The Forty-fifth Republic - Is there anyone there? Surely time for 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 read that as something like "Say Bollocks to your Head!", which I thought might be slightly rash advice for name...

I will apply once it's advertised. They say I'd be most welcome to. But I want to stay there so badly I'm a bit scared of messing it up. Do they make allowances for nerves? There's also an nqt who is on supply this term so she is ahead of me in the queue so to speak (qualified last year). I will definitely apply (and no doubt ask for help when I do). The next 6 months feel so overwhelming at the minute.

I assume it will be advertised on the open market? Can't see how they could recruit without doing that

They don't have to advertise it.

If you want interview/letter/application help, we have 3588522789 years of experience here...

name you can compete on more than an equal footing with an outside candidate. If you swanned in, stared at your nails and gave off an attitude of meh, I already work here, you have to employ me then maybe you wouldn’t get the job, but you’re not going to do that.
NQT might not want it, might not get it.
They will see past nerves, don’t worry, if your observations and answers are solid.

Making an internal application for any job is always a special kind of scary. But can often lead to good things, even if you don't get the job in question.

Just tell them now you'd like to apply and what is the process. No one is ahead in queue by the way and that nqt failed to secure a permanent post so why be so sure they're ahead of you in anything?

You're mature, ergo reliable and less likely to go off on serial maternity leaves, and experienced (from being a ta) yet cheap. You're a catch.

Pull it together and remember you're doing this to secure more money and opportunities for your family and go for it.

Sorry not sure why I'm on tough love duty today lol

Putting yourself out there is tough, the alternative is tougher. Suck it up buttercup

In school today. Even more kids in- no social distancing in the "classrooms" anymore, and this is apparently ok. A lot of the kids in aren't strictly vulnerable- they are just doing fuck all at home.

Had a student in who has ADHD and struggles to self-regulate. I teach him in normal times and can normally "manage" him (I know that's not a nice thing to say about a child, but you know what I mean hopefully)- but today he really struggled and made the day a struggle for everyone else.

School at the moment is just the wrong environment for him, and there's only so much we can do to change that. Have asked the SEN team for some advice, but our SENCO is pretty useless and won't be willing to suggest anything that might actually help (e.g. he spends part of the day in the SEN hub where he'd have more freedom to move around).

Normally I can manage to help students at home, as well as being in school and supporting the key worker students, but today that was impossible and I am just exhausted.

This is officially “Fuck-it that’ll do February”.

@Mistressiggi was it you that asked about cloze? I think you could do it in class notebook and they could type in the blanks there? Or maybe as a word doc and through assignments where they have their own copy to edit it? I think either might work?

U4T types seems to be busy in Chat this evening. Think I'll stay in here.

Yep you're all right of course. I'm not overly confident but my subject knowledge is good, I'm calm, patient I can engage (most) of the children in the learning . Didn't realise that schools didn't have to openly advertise. And I'm very definitely done with the baby thing. And I'm cheap!

So yes. When the time comes I'll borrow the big girl pants and take all the help I can get

We've recruited several times from trainees without advertising....

@noblegiraffe

This is officially “Fuck-it that’ll do February”.

That'll do pig, that'll do.

Sansa sounds like you'd have to get pretty assertive. Email senco cc'ing head explaining today and that you cannot do remote, in person AND manage this child's needs (emphasising impact on kids education) and ask them what they suggest?

I know cc'ing is seen as aggressive but it's also the only way of getting taken seriously sometimes

Don't wait. Tell the head tomorrow

Is it one of you who mentioned having a lab or labs? We might be getting a puppy and please can I PM you to get the need to knows!

I used to have one. My tips would be get them out of lead and playing with you, excited to run back to you young so retrieval is effortless. Food is both your best friend (very keen for treats so easy to train) and your enemy. Don't leave anything on the kitchen sides or they'll be gone. Our lab was a saint but could not help herself if left with accessible food.

Loads of exercise and get a working breed one rather than a show type who tend towards fat and lazy.

Best dogs ever. Very keen to please so easy to train, lovely smiley natures and just lovely and easy. Ideal first dog but a bit like having an easy first born-get another breed dog and they'll seem like demons sent to try you. Which is pretty much how my mother viewed me

@noblegiraffe

No, Beach I decided I’d rather lose the money than go through it all again! I hate phoning people so it was a massive effort to do it in the first place.

The guy really was terrible. Asked me if I’d googled what should happen. Like, isn’t that his job to know?

Noooo! That's on par with doctors googling your symptoms!

We had one, MrsHerculePoirot and we are getting another one soon. More than happy to swap tips with you
You will need an excellent vacuum cleaner and somewhere to put everything you don’t want chewed

Thanks guys - we both had labs as kids growing up so hopefully not totally clueless but was also over 30 years ago so guess things have changed!

@MrsHerculePoirot

Thanks guys - we both had labs as kids growing up so hopefully not totally clueless but was also over 30 years ago so guess things have changed!

I’d say the Show and Working lines are possibly even more different than they were then and potential health problems exacerbated by overbreeding by puppy farms, but if you’ve done your research wrt to breeders that shouldn’t be a problem. They are still a life support system for a stomach and the best dogs ever.

Not sure about all the underwear loans offered on here tonight...

Ooh puppies with squishy bellies 😍 ignores job worries for a while. Labs are beautiful.

Have already been cheeky and let Dep Head know that I'd like a job there! Always a bit frightened to bother the head as seems really busy.
Right. Sleep needed before I tackle tomorrow.