The Fortieth Republic - Schools are safe but they are vectors so go online

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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

''Twas me, thanks dangling/Random !

@Monkeytennis97 to stop them unmuting you need them to be attendees at the meeting. You can do this at a global level or you can do it individually in the meeting.

When they are an attendee you can then click on the ellipsis next to participants and choose to not allow them to unmute.

If you do then want them to speak they need to then put up their virtual hand and then when you click the ellipsis next to their name you can unmute them. You can’t unmute them if they haven’t got their hand up though if you’ve done it this way.

I am now the teams expert in my school, thanks to you lot giving me the leg up 🤣

I had a technical glitch today during my Y11 lesson as my mic suddenly stopped working. Couldn't sort it so had to get them doing seneca while I called IT to come and help

No idea how it happened -that was my 4th lesson of the day with no issues in any other lesson

I am using the chat thread quite a lot for checking in. My Y10s have got into the habit of writing 'done' when they have completed a task.

I have also used Microsoft forms to create question quizzes and posted links for them. That worked quite well as I could check who responded and their answers.

Setting a small, relevant section of seneca has also worked well.

I have tried some verbal questioning but some go quiet bless them!

It's a bit trial and error this week I think because it was all so uncertain as to exactly what was happening.

I am finding 6th form to be the most difficult as they are silent it's so hard to get them to say anything (they are not like this in class!). It's honestly like talking into the abyss!

Breakout rooms are great BUT you can allocate Mac users to breakout rooms. Teams really does not like people using Macs....

I left those ones in a group in the main room and allocated everyone else! Every time I went in a room they were all excitedly talking and then stopped the minute I went in 🤣🤣🤣

Is there a way of sharing your screen in Teams, but being able to see the meeting chat too? Must be.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Is there a way of sharing your screen in Teams, but being able to see the meeting chat too? Must be.

I just do it via my mobile, so keep mobile open for chat but teach from desktop.

... although not sure if that works 🤔. I'm too tired tonight!

Yes, that's a good solution.

I tried that today, but had sound and mic issues. Had to use the phone mic, which wasn't enough for them to hear me. Lots of EAL, so need to be as clear as possible.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/06/a-third-of-my-staff-are-off-sick-with-covid-19-a-headteacher-speaks-out

Was anyone watching Question Time earlier, when Nadhim Zahawi, the government bod said that children who don't have a laptop at home, can go into school to be taught "from tomorrow."

@Cantaloupeisland Thanks for sharing that. We have well over 50% in and more are phoning and emailing in to demand KW places. It's ridiculous.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

I tried that today, but had sound and mic issues. Had to use the phone mic, which wasn't enough for them to hear me. Lots of EAL, so need to be as clear as possible.

Yes, I remember what I did now, but it all gets a bit fiddly. My desktop doesn't have mic unless you plug one in, so I presented from desktop with it muted but used a Bluetooth earpiece/mic, which was connected to my phone. Could also view chat on my phone I think. However, my ears were most definitely not designed for wearing glasses, a mask and an earpiece at the same time!

@CallmeAngelina Seriously?! What's the f*ing point of closing the damn schools if they're going to just open the floodgates? If we were open at least we wouldn't have this horrifying situation with simultaneous remote teaching, which still apparently isn't good enough for some parents, if my FB feed is anything to go by. I am at breaking point here.

Do you think pupils will just turn up if they don't have a laptop?

How do they expect teachers to be in two places at once? Our school is doing live zoom lessons which is fine, but not if you've suddenly got half a class in as well! The kids that are in are just sat in rooms doing the same lessons as the kids at home. I think parents think they're getting bespoke teaching or something. I naively thought 'closure' would be a good thing but it's shaping up to be more stressful than before!

More in Guardian-

amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/06/english-schools-struggle-with-demand-for-key-worker-places?CMP=share_btn_tw&__twitter_impression=true

Hope this link works.

Is this a kickback against the teacher and unions? The gov didnt want us to shut. And they are the ones publishing huge lists of pupils who qualify for key worker places.
I mean, not having a quiet place to work ffs.

Either say all key worker pupils can come in or knock that on the head and say all vulnerable ones can't but we cannot fit both and still stay any safer than when we were fully open.

We've been told that in theory we have an aim for 10% of numbers in. And in some classes we are as low as 12% but I have 25% of our year group in.

Is this a kickback? I would say almost certainly so.

@RandomGrammarPun

No such luxury as two screens here but we do all use our phones to monitor the chat at the same time.

That's a great idea! A second screen would be unfeasible for me, but phone + laptop could work.

@DrMadelineMaxwell

Is this a kickback against the teacher and unions? The gov didnt want us to shut. And they are the ones publishing huge lists of pupils who qualify for key worker places. I mean, not having a quiet place to work ffs.

Either say all key worker pupils can come in or knock that on the head and say all vulnerable ones can't but we cannot fit both and still stay any safer than when we were fully open.

We've been told that in theory we have an aim for 10% of numbers in. And in some classes we are as low as 12% but I have 25% of our year group in.

The alternative view on some corners of twitter is that they want all the poor kids in school to catch the virus.

But yeah, I think it's school opening by stealth, and it's a real problem.

Primary school kids don't work in quiet places for much more than 20 mins an hour. If a household can't manage an hour spread across the day for some quiet, then either their kid lives on a building site or in creche.

My school would give out laptops before having kids in I think. We've got sim cards with data for using phones as dongles.

I agree - so to the wider world schools are closed but the reality is massively different. My friend rang me up yesterday and was surprised when I said I'm at work- she thought closure meant we'd all be home. Once again the media picture is lies and spin

Sorry, if you are using a phone too, are you signed in as yourself on both devices? I really have some playing around to do tomorrow.