The Forty Second Republic - Lockdown 3 online learning struggles continue

[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

I'm so sorry for your loss, @JanuaryChill. I'm glad his passing was peaceful; I hope that brings you comfort. Take care and be kind to yourself.

I've achieved nothing and bizarrely ds has just agreed to walk the dog again and make me another cup of coffee

I'm not sure how I feel about remote learning till Easter potentially. It's been a weird year. I know that's stating the obvious but I mean for us as teachers professionally.

I'm building up quite a bank of recorded lessons that others don't have access to download just to view and wondering what I do with them and if they're of use for anything. Supply never have access to tech ime so no use for cover as things stand. Could they potentially be useful for evidence for performance management? I do think we should be holding onto them so I am downloading and keeping everything I make.

If this becomes a thing going forward maybe they'll be useable again and maybe they'll be useful for job applications. Also thinking about the fact that lots of us have learnt new skills and added strings to our bows and what does that mean for us and how transferable are those skills.

I've spent an hour messing about with stream (thanks to a helpful guide to using it!) It's not wasted time just not really what I need to be getting on with today! Lots of pupils struggle to hear the recorded PowerPoints, I'm not sure what they are doing differently to the ones who can hear them, thought a stream version might help.
Honey you are just showing off now with your bank of unused lessons

Oh namechanged that sounds awful. Your only sibling I presume, and must have been youngish. Hugs and for you today too.

In my case, because of Down's I guess, we'd always expected a shorter life, and esp since his dementia diagnosis a couple of years ago, we've been planning for this (as much as you can). And I'm next of kin so won't be forgotten. (Also means I have to deal with everything though.)

And continuing support for monkey.

@JanuaryChillm I'm SO sorry to hear about your brother.
Go easy on yourself.

Just sent you a PM, Mistress.

January - I didn't send my condolences before. I am so sorry for your loss and hope your brother is at peace now.

So sorry about your brother january 💐

Yes, my baby brother. My only sibling and my whole world. He went on holiday feeling perfectly well. Less than 2 months later he was gone. He had a GBM brain tumour. Formal diagnosis end of July and 3 weeks later we lost him. I'll never, ever be the same. My life will never be the same. I'm taking risks I previously wouldn't (like training to be a teacher for example) because life is short and hey what's the worst that can happen🤣.

Please be kind to yourself @JanuaryChill. Doesn't matter if you always expected it or felt prepared, it can absolutely knock you for six. And it's a very weird journey to be on

@JanuaryChill thank you xx

@Appuskidu I have no idea if lft for primary staff are now decreed as national idea or still local; I do know that before Xmas my local area was deciding how to use them in the community but in January obviously had to shelve ideas of using for football matches and re route them for more pressing reasons. Not sure what those are though.

I saw it popping up as for primary staff in either Bbc or guardian news last week; which was news to me and after we'd been clearly told no in a staff meeting.

Who the fuck knows 🤷🏻‍♀️

@JanuaryChill so sorry for you loss

They've all been used or are about to be used mistress! I'm only one lesson ahead of myself so nothing to show off about and I haven't had to do any synchronously live lessons (is that the right term?). Just wonder if all we've produced goes in the bin or can be used in some way.

Sorry about your brother name.

January just beware of being too stiff upper lip about it. I know it can feel like you have to tough everything out as a single parent but grief tends to need an outlet and will force one if you try to block it in my limited experience and I'm lucky it is limited so far.

Name, he was obviously very loved.

I know what you mean honey, but I also know that when our DM died 8 years ago, I kept waiting to be suddenly hit by it, and never was. I was OK. Whereas my sister completely fell to pieces on the day of the funeral, ended up arrested for drunk driving and was at least partially responsible for putting her then partner into hospital.....

Am hoping she'll do a bit better this time around......

Oh life, and humanity.

Glad you've still got a sister! Even if she's not exactly a rock

I'm seriously lacking in oompf and it'll probably do me good to go to school tomorrow before I go full agoraphobe! I didn't go in last week due to boiler saga.

So sorry for your loss @JanuaryChill

So very sorry about your loss January.
Sending hugs x

I'm so sorry for your loss, January. I'm glad it was peaceful and he had his keyworker with him. Will keep you both in my prayers.

I'm not sure what to do. As you may have seen me post, I'm working from home as some of my students are close contacts so have to self-isolate. I've had an awful headache all day. It's entirely possible my students had the virus as they were exposed to this person for an hour+ every day in the car, including the day they tested positive.

I know it's not one of the three major symptoms, therefore the I'd have to lie to get a test. But I've read that a headache can be a symptom of the new variant. Does anyone think I should get a test tomorrow? Or am I worrying over nothing?

Absolutely get a test, Katherine, we know the official list of symptoms is totally inadequate so just tick that you have a symptom. They won’t ask you at the test centre and it will put your mind at rest to know for sure.

Definitely get a test.

The test centre people were really surprised I hadn't got one as a key worker when I got the toddler done last time. Even though I pointed out it says not to with no symptoms.

Every single person I know who's had it mentioned a headache. Get well soon

Katherine I'm in a vaccine trial and 4hr+ headache is one of the symptoms on the "call us and get a test" list, which I was given in November.

@noblegiraffe

The clearest analogy I can think of is using a pregnancy test on day 21 of your cycle. No you won't get a false positive but a negative doesn't mean anything.

Oh that’s a good one. And being a close contact is like having had unprotected sex - you aren’t out of the woods yet!

And as my sister put it the other day, 'it's like a pregnancy test, not a contraceptive.' Which some people in government would do well to remember.

Oh @RafaIsTheKingOfClay so right!

So sorry for your loss, JanuaryChill

Oh why can't we run the country? We'd be so much better!