The Fifty-third Republic - Ides of March Part 2

[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

Yes, instead but not by default.

The BBC bumf says nose OR throat and various MNers insist they have LFTs (for adults) which are nose only.

I am guessing all schools have Innova.

Did you hear in the News today about home test kits going on eBay for up to £90?

"Bob?" Was my first thought, MrsH.....

Why would anyone pay for them? You can get a box for free just by saying you’re in the household of a school/college student or staff member. Nobody checks!

But if you don't know that and are desperately anxious.....

Nice little whinge on my local FB page about the local comp not SD their students, passing paper round lessons, changing for PE an kids not being 'forced ' to wear masks. To be fair, most posters tell her she is being silly.

I honestly don't understand how your child can get to at least 14 years old and you don't know what the inside of a school is like!!

schoolsweek.co.uk/attendance-1-in-10-secondary-pupils-not-in-school-in-second-week-of-reopening/

Today I have been mostly saying;

"Over your nose please"
"Of course you can breathe"
"Mask on"
"You don't need to drink all the time" (just so they can take their mask off).

Full teaching day, mostly KS3- knackered!zzzzzzz

@Monkeytennis97

Today I have been mostly saying;

"Over your nose please"
"Of course you can breathe"
"Mask on"
"You don't need to drink all the time" (just so they can take their mask off).

Full teaching day, mostly KS3- knackered!zzzzzzz

Agree with this. It's exhausting. Really nice kids too that never misbehave.

80 close contacts in year 8 sent home today. Lf tests done in school were dodgy so public health said they could all come back if the ones who tested positive get a negative pcr!

My most commonly used phrase today has been "we don't do .. in my classroom, we're back at school now, remember how you need to behave".

Today I've discovered that one pupil in year 10 has literally never had to go into a shop and use coins to buy anything. He has no idea of the British coins we use, or how to use different coins to add up to the price of the item he wants. This is a kid who sells things in school as well, he has a little egg sales business, but he sells a box for £2 so that's all the coins he needs to recognise apparently. He just trusts people to give him the right money, or to tell him how much change he needs. It blew my mind!!! If he ever goes to a shop it's the local village shop where he just puts it on his Grandma's account and she pays it monthly.

Talk me down people. Worst day ever in a classroom. My lesson was completely shit.. something i thought that would be ok really wasn't. Mentor had to step in. I used my shouty teacher voice which I hated and mentor could see me getting stressed and it made the whole situation worse.

Have a lesson observation tomorrow about expanded noun phrases which I m seriously doubting now. And need to find an engaging starter activity (ks1).

Can't believe I was getting stressed about applying for jobs. I cant even bloody teach. I doubt I could get any job any where.

I'm tired. I need sleep. I need a break and not one deadline on top of another for the next 10 days. I don't think I can do it anymore. I have convinced myself I haven't got it.

I've come home, poured a gin and having a huge cry.

Actually shocked at that year 10 pupil who had never used coins.

I’m so sick of hearing “I can’t breathe” I’m teaching in a mask. Which is considerably harder than sitting in a lesson.

Also I had to speak to a Year 9 pupil. He is constantly trying to talk to his mate who is on the other side of the classroom (not about work). The Year 9s solution.
“Just sit us next to each other miss, then we wouldn’t have to shout at each other”

Oh name I’m so sorry. We’ve all had a shit day.

I’m so sorry you are training in this environment. The kids are bonkers at my school and that’s secondary. Hopefully someone from primary will help with your starter soon.

I'm so sorry you've had a crap day name. I had quite a few of those in my PGCE year and a few years following that and I wasn't trying to learn this in a pandemic. EVERY teacher is finding this difficult, the vast majority of children are finding it difficult adjusting to being back at school, you are going to make a great teacher if you can just get through this exceptionally difficult time. I really do think we should have a review of how we train teachers, as the way we do it now is really, really stressful.

I wish I could help with your starter activity, but I have no experience in either ks1 or English, so I doubt I'd be helpful. What do you want them to learn/practice in the starter?

@Cantaloupeisland

80 close contacts in year 8 sent home today. Lf tests done in school were dodgy so public health said they could all come back if the ones who tested positive get a negative pcr!

What do you mean by dodgy @Cantaloupeisland and is that what PH called them? Meaning more soft than they usually are??

For noun phrases, one thing we did was kind of a scavenger hunt in the classroom where there were articles in one colour, adjectives in another, and nouns in a third all scattered around, and they had to make one that made sense. It was good fun, there were some really funny ones they came up with. I'm sorry you're having a bad day, it can only get better.

This is what I'm telling myself by the way. I've just gotten home and sent DH out for wine. That's the day I had.

*dodgy not soft!

@namechangedyetagain totally get where you are coming from. I had an awful lesson with year 7 today, been doing this forever, I felt like a trainee in the lesson. For me it was quite a challenge which I enjoyed (when I wasn't feeling fed up) but I totally understand, it is by far the hardest year I have taught.

I have just got home after doing all my marking at school and via the chip shop. Kids are happy, I am catching up on "Unforgotten" and pretending I am a cold case detective not a teacher. I highly recommend it.

@MsAwesomeDragon

I'm so sorry you've had a crap day name. I had quite a few of those in my PGCE year and a few years following that and I wasn't trying to learn this in a pandemic. EVERY teacher is finding this difficult, the vast majority of children are finding it difficult adjusting to being back at school, you are going to make a great teacher if you can just get through this exceptionally difficult time. I really do think we should have a review of how we train teachers, as the way we do it now is really, really stressful.

I wish I could help with your starter activity, but I have no experience in either ks1 or English, so I doubt I'd be helpful. What do you want them to learn/practice in the starter?

Do you know after today I really haven't a clue. Needto recap adjectives and nouns I suppose. Can't get them to move around the class (too many, covid). Wouldn't trust them to do an outside activity and come back in without fuss.

It's the fuss about the everything that's driving me nuts. I'm pretty sure last time i was in y2 (only 2 years ago) they weren't like this. And the listening or lack of.

I just feel totally stuck. So I'm having another gin. I feel done. And literally no one else on my course feels this way. They're smashing it and some already have jobs.

I originally thought about that game where you have a piece of paper, I write 'the', they fold it over, write an adj, fold it over, write another adj, fold it over, write a noun then a verb and see who could make the silliest sentence. But i can't think what it's called or how to explain it to 7 year olds. Just something kind of on a similar theme but a bit daft. And after today's efforts with bits of paper I'm not sure! Also middle group i was going to give a word bank to to help them if they get stuck. But again. Fiddling etc.

Absolutely dreading tomorrow. You know when you have those days looming that you wish would never come. That.

@namechangedyetagain, don't panic. 50% of my lessons were shit today and I pulled all my decades of tricks out.

One thing i've had to remind myself if that might help. A noise (I have a big arse bell, could be anything) plus a quiet threatening voice is better. And wait. However long it takes. Then thank them quietly. It's something I still struggle with as my register is naturally quite high

@phlebasconsidered

I have just got home after doing all my marking at school and via the chip shop. Kids are happy, I am catching up on "Unforgotten" and pretending I am a cold case detective not a teacher. I highly recommend it.

I don't think ive watched any TV apart from the Duke on cbeebies for about a week now. Need to catch up on unforgotten.

Was sat here wondering why phleb's register is on a high shelf and how that's relevant to keeping children quiet.....

And then I remembered no one has registers any more anyway....

The tests read positive very briefly Jan then the line disappeared- all students then did a fresh lf which was negative. Still had to send them home though! Possible dodgy batch which is reassuring

Canteloupe