The Thirty-Sixth Republic - New Year approaching, no clear idea of what is happening next week and has Gav been sacked yet?

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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

A fancy rotary pencil sharpener is the first thing I bought when I became a teacher!

And yes, I'd definitely take furlough and possibly redundancy at the moment. Bloody government and bloody media.

Jesus there’s some vitriol on the ummmm furlough discussion.

I always have a title, because the head is very pedantic about titles, dates and underlining when he does book scrutiny. There are never learning objectives though, that's the job of the title. Simultaneous equations, it's pretty obvious I want you to be able to solve simultaneous equations really.

@SmileEachDay

Jesus there’s some vitriol on the ummmm furlough discussion.

Why has that thread even been allowed to stay

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/29/christmas-patients-coronavirus-intensive-care

Sorry if this has already been shared but I thought it was a good article on how negative pubic opinion, and the inaccurate reporting that drives it, can get you down. In this case NHS workers but same for us.

I am so glad it’s not just me who would take furlough. Some of the comments on other threads make me even more keen.

MrsHamlet, I had to lie down after hearing your book system. Not In chronological order! That’s all I can manage.

@DrMadelinemaxwell I love the St Mary’s series (and the Time Police). I could do with something to read on the same lines. Have you come across anything?

@HarrietDVane omg yes to lack of stamina! I've had to work so hard to get them writing more. We did eventually produce some great Beowulf sagas but it took SO LONG!

I'd also take furlough at 25% or unpaid leave until September.

I've also had enough and been working all day. I've written nearly 200 starter slides for our department on to the required template (cos that makes ALL the fucking difference to them remembering it obvs)....

Then going to look thorugh the first topics for a couple of the year groups I'm responsible for and make sure they are remote ready for everyone for first two weeks so that that when we go back we can share out the next lot between us, but will have a head start and will also hopefully know what workedd/didnt work from those first lot!

findoutnow.co.uk/responses/3544/bpymoe6/summary/3829

This is interesting - also weirdly fascinating to watch....

[quote phlebasconsidered]@HarrietDVane omg yes to lack of stamina! I've had to work so hard to get them writing more. We did eventually produce some great Beowulf sagas but it took SO LONG![/quote]
Agreed. Longer pieces are taking even longer than they would normally. We are at a midpoint now where some have built up decent stamina and others haven't. It's a real balancing act to stop some rambling for ten pages while giving others the chance to get two pages out.

You gov general poll.

@TheHoneyBadger

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/29/christmas-patients-coronavirus-intensive-care

Sorry if this has already been shared but I thought it was a good article on how negative pubic opinion, and the inaccurate reporting that drives it, can get you down. In this case NHS workers but same for us.

Her Twitter thread was posted on her earlier. There were people questioning her identity (on Twitter). When did we turn into a nation of tin hat nutters?

I don't really care about books much. For maths I really think they are somewhere to keep a record of your working out. You can't really revise from them - you should be doing maths questions. Possibly some mileage in model solutions but they only tell you how to answer than specific question. A video is better.

I understand this is not a popular opinion in other subjects!

Riga that poll is a sea change in opinion!

@Hercwasonasnowball

Riga that poll is a sea change in opinion!

Agree it wasn't that in July- October.

@MrsHercYulePoirot I agree in maths! I got told off for layout and presentation but actually I think fluency in calculations and trying out new methods in jottings is really vital - just as much as laying out long multiplication properly. I had a big bloody row about it and now they just put a J in the margin to show when they are jotting (like it's not obvious) . I also got told off for not having enough problem solving question evidence because -duh! The answer to them is a fricking CALCULATION so now they have to write PS in the margin as well. There is do much bullshit in primary. I was left to let my books roam free in secondary.

@Piggyinblankets

You'd probably all hate me primary teachers for 'training them up' pointlessly. I never have headings, never know that the date is and couldn't give a shiny shit if sheets are stuck in. No time in my lessons for sheet sticking! I also don't have LOs

I also cannot stand the pointless faffing of girls with glue sticks trimming and sticking stuff in. Gives me the rage.

To be quite honest, that's me.

But I gotta perform, eh?! Plus there's usually 2-3 TAs that remind me to keep on top of it all (thank god.)

this year they seem particularly lacking in stamina when it comes to writing

Yep - mine haven't written a long date so far this year, and I get the title down to two words only - ideally symbols in maths. Ie, to x by 10

Yes to the writing stamina - my class are a really, really bright cohort but only the strongest two are working anywhere near age expectations!

Does anyone know what the rules are for providing work to children whose parents choose to keep them at home for safety? It takes FOREVER to set up home learning based on what we’re doing in class. By the time you’ve found/filmed videos, written copious instructions, linked to websites, created a timetable for parents to follow, scanned in pages of English texts it’s easily three times as much work as a standard week. And that’s without the constant submission of four activities a day to mark via Seesaw! I’ve done this a few times since September and it’s a KILLER, we’re talking bed after midnight and up at 5 with the toddler kind of weeks. If we’re expected to do that this term it might finish me off...

By ‘rules’ I’m assuming primary in as normal, secondary maybe different...

I’m glad it’s not just me with the stamina. Some of them are able to produce a reasonably well written page of work but there are so many others who are huffing and puffing after about three poorly drafted sentences. I can’t even keep them in at playtime to keep working as I’m always outside on duty and they can’t be left unsupervised.

Handwriting is absolutely shocking as well. We practise every day (those staggered starts and finishes have to be good for something) but they’ve seemingly lost the motor skills. I’m tearing my hair out.

That time of night again.

herc I completely agree about maths books just being somewhere to record your working. My GCSE and A Level classes (other than the nurture group) have separate note books where they write any examples that will be helpful when they're doing their homework/revision. I have my own video channel on the school streams system where I put up videos of examples. I've got quite a collection of them from lockdown 1.

@Timeturnerplease

Our head has been very clear that unless students are isolating they get nothing. He's said it's an unfair burden on staff for a parental choice.