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.

That's why I get pissed off with the millions of 'kids need to be in school for their mental health ' posts. Many kids don't actually want to be in school either! School interferes with their sm lives and makes them follow stupid rules, like, having to think of others. A lot of them see school as utterly pointless, as their dad/ uncle John did crap at school and now earns loads. Think there was the little idealistic part that thought the kids might be keen to get working properly. But I forget they only hear what they want to hear.

We had a year 11 test positive.

Have just realised I've thrown away my test strip before logging the result. Oops.

Hah, me too. I wanted to clear up the waste bag with the swab and crap in it at the earliest opportunity. Put it in the outside bin too. Had to retrieve it.

@Piggywaspushed

We had a year 11 test positive.

They do work then! I was actually starting to wonder if they were just dummy tests

Ooh Piggy, now the argument about whether they are actually positive or not.

Well, yes we will probably all be told it's not real!!

“Teaching is full of lefties”

And a rather large of people utterly bewildered and indecisive!

We had 11-13 back today. I don't see those classes on Mondays so haven't actually taught today. Spent the day marking the Y11 mocks. A good 50-60% of the class have improved their grade since last mock so that's something. Just got to keep them going now and gather more evidence over the next couple of months.

School seemed fairly calm and students were wearing masks. Overhead a few pastoral calls though with parents of younger kids with a whole host of reasons why their dc can't wear a mask

Attended a meeting this afternoon about centre assessed grades and it's made me a bit jittery- just feel so much pressure to get it right and fair etc. got a million and one other things to do as well at the moment

Back to teaching tomorrow so at least the day will be broken up a bit.

Happy birthday to your dd, MsAwesomeDragon and your ds, HoneyBadger!

I enjoyed being back today. My 6th formers all seem a bit shell-shocked and knackered but my Y8s were lovely, and they were the group I had been dreading. Glad for the day off tomorrow though, to gather my thoughts.

So have your schools all decided how you're doing the CAGs?

@JanFebAnyMonth

So have your schools all decided how you're doing the CAGs?

Nope. The message to the kids has to be "we don't know the fine details but we will need to do some assessments so we've got good evidence for your grades". That seems reasonable to me.

[quote Piggywaspushed]Fuckers

schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-robbing-peter-to-pay-paul-after-admitting-705m-for-catch-up-isnt-all-new-money/[/quote]
we know they are masters of spin

Thanks. 14 years!

Are we nearly there yet? It's been a hell of a long journey without many opportunities to stretch my legs.

Colleague who has just lost her mum is about 10 years ahead of me life journey wise so grown up but still at home kids and until recently also caring for her mum who had very high needs.

Made me think about that stage of women's lives and how little awareness or accommodation there is for the amount on their plates practically and emotionally. Not an easy stage at all but never really acknowledged. She's now buried both of her parents and is working, supporting her adult kids, ploughing through probate and all the under acknowledged paperwork and responsibility that comes with death.

I've always realised of course that women become invisible at a certain age but was today realising how much they have on their plates and how no one really realises or supports them.

Obviously in my mid 40's with parents in their mid 70s and single mum to a teen it also hits home what's in the pipeline for me too. We're very sympathetic to the young and the newly qualified and those with small children etc but now I'm acutely aware of those in their 50s trying to support or bury aging parents whilst still worrying about their kids and no one really focussing on them.

Hope you're ok jan. you've had to bury more than your fair share of family and still have all the pressures of motherhood.

I asked re CAGs because we have, and have informed students and parents. I don't want to 'tell' until others are ready to, but am interested to know whether there'll be lots of different approaches.....

Last Friday of this term is an inset and is being given over entirely to cags business.

Don't think anyone knows what the plan is so far at our school

Ah thanks Honey. Your post made me count my blessings actually, because I don't expect to be burying anyone else for another couple of decades, and the main reason I look forward to my kids growing up is that then it'll be far easier to limit contact with my abusive ex. Who rang me this evening, drunk, to tell me how awful his life is.

I politely suggested that I was the wrong person to be talking to... and then added the reminder that I was the person he sends horrible emails to.

Excuse my morbid moment. It does relate to the thread because ime it is also these women who, perhaps without recognition or pay or status, who hold schools together and we rely upon to be stable and reliable.

We have this fund we pay into that sends staff flowers when they have a baby or gifts for getting married or if they go into hospital etc. We'll have it announced that so and so got married or gave birth. I don't bereavement would be on that agenda. I've written her a card and am trying to think if there's any appropriate gift to give.

I think we're better at celebrating people's highs than we are at supporting people through hard times. All I could do was listen and try to empathise. I really like this lady. She's tough and down to earth and no nonsense and I always feel better for seeing her in the staff room or about school.

What do you do for colleagues going through hard times?

@JanFebAnyMonth

Ah thanks Honey. Your post made me count my blessings actually, because I don't expect to be burying anyone else for another couple of decades, and the main reason I look forward to my kids growing up is that then it'll be far easier to limit contact with my abusive ex. Who rang me this evening, drunk, to tell me how awful his life is.

I politely suggested that I was the wrong person to be talking to... and then added the reminder that I was the person he sends horrible emails to.

Oh goodness. Sorry.

Totally the wrong person for him to bring his self pity to!

What do you do for colleagues going through hard times?

I cook for them. When my friends and colleagues were unwell or bereaved, I made a load of meals for them, so they could just put them in the oven without thinking. They have said it was really helpful.

If my DM sends me one more email about Meghna Markle , I will personally charter Air Force One to go to her home and unplug her wifi.

'But mother, I am going back to school tomorrow and it may not be very safe for your DD. In other news'

DM reply ' something a bit racist about Meghan and Oprah. ... Harry has bad teeth'

Me:' oh OK, I am paying it no attention. Mind on other things, don't you know'

DM: 'Megan (her sp) is looking plump. I guess Harry is embarrassed'.

Me' OK, whatevs, DM'

Will are bloody awful to negotiate. Not sure that is just am woman thing. DH's dad dies about 8 years ago. Was horrific to deal with and no accommodation for me at school really trying to hold it all together while DH was dealing with stuff.

I think teachers in general are expected to be more than averagely stoical.

@Piggywaspushed

I think teachers in general are expected to be more than averagely stoical.

Yes that's interesting: think you're right, it's because everyone remembers them dealing with everything and anything and still keeping control (if decent), when they were at school. Never thought of it like that.

*the only reason that his life is "awful" is because he makes it so, btw.....

That's lovely Brie. Would love someone to do that for me when I was struggling.

I have to make a birthday cake tomorrow for ds (which will likely be shite) and I think I'll just wrap her up a slice and put it in her pigeon hole with the card. Here have some shit cake and a card that says thank you because it's lockdown and I don't have any 'with sympathy' cards. Better than nothing I guess.