As staff members do you try to avoid discussing staff room drama near trainees?

[fluffyslipper1]

As a general I'm just wondering. As staff do you guys have to think twice before you talk about staff around trainees? Just wondering because sometimes I feel bad being around the room when I imagine they just are stressed if there's people in the team not pulling their weight.

I think there's been a couple times where they've just realised I'm there and the convo just drifts into something else

I avoid any of that kind of chat unless I’m 1:1 with very trusted colleagues.

I agree with @blackbettybramblejam

But don't start obsessing about this.

Obviously, professionally, teachers should only discuss some things with some people on a need to know basis.

@Scarby9

I agree with *@blackbettybramblejam*

But don't start obsessing about this.

Obviously, professionally, teachers should only discuss some things with some people on a need to know basis.

Sometimes I see the side eye happen when they start so it's just a bit. You know. What do I do now kind of scenario

Fluffy is this your first placement?

@EverythingsComingUpRoses

Fluffy is this your first placement?

Third.

fluffy
I really think you need to consider long and hard whether you want to be a teacher.
The cumulative effect of your posts suggests not, and you are at the very beginning of your career,
Either leap head first into this crazy, hard working fabulous career, or jump elsewhere
The continued snide attacks on your future colleagues aren’t showing you in a good light.

@Loshad

fluffy I really think you need to consider long and hard whether you want to be a teacher. The cumulative effect of your posts suggests not, and you are at the very beginning of your career, Either leap head first into this crazy, hard working fabulous career, or jump elsewhere The continued snide attacks on your future colleagues aren’t showing you in a good light.

Firstly you don't have to stay at a placement school if you don't want to. You can choose to leave

Secondly there are no snide remarks where in the post is there a snide remark. Find it please

Thirdly, you can't assume you know the effect of a placement we as trainees have NO CHOICE over.

Why would I reconsider my whole career over a placement I'm not keen on, my first and second placement were fabulous. So don't sit there like a keyboard warrior trying to dictate to me what career I should or shouldn't choose.

@Loshad

fluffy I really think you need to consider long and hard whether you want to be a teacher. The cumulative effect of your posts suggests not, and you are at the very beginning of your career, Either leap head first into this crazy, hard working fabulous career, or jump elsewhere The continued snide attacks on your future colleagues aren’t showing you in a good light.

Also to add to this. These forums are anonymous places to discuss how people feel. Not everything's an "attack" on people

@Loshad

fluffy I really think you need to consider long and hard whether you want to be a teacher. The cumulative effect of your posts suggests not, and you are at the very beginning of your career, Either leap head first into this crazy, hard working fabulous career, or jump elsewhere The continued snide attacks on your future colleagues aren’t showing you in a good light.

I find this a rather strange post.

Op, to answer your question, yes it's important to be professional but some stressful situations are always going to be obvious to a trainee particularly at the moment. I think we wouldn't be helping trainees to prepare for their future in teaching if they didn't witness the different types of reasons for stress in schools.

@Loshad 's post isn't really strange.

The OP is not at all happy in her current ITT placement. Fair enough. Not every school and every department will be a good fit, and as there is no major issue, she can grit her teeth, learn what she can from it (even if just what she would look to avoid in her ECT post), and practise her skills.

However, she gives the impression through her threads that what she wants from her work colleagues is a lot more than would be usual. Deep conversations, maybe, not about lesson planning or immediate issues, to be included in conversations about other colleagues.

If that is what she is looking for from teaching, then maybe she should reconsider.

Of course we are only seeing her views through the few snapshots of her threads on here, which may be wholly unrepresentative of her general professional and life views. But that is all we have to go on.

[quote Scarby9]@Loshad 's post isn't really strange.

The OP is not at all happy in her current ITT placement. Fair enough. Not every school and every department will be a good fit, and as there is no major issue, she can grit her teeth, learn what she can from it (even if just what she would look to avoid in her ECT post), and practise her skills.

However, she gives the impression through her threads that what she wants from her work colleagues is a lot more than would be usual. Deep conversations, maybe, not about lesson planning or immediate issues, to be included in conversations about other colleagues.

If that is what she is looking for from teaching, then maybe she should reconsider.

Of course we are only seeing her views through the few snapshots of her threads on here, which may be wholly unrepresentative of her general professional and life views. But that is all we have to go on.[/quote]
Not interested in deep conversation and not interested in being rude behind people's backs. Just don't like cold people and being made to feel like I'm not part of a team at all

It could be because you are trainee and they don't want to become good friends because you will be gone soon. I know some people have done this before in workplaces and it is rude, they should make them feel welcome while they are there. Also, if they are talking negatively then change the subject when you arrive they may not want to put your off the teaching profession. They may think you could go back and report their private conversation which could get back to the headteacher as they don't know you well enough. I find people seem more acquainted in schools than if they work in an office as people seem to chat more.

Fluffy
Silly jibe about internet warriers, especially when followed up by promoting the benefit of an anonymous forum 😳
I am merely pointing out something to you that may be harder for those on the ground to do so.
We have a “lot” of trainees at my school. Personally I probably work with 8 different trainees every year.
Those that stay the course, ( and are still teaching a few years later) are those who knuckle down and crack on, even if they don’t particularly gel with a host teacher, or find the commute crushing. There are after all, a lot of things that happen in teaching that you have no control over, and nor can you walk away from straightaway due to notice periods eg new head, new behaviour policy, an A level cancelled you were hoping to teach on, a colleague leaving/ going on mat leave leading to a rejigging of classes etc
Those trainees who constantly moan about minor things ( eg one of your posts complaining the teachers were discussing students in their break - literally when else are we supposed to do that?) tend to be always unhappy, and rarely settle into teaching as a career. I am not getting at you pointing that out, merely offering a differing perspective, as from the posts of yours that I have read ( and I have no idea how many there are) you seem to have very unrealistic expectations of what life in a busy school is like.

@Loshad

Fluffy Silly jibe about internet warriers, especially when followed up by promoting the benefit of an anonymous forum 😳 I am merely pointing out something to you that may be harder for those on the ground to do so. We have a “lot” of trainees at my school. Personally I probably work with 8 different trainees every year. Those that stay the course, ( and are still teaching a few years later) are those who knuckle down and crack on, even if they don’t particularly gel with a host teacher, or find the commute crushing. There are after all, a lot of things that happen in teaching that you have no control over, and nor can you walk away from straightaway due to notice periods eg new head, new behaviour policy, an A level cancelled you were hoping to teach on, a colleague leaving/ going on mat leave leading to a rejigging of classes etc Those trainees who constantly moan about minor things ( eg one of your posts complaining the teachers were discussing students in their break - literally when else are we supposed to do that?) tend to be always unhappy, and rarely settle into teaching as a career. I am not getting at you pointing that out, merely offering a differing perspective, as from the posts of yours that I have read ( and I have no idea how many there are) you seem to have very unrealistic expectations of what life in a busy school is like.

I mean the purpose of a forum is to discuss concerns. Just because I complain here how does that give you the impression I'm not getting on with it. Don't you think if I was that set on leaving the teaching career as a whole I could've thrown the towel in ages ago?

I'm not keen on my colleagues no, because I don't think anyone can thrive in a toxic environment.

I commute to a school in London and live no where near it, so realistically if I wanted to just leave the career I've had every opportunity to do so. Read the posts and understand the context rather than offering unhelpful suggestions.

@Zig27

It could be because you are trainee and they don't want to become good friends because you will be gone soon. I know some people have done this before in workplaces and it is rude, they should make them feel welcome while they are there. Also, if they are talking negatively then change the subject when you arrive they may not want to put your off the teaching profession. They may think you could go back and report their private conversation which could get back to the headteacher as they don't know you well enough. I find people seem more acquainted in schools than if they work in an office as people seem to chat more.

Yeah I completely understand that to be honest. It's just the feeling like a spare part in a huge staff room isn't fun:(

Fluffy I honestly don't think you can expect, especially during these crazy times, to feel like anything but a spare part!
I'm going back after mat leave after Easter. I've been at the school for 7 years but I know it's going to be hard to chat with colleagues because life is MAD!!!

@Icytundra

Fluffy I honestly don't think you can expect, especially during these crazy times, to feel like anything but a spare part! I'm going back after mat leave after Easter. I've been at the school for 7 years but I know it's going to be hard to chat with colleagues because life is MAD!!!

TotallyI'll just set some goals I can look forward to like applying for jobs that aren't such a commute like all the way to London from where I am

@fluffyslipper1 It isn't nice to feel like a spare part. Just continue to be polite and hardworking. I don't know how other trainees find it but once you qualify or find something permanent hopefully people will be more inclusive. It is a good thing that you don't get involved in gossip which will go a long way in the long run and will be good in the eyes of the head who may need to do a reference for you in the future.

[quote Zig27]@fluffyslipper1 It isn't nice to feel like a spare part. Just continue to be polite and hardworking. I don't know how other trainees find it but once you qualify or find something permanent hopefully people will be more inclusive. It is a good thing that you don't get involved in gossip which will go a long way in the long run and will be good in the eyes of the head who may need to do a reference for you in the future.[/quote]
Yeah I agree.

I normally have 12 trainees a year. We don't have a staffroom so there's nowhere to discuss other staff - but trainees are treated as staff in my school, so we wouldn't seek to avoid you.
That said, I wouldn't expect colleagues to talk about other staff in public anyway!

You have a staffroom? That staff still meet in??

I am in a not overly large primary school, though the buildings are sprawling and each classroom has a door to outside, which is our principal point of access and departure. Staff coffee / tea-making facilities have been dispersed away from the staffroom due to the pandemic. Each class is a bubble, though there is (strictly limited, work-related, mask wearing) contact between the staff in the same year group. All timetables, breaks, arrivals and departures are staggered.

There are really quite a lot of members of permanent staff that I haven't seen or spoken to since we went into lockdown last March. Let alone trainees. Work is lonely at the moment, for good reason.

As a result, I do find your wish to be 'part of the team' / fully included / have a specific type of conversation really quite odd.

@cantkeepawayforever

You have a staffroom? That staff still meet in??

I am in a not overly large primary school, though the buildings are sprawling and each classroom has a door to outside, which is our principal point of access and departure. Staff coffee / tea-making facilities have been dispersed away from the staffroom due to the pandemic. Each class is a bubble, though there is (strictly limited, work-related, mask wearing) contact between the staff in the same year group. All timetables, breaks, arrivals and departures are staggered.

There are really quite a lot of members of permanent staff that I haven't seen or spoken to since we went into lockdown last March. Let alone trainees. Work is lonely at the moment, for good reason.

As a result, I do find your wish to be 'part of the team' / fully included / have a specific type of conversation really quite odd.

Yeah I mean being in a busy London school staff are meeting on staff room and there's limited distancing

Then you have much bigger problems than whether people are sociable. Their Covid risk assessment needs some serious scrutiny compared with the school guidance.

I don't know ANY schools where staffrooms are open. Generally staff are spending any time not with children still in classrooms. Or outside. Or in their cars. Or, at the riskiest, dispersed in very small groups in specific rooms, well-ventilated and with maximum numbers applied for distancing purposes.

[I live with Mr Covid for a very large, busy secondary age setting. No staffrooms are open]

@cantkeepawayforever

Then you have much bigger problems than whether people are sociable. Their Covid risk assessment needs some serious scrutiny compared with the school guidance.

I don't know ANY schools where staffrooms are open. Generally staff are spending any time not with children still in classrooms. Or outside. Or in their cars. Or, at the riskiest, dispersed in very small groups in specific rooms, well-ventilated and with maximum numbers applied for distancing purposes.

Oh trust me I know. It's unsafe as f*. I genuinely think that no one really cares though. I care and keep a mask on all day and I eat when I'm in my teaching room