The Fifty-second Republic - Beware of Education’s ides of March

[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 non-staff as it attracts the wrong sort of crowd.

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 do wear a mask.

It was so boring. And cold. And no food or drink allowed in testing area and all I wanted was a coffee and a biscuit.

Yeah, sorry, my 8 year old has mostly been a ninja, triceratops or a puppy all lockdown....

I'm knackered. Sorry to state the obvious but seriously wiped out.

I only taught one lesson today with just 5 kids in it as they're kw and the rest are still remote. Yes it was nice to see them but they were so passive. Think it's going to take a while for them to get back in the swing of yes you do need to think and read and try etc. Remote learning has necessarily had to spoon feed to some degree but I had to pull back at one point today and think why the hell am I reading this to you

Most of my year 6 were knobs today. No patience, no attention span, no manners and no kindness to each other. I was unsurprised but still cross. Even the ones who have been in my bubble and so still behaved well lost it when confronted with the returnees.

Who by all accounts have been having a ball living it up down the skate park with year 7 and 8's.

And the language! I have started a swear box so they lose break time.

@Michino year 3 teacher here too - sympathising with the noise level 🙉

@phlebasconsidered

Most of my year 6 were knobs today. No patience, no attention span, no manners and no kindness to each other. I was unsurprised but still cross. Even the ones who have been in my bubble and so still behaved well lost it when confronted with the returnees.

Who by all accounts have been having a ball living it up down the skate park with year 7 and 8's.

And the language! I have started a swear box so they lose break time.

Oh God.... Ours are back on Monday and this is my fear.

Well my dd seems to have had a good day. I haven't been able to ask too much because her friend is here until 7 (childcare bubble, not rule breaking)

Year 3-4 challenging behaviour here too. Just wouldn't shut up, so stopped bothering trying to shut them up, and let them chat. Told them that tomorrow we're back on it tho.

twitter.com/Dr_D_Robertson/status/1368856901535039490?s=20

FFS

There was also a massive upsize in the size of some of my class. Some of the hormonal boys in particular have grown massively both up and out and quite a few girls too.

My own year 9 boy has lost weight because he has grown massively but my year 8 daughter has put on a lot. It's a worry.

I'm introducing a step count challenge. They were puffing just doing fast walking today.

The worst behaviour in my class today was the key worker kids. Having been in school throughout, they are now over confident. They have got so used to being listened to in their small bubbles that they kept shouting out and answering for the others.

One of my kids who did zero remote learning came back an amazing reader (she had not been before). One nice thing, at least!

My kids were ok, a bit squirmy maybe but they're year 2 so they always were.

KW kids awful here too.

@lonelyplanet

The worst behaviour in my class today was the key worker kids. Having been in school throughout, they are now over confident. They have got so used to being listened to in their small bubbles that they kept shouting out and answering for the others.

We noticed this in September when they all came back and today. Our KW kids have also struggled with the noise today as smaller groups have been quieter and more adult attention.

They get negatives if they don't have a mask (and we provide one and then contact parents. I don't think we've had any just refuse

Negative test results?

Negative behaviour points, am guessing?

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

twitter.com/Dr_D_Robertson/status/1368856901535039490?s=20

FFS

Ah, the woman who has never met a child!

Unblinking loyalty is rewarded, clearly.

Negative points aka warnings I presume

Have already started to get the dickhead x is 'struggling'. Mum is very supportive. She just asks if x gets a warning please email her and explain why. Err ok so x who has been rude and obnoxious for 2 years not only is allowed to continue being obnoxious but I have to make time to email, and record having emailed his mum rather than her just look on go and see for herself like everyone else.

Why do pastoral agree to such stuff when it's not them having to take the extra time and enter into back and forth with a parent who doesn't accept that their child like every other child gets warnings which are recorded and explained in go?

Moan moan I know but ffs. You're kid behaves poorly at school and is rude to staff but you want us to bend over backwards over it and act like he's special when he has no sen, no mitigating circumstances in fact nothing exceptional other than a mum with enough time on her hands to call the school every time her teen gets a warning? Meh

Jenny Harries (twitter link above) is bad news, but interesting that Dido Harding is going.
Wonder if she knows much about false negatives and positives.....

And honey, totally fair to moan. That's why schools have policies, surely?

Sorry that was really negative and bitchy sounding but I literally don't get why this child is supposed to be excused and grovelled around. We constantly have emails saying things like x is struggling please could you try to not give him warnings type thing. X has no extenuating circumstances, x is consistently rude and disrupting others and not putting effort in. The only exceptional thing about x is that his mum emails and calls and makes a fuss and that fuss gets passed onto us. I've no idea why they can't just say look x is treated like everyone else and just needs to behave better and put the effort in. Parent making fuss shouldn't equal special treatment imo.

I've no idea why this particular mum has so much sway and we're meant to pussy foot around her child rather than him stop behaving badly. It's seriously weird. As I say there's no sen, no bereavement or family issues or etc to back up why we're supposed to be giving him so much extra leaway other than mum makes a fuss.

I'm not going to email mum if x gets a warning. I will put clear notes in the 'home notes' box as to why he got the warning which mum can see - why would I duplicate my work load with an email that I have to write then log on pupil passport system etc?

Sorry - I'm aware I do all of my moaning on here. We haven't even got him back in school and mum is already fore-excusing his behaviour.

My class, who are normally a storm, have returned as a calm with the odd squally patch. However, I fear that as other classes settle down mine will probably wind up. Today was a good day though and for that I am grateful.

Lots of film of full secondary classrooms on the local news tonight. Ye gads. Actual truth.

Michael Rosen: Have I got this right? Johnson says that all schools must open, but this will spread infection so people have got to...stay indoors, he says. So presumably school students and teachers and school workers aren't 'people'. He is dangerous.

It was hard work today! Very excited children who have forgotten how school works and they were absolutely exhausted and grumpy by lunchtime. I was too. All of us struggled with the noise.