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

It’s not so much as having no classroom experience as we all start somewhere but I think some genuine comprehension of how tough it is is needed. I can’t imagine that as an easing yourself into the workplace it’s the easiest plan. I’ve always been a bit envious of patience they show in situations where I’d probably lose my mind 😂.

Rule, lucky Toby (do they get sent?) gosh you have no applications for TA jobs? Even from the 'posher' area up the road/town 10 miles away??

Anne Frank in the attic Honey

That's some interesting bolding January Bored. Just had ages on online support for fitbit. They allegedly sent me a replacement on 27th of Jan but dhl have no record of the consignment and the tracking number doesn't connect to anything on their systems. Fitbit tried to send me to dhl so had to be very persistent to avoid being palmed off. Still no news on where the bloody replacement is but someone will email me within 24hrs.

I have very little patience for this kind of tedious shit. Far worse than having to explain the same task 76 times because there's always one more person who didn't listen for the first 75 times you explained even though you literally made them stop what they were doing and look at you. Give me a classroom over a call centre any day.

Honey Yes, he's diabetic. Thanks for the suggestion, I actually got one as soon as DH tested positive. DS doesn't do ill, he just pretends everything is fine, plus he can't really communicate very well and has learnt that the answer to 'How do you feel?' is 'Good.'

Interestingly my cousins son is also autistic and diabetic - is there a connection?

In other tedious admin stuff my bank switch has gone through. I move current accounts endlessly trying to get a bit of interest as there's none available in savings accounts these days. This time there was no interest incentive anywhere but Virgin were at least offering a bit plus a case of wine when you switch. Will be chasing that up next.

I feel like I could nap.

In school tomorrow so I will actually have to wash my hair and change out of the hoody and joggers I've been living in. Part of what amused me about the Mr P video is that I have been wearing a beanie all week to stay warm and hide my greasy hair.

On the 'joggers' thing.

I've found some 'alright' jersey trousers in M&S. Was only there for pants, but these are comfy like joggers, could pass as something neater. I have a feeling I'm about to spend the whole summer in them. Also good for PE at school.

Honey when he was diagnosed we were told there isn't apparently a massive correlation, although I have heard of other children with both. There was only one other child in his ASD school with both. At least he got into the routine of blood tests and injections well.

Honey, not sure what you mean by
That's some interesting bolding January 

Maybe it looks different on yr device? Hope I haven't inadvertently written something offensive. I just meant your DS's comment about you was funny?

@JanuaryChill

Honey, not sure what you mean by That's some interesting bolding January 

Maybe it looks different on yr device? Hope I haven't inadvertently written something offensive. I just meant your DS's comment about you was funny?

I think there have been some bolding issues January -this is what I see, ha ha!

Funnily enough, both ASD and diabetes run in my family, but none of us seem to have both. I'm diabetic (as are both parents and my sister), my brother is autistic (high functioning, diagnosed as an adult). Several aunts and cousins are also diabetic, and different cousins are autistic. I think there might be a connection in my family, but we've also got a whole load of other auto immune conditions which are linked to the diabetes, maybe the autism is the one that's unconnected and just happens to randomly run in the same family.

Oh thanks @ChloeDecker, that's different to what I can see, how strange!

Apologies @TheHoneyBadger.

Now paranoid about using anything other than standard text.....

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

On the 'joggers' thing.

I've found some 'alright' jersey trousers in M&S. Was only there for pants, but these are comfy like joggers, could pass as something neater. I have a feeling I'm about to spend the whole summer in them. Also good for PE at school.

Ooh interesting! Are they on the m&s website too?

Don't be paranoid - MN is weird for bolding and strike through fails - how weird that it looks different on different devices.

I actually think ds has hidden my beanie because I can't find it anywhere. Had to put my hood up to take the dog out.

www.marksandspencer.com/tapered-jersey-ankle-grazer-peg-trousers/p/clp60431681?extid=ps_ps-bpla_ggl_ww_ch__-UK-_denim-citadel_grow&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0-6ABhDMARIsAFVdQv8laxPdJqfvU57Czqikff9uSezLNZWxvI0PsA8lrmEf4yYTR1rVH5YaAovNEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Oh, massive link. They are there. They haven't described them as 'joggers' at all. Sneaky.

I’ve had three emails in the last two days that have been really bloody rude and I can’t figure out if it’s intentional or not. Two are from a parent wanting to know if we’ll inflate their DC’s grades as our provision last year was apparently poor in comparison with private schools. Actually, they submitted less than 30% of my own work so not sure that that is a fair point to make.

Second is from a member of SLT who has form for being a rude bitch. Despite the HoY asking for work, this apparently never happened so I imagined it or am lying for funand I need to magically figure out this student’s grade even though she’s been in alternate provision since October last year. Surely that centre should be figuring that shit out?

Looking an old thread, came across this post. Psychic.

I've had emails like that too herdy. One is from a parent complaining that we keep telling her that her child is not submitting work. That's apparently our fault because we aren't teaching completely live to timetable. So this year 11 boy should not be expected to have to do anything unless it's in a live lesson then? All the bloody videos I've recorded and worksheets/links I've sent are pointless because he "can't be expected to self motivate" while at home alone. Sorry kiddo, absolutely everyone else in the class is getting on great with the work in sending, so suck it up!!!

Yes I know MN sometimes does weird things to text.

Oh yes I remember you posting that noble. If only we were in charge of Educashun.

Speaking of kids doing nothing.... had an emailed standard letter earlier from DS's Maths teacher complaining pointing out that he hadn't done the UK Maths Challenge thingy, due yesterday. I think he just forgot.... he'd been telling me how loads of his live lessons have been cancelled this week, which I could only think was for MH Week. But it turns out in Maths it was so they could do the practise, and then actual, Test. Oops.

He's now grumpily done it.

Thanks to Rule I've just channelled my boredom into shopping on m&s website - 4 pairs of comfy but will look smart 'enough' for work and won't need ironing trousers and some granny pants and socks for £52. Lots of trousers on sale.

I currently only have a couple of pairs that fit me because I keep assuming the weight will just magically disappear one day. Fuck it. Hopefully they'll be too big for me soon but I need some clothes that fit.

Ds attended his live maths lesson then promptly passed out on the sofa

He has 3 more lessons to do when he wakes up which will be fun to drag out of him. He's turning into a vampire and he's supposed to be going to school tomorrow for the first time this week so that's going to be great fun getting him up.

I read of people who still make their kids get up at 6am and get dressed in their school uniform to work from home. I am actually secretly pleased that my son would tell me to gtf if I suggested that

Random Q but do you ever feel a conflict between what we try to make children be/do as children and how you actually would like them to be as an adult?

Like ds is not a massively obedient conforming child but then I wouldn't want him to be a massively obedient conformist adult so?? I used to call sausage factories where unfortunately not everyone is sausage shaped so they don't fit through the machine comfortably.

Drive - hope that your ds recovers soon and I hope that you stay well.

I know the thread has moved on, but Rule, thank you for sharing your previous life experience! I often sit and write stuff but then worry that it is oversharing and delete the lot.

ChloeDecker and HerdyGerdy.... totally empathise with the rude communications. I've been fending off an aggressive dad for the past week, to the stage where someone more senior will intervene if he gets in touch again. But yesterday I received two emails from parents thanking me and saying how much they appreciate the efforts that I make for their children. I surprised myself, but reading them both made me feel quite tearful.

noble.... you really do have a thread for all occasions .

MsAwesomeDragon - is your mum on the woolly hugs threads?

I fell asleep as dd was talking to me last night and managed 11 hours, although the rain woke me in the middle of the night. I feel so much better today, been suffering with a stinking headache the past few days. Half term I think is going to be full of planning and resourcing for the period till Easter. I'll be glad of the break though.

Who is this microbiologist announcing that primaries could open sooner than March 8th?

Some shill for the Covid Recovery Group? Or someone with actually the power to make that announcement?

I don't think he has the power to make that decision, but he does seem quite legit.

Whether or not he's been in a school recently and knows what they are actually like is a different question.

Interesting bit of info from the press conference at home yesterday - they're seeing much more household spread in this outbreak than the last one. So I'm not sure how confident he should be in his assertion that primary kids don't spread it given the different variants currently in the UK.

Incidentally, they are acting very much like children do spread it. All schools have been shut completely for the last fortnight. They're opening up on Monday to a shortened list of KW and vulnerable children, but children and teachers will need a PCR test and result before they go into school on Monday and will then be regularly tested.