The Thirty-ninth Republic - Covid Carnage continues and spring term is just about to start

[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

[quote mumsneedwine]@MrsHerculePoirot I've been offered my dream job. Bastard !!!! He's giving me a week to think about it. I'm going to sleep on it this week. One day at a time through this mess. But I shed a few tears today from lovely staff. Thanks for thinking of me 😊[/quote]
That's brilliant news, mumsneedwine! Glad you have some time to think about it. Well done!

Now that’s a dilemma mums but shows how much they appreciate you.

😊😊 I've picked a very bad year to do dry January 😂😂

@RigaBalsam

Anyone see Betty Boothroyd on sky she was brilliant. Newsreader couldn't get a word in.

Loved it!

she was having none of it.

In tomorrow with KW.

In theory, I am only looking after them 8.30-10.15 but have to stay in all day in case a staff member tests positive and we need to cover. Or obviously I could test positive and be sent home.

I'm planning to use the time to get my home learning sorted for the week- we are not doing live lessons due to lack of engagement, so I want to make some narrated powerpoints etc.

We have KW children in 3 bubbles- Y7/Y8 and KS4 (Y9+). I'm scheduled to work with all of them over the next two weeks, which seems illogical. I'm happy to go in on 3 separate occasions, but surely it makes more sense to keep staff to one bubble each? I know we are getting testing, but if I contract it on Friday, I don't think I will get another test before my next contact with children on the 11th.

Next week (assuming Y11 are in) I'll be in 4 days though anyway.

Ha, amost half my class are in as vulnerable. I'm not with them, they've put a strong HLTA in there and a lovely kind TA. I'm almost jealous - could do a lovely job with them.

We bagged up FSMs today and got all our packs up and going. Due to being a total prepper, my team were pretty much ready to go. Almost every parent we spoke to was happy that we were closed.

That sounds odd mixing with bubbles Sansa -I’ve just been given a small year 9 group (so many are coming in that we’ve done multiple bubbles in a year group) and I’m just staying with them this week (colleague next week)
Of course, things may well change 8pm tonight!

Testing has been a farce anyway-our school hasn’t even received a single piece of equipment or test and no info when and yet we still had to watch poorly made recorded ‘webinar’s today

we are not doing live lessons due to lack of engagement

Surely not, Sansa, all kids are desperate for live lessons and teachers don’t do them out of laziness.

Just catching up-wow @mumsneedwine!!

Wanksock said this morning on R4 that it only needs contact with a tiny amount of the virus to catch it ... Then teachers aren't at more likely to catch it that other adults - yes but other adults aren't in schools you fucking imbecile.

Moot now, I suppose, but it made me swear!

I’ve not done Lang for ages but recently studied Men’s Health in media for representations of men - this cover to be exact - some great stuff on imperative verbs/semantic fields etc.

After my bolshy moment with HoD this morning she has emailed me asking me to go and see her tomorrow morning after the one lesson I have with the exam group...I hate that email!

@MrsHamlet

I'm on the scrounge... does anyone teach language and gender or language and representation? I've got theory about the gendered representation of women coming out of my ears but nothing on men. All bright ideas welcome!!

Not helpful but I remember reading an awesome analysis of the how the traditional allegedly scientific narrative of fertilisation is full of human gender bias. It really cleverly compared to the descriptions of the sperm and the eggs roles to the story of sleeping beauty and picked apart how inaccurate it was and how the gender bias obscured objectivity.

Anyone who did the webinar today about testing-there is a thread about them ‘not going to end well’ that your input might be helpful on.

Hope that’s allowed-I know it’s posting about another thread.

@MrsHamlet there was a good Ted talk I've seen a couple of times would that help?

Can someone say what bb said on sky

Our head said testing seminar said that kids are being weekly tested too alongside daily for close contacts. Has anyone else heard this?

@mumsneedwine

😊😊 I've picked a very bad year to do dry January 😂😂

Gin-uary?!

We have mixed bubbles. Makes sense from a supervision POV. Only expecting 30ish in across 5 years. Y7&8 have separate bubbles, 9 upwards in one.

@Panickingpavlova

Can someone say what bb said on sky

I’ve seen some u-turns in the few weeks but this is the daddy of them all”!

She used the u turn word.

@MrsHamlet

I'm on the scrounge... does anyone teach language and gender or language and representation? I've got theory about the gendered representation of women coming out of my ears but nothing on men. All bright ideas welcome!!

Men in adverts - useless dads and crap at cleaning.

www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/14/first-ads-banned-for-contravening-gender-stereotyping-rules

Sorry. Typos and all sorts there as well as being way off topic.

Sitting thinking how utterly disrespectful and contemptuous it is to have all school staff, transport providers, parents etc waiting till 8pm to find out what's happening tomorrow.

Kids will go to bed without knowing if they're going to school tomorrow because what? They're meeting with spin doctors and image consultants on how best to to phrase the announcement and what hand gestures to use whilst u turning again?

We've mixed bubbles too y7+8 and 9+10+11, despite saying we wouldn't.

One tiny ray of light, at least one member of SLT said off the record that testing instead of isolating is a terrible idea. Hopefully he can convince the head.

[quote NeurotreeWenceslas]@MrsHamlet there was a good Ted talk I've seen a couple of times would that help? [/quote]
It would! Thank you :)

Another good mini language investigation could be looking at the language on greetings cards for male and female relatives, or baby girls and boys.

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

Our head said testing seminar said that kids are being weekly tested too alongside daily for close contacts. Has anyone else heard this?

Yes. Serial testing apparently. It's madness.