The Forty Sixth Republic - online learning has killed the 'snow day'

[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 just remember stuff too piggy. Until I don't. Like the year I completely forgot dh's birthday

I used to remember stuff, then I had kids.

Now I have reminders on my phone.

I used to remember stuff too.

Now I use my planner otherwise I drop multiple plates I'm supposed to spin!

I have lost my mojo today. Do NOT want to teach 🙈

I'm a prepper in everything. I know what I'm doing a long way in advance - at least in a general way. I don't do it with alarms, I do it with notebooks and lists. I think it's probably not very healthy mentally, but there you go.

Apart from birthdays. I forget birthdays ALL THE TIME.

So after all the time and effort that went into school LFTesting, they're going to scrap them? Unbelievable.

Where did you hear that, Jan?

Apparently at my school you can put your worksheets in for photocopying to our resources department and they’ll do it for you if you give them in a couple of days in advance.

Never done it it 15 years. I’m the one stood at the photocopier the break time before the lesson.

I've just finished a live lesson which had only 3 kids in it. I always have to provide a video lesson as well because some kids can't access the live lessons, so some choose to do that instead (because I can't prove how long they've spent on this "hour of work"). I've always had about half the class there though, it's really pointless to just have 3!!!

@noblegiraffe, was just summarising what @Cantaloupeisland posted a little earlier?
I just asked our Queen of Testing, she says she's got the impression they're going to change to students testing themselves at home, only staff testing in school. Why would you differentiate?

I found that if I plan too far ahead, someone changes something so I had to replan. So I stopped, and plan minimally and late.
In the days of handwritten reports (with two carbon copies), I used to get up at 4am and do the lot (for one subject or my tutor group) in one go. If I spread it out over time they lacked consistency or I would rewrite to improve them.

Are they under the illusion that staff would rather test at school, or do they just not want to have to tell sec schools to mothball their testing centres??

Are test outcomes recorded? Maybe they want to monitor infection data? (Unlikely I know.)

I think if anyone should test at home, it should be staff?

Testing students in school is logistically difficult- but there's a lot of incentive to lie, isn't there? And presumably then we won't be able to send anyone with symptoms home, as they've tested themselves?

I more like you @RuleWithAWoodenFoot I found that in my current role I was getting asked to do stuff at the drop of a hat and had issues last year with LM who I felt was trying to catch me out. The only way to cope was to plan all my lessons, have EVERYTHING printed etc for the next week so whatever was thrown at me I could cope with it. My LM now not like that, but I’m in the habit. I work three days so work on of my days off when kids are school usually getting it all planned/marked/printed etc... it made the craziness of this year easier for me tbh.

I hate feeling out of control. I don’t really let DH drive when I’m in the car. Birthdays however you’d be lucky to get a card weeks after tbh 🤦‍♀️🤣

"I’m the one stood at the photocopier the break time before the lesson."

I'm the one who has been known to nip to the photocopier during the lesson.

Jan Canta said the testing of secondary school and FE students using the lateral flow tests is likely to feature prominently.’??

@noblegiraffe

Apparently at my school you can put your worksheets in for photocopying to our resources department and they’ll do it for you if you give them in a couple of days in advance.

Never done it it 15 years. I’m the one stood at the photocopier the break time before the lesson.

Snap.

@noblegiraffe

Apparently at my school you can put your worksheets in for photocopying to our resources department and they’ll do it for you if you give them in a couple of days in advance.

Never done it it 15 years. I’m the one stood at the photocopier the break time before the lesson.

We aren't allowed to use the photocopier only in an emergency. We email our work to reprographics 9/10 it's ready within the hour.

Of course loads if us have emergencies every day.

Ah noble, now am tempted to use that word I rarely use.... apologies.

Blame having lunch and MNing in the midst of boisterous (polite word) KWV kids because for various reasons they didn't all go outside at the same time for lunch, so have no time to myself today. Hard work here...

I thought someone else said something about LFTs running short though, or did they misread like me?

Ah noble, now am tempted to use that word I rarely use.... apologies.

I thought it was going to be 'fuck'

My brain has pretty much melted.

@Piggywaspushed

I am still annoyed at the idea that I will have to do twice weekly tests in my scant free time, whereas a primary teachers (sorry!) can do theirs at home.

Honestly, our DH ahs never been so fulfilled as he clearly is since these tests came in!

This is already a pain. We get tested twice weekly but because it's just staff and not students, the "testing centre" has reduced hours. So, even when in on KWV duty, you have to dive in in between teaching live, duties, KWV supervision. It's ridiculous and potentially unsafe all in together. We should be able to do them at home.

I am organised because I am a huge procrastinator. I get all my copying done at the end of a half term for the upcoming one (we have a lady) and then when I faff, she helps me out. It'd be a disaster otherwise!

It was my ht who said she'd been told they were in danger of running out and that they had to order 2 weeks in advance now. You didn't dream it January

We do them at home.

I've completely run out of steam today/this term. Would probably have a nice day if we were in class tomorrow - finish a reading book, do some drawing, PE, bit of dance (maths and English obv). Can't really do that.