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

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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

I wouldn't be surprised to get messages from heads saying business as usual - they are never going to message you to say they schools are unsafe (unless their union says that, I suppose). I would expect a head though to ask if any of the staff are members of the union planning the walk out (they can ask, though I don't think you're obliged to tell them in advance). Heads don't know which unions staff are members of.
If your union is instructing you that it is not safe to be in, then unless your own circumstances are very different (ie you think your own working conditions are safe) that's really what you need to do.
If they called a strike ballot today that would take a month to be back in - has to be postal for example, can't be an online vote.
It's all very tricky but we've been calling for unions to actually do something for ages, this is them doing that.

And I've just spent 5 mins on a freezing cold doorstep (OK, not sitting on it!) trying to explain to my definitely not D ex (who's over 70) why masks do not give 100% protection and therefore there is a risk when DS visits. But that's obviously a tricky one.

noble you little f*er....

Come the revolution, Noble is going to be in charge of education nationally.

NAHT are going to speaking to Rachel Johnson on LBC soon. She comes across as more reasonable than her brother.

Is lbc live on YouTube?

@ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas

Come the revolution, Noble is going to be in charge of education nationally.

Yes Noble for Gavins replacement

Thanks Iggi - I suppose heads have no choice but to say that. I’m NEU but no idea about my colleagues (that used to be the majority choice but we’ve had a lot of staff changes) - and we’ve no rep on the staff. We have a TED on Monday which I will attend and hope to gauge things from there.

@ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas

Come the revolution, Noble is going to be in charge of education nationally.

As good a reason to start a petition as any; Noble for Ed Sec Could you imagine getting enough signatures for a HOC debate

@TheHoneyBadger

Is lbc live on YouTube?

I think so. I've got the app and am listening now.

I'm on their channel but can only see recordings not a live version. Guess I could find it on my digital radio? I basically never watch live tv and don't drive so don't really listen to radio either other than the alarm clock.

They aren't talking about it yet. She's talking if about policy development atm but not to do with education.

My head has emailed us to say she agrees with the NEU standpoint if we want to write her a letter. She mostly says it's shit that she has to make this decision.

I'm on their website with it playing.

I can never watch or listen to anything from bbc as I've refused to buy a tv license for about a decade.

teachers were busy'hot housing' their own dc

OMG! My child did fuck all. Like literally fuck all. Minecraft, listened to audiobooks, trampoline, walks and river swims, stop motion films YES, academic learning, NO.

Wow rule! There you go then.

That's what we need. Shouldn't be all on the shoulders of individual teachers.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

teachers were busy'hot housing' their own dc

OMG! My child did fuck all. Like literally fuck all. Minecraft, listened to audiobooks, trampoline, walks and river swims, stop motion films YES, academic learning, NO.

Mine refused to do anything with me. We had many pre teen dramatics.

In lockdown 1 my older DD was in the cursed GCSE cohort. Once her schoolwork finished I bribed persuaded her to support DD2’s home learning, as it was horrific trying to juggle DD2’s needs with remote teaching - and DH was out at work because it was business as usual for him.

Rule that's wonderful.

It's hitting me that we have been chatting for a long time now and it has been really good to talk to and bounce ideas with teachers. I think lots of us can relate to not really having that support and collaboration in real staffrooms.

I know a couple of posters here have talked about feeling like their department colleagues don't like them or shut them out.

I feel similar but from slt rather than department colleagues currently. I'm in that funny place of wanting to call it paranoia but knowing it isn't actually.

I feel like I'm always volunteering to be useful and/or going above or beyond this year and as if it's met with suspicion or resentment rather than in the spirit it was intended. It's bizarre and unsettling to not even get a reply when you offer to do extra kw supervision to relieve colleagues etc.

Just need to say that out loud.

Honey do you have a google home/Alexa? I am currently listening to LBC on it. They're great for digital radio and spying on you

I feel a bit like I'm treated like a child or trivial because I'm part time and because I'm a bit self deprecating and like making people feel good. In reality I've actually got quite a lot of experience and knowledge to offer from various qualifications and sectors relating to working with young people in mental health, school, fe and the third sector but I start to take on their perception or my sense of their perception.

I'm paranoid yes but it's not based on nothing.

I like sir David king!

Are we doing magic 8 ball teaching?

Pre the Internet I used to do a six week project to find out what was inside a magic 8 ball. First we had to ask lots of questions and get answers. It ended with some research on Platonic solids. Happy days! Search engines ruined it as all you had to do was ask “what is inside a magic 8 ball?”

@Hercwasonasnowball

have they told you what the plan is for you for Monday?

I know nothing other than inset Monday. No communication at all from SLT.

Same here. We’re having INSET Monday in person, no word. As I’m in a nursery school most of the staff aren’t teachers and I’m only one of 2. I don’t think the other one will walk and I could be covered so not sure what Section 44 would do other than land me in hot water.

I don’t feel teachers in nursery schools and children’s centres have enough protection from blowback because there are so few of us in each setting so you really feel like you’re sticking your head above the parapet.

@TheHoneyBadger

I feel a bit like I'm treated like a child or trivial because I'm part time and because I'm a bit self deprecating and like making people feel good. In reality I've actually got quite a lot of experience and knowledge to offer from various qualifications and sectors relating to working with young people in mental health, school, fe and the third sector but I start to take on their perception or my sense of their perception.

I'm paranoid yes but it's not based on nothing.

I know what you mean. I sometimes feel like saying “I have done QUITE a lot with my life before this, you know!” but I tend to sit on it, wrap it in more polite language and present it in my appraisals. They are too worried someone might ask for a fair wage according to qualifications to allow too much stepping out of boxes 🙄 As a TA I’m not really that arsed any more, but if I was on a teaching career path I might be more vocal about it.