The Twenty-Eight Republic - Lockdown Light

[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 booze is stashed - Thirsty Tuesdays, Fizz Fridays now in operation.

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

I hate this time on a Sunday night.

@DollyMixtureLulus

I hate this time on a Sunday night.

"The long dark tea-time of the soul"

I'm watching homeland and necking aperol. In my next life I'm going to be a CIA agent.

I've never tried aperol

And I've just taken the wine and Bailey's out of my online shopping basket

It's delicious if you like bitterish things.
Stick them back in... you never know when you might need them!!

In my next life I'm going to be a CIA agent

Why wait 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why Aperol is really delicious. Very bitter; looks like Irn Bru.

Mmm aperol and prosecco🥂

I need some sleep so hope everyone has a good day tomorrow.

Thank you for the kind messages, I want to pass as well!

Aperol kind of reminds me of campari. I quite like it

Hoping I sleep well tonight - I didn't sleep great last night, largely due to DH snoring

I'm just finding it all so stressful! I keep waiting for mine or dc's bubbles to pop. There's been positive cases in all 3 of our classes/schools this week but so far the positive children have been off but no word yet on whether we should isolate.

God knows how this term is going to play out! It's like waiting for the snow day call but all the time, every day!

I've realised I'm in my "emergency mode" continuously and it is not sustainable!

I am on Baileys. I can still smell it and taste it - so I am okay for school tomorrow!

Been sent timetable for youngest fir the week - how DH is supposed to get any work done at all I have no idea. He’s only little (6) and can’t really read properly yet (on additional needs register for it) or write properly or use a laptop properly.... 😱

I would love a snow day this year. I really hope we have a couple of blizzards in the southeast

I wonder whether we'll have to teach online on snow days in the future!

I'm not sure of leave for self isolating children is unpaid. I already had to take two days because half term didn't coincide. I won't be setting work, let alone Teams lessons if I'm not paid - goodwill is spent I'm afraid.

I think P2 Q2 would be better if it was worth more marks. As it is there's really only time to write a paragraph about each. I like Q4 though - easy to mark once you've done thousands!

@OytheBumbler

I wonder whether we'll have to teach online on snow days in the future!

I think so. Can't imagine there'd be many takers though.

Gah another dept member off tomorrow. (They're being a dickhead).

HOD being an arse. No one quite appreciating the workload. Feel like saying fuck off to all of it and ring in myself. But I won't.

Sorry mega rant. Good news for you monkey. I don't know how anyone is finding time to mark external stuff! PM observation this week too, you'd have thought they would have got rid this year!

@Hercwasonaroll sounds shit tbh for you - sorry it is so rubbish right now. We got rid of our observations and removed all performance related pay progression stuff this year. My school can be bonkers about random stuff at times but that at least they got right..... of course we’re still ALL meeting before school once a week still 🙄

Herc that sounds rubbish. I'm sorry, but I'm very nosy - how can someone being off mean they are being a dickhead? Are they not sick?

In fairness they need to be off but being a dickhead about making anyone's life easier in terms of sending in cover, or assessment marks etc. They aren't sick, can't say too much but there is no reason for them to do this.

I don't understand why we haven't got rid of observations? Head is obsessed with social distancing yet won't be able to when observing me unless he's in the corridor!

As always I'm trying to look on the bright side and know things will get better. If stuff doesn't happen this week, no one dies. Does it really matter if a homework doesn't get set?!

That is being a dick. Part of being in a department is pulling your weight
I think observations absolutely should be scrapped for now. There's enough shit happening!

Just about finished for the evening. I thought I'd finished an hour ago, then realised I hadn't thought about Y7 homework to set tomorrow, and looking at Y12's lesson, hadn't quite finished the prep I needed to do for it . So tired now. This week is the week when I need to do a remote lesson with a Y12 class, so gearing up for recording a Powerpoint on my day off for them. Apparently I have a posh telephone voice on recorded lessons!

@namechangedyetagain, I hope everything goes ok next week and it sounds as if the concern raised is not about you, but about the situation. I still have my PGCE evidence files so can have a look for what I gave as examples if you need them later. I had compiled 2 lever arch files by the end of the PGCE and they weren't even looked at when I went for my interview. People will want you to pass, don't lose heart, although this term is very tough.

Have already assumed that snow days will be remote teaching in the future. We've had rumblings about getting a student in class to point their iPad at the board for any isolating students, and set it up as a Teams lesson. Not sure how I feel about that, but it could be the least labour-intensive way.

The whole masks thing is ridiculous when considering if kids need a test they need to wear a mask and see lots of people i n masks and probably full ppe.
And all parents are now wearing them in the playground.

@WhyNotMe40

I've done bugger all work this weekend. I'm sure I will regret it tomorrow but I just couldn't muster up the energy. So kudos and well done to all of you who have. I feel depressed. Genuinely. I'm already on anti depressants for anxiety. Everything is an effort. I've eaten crap, let the kids have endless screen time (although DH could have stepped up if her could be bothered), and drunk too much alcohol Friday and Saturday night. And now I'm being grumpy with people on AIBU. I have no idea why I am bothering.

Sorry to hear that, WhyNot. Hope that things go ok for you tomorrow and next week. It's more important to look after your well-being, but I totally get the feeling of dread of going to school feeling as if I'm not prepared enough.

I think looking at MN during low periods is one of the worst things we can do. I was on here so much last weekend, when I was really really low and it was like picking a scab which kept bleeding. Knew it wasn't doing me any good, but couldn't help myself.

I just finished watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix which I can thoroughly recommend - gorgeously shot, and while it has some tricky themes, has lots of positive characters.

I was a competitive chess player in my youth (I really am very rock’n’roll) so it brought back memories!