The Thirty-Fourth Republic - Time to recharge our batteries and make the best of our festive break

[SantaAssociationRepresentitve]

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 staffroom password just in case it attracts the wrong sort

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 come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

Knowing how can you do your job with that stress hanging over you? You can’t. It’s not fair on you or your pupils.

@Jinglingmod

Twat Hancock on Marr now : "I got up at 5.30 this morning to make sure the new law was passed..."

Aw, diddums, mate. Don't think that's gonna play well with the HCPs working 36 hour shifts or the teachers and delivery drivers who get up at 5.30 every day.

Boo hoo. I hope you get a really nice lie on wancock to make up for it. Don't worry, you just catch up on all our sleep for us hey?

OH Knowing I’m sorry. How long for initially?

You should get signed off for sure- you are just as important as the children you teach.

@OpheliasCrayon I will pm you x

@OpheliasCrayon have messaged

@SmileEachDay I don't know how long for at the moment. Tier 4 innit...

I'm worried about DH not the kids I teach to be honest, that ship sailed moons ago. Over my career I've had time of due to the stress of teaching plus caring for a severely disabled child and the first lockdown I was signed off for a while as I cracked up from not being able to see DS. The guilt is horrific.

knowing

Has anyone else whose had covid had phantom smells? My smell went completely but is coming back - real smells seems far off. But I can now smell things I know aren't real, for example opening the oven and smelling gas - it's an electric oven...

[quote KnowingMeKnowingYule]@OpheliasCrayon have messaged [/quote]
I've replied xx

Figgy there was a thread about it here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4082538-constantly-smelling-dog-poo-after-covid

@KnowingMeKnowingYule so sorry. Just do whatever is right for you and your family - if it is time off take it. Hugs

Thank you everyone xx

@FiggyPuddingFiend

knowing

Has anyone else whose had covid had phantom smells? My smell went completely but is coming back - real smells seems far off. But I can now smell things I know aren't real, for example opening the oven and smelling gas - it's an electric oven...

I dunno - but I'm accustomed to weird stuff from the bizarre versions of migraines I get so I know the brain/sensory systems can play some weird games.

Weird, I haven't had a positive test for covid (2 negatives), but I had a fortnight of constantly smelling dog poo. Never found the source.

I also get the smelling issues with migraines

[quote noelgiraffe]Figgy there was a thread about it here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4082538-constantly-smelling-dog-poo-after-covid[/quote]
Thanks, that's reassuring to know I'm not the only one. Hopefully it will resolve itself soon.

Knowing, enormous hugs and as so many have said, please consider some time off.

(There was something on the radio this week about this exact situation and it's possible more testing will be be happening to facilitate families.)

Will time off actually help Knowing? I'm all for time off when time off is needed (mental health problems requiring time off in the past here and have had a lot of time off due to a physical issue in the last couple of years) but sometimes work is a good distraction and way of getting through and once you take the time off the thought of going back because like Sunday night fear on super steroids. Obviously you'll know what's best for you.

I'm losing it and preaching on threads now so should maybe sit on my hands. I hate all this faux concern for vulnerable children, poor people etc - no one gives a shit usually and everyone seems perfectly happy that kids are living in poverty or in abusive households so long as they get 30hrs a week in school and a free slice of pizza and chips in school. That makes me really quite cross. How as a society can we think the answer to a violent or sexually abusive home is going to school?

And breathe!

And still no test results when I really need to get out of this house.

Thank you, @ChloeDeckTheHalls (from page 2!)

I am enjoying all the Christmas name changes! No idea what mine would be if I could change it.

I'm going to make a GP appointment after Christmas because I found myself just feeling utterly hopeless last night and thinking I don't want to live another 40 years feeling so down. I didn't realise my mental health was quite so bad but I think now I really do have depression.

Hugs to everyone else also suffering mentally, for whatever reason.

I agree that work can be a distraction but I think I understand a little of the despair.

My home situation is not comparable but incredibly tough and I've cried at work nearly every day this term. It's not been a distractuon but a massive stress trying desperately not to catch this bloody thing and bring it back into my extremely vulnerable household. If Knowing knows she won't cope - nor her husband - we should believe her.

Honey - you're so right about the most vulnerable children. So right.

Knowing

Honey don't apologise for your posts, they are spot-on.

@KatherineOfGaunt

Thank you, *@ChloeDeckTheHalls* (from page 2!)

I am enjoying all the Christmas name changes! No idea what mine would be if I could change it.

I'm going to make a GP appointment after Christmas because I found myself just feeling utterly hopeless last night and thinking I don't want to live another 40 years feeling so down. I didn't realise my mental health was quite so bad but I think now I really do have depression.

Hugs to everyone else also suffering mentally, for whatever reason.

You don't have to wait Katherine - you can call on Monday and say you need an emergency appointment even if it's just over the phone. If it's the first time you've had this then no I don't suppose they would be able to prescribe over the phone but they might be able to make an exception or do a video call or have you in. Ime doctors are very understanding about mental health stuff in teachers. They experience similar pressures of working in stretched services with real people caught in the mix and expectations of being able to just cope with everything.

In the meantime there are things you can start taking care of - are you sleeping? Eating? Managing to keep in touch with people and talk? It's good you've realised you need help and to do something. Please don't wait to contact the doctor - not least because you might have swept it all back under the rug after Christmas. I think it's one of those strike while the irons hot things otherwise you can just go back to quietly suffering until you're broken.

@KatherineOfGaunt

You also don't need a GP appt.

You can self refer yourself to mental health services without seeing a GP - google IAPT - it's the NHS mental health service and you can do an online self referal and they will contact you.

I have done it a couple of times for various reasons (I have a very complex mental health situation) - they managed to sort stuff out for me even on new years Eve last year.

I fully recommend it and it avoids needing to also get GP appointments especially over the holidays