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

Just had an email from the head to day that DfE have U-turned on serial testing and close contacts in school. Hoo-fucking-rah!

If I had the energy I'd start a, 'Are you ready for blended learning and rotas yet?' thread.

It's the all or nothing, all in, full time as normal brigade who got us into this mess and we repeatedly warned that sooner or later this is where we'd end up.

UNISON's somewhat more measured reaction to the Staff Absence figures. They're calling for special treatment of special school staff.

www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2021/01/dfe-stats-reveal-high-level-covid-infections-among-school-staff/?fbclid=IwAR0fPNF0cvsfKlOrFAI6GzwWVKE_5VKMrffmcqAoQdAe5hA0Pv53sGmPTMg

For any support staff among you who may be interested:

opinio.ucl.ac.uk/s?s=71126&fbclid=IwAR0SOG6a-cQkDCQrSpHARllJvgex3RYbUni7lmFcNwV2m60JZ4wYJxsLs7o

Note to self - don't mention to colleagues that you are getting the hang on the online platform or you'll end up spending all day doing tech support and you'll be finishing your own work at midnight.

Feeling rough today.

Glad about the testing u turn.

4 lessons and a 2 hour webinar today. Full days Thursday and Friday . FML.

I see we are now to get twice weekly tests in secondary schools for staff only. it's the bloody kids that have it silently!!

Sorry, but why can't we do them at home?? Why should I give up PPA time??

We've had the standard email sent from the Head to say we will have LFT in school for staff, and do we want to participate - optional. Staff only, take home a box of them. Not children.

Piggy so aren't they going to mass testing of kids at all? Am completely confused!

Came on to post this article - why isn't the UK government talking about aerosol transmission - (and it barely mentions schools):

www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2021/01/why-isn-t-uk-government-talking-about-airborne-transmission-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR1twbzNbW6VOOtKyr43CafSM35BmIqlrxpe5ifsJ-YDYmkE1y2J2ZaAR-I

Saw an article earlier (inews) about how secondary kids might be vaccinated early?

Schoolsweek says just staff

schoolsweek.co.uk/the-benefit-risk-balance-is-unclear-government-pauses-daily-covid-contact-testing-in-schools/

I did Latin and Homeric Greek, private school educated though. We used to joke that the nuns spoke latin originally. We used Ecce Romani as our intro textbook. The characters got stuck in a ditch for several chapters IIRC.

Also avoiding most main threads at the moment. They are just...very stressful. Some of them seem wilfully ignorant.

I declined consent for myself or ds previously but now they're not being used to replace isolating and if they'll let me do them at home I will do it. I'm not going in in my own time to stick things down my throat and wretch in public though.

What are they going to do with all the staff they recruited and trained? It's like in every other area they dither and are too slow to act but with schools someone has a 'brainwave' on a Friday night after a few drinks and it's published as policy by midnight when all they had to was think about it or ask a bloody teacher and it would've gone in the bin.

Instead every school in the land wastes time and money and very limited energy and good will for weeks before they find a way to back away from the idea without admitting it was bollocks.

If I was a head I'd have been playing chicken by now especially over the testing and just waiting and waiting knowing they were going to pull out before impact.

Utter twats with seemingly low iq and massive egos bloated on privilege.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

How are you going to know anything if it’s not in a knowledge organiser?

Late to the party, but are you my hod?!

@TheHoneyBadger

If I had the energy I'd start a, 'Are you ready for blended learning and rotas yet?' thread.

It's the all or nothing, all in, full time as normal brigade who got us into this mess and we repeatedly warned that sooner or later this is where we'd end up.

Exactly! For me, it was just the refusal of many posters to even consider any other measures or systems and instead just blame the whole situation on teachers just wanting to not go into work. We’re still having to put up with threads started by posters claiming we all have it so easy right now and that we should be happy. I am exhausted (and haven’t even finished for the day) and they can all do one

It's Wednesday. I've had gin (on a school night!). But I've had a lovely day. I've had two lessons which were commented on as amazing and inspiring and then after school the DH came to find me to say my feedback to online learners was fantastic.

As a student who has no confidence I can't tell you the difference the lovely comment has made.

i then cheekily asked if the school will any nqt positions in Sept as I'd love to work there and spoilt it

Imagine if anyone tried to tell them that because they were WFH they weren't really doing anything

Well done namechanged

We’re still having to put up with threads started by posters claiming we all have it so easy right now and that we should be happy

Innocently asking if we are now having a much ‘lovelier’ time?!

FFS

@Appuskidu

We’re still having to put up with threads started by posters claiming we all have it so easy right now and that we should be happy

Innocently asking if we are now having a much ‘lovelier’ time?!

FFS

And a very familiar sounding ‘voice’

Well done @namechangedyetagain No harm in asking about NQT positions - they may well get one and if they know you are interested, you may end up with a job there

I have been a bit absent from this thread as been so busy at school. I'm glad the testing thing has been stopped - ludicrous idea!

Today's death figures just beyond words.

And another 38000 ish cases - not a massive rise but higher than last couple of days

I was shocked by the death figures today. I was expecting a slight drop after yesterday’s were so high.

name my head would respond really well to that are you also young and blonde? we've been known to "pass on" to other schools trainees we don't have jobs for, so it's worth a go!

Feel free to join us in the broom closet, but bring your own biscuits and don't sit still for too long, or you may get a duster on you.