The Fifty-first republic - twice weekly tests and wear masks at all time till Easter

[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.

Do not give the staffroom password to others 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. Do not sit on the chairs and wear a mask.

@motherrunner

Just received an email from a Head of House. One of my pupils has lost 4 family members to Covid (teach in predominantly BAME school). She is scared about the return. Those UsRTwats types don’t campaign for these vulnerable pupils.

They just don't care, do they?

I genuinely think many students had a worse time MH wise last term than they did during lockdown- the constant uncertainty, the worry for their families, the regular changes in school...

I’m maintaining at being Overweight instead of Obese

Oh yeah, I've got no interest in size 8 or something. I'd have saggy skin and boobs now anyway, so just want to be healthier. A nice consistent size 14 would be fine. I really like my tits and arse.

I am still colossal, having fallen off the low carb wagon at half term and eaten All The Things. I might resurrect the healthy teachers thread and restart soon. I am really lacking motivation at the moment though, probably because I'm so tired.

We have had lots of lip service given to child MH in staff meetings, but no slack given in the timetable or additional resources available to support them. Plus ça change...

Omg my classes are painful today. They’ve all clearly lost the will with online.

I mean it’s fair because DS has been making Lego all day and I said it counted because DT 🤣🤣

We’re cancelling Art and DT for the foreseeable. Plus extra interventions for some children, which means they miss PE, computing etc. Lip service to MH indeed. Parents have been pointed to the free resources provided by the counsellor we pay. Basically, breathing exercises, mindfulness, the colouring in they won’t be allowed to do at school any more.
.

Internet in school can't cope with so many of us being in. Lessons have been a disaster and one of y11 just told me my face was crinkly. He meant pixelated, but still....

We’re cancelling Art and DT for the foreseeable.

I think that's shit. Poor kids.

This is bloody good:

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/homeschooling-parents-lockdown-national-curriculum-uk-eliane-glaser

I did one of those Desmos ‘how are you feeling’ screens with Y10 today and while they were a mix of positive and negative in terms of mood, they all said they were tired or very tired.

Which isn’t great at this point in term.

Oh how sad for that poor child. A number of our kids who stayed off areBAME (hate that acronym). I can imagine it's worrying for their parents for them to return.

Cqn't remember who asked sorry but I had the AZ one.

You’re right, Warrior it is massively shit. Results mean a lot to our school and I am very disappointed they mean more than settling children back in to some form of normality.
I’ve switched off now tbh. I’m not in this job to force feed the results machine. I’m in it to support and inspire. Of course, I will deliver the work as asked and with enthusiasm but I might as well be inputting data at home for more money, if I can find that sort of job.

There really is more to life than cramming for the exam machine.

[quote WarriorN]We’re cancelling Art and DT for the foreseeable.

I think that's shit. Poor kids.

This is bloody good:

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/homeschooling-parents-lockdown-national-curriculum-uk-eliane-glaser[/quote]
That is good. Makes me want to cry a bit an open my own school!

Honey it was me. Alas can't give you any suggestions about how you might feel tomorrow as I had Pfizer. Hope it's OK.

I love the line about booking a babysitter and a marketing manager turns up!

Had a meeting with an amazing Ed Psych this morning. Maybe I should be an EP.

one of y11 just told me my face was crinkly. He meant pixelated, but still...

😂😂😂😂😂

@noblegiraffe

I did one of those Desmos ‘how are you feeling’ screens with Y10 today and while they were a mix of positive and negative in terms of mood, they all said they were tired or very tired.

Which isn’t great at this point in term.

I have been using the Desmos checking in screens a lot with my classes, and also the chat function on Teams - I pose a question then they type responses whilst I'm taking the register.

A real mix of emotions. Lots of happiness at seeing friends and teachers again. Concern about community spread. And noone wants to get up earlier at all, or have to wear masks all day.

My own ds says he will miss me making a hot chocolate for him at 11am every day...

That is good. Makes me want to cry a bit an open my own school!

Lol I'll help!

I had issues with success criteria a long time ago. It felt far too mouthy and clunky a word to use in a deprived area when my then students wrote it up on the board for y2's who could hardly read.

I'm someone who got through with very little grammar; hearing good examples through reading and listening to tapes I think was most useful. One of my literacy lessons at one primary school was just reading a novel every lesson. Some grammar is good. But the level they're doing in y3+ so forensically is bonkers IMO.

The first year of the new curriculum, when it was optional and SPAG results weren't part of anything, I taught a year 6 class who responded really well to the whole success criteria thing. They loved just ticking boxes. But they were a tricky bunch who needed quite a lot of support in general. Probably my favourite year of teaching I think.

A year or so before that though, I'd had a year 6 class in another school, who we taught really 'holistically' - was it the year of SATs boycott? Can't remember. Anyway, it was lovely. Everything cross curricular, spent ages reading and talking about our responses to books, how writing affects the reader etc. Was ace. Oh - it wasn't the SATs boycott year, because we had a girl who scored 100% in the SATs writing test. From a school in a very deprived area. Ha. We win.

Checking in. We have to go in for whole staff and department meetings tomorrow. I am also in a quandary about work and don’t really have anyone to talk to about it. I would post here, but it’s such a niche situation that I’m scared someone from work would see it.

Ironically, a list to check against is a known asd strategy. But used discretely and individually iykwim.

I hate that it's applied across the board to everything. Means tangential learning (? Going off on a tangent cos they're interested) can be difficult sometimes.

Seems from my limited sample of people that people called for age reasons only were give Pfizer and people called for health conditions AZ. Don't know if there's a reason why?

Is it to do with storage and delivery?

Honey that's not the case, it depends on what type of vaccine is supplied that day to the centre!