The Forty Third Republic - Lockdown learning continues - when is half term?

[Staffdontblowitnow]

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 know, I know Staff

Teams now saves recordings in the class team in general channel in files in a folder called recordings if that helps. I’d you’ve downloaded it from chat bit it will just download to your computers downloads folder.

They’ve moved it so easier to delete/move if required is my understanding - helpful as we had some teams bombers the other week but have shut that all down now!

Woohoo all set for up to Thursday.. bed now

Don't read this if you want a peaceful night:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/01/24/school-children-pandemics-forgotten-victims-tory-mps-tell-boris/?WT.mcid=tmgliveapppiosshareAwmJjWChzRzz&fbclid=IwAR2L89vRovVfMwq0xa5I3DXBH0VeTotOrQjyMEbgo1bTcA055VMBBySwCXQ

U4T now being described as "a volunteer organisation". (Volunteering to do what? Antagonise teachers maybe??)

Esther McVey is so concerned about children not being able to learn the flute (I paraphrase but only slightly).

Cosying up with Graham Brady of the Tory Covid Recovery Group.

They’re all lockdown sceptics just playing different angles.

Snow day and no school real or remote for us.

IT sent an email telling us where our recorded google meets auto save. I've forgotten but I can dig out the email or call my (secret crush) IT support lead when I need it.

It's compulsory to record at our school for safeguarding and probably wise in case of weird parent criticism or accusations. I even record the silence when I'm in the meet with my mic off in case students want help or to say hi. Presumably it's cloud storage rather than on the computer or school server? I imagine it's a huge amount of data for all teachers live lessons and I've no idea how long they need to be stored for.

I am wide awake. We've had walks in the snow and ds made a snowman. Rather pleased he's not too cool for utter delight and having to be outside when there's snow.

Apparently I'm down to cover year 11 kw kids on Friday. 26 year 11s ffs.

If y11 and 13 move on then that will still create a year with no Uni students and one with twice as many? Think my y12 would suffer if they had to repeat. We've already finished the content because we normally do tonnes of practical and we've done none as y13 were prioritised. Only a couple of them had to isolate so apart from 2 weeks it's all been face to face. So it would be a year and a half of revising!

Urgh. Monday. Didn't sleep well, dreaming about being thrown off my course, trying to get a job and failing because my lesson wasn't perfect and i didn't know how to answer any interview questions. I clearly have issues!

Have a good week all.

The university issue is a big one. I think most universities are in real financial difficulties as a result of Covid + brexit. Goodness knows what a 'missing year' would do.

Absolutely no idea what the solution is. It's a mess. A horrible, terrible mess.

Signing in to the staff room after a long absence from MN.

And I'm flumping down in one of the non-hazard taped chairs, waving my arms in an absolutely bewildered way.

Thank you for the heads-up about the Byline article about U4T, the CRG & the ERG.

Things make a bit more sense now.

(And a socially-distanced wave to noblegiraffe.)

It's just bonkers out there.

Told my 2yo this morning that we needed to get her bag ready to go to Nanny & Grandad’s house today.

She said ‘yes, Mummy go play with the big children and I play with Nanny’.

This impression of teaching being easy starts young, no wonder it’s all over the media 😩

Yeah, I suspect that would put many universities out of business. Especially as no international students in their right might will want to come here at this time. Other than America I think we might have handled the pandemic the worst.

We were supposed to have snow overnight but the ground is completely dry. Hmph.

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

I don't catch up the non attenders, sod that. I'd briefly do it in school but over teams it's a non starter. Had a very annoyed parent Friday when I booted their child out of a call. The student hadn't responded to verbal or text interactions for 20 mins. Apparently "mum was next to him and heard/saw nothing". Luckily the teams meeting was recorded so I played it back to her and retagged said child in the chat.

Yep. I don’t follow up either. Just record an N in SIMs. All videos recorded here too so no excuse not to watch back at another time. I’ve also found the recordings useful for complaining parents. I had one parent complain to me that including the words ‘you didn’t fully read the question’ in my feedback was cruel and was going to put their child off my subject for life (said child hadn’t even seen feedback yet as was 11pm at night) even though they admitted I put in capitals and later in brackets, what to do exactly for the answer to the question. Apparently I should have made it clearer in the lesson. Showed the video clip time where I had. Child later emailed me the next day to apologise for said parent!

@Beachhuts90

Yeah, I suspect that would put many universities out of business. Especially as no international students in their right might will want to come here at this time. Other than America I think we might have handled the pandemic the worst.

We were supposed to have snow overnight but the ground is completely dry. Hmph.

I think we got your snow! Getting to work will be fun Another week forwards 🤜 🤛

Us4Them spamming lots of threads with their link to letters to MPs.

I have just realised that the Invicta Academy 'sponsored' by Gav and Halfon is not free!!! £5 per session or £7 if last minute panic.

And that's a 45 minute session!

They do two a day.

I sort of think Us For Them are panicking a bit - they've lost, schools are closed, and seem likely to continue to be partially or fully closed after half term. There's lots of talk of staggered returns and rotas, all things they don't like.

Outside of mumsnet, I don't think there is anyone desperate for schools to reopen. There are a couple of sets of parents in my tutor group who could be entitled to a school place and have refused it because they are concerned about the risk (older parents and one with health conditions). And lots of parents have mentioned what a great job they think teachers are doing.

I also think there are a lot of people with no association with schools who have realised the risk schools present, and don't want them to reopen too soon at the expense of everyone else.

@Piggywaspushed

I have just realised that the Invicta Academy 'sponsored' by Gav and Halfon is not free!!! £5 per session or £7 if last minute panic.

And that's a 45 minute session!

They do two a day.

I really hope someone like Piers Morgan picks up on this.

@Piggywaspushed

I have just realised that the Invicta Academy 'sponsored' by Gav and Halfon is not free!!! £5 per session or £7 if last minute panic.

And that's a 45 minute session!

They do two a day.

Well that doesn't work for a lot of families that amount soon adds up and if like a lot of our parents are not working or furloughed as work isn't open its not any good.

@SansaSnark I have to agree. we've had lots of positive emails from parents and you only have to look at how many parents contacted ofsted praising teachers to see the sentiment is different.

I agree @SansaSnark I’ve got lots of friends with little kids. Whilst they think it’s hard juggling work and little ones most of them don’t think schools should be opening fully as before. It really is only on MN I see hysteria about it. That and ‘were being controlled by fear’ ‘civilian liberties’. Yes people are finding it tougher, some days and some situations tougher but doing their best.

I’m so pleased to see however that now SO many people suddenly care about children’s mental health and the divide between disadvantaged and not that they will all continue to make this a priority when schools return... 🙄

@Piggywaspushed

I have just realised that the Invicta Academy 'sponsored' by Gav and Halfon is not free!!! £5 per session or £7 if last minute panic.

And that's a 45 minute session!

They do two a day.

Well, I guess we're seeing what was meant by the 'buccaneer spirit' that would result in lots of 'opportunities'.

That's actually quite grim.

Yet on MN we get told 'it is only on MN' that people want schools to be partially closed/ closed/ safe/ whatever.

In teams they now save to class materials in a folder called recordings.

MrsHP beat me to it!!
No snow here... just bloody cold

Snow here. schools open despite no transport running.

The death by occupation is out. Sky said no significant rise in the deaths for teachers. It doesn't say what dates were taken as yet as predicted.