The Thirty-eight republic - Covid Carnage - Schools still waiting for test kits

[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

@Isthatitnow

Seen this? Not my union but interesting.

I feel like I'm in the wrong union

@hedgehogger1

I agree. There is obviously some impetus to change what is happening from the perspective of the NEU (at least that’s how I’m reading it). If it is strike action, I will shift Union tomorrow.

@rainingcats

On the theme of sleeping at school When I was an nqt I volunteered to help staff a year seven school sleepover (pretty sure this sort of thing wouldn’t be allowed to happen these days) but essentially it involved year seven watching a film, eating pizza and then sleeping in the school hall - about 3am I had enough and snuck off to my classroom for a power nap - I had a bad back for weeks!

My school (primary) do a sleepover. Have worked it twice and tbh it was fun and the children love it. Although the next day is a write off except for a fried breakfast.

Our HT wanted to do it this year and couldnt understand why staff weren't up for it (were not doing it).

I’m in a prep school which means we are mixing primary and secondary guidance. It is not clear what will be happening next week but I am expecting it to be stressful.

@eitak22 we usually have a camp out. Fill the field with tents :)

Here's the nurse's Twitter:

mobile.twitter.com/DuffellLaura/with_replies?lang=en

She clarifies for someone (@kidsb4covid ......) that she's not said children are dying of it but that wards are full of patients with it (suffering with it)

We're going in in order to teach everyone online, which necessitates people moving round all day. Logical it's not.

MrsH I fear we will be the same. The lack of information is so anxiety inducing. I know they want us to have a break. But something would be nice!

It's like that email debate all over again...!

We've had the email telling us. It's infuriating because I can do just as good a job from here, and I resent the fact that we're being made to be "present" appearance's sake.
Make the idiot who was overheard by parents in the supermarket bragging about how little he'd done between March and July go in. And the one who built an extension and plastered it all over social media. Let me stay off the train and teach in my pjs!!!

Yeah I'd want certain teachers in my team in school, but would want to stay home myself. Means everyone has to go in really.

I guess we'd be using support staff for KW and V children though, and we'd have much more to do for our own classes, that we could be home working. Support staff all stayed home last time. Their turn.

Can’t sleep. I am so anxious about next week. How can we be expected to continue with business as usual? This is madness. I’m so glad my DDs are secondary age; I would be keeping them home regardless if they weren’t.

We're not allowed in next week at all, so some people literally don't have the equipment they need to do remote learning at home. I know at least 2 teachers who left their laptops at school because they were planning on having a completely relaxing break over Christmas. I have everything at home, but have currently not done much with it. I'm very glad we're trusted to do a good job from home as I don't want to be going in if I can avoid it.

Our SLT are supervising the kw and vulnerable pupils, but I can't imagine there will be many of them. I think we only had about 20 last time, so they were all in the same classroom.

Surely you can monitor their output without them being in?

What's frustrating me is they can see I've recorded and set all lessons. Posted in all my google classrooms setting out expectations of engagement and how I'll have to call home for those not engaging, explaining different ways they can submit work including taking photos etc and encouraging them to email with any problems.

I've done many hours of work and prep so it's ready to go. I've got to go into school to sit there like a spare part with nothing to do because I've done it all.

I don't get why work from home where possible doesn't apply to us.

Sorry for the moan. I purely teach and photocopy in school. All planning and marking is done at home in peace. I won't know what to do with myself

I didn't realise how late it was. I'm wide awake from the telegraph article and threads. Feels like the penny is finally starting to drop for some parents and maybe they're beginning to see we weren't just being lazy scaremongers

And the one who built an extension and plastered it all over social media

If this was a PE teacher we may work in the same school

I'm also seething about the subject workload inequality again.

Yup.

Yes herc, I'm annoyed about the inequality of the workload as well. I do know that this isn't anyone's fault, but I begrudge the subjects where they won't need to work anywhere near as hard as I will (not naming any subjects PE)

We have that constantly herc. Even in school. Our marking has switched to quality marked assessments.

If you're a maths teacher for one example that could be a maths test with right or wrong answers and a score. Ours are all essays with mark schemes and token nods at department moderation.

I'm going to pick on maths again and point out how much content is out there eg doctor frost, maths watch etc that even self marks! So it was presumably much easier to get going with online learning and lends itself well to teach a new skill, model it well and then off they go to practice.

We won't even mention pe lol

Though I suspect that accounts for a trend I've noticed of bright cheery young pe teachers with 10 minutes experience being given tlr roles. Slt knows they have time to do them.

I keep telling ds to be a pe teacher

Anyone in Early Years and feeling really worried about Monday? In a London borough & no communication from my nursery. We’re having INSET all day Monday with loads of adults in a room. I don’t feel safe.

Yes and no for self marking. A lot of the "self marking" platforms aren't great at self marking. Multiple choice questions fine, questions worth 2 marks or more are a nightmare. I agree it's easier to provide links to pre made videos and there are more ready made resources out there. But the self marking really isn't the silver bullet everyone thinks it is.

I know essay marking takes a longer time than maths. We do moderate 3/4/5 mark questions. Our English lessons all have 20 minutes silent reading....in my eyes that compensates slightly!

I suppose my point is that none of us really know the nuances of each subject and what appears good to one subject is probably not quite what it seems.

(although PE are living the dream at the moment) might be why so many of ours keep being promoted to SLT

I'm going to pick on maths again and point out how much content is out there eg doctor frost, maths watch etc that even self marks!

Yep, maths have it fairly cushy tbh in terms of resources and marking. And parents think it is important so prioritise it for remote learning.

We don’t have the social skills to be SLT though.

Our old head was a maths teacher. The maths department loved him New one was an English teacher and much better at communicating with parents and getting them on side.

I'm history currently. I might brave suggesting that at least one or two qmas in a year could be a knowledge retention test with multiple choice or something at ks3.

Not just my school promoting pe teachers then!

How often are QMAs?

We do approx 3 marking activities per term. I know our history ones are 2 x knowledge quizzes of 15 fill the gap type answers, and the third one is 2 short sentence questions then a longer response (mini essay?) at ks3. Assume ks4 is more extended writing based.