The Forty Ninth Republic - Announcement Week - Roadmap and Exams - Be more Bob

[StaffRepFeistyClub]

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.

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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.

@Monkeytennis97

Hello all. Not feeling the love for teaching today either. Back to school, no vaccine in sight. Arse.

That is my main concern now-I know that they are going to do anything like masks (wouldn’t happen for the smalls like mine anyway), money on ventilation or rotas so the vaccine is all that we might stand a chance of getting. Couldn’t sleep last night with bloody palpitations-contemplating phoning the doctor.

It feels like outright cuntery not to have vaccinated us over the half term. Such an easy bloody win for them. Like genuinely it's a conscious choice to be arseholes. I fucking hate this government. It's turning me quite militant.

Hi all,
Thanks for the new thread, Staff.

Back to work for me today as well. Teams kicked me out of Lesson 1 and Desmos images looked different on some of the pupils' iPads than on my screen, so had some frustrated Y7s and wish I'd just taught them the formula and given them a worksheet instead of trying to do discovery learning!

I went to bed quite early (for me!) last night and woke at around 4am. Staying off social media today and trying to get as ahead as I can with lessons.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

It feels like outright cuntery not to have vaccinated us over the half term. Such an easy bloody win for them. Like genuinely it's a conscious choice to be arseholes. I fucking hate this government. It's turning me quite militant.

Exactly how I feel and I bloody knew this would happen.

Honestly I wish the bloody unions would push for full reopening then government might do the opposite.

Argh.

Question is, will we be advised to put in section 44 letters again?

Teams kicked me out of Lesson 1

Same - Teams kicked me out of registration, I had to get back in on my phone, by which point half the kids had gone. They all turned up for later lessons, but it makes me look like a nob in front of the only bit that parents really listen to.

Hey everyone. First day of term- just had a good live lesson with Y11 and got my work set for the week.

So sunny today, after half term was a wash out, but that's always the way isn't it?

Kind of dreading today's announcement- local case rates here are a lot higher than they were in September, and for most of the last term. They have come down a lot since January, but still higher than they ever have been.

Reopening schools, and then letting people mix over the Easter holidays feels like a recipe for another summer in lockdown...

It is a major issue in the uk that we have the people with ability in maths science etc but when looking to employ or promote people other factors are valued more.
In my previous office we we doing accounts. In a team and you had 2 chemistry graduates, and a maths alevel with bits of maths in degree. And then a history masters. The history couldnt do one aspect of the job and had to stop doing it. They were later put in charge of the team despite probably being the weakest at the job. They were a yes person etc.
This reminds me of boris, he was popular but doesnt have the skills/knowledge
Actually throughtout gov people are put in charge of stuff they know nothing about.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Question is, will we be advised to put in section 44 letters again?

I suspect the unions could take the ‘unsafe till vaccine’ approach which I would be more than happy to support. I didn’t give my section 44 in last time as we were in one of the areas that schools were closed in anyway (Tier 4+?) but I would have done.

My worry is that today’s announcement will just be ‘schools back on the 8th and more details will follow in the guidance’ but the guidance won’t be available for days or even next week giving the unions nothing to specifically focus on/object to.

I am thinking of ringing the doctor tomorrow-not quite sure what I want to happen though. I am so upset and angry about the thought of going back into packed rooms again with no changes and no vaccine, (when I know so many people WFH that have been jabbed and not being able to see my parents) that it’s giving me physical symptoms.

I know though logically that these symptoms are caused by anger and injustice, which would probably go away if I was vaccinated as I would then feel safe. Do I want a GP to medicate me in order to stop me feeling angry about feeling unsafe? I’ve never had any sort of anxiety problems or anti-depressants so don’t know what to expect.

That probably makes no sense-sorry.

OK, so why have they not said this more loudly!?

*We've heard a lot about plans to help children catch up with the learning they've lost while schools have been closed over the past year.

Summer schools, weekly tutoring and even extending the school day are among the suggestions put forward.

But educational psychologists are warning the idea children must catch up with learning is putting them under "huge" pressure.

The British Psychological Society says children's wellbeing, rather than their learning, should be the focus.

Dr Dan O'Hare, co-chair of the BPS division of educational and child psychology, says it is "absolutely understandable" parents are concerned children have "been missing out on many aspects of their formal education" - but warns against setting expectations too high.

"The notion that children need to catch up or are 'behind' at school due to the pandemic reinforces the idea that children have 'one shot' at their education and puts them under even more pressure to perform academically after what has been a challenging and unprecedented time for everyone," he says.*

I'm a recent ADs starter. Anxiety made far worse by Covid and all the issues surrounding it. Plus other stuff, so it's not just that setting me off.

So far I do feel better.

I've actually just seen Bob. He's on a swing in the playground, fag in hand, can in the other... with some of last year's Bobs.
Do you think they'll let me share their cider?

Thought I'd watch the bbc whilst eating lunch. Talking about schools reopening in one hit now like it's the best idea ever.

I'm feeling a little stressed about everything right now

@GuyFawkesDay

I'm a recent ADs starter. Anxiety made far worse by Covid and all the issues surrounding it. Plus other stuff, so it's not just that setting me off.

So far I do feel better.

That’s reassuring. I don’t know if I’m just looking for something to numb my perfectly justifiable feelings? Or are the feelings justified but my responses just too extreme?? Lucky that my WFH speech therapist friend doesn’t have to struggle with these deep dark quandaries...

This pissed me off, too

Thanks Staff

Dipping in in my lunch break to save a spot on the new thread - thanks Staff as always. I think we're going to need this safe space today.

Parents at drop off were pressuring me to divulge 'all the information' on full reopening. When I said we have no information and will learn the details at the same time as everyone else, they didn't believe me.

Another wanted me to confirm that it will be safe when the other half of the children come back. Why do they think it will be safe? Would they like to spend each day in a cramped, poorly ventilated room with 32 other people who may or may not have been following the rules, and who definitely won't be wearing masks?

I am not feeling good today.

Just typed a long reply out about that fuckwit saying over 50s would all have been vaccinated before the return to school.
To do that on two separate programmes means you are either very very stupid or happy to disseminate harmful propaganda. Not sure which he falls into.

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown

Just typed a long reply out about that fuckwit saying over 50s would all have been vaccinated before the return to school. To do that on two separate programmes means you are either very very stupid or happy to disseminate harmful propaganda. Not sure which he falls into.

If it was the vaccines minister, it's probably both. I used to live in the area for which he is MP. I was not a fan.

Did neither of the interviewers pick him up on it though??

I believe one did, the other no. Maybe they were too busy mentally scratching their heads. I suppose you don't expect a government minister not to know the months of the year, in order. (Shall we blame his teachers?)

DS has got the new shielding letter, until March 31st and even if you have had two shots of the vaccine. (What's the point of the vaccine then?) It makes me think that they are expecting the R number to rocket after fully opening the schools. I suppose at least it put him on the vaccine list.

I can't help feeling that people who work would have welcomed the shielding letter in January rather than now.

@MrsHamlet

I've actually just seen Bob. He's on a swing in the playground, fag in hand, can in the other... with some of last year's Bobs. Do you think they'll let me share their cider?

At the moment I would much rather be with Bob and the Bobs as they are more caring and funny than the Boris squad. I will happily take my own cider.

@Appuskidu do you have the link to that ONS occupation thing. I think I'd like to have that to hand....

DS has got the new shielding letter, until March 31st and even if you have had two shots of the vaccine. (What's the point of the vaccine then?)

Because actually having the vaccine doesn’t stop you getting Covid, it is more likely that you will no longer be hospitalised for it. That’s how it was explained to me on Saturday and as a teacher I’m still at risk of getting sick from this. Just currently 75% less likely to end up in hospital. I can imagine that if you’re CEV, it could still hospitalise you though - you’d potentially be less severely ill.

It’s partly why I’m so frustrated - a vaccine isn’t a magic cure. We could still all get sick and need time out / cover / reduction in learning for our classes (because cover is never the same as me standing in front of them, nagging away).

[quote MrsHerculePoirot]@Appuskidu do you have the link to that ONS occupation thing. I think I'd like to have that to hand....[/quote]
It was a screenshot from
Facebook but I’ve just found the link

news.sky.com/story/covid-news-live-uk-updates-as-boris-johnson-reveals-roadmap-out-of-lockdown-12225414

It’s from 11.32am