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.

@MrsHerculePoirot

I’ve got my LFTs and haven’t yet remembered to do one.... or remember but can’t find a slot where I’ve not eaten or drink for 30 mins..... can you drink water in that 30 mins? I mean I know they’re shit anyway...

Yes I wondered these things too! especially given that the ones done in school appear not to require a 30 min 'fast'.

Just do two nostrils - then it doesn't matter whether you've eaten or not.

I'm annoyed at kids who didn't even listen to the story or play top marks tables games. They've all got tablets or laptops, because they all play Minecraft or roblox. All of them. It's their choice or parent choice that they ignored even the easy stuff. I mean, my kid didn't do the video lessons either because we didn't have time to do it in the day, but she's gone up two book bands in reading and we did the maths coverage practically.

I know... mental health, be kind.. blah blah, but how long are those excuses valid for? I include my colleagues in this. It's been a year, it's shit, find a way.

Rule, I know what you mean. It's so frustrating when we put so much effort into organising remote provision only for it to be ignored. I've been lucky this time round and there is only a small minority that appear to have done nothing at all, but it's annoying all the same.

Seems like the missed time has more repercussions for primary where they're learning very key skills/basics that build on top of each other each year. Guessing that will be felt for a fair while.

Slightly different in secondary where for many subjects it will be content that has been missed that we can hopefully cover over time (or just skip in some cases if it's not examined or vital to future learning. Also where it is vital for future learning we'd always revisit anyway and not assume they all remembered. Obviously different for exam years.

For me I'm aware my year 9s who didn't engage have missed chunks of knowledge and when we come back round to those topics in year 10 we'll have to work hard to bridge what was missed whilst also building on to a greater depth and coverage. I generally hate the whole interweaving (is that what it's called?) approach but it's handy in this instance.

Still lazy here. I've managed to stick some laundry on and that's about it so far today.

Hello. I'm drowning.

This week has been terrible. I have lost the ability to teach, plan, keep a class under control. I had little confidence anyway bit it's through the floor now. I have planning coming out of my ears and I'm not making much progress. I need to make a hook for my English tomorrow. I'm being n observed by slt this week, have a job application to be in, have a moderation meeting this week and a draft essay to do. I honestly don't think I'm going to get it all done. But it all has to. And on top of that I'm dreading going in tomorrow because the children aren't responding to me.

#drowningnotwaving

@HarrietDVane

Rule, I know what you mean. It's so frustrating when we put so much effort into organising remote provision only for it to be ignored. I've been lucky this time round and there is only a small minority that appear to have done nothing at all, but it's annoying all the same.

I asked my class to be honest if they had put me on mute. A few said yes and others said I didn't mute you miss, I just turned you down. One boy said you were just rhyming on in my bedroom while I did other stuff around the house.

Apart from the y11 I think only 5 people actually listened per lesson. Though SLT would deny this.

I am used to the Facebook ALGI group being a bit bonkers and Parents United but not WIWIKAU have got in on the act whining about CAGs and when and how their PFBs assessments will be. The lack of actual directives form Ofqual is producing so much variation between schools that, once again, we become whipping boys.

We have been told to stop teaching at Easter. I am pissed off because I am half way through a text. We are then expected to spend the intervening time spoonfeeding revising for tests/assessments etc. A time limit has been imposed which is the same for every subject which has HoDs up in arms. Anyone else think they can reasonably assess student progress in 90 mins total assessment for A level? We have had no guidance yet on what else (other than NEAs , where relevant) can be taken account of .

I feel like I literally don't know what to do in lessons for another 7 weeks. Am finding it stressful!

"Did you sometimes have to kick me out of the form meets, Miss?"
"Yes, when I needed to go to my next lesson and you were still on. "
"Yeah, that's cos I'd fallen asleep. "

I have lost the ability to teach, plan, keep a class under control.

If I was judging my ability to do my job this week, I could say exactly the same. I'm SLT. Hahahaaa.. if you look back at yesterday's posts, I was panicking about maths planning for about 5 hours - and I still don't have a plan for tomorrow even.

Sorry, I know it feels overwhelming, but this last week was always going to be tough. Monday will be different again. Bear in mind that they are now totally knackered and the novelty will be gone. Tiny bites of learning, pre learn if you can, low stakes retrieval onto whiteboards, not much opportunity for free chat (harder to get them back if you let them 'go'). And it doesn't matter if lessons are 45 mins long.

@namechangedyetagain Please don’t panic, it’s hard for everyone at the moment. You haven’t forgotten how to teach.

I’m a decade into teaching, highly respected at my school and haven’t yet met a class that I can’t master, yet this week my lot of (polite, middle class) eight year olds have been FERAL. The trouble is, in the latter half of the week when they started to get into the routine again they were absolutely shattered, so nothing improved. I think next week might be better all round.

I think if you ask around at your school, lots of others will be feeling the same, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

@Piggywaspushed it's the lack of direction from ofqual and exam boards that I am finding most stressful

I think the next 7-8 weeks (to May half term) is going to be extremely challenging

@namechangedyetagain hang in there! You're a trainee who is still learning. Schools are in mayhem at the moment and you're doing really well to keep at it. The children have been out of school, possibly without the same routine so they will be unsettled. Keep going -one thing at a time! And good luck with the job application

I’m going to have finished my content for A level by Easter (but that was always the case, not specifically for this year), and I’m planning on taking a section at a time and recapping it for a couple of lessons then assessing in the third lesson of the week, up to half term. So they’ll do 6/7 exam questions and I’ll have assessed them on every part of the spec. Overkill maybe but I ran it past the class and they were really keen on the idea. I think they do want to feel they’ve earned their grade (although, I’m going to be honest, I’m 95% sure I already know what grade I’ll give them. But still).

My HoD said categorically that we’re not submitting NEAs and they won’t be moderated but I didn’t think that was finalised at all? Anyone know?

I suggested something vaguely similar gravity but that would take us well over the 90 minutes we are allowed...

Yes, NEAs are not being externally moderated or submitted but they are meant to do them/complete them if possible. Internal moderation will be expected , no doubt... and of all the assessments.

Workload is going to spiral.

Hang in there, Name. It's tough for even the most experienced teachers at the moment. The novelty of being back at school is wearing off for the students and they will push boundaries - either because they're that way inclined or because they've forgotten the expectations. Keep your activities short, and be quick to address problem behaviour to try and nip it in the bud.

Can we help with ideas for the English hook? What is your lesson focus?

We’re not teaching any new content at all now. Luckily we start teaching GCSE texts in summer Yr 9 so we teach all course content in Yr 10 and Yr 11 is revision.

I have one act to go with my A-level Lit group of ‘Duchess of Malfi’ but I can lecture that in a lesson and they said they wanted to finish it.

This is an eye opening thread :

twitter.com/RogersHistory/status/1370836580550709250

Gravity that sounds like a good plan for revision because they'd be reviewing the topics and the exam questions style and criteria each week - seems a bit spoon feedy for awarding marks if other schools are eg. doing revision for half a term and then a mock exam where they sink or swim. Goes to show how daft it is having no guidance and how unmoderated the process across schools will be itms. If all schools are doing it differently how the hell do you moderate or compare?

we teach all course content in Yr 10 and Yr 11 is revision

I have always massively resisted this. Is year 11 not bone achingly dull??

@Piggywaspushed we get one day a year. Every school I've ever been in has done this. We've still got people this year trying to take last year's though, so not getting a new one this year. Don't mind - I took a couple of afternoons off in the last couple of weeks of remote learning. I knew the rest of this term was going to be tough, I wanted a break before it started.

@Piggywaspushed

we teach all course content in Yr 10 and Yr 11 is revision

I have always massively resisted this. Is year 11 not bone achingly dull??

Not really. We sit OCR and they expect a certain type of essay writing. OCR’s papers are very similar to A-level papers so we have to spend time training pupils to write in a certain way. They only have that maturity in Yr 11 so we teach the content in Yr 10 and the application in Yr 11.

[quote Piggywaspushed]This is an eye opening thread :

twitter.com/RogersHistory/status/1370836580550709250[/quote]
I’m going to echo what someone on the thread had said: is this a thing???

I think mental health days are super important and unbeknown to my HoD have encouraged department staff to take them when needed (as someone did for me in my NQT year after a horrific day + safeguarding issue. God bless that woman). I also told one of my Yr11 high achievers to take one as I was terrified she was going to break during lockdown. Covid has taught me nothing little that is worthwhile apart from how important keeping safe your mental health is.

Thank you all. I have English sorted, I'm using nctem for the maths so looking at number lines to 100 place value and ordering. Then bonds within 10. Just need to think of fun practical activities to go in each lesson to consolidate. It should be a recap but there are so many gaps it's tricky to know.

Last week was my first week with them all due to change of placement in Jan. So I guess it was week 1 if I was being kind to myself

I've taken myself ( and the children) out for some fresh air aa I've literally worked all weekend.

Have to be honest, I would really really hate that!

But then I hate exam culture full stop really.