The Twenty-Sixth Republic -Half Term Horror?

[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.

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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 and you will receive a detention

Schools in France staying open to all.

@MrsHerculePoirot

The numbers last few days are really giving me the fear. Is it just me? Worst thing is my reaction is to eat shit and not take my diabetic medication properly but somehow I can’t behave rationally.

I've done something similar this half term, albeit without having medication to manage - followed the rules and pretty much only moved between work, home and volunteering. I haven't seen my parents since term started because I was so worried about passing something onto them.

This half term we've taken the kids out to eat a few times, something I'd been avoiding. I'm still not going to see my parents and surely the greatest risk comes from work, so why not go out to eat? It all feels distanced, ventilated and safer than it feels at school so might as well have some fun. Not very irrational, but I feel a bit more fatalistic than I was, in the past couple of weeks.

Given motherrunner’s experience one wonders if we should be getting kids to come to the front for help (which is what I do) at all, as they could be stood near someone not in their seating plan for more than a minute.

Not sending the class home is such a stupid idea in terms of transmission suppression.

Feedforward is a fancy schmancy word for telling them what to write beforehand! So like a walking talking mock type thing.

In my department we have this thing of springing assessments on them being amazed when they write a load of shit (and then recording that as data... hmm) and the spending lessons doing feedback and they don't listen or use those skills again for so long it becomes pointless.

@Medra

Schools in France staying open to all.

Wonder how that will affect the rate. Lockdown that requires paperwork to leave the house but schools all open. Hmmm

Can understand Germany keeping schools open as they have good mitigation measures that seem to be working. France on the other hand perhaps needs to rethink not sending anyone home if there’s a positive case.

My sister - in France - saying schools are open but parents must justify why their child can’t work from home?

I haven't been getting kids to come up to me, or going to them, if they need help. It makes me a much much less effective teacher but I've focused on them copying good notes, asking lots of questions and bouncing the answers, and frequently repeated 1-10 recall tests.
I've been staying strictly at the front. Weirdly I've had better behaviour as I made it absolutely clear that I cannot use any of my behaviour management techniques I would normally use - including a quiet chat in the corridor, so I will just be issuing 2 warnings, then out to the internal exclusion room. After a couple of weeks of me acting really bored with a few playing up, and just sending them out with no drama, they have settled.

Tbf kids rarely come up, mostly they ask each other for help. They put their book on a desk and I have a look while they stand back.

I do lots of ‘I do, We do, You do’ so the kids aren’t working independently for more than short bursts.

I do a lot of my management by proximity. I've always said "don't make me come over there" as a warning... it's more appropriate than ever now (except for the bit where I can't!)

@SmileEachDay

My sister - in France - saying schools are open but parents must justify why their child can’t work from home?

Interesting. So effectively keyworker plus some kinds of a quite wide definition of vulnerable? Perhaps it's a regional thing.

I'm feeling pretty down too, the dark and cold and wet definitely doesn't help, alongside everything else.

We should be completely locking down now if we're to have ANY chance even of small households combining for Christmas, but we're not.

Looking at next week: if Trump manages to get a second term, the world's mental health won't cope.

@SmileEachDay

My sister - in France - saying schools are open but parents must justify why their child can’t work from home?

Ooh interesting! I've not got that from the reporting I've read at all.

Feeling very down tonight what with France and Germany keeping schools open and more than that I won't be seeing DS for a couple of weeks due to staff member at his care home testing positive What a pile of shit.

That sucks monkey

Thanks @Piggywaspushed

No word of a lie this Staffroom has kept me going. You are all so fab and @noblegiraffe is my hero!

I'm sorry @monkeytennis97. How big is the home and have they had any known cases before this one?

My brother's home tells me proudly they haven't had any cases and I have to restrain myself from saying "that you know about" each time.

@Augustbreeze it's very small (I don't want to be too outing). His school has just had the second bubble burst though (neither were his). All in tier 1....

@Augustbreeze no known cases before.

Well I went to a café today, having not been to a small venue since Feb. Oh my god- if they were any example of what's going on out there, then I'm not surprised things are going wrong again. No one at all in a mask, apart from me. Everyone sitting at tables, which officially means they don't need to, but had clearly been there for yonks with one coffee- breastfeeding, baby kit everywhere, kids on different tables to parents, so lots of shouting over at Bert for not behaving, up/down/running around after kids. I got a brownie and got out.

I’m sorry, monkeytennis, that must be so worrying for you.
The sooner we get these super fast tests they keep wanging on about the better for all settings.

@Saucery thanks x yes absolutely

Have shed a few tears tonight.

@ohthegoats that sounds horrible. I haven't eaten out or been in a shop since March.

On a different note why can't the unions get legal advice about unsafe working conditions or ballot members? I don't understood why they are so impotant.

There’s a pub doing 1p meals. The utter, utter twat of a landlord keeps popping up on social media moaning about the local council oppressing his human rights or something. Cocky fucker thinks he’s got one over on The Man, when all he’s done is ensure Covid can find another cosy base to spread.

Briefly left the kitchen table of doom to check in. My PGCE assignment is taking me so long. I am pretty sure I've reached the conclusion stage but have run out of steam. What with that and the dire lesson planning I've worked every day since i broke up nearly 2 weeks ago. I'm exhausted and in tears at the thought of going back. Lost what little confidence I had. I'm hoping I'll get it back. But I feel grim, covid aside.

I feel next term will be a long one. If i can by some miracle make it to Christmas I'm definitely not working every day.

You really are superhuman.

But, but monkeytennis Unison have balloted me! About some extremely important election of someone or something, I forget who or what because I hit Delete on the email I’m surprised my finger didn’t crack the screen. Useless shower of shite they are.