interested in whole school stuff, mental health, engagement of hard to reach communities and students/parents etc (which I have experience and/or qualifications and training in) but no idea how as with 10 deputy and assistant heads in one average sized secondary school there's no real opportunities for mere teachers to do anything like that.

I could. Or I could say 'sod it. No one is allowed in our office but us, and it's her favourite'. Shitty buggerous bollocks. I love polenta cake too :)

Just had a little bit of good news. Kirsty Williams is now saying the hub model in Wales has gone. At least now if I do have to work through a lockdown, my kids will be in their own school and will hopefully be allowed in their own classes with their friends as they start to return. That's a big weight off my mind - they were devastated to be excluded last time round, so we used all DH's annual leave to get around it a d couldn't have done it again.

good news salty. I remember how unfair you were finding it before.

I desperately don't want a two week circuit break thingy over half term if schools will be closed. I don't want to put my child through even 2 or 3 weeks without child company. I think she's only really properly recovered in the last few weeks, despite going back in June.

Had a God awful day. It's ok to have a gin or 2 on a school night right?
Feeling completely overwhelmed right now.

No idea how you all do it. You're bloody amazing

@ohthegoats

I desperately don't want a two week circuit break thingy over half term if schools will be closed. I don't want to put my child through even 2 or 3 weeks without child company. I think she's only really properly recovered in the last few weeks, despite going back in June.

Quite, and we ourselves wouldn't be able to roll our annual leave over to use when we're free to travel.

@namechangedyetagain

Had a God awful day. It's ok to have a gin or 2 on a school night right? Feeling completely overwhelmed right now.

No idea how you all do it. You're bloody amazing

It's compulsory.

Whereas I'd personally welcome a 2 week closure with schools closed. Totally understand where you're coming from though goats.

I don't think we'll get one.

Despite being anxious and paranoid and shutting myself away today I'm still kind of amazed I've coped this far. New subject, covid, nightmare trainee, head being slippery, racing from one end of the school to the other, shed load of assessments, having a high number of classes in the difficult year group/zone etc and longest half term of the year.

A week and a day to go so hopefully I can make it without a breakdown Hopefully we all can.

Oh and massive kudos to Scottish colleagues who went back in bloody August.

Interesting scary COVID heatmap grid.

Do you think it transmits in primary school children maybe?

I also wish we would have one. A proper, proper short lockdown to include schools. We're kidding ourselves to think we're not now the main spreaders. Cases in schools in my county are significantly higher than in the population as a whole. We have dozens and dozens of children isolating because parents have it. It's just rife. Out of control.

@SaltyAndFresh what's the compulsory bit? Being awesome or drinking gin?
If it's drinking gin then I've nailed it even as a trainee. Which TS do I evidence that against
The rest of it I'm not sure I can do and not even 5 weeks in yet

That heatmap rather suggest less of a problem in the 10-19 age group than the surveillance report which ahs a HUGE positivity rate in that age group. It's miles ahead which suggests perhaps that teens are only testing with quite obvious and developed symptoms and/or that it is pretty rampant...

@ohthegoats

Still there I think. Is this from today?

Oh! I must have misunderstood the other post then?!

It is still being published weekly in the surveillance report as before?