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

schoolsweek.co.uk/covid-infections-in-school-aged-children-peaked-over-christmas-ons-data-shows/

do any of you lovely lot have any ideas for form time?

formtimeideas.com/

How long is your form time?

I used to keep mine occupied with a born on this day thing with pics and a historical event or important news story.

Also, they loved random stuff like how much sugar is in fizzy drinks and Costas.

Does someone need to nip over to the broom cupboard and put the heating on?

I've got one of the old record of achievements too. Mine has my maths challenge certificates in it. I'm very proud of them as I got the best in school certificate in year 11 (1995). And a certificate about meeting Princess Margaret for some reason

My careers survey did actually tell me I should be a teacher. So I redid it giving different answers so I would get something different

@MrsHamlet

I've got my national record of achievement still. I was told I'd be asked for it in interviews. You lied, Mrs Fairbairn!

I've still got mine too. It includes a reference from a teacher who is now in prison

Bravo to wales - who have agreed to vaccinate special school teachers and vulnerable staff working in schools and colleges as soon as they can! Surely a step in the right direction!

PGCE 1997-1998 - check

NRA with ink lifted off onto the plastic - check

100% coursework GCSE English Lang &Lit - check (added credit for no Shakespeare studied at all, ever)

Oldest and longest serving in department - check (at previous school)

I feel like you are my tribe!

[quote Piggywaspushed]schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-and-phe-not-on-same-page-over-school-face-masks-evidence/[/quote]
No! I thought there was one last week saying they were going for it? FFS

I just don’t get the fear behind saying yes to masks in schools?! Another U4T thing?!

My careers teacher told me I should be a Journalist or a Teacher. I didn’t fancy either of those and his room smelled like farts. I did do Work Experience at a local newspaper. One of the journalists saw me at the bus stop and gave me lift for a few days. Talked about the problems he was having in his marriage.
Oh, the Good Old Days when Safeguarding wasn’t a Thing

I love (?!) the way my Y11 DD keeps pointing out I didn't get the top grades, only 7s for English and Maths, as they were As, not A*s etc 🧐

Trashed, oh poor you!

That's unfortunate, flags

I did my GCSEs in 1994...

1994-1998 B.Ed. My careers questionnaire said ‘teacher’ even on the multiple occasions I tried filling it in with different answers. I accepted my fate!

And that research proving younger children could be developmentally damaged by people having masks, I BET it's under 5s, probably mainly babies and toddlers!!

Let's look ahead to 5-10 yrs time and see if all children outside the UK have terrible emotional /cognitive problems because of the masks they were 'forced' into. But fewer orphans....

Monkeytennis i was terrified of maths, and maths was terrified of me!

I feel far too old for this thread now, as I did my O Levels in 1987. With some ‘trial’ GCSEs, so sorry about that, because we probably validated them as an option even though they were a pile of continuously assessed shite. We trialed SATS too, when they were fun and involved a Hb pencil filling in multiple choice answers.

We've been wearing masks since autumn and it's pretty much a non issue to the children tbh.

@MrsHamlet

I did my GCSEs in 1994...

Oh, no comparison because by 1994, GCSEs had dipped so much in quality

If you want a blast from the past, I did S levels!

I have had it this week. Just poured a very large gin which I intend to neck and then go to bed.

Our Year 5/6 usually has 105 kids across 3 classes. We now have 2 classes of 20 and 18 in. It's ridiculous. Each bubble (ha!) Should have 2 staff but this is impossible as we usually have 3 classes and 1 (yes 1) TA. I am trying to rota so we can all have time off but I can't. My team are torn between having days at home online or smaller bubbles in full time one run by the TA. No answer is great - every choice is shit.

Meanwhile, my SLT send cheery inspirational emails from their offices. While i've just logged off dealing with the online class that I can't deal with in the day.

Maybe 3 fuck off gins.

@Saucery you are my age!

@JanuaryChill

And that research proving younger children could be developmentally damaged by people having masks, I BET it's under 5s, probably mainly babies and toddlers!!

Let's look ahead to 5-10 yrs time and see if all children outside the UK have terrible emotional /cognitive problems because of the masks they were 'forced' into. But fewer orphans....

The children in my class couldn’t care less about the mask I wear. That includes children with an SEN (not hearing related, admittedly). I did a lot of work last term with facial expressions whilst wearing a mask. Apart from my wrinkles being pointed out, no noticeable downsides.

[quote phlebasconsidered]@Saucery you are my age![/quote]
< hugs gingerly on account of Age>
I did an S Level! Don’t know they are born, these days with their fancy-ass * after the A.

I've never heard of an S Level - is that a Scottish qualification?

@Saucery I had to do special after school lessons (an hour in the library while my teacher smoked fags outside the fire doors and asked "What do you reckon then?") where I read a shit ton of Chaucer, Milton, Shakespeare and The Philosophy Of History. Imagine asking a student to do that now for no reason other than another special exam.