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

[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

Talking of snow days. That'll be interesting. When a proper one strikes and we are all still told to carry on remote teaching and open schools so needy kids can battle their way in to receive their education, will half the nation suddenly decide their kids aren't KW kids/vulnerable any more so they can go and play in the snow?? Will there be threads??

Definitely fuck that Malbec you can't be made to go in on a day off. You can't even be made to test. I declined consent and you can withdraw if needs be.

I've been virtually live marking all day and dealing with emails from students, parents and teachers. I should be able to switch off for the weekend work wise.

I'm at 3 days alcohol free now. Was relieved to find I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms therefore I will leave for everyone rather than booze.

sarahlou, no. In Spain and Italy in lockdown one, no kids were in school at all. Italy, however, got devices to every single child and family very quickly.

Much of the US has the same chaotic some in, some out, parental choice approach : this is what the UK gov is quietly copying. My cousin has been on her knees for months because of this in NYC. She also ahs 42 kids in her class!!

Hot off the press.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision?utmmedium=email&utmmcampaign=govuk-notifications&utmsource=31faca4b-814d-4606-947d-432ab6d24ea6&utmmcontent=immediate

Could I ask all you tech experts a question?

I'd like to make a poll for my class (primary, using Seesaw). It's only to pick a soft toys name, but I thought it might be useful or fun for other things. What website/app could I use? Do you reckon I need to run it past anyone (I'm thinking safeguarding/online safety)?

I think though an element of parent picking and choosing can help.
Oak seriously need to edit and look at the value some videos have.
Yr 4 for other dc is going ok.

I thought exactly the same about snow attendance.

@Monkeytennis97

Hot off the press.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision?utmmedium=email&utmmcampaign=govuk-notifications&utmsource=31faca4b-814d-4606-947d-432ab6d24ea6&utmmcontent=immediate

Have you had a glance monkey? Anything new. Don't think I have the mental energy to read anymore bollocks

@Monkeytennis97 - is that the one saying open to all and sundry?

Partner works for the LA, they had an email today from their chief bod (like the proper chief bod), saying they had to work at home, and had to keep their children off school, and would be 'helped to manage to do this' because there are too many children in school.

I thought she'd sent it earlier in the week, but apparently today. Weird.

@RigaBalsam asking CW parents to keep home the kids if they can.

May I leave you this.
fb.watch/2UdTzU_Mjm/
Don't know who this man is with a thank you message for teachers but I reckon he is easier on the eye than MrP and is saying nice things to us. Made me a bit emotional after such a crazy week.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot it pinged in my email about a minute ago... updated (see below)

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/08/primary-schools-still-rammed-with-pupils-in-england-say-heads

Guardian keeping the story going!

[quote Monkeytennis97]@RigaBalsam asking CW parents to keep home the kids if they can.

[/quote]
Thanks. The list does list nearly everyone. It's ridiculous

Is anyone else really tired?

I am secondary, working full time in school (can't teach from home due to rubbish wifi). Obviously not on my feet as much as I am teaching online but I am bloody exhausted tonight!

It's just so mentally taxing planning to deliver online and trying to assess learning/check kids have uploaded work etc. Plus, supporting most of my team remotely involving a million emails, WhatsApp messages and telephone calls.

It doesn't feel like we have only been back a week!

Update on DfE guidance- 'Updated 'Critical workers' section to clarify that parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can.'

Not strong enough, and it's too late we've already got hundreds in!

That's a pathetic change.

Some high up woman from London NHS (I think) on R4 earlier explaining how dire it was there, pleading with people to Stay at Home, said people need support to isolate but also that the issue of schools having too many pupils in needs to be addressed.

Am exhausted. I don’t work Thursdays and Fridays but have been attending meetings and supporting colleagues as is part of my responsibility. And home schooling my youngest. I’ve prepared none of my own lessons for next week and haven’t stopped being in calls and helping people all week. Was going to work tonight but have shut down laptop and will work tomorrow instead. Just had a good cry for 10 minutes and have that adrenaline gone feel shakyness. I’ll be fine shortly but just needed to share that somewhere!

It still has the catch-all phrase "those who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home"

I've got 3 more children coming out of school provision to online on Monday in my class - I've also taken my child out as of today.

Maybe lots of (genuine!) KW bods needed a few days to sort their shit out? I might have had a break down trying to learn online stuff while also trying to deal with my child.

When was that update?

@Piggywaspushed

With apologies to math teachers (and possibly science) who I know for a whole range of valid reasons are very pro exams, I am not sure MN is a very representative view . Their DCs tend to be well equipped , well educated and supported and (as one who has lived through sec ed and HE threads) very high achieving. Parents views on MN are very skewed in favour of terminal exams. The government has actually done a successful job -since Gove- of not crediting , or looking into , any alternatives. I threw things at the telly when Gav or someone (probably not him, let's face it !) said a while back that we needed to look towards 'other successful countries' education systems' when talking about keeping schools open and mentioned Finland etc when they ,in reality never look at what they do because they don't ideologically approve.

Twitter is also a bit of an 'exams are great' echo chamber as the knowledge curriculum advocates dominate on there. there was an English teacher (whose bio says 'Gove fan') who was making a lot of really quite hyperbolical noise on there the other day about exams being cancelled and that I thought was odd for an English teacher. We have a generation now of teachers who have never known anything else as teacher, or as pupils themselves and that, I guess, is why a plan B seems so difficult to come up with ,a nd why Scotland has not found Plan B so difficult a concept. It's also , to an extent, why so mnay pupils can't ;earn independently, want spoon feeding and why teaching styles for some can't adapt to a different way other than the didactic chalk and talk, I guess.

On a related note, the DfE guidelines for remote lessons say teachers should avoid 'excessive' internet research in lessons. What is excessive? Why should we avoid it?? Is research bad?? Is it because someone thinks that is lazy?? Is it again about 'busy work ' for teachers? (but not the students I note who just sit there and get told stuff) Shouldn't we be seizing the opportunity of, for once , having IT at their fingertips and teaching good research skills?

So many proclamations at the moment are not evidence based at all but just 'what Nick thinks' or what a MAT CEO thinks, or what EduTwitter thinks.

Or what Gove and Cummings think...

FWIW, as a science teacher, I don't actually think exams are a great test of the skills actually needed to be scientist.

I think there are lots of issues with having a science curriculum which is largely based around rote memorisation of things you can easily google, though!

But then, I am of the generation which did "easy" GCSEs and A-levels with loads of coursework ;)

Just had a good cry for 10 minutes

Yeah I did that last night. Feel much better today.

@JanuaryChill

That's a pathetic change.

Yup.

@MrsHerculePoirot

When was that update?

I literally posted it here within 5 seconds of getting it.