The Forty Seventh Republic! Happy Valentines and get some half term rest

[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

Guy depends. If it’s out of character I’d think “oops they’re having a moment” and maybe send an email back. If it’s par for the course I’d huff and roll my eyes then ignore it and make a gin and tonic.

I'd think he'd lost the plot. How can he not know what/how you're teaching ks3? And why is he asking you rather than telling you (obviously ask opinions, but the decision is supposed to be on the hod, not anyone else) if it's not already been decided? And what has her said that is wrong? I'd possibly email back something like "are you sure about this bit? And I'm happy to teach KS3 whatever and however you decide. Let me know which parts I'm responsible for. "

@GuyFawkesDay

Question for you: if your HoD sent an email about what we are teaching after half term which is wrong, and is asking what/how we are teaching KS3, what would you think?

I would be wondering why the HoD doesn’t know what their department are teaching!

No KS4 apparently year11 are on revision as are 13. Except they've not finished the courses yet.

And said HoD teaches yr13.

Agree it's holiday but just seen this. It's sent my anxiety right up mainly because I have prepared next topic stuff on the absence of any direction and if I share it I'll get accused of underming again. Can't do right for doing wrong.

So glad you've had a lovely time with him!

Can you crack on with teaching your classes the next topic stuff? And only share it if directly asked? I would NOT like to work for a hod who didn't know exactly how much of the course is left before revision.

I’m completely ignoring school work this week-it can fucking wait.

I am trying hard to distract myself from thinking about how many WFH people I know who have been vaccinated when I haven’t, which is difficult but I refuse to allow myself to be distracted with work. I shall distract myself with the Richard Osman murder book and crisps and gin instead.

Do we reckon the unions might start about vaccinations when the ‘back to school’ hysteria starts or is it never going to happen. I just think it’s so bloody stuffing unfair. I know it would stop the spread home, but it would make me feel a lot better.

@MsAwesomeDragon nope as we share a class.

I'm just so done with this crap. Wait til lastonute until everyone else has done all the planning and hard work and then ask? And to have no idea where yr13 and 11 are up to? It's just bad, isn't it? Or am I being a bitch?

I know it would stop the spread home

NOT stop the spread

If it’s a regular thing then yes, that’s really bad.

How is the work split? Is there any way of saying who is responsible for which bit? So frustrating, especially if they’re your LM

[quote GuyFawkesDay]@MsAwesomeDragon nope as we share a class.

I'm just so done with this crap. Wait til lastonute until everyone else has done all the planning and hard work and then ask? And to have no idea where yr13 and 11 are up to? It's just bad, isn't it? Or am I being a bitch?[/quote]
That’s very poor management so I completely understand why you are stressed. Not the way to go about getting a cohesive department!
You might have to channel your inner honey badger and politely but firmly reply back with the full honest truth!

Yeah and then I get accused of undermining etc.

I am going to reply. I just don't quite know what to say yet. Other than something very rude.

You might have to channel your inner honey badger and politely but firmly reply back with the full honest truth!

Thought you meant she should spray him with her anal glands 🤣

I'd think "hoist with your own retard... again"

*Guy
*
Do you share a class and teach different topics?

I'd just reply saying I'd seen the plan, but my 11 and 13 (or my portion of the topics or whatever) aren't finished yet.

I wouldn't be surprised if my HOD has no idea where we're all at, as SLT keep telling us to slow down for remote, so we'll all be behind by different amounts, depending on how seriously we've taken that and how our lessons have fallen.

But I'm used to our mid-term planning being a bit shit, I tried to keep up with the unrealistic deadlines at first but realised no one else did so I've stopped.

@GuyFawkesDay I'd wonder if we shared the same HOD.

Then I'd ignore til Monday and share stuff with parallel teachers if applicable. I've stopped CCing in the whole dept, don't care if it pisses people off.

I'm also very much a "class teacher is in charge" kind of person. The scheme of work is a year of work and here's a general order but people can jump around a bit as long as they keep track themselves. Our TT doesn't work with everyone being at the same point anyway (4 week TT).

@SmileEachDay

You might have to channel your inner honey badger and politely but firmly reply back with the full honest truth!

Thought you meant she should spray him with her anal glands 🤣

Now there’s a thought!

We've got 4 post holders in the dept. Only one of them ever knows what's going on or communicates effectively. Sadly, she's in charge of the key stage I don't teach.

This is why I think some people flounder in management jobs in schools. Once you are given the post, very little training or support is given to you and you are expected to start immediately on top form.
I know I had no LM support in both my previous pastoral and academic middle management roles (especially when your SLT LM is in two buildings away from you) and it can be a really testing just being expected to step in the next day and suddenly have to ‘know’ everything.

I noticed a real decline in training and support when funding suddenly become so scarce that cover was not allowed and decent internal and external CPD suffered.

Teachers really are expected to ‘be all things’ with often little back up sadly!
I really feel for those here that are affected by that.

We actually ran quite a successful middle leadership programme in house. Interestingly, two of my dept middle leaders did it. One is the good one; the other clearly has cloth ears.

I always try to remember rule number one of team leading: I am responsible for 350 candidates but my team is responsible for 3500. If I can support my team to do their jobs, mine is easier.
If I have to them 4 times because I keep getting stuff wrong, that's not helping anyone looking at you ks4 idiot

I'm mentoring the hod comp sci at the moment. It's hard because he's so laid back and getting him to see that he needs to be on top of things for other people is a challenge!

Oh this is definitely not lack of training situation.

Read a report earlier somewhere saying the word is that the immunisation committee thingy is likely to continue with age bands, no consideration of job roles, sorry.

I don't expect to get a jab. Interestingly my doctor mate reckons effective strategy would be vaccinate down to 50, then do older teens and teachers, due to the amount of transmission in schools.