The Fifty-Eight Republic - Do no masks mean that Sports Day will take place?

[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

Thanks Jan, the link worked for me.

Yes eitak , two more. One more at mine.

Every single case we've had at our school since March has resulted in no classes isolating as they've all been secondary to parents testing positive or after bank hol/weekend/half term, so no recent contacts affected. Feels like luck about to run out. At least year 11 have got (almost) to the end of their assessments.

Bob was off this morning. He made it in for the year photo though.

Evening. Our year 11s left today without incident other than a bit of graffiti.

I'm concerned my school is being a bit gung-ho (gun-ho?) with scrapping bubbles and acting like it's all back to normal given half an hour down the road a whole school has had to close but time will tell.

This evening I am mostly watching Motherland and drinking gin and tonics. I need to take the dog out for his last wee but I can hear the rain battering against the window. Might have to bribe ds.

Attendance is awful at our place with y11, they've checked out. I don't really blame them.

My Y11s have definitely checked out but are still turning up every day! I have my last lesson with them on Wednesday, same with my 13s.

All TAGs for the department are on the system after a mammoth week! Ready for the next stage of checking now.

I am suffering from a cold of sorts - mainly sore throat. Not covid but feel meh. Really didn't feel up to work today but with TAGs and two other colleagues off, I couldn't stay home

We did manage to go out for dinner this evening though which was lovely

I still have one year 13 and two year 11 assessments to get through and mark. All on Wednesday. Marks to be in the system by the end of Thursday (which is also a full teaching day). They are short assessments, but still, marking all of that in one night is a huge ask!

Non teaching question I'm afraid. For those of us who are peri or post menopausal. Is it weird to get a bit tearful about the idea of not being pregnant again and having another baby? I get quite emotional watching or reading about pregnancy or the early days with a new baby. Rationally I would not want to start again and am well aware it's not really a longing for another child just a sadness that I only had one experience of having a baby maybe or that it's not an experience I get to repeat?

I don't think I'll be at risk of empty nest syndrome when ds goes as I will travel and stuff. It's a weird kind of grief that I won't get to experience pregnancy again. Despite spd, horrific reflux and carpel tunnel syndrome I actually loved being pregnant and loved the early months with ds.

Anyway need to 'say' it out loud somewhere and wonder if anyone else has felt it. Not going to start a thread as it doesn't merit a whole thread and can't talk to best friend about it because she's voluntarily and happily childless (though a step mum) and can't talk to my sister because she had a really tough pregnancy and struggled to bond etc with her kids.

If we ever get back to being able to see doctors again I want to have a conversation about HRT.

Well I felt a bit teary today looking at a baby photo. Such a gorgeous little boy, and I wished I could see him in real life and take him home with me. I adored my babies in the proper baby stage. I won't be doing that again, though I'm not quite old enough to be perimenopausal. I'm getting a puppy instead, which isn't quite the same.

I'll probably be perimenopausal within the next few years. I don't yearn for a baby, possibly because my youngest is still only 9, but I think I know what you mean, Honey. I don't want to have another baby but it's probably seeing them growing up so fast and thinking back wistfully to the early years, and how innocent and lovely they were, and knowing I won't have that experience again.

I love when Facebook sends me memories every day. Looking at ds2, so round and gorgeous (although he was a properly difficult toddler), makes me wish I could just go back to that time sometimes.

Honey - I am peri and I do understand! I feel bittersweet about it rather than sad. We have two DDs and never planned to have any more children, yet knowing that I no longer have the choice anyway feels strange and a bit unsettling. Perhaps it's realising my age more than anything, or confronting my own mortality or something. I blame hormones, anyway.

I feel it. Definitely hormones!

Bloody hormones! I'm only 45 and always presumed this was an issue for your 50's. No one makes you aware just how drawn out a process it is and that perimenopause is a thing and can last for years.

I started dreaming about being pregnant, Honey.
I just started on hrt yesterday. I changed gp's and my new one prescribed it over the phone. I'm.49 and my symptoms were rage, anxiety, disrupted sleep, night sweats, loss of libido, forgetfulness and joint pain. Still having regular periods though. I'm 49.

I’m not menopausal, but you have all just made me cuddle the toddler a bit tighter this morning (even while she sprawled over us in bed narrating the Paw Patrol she was watching) and resolve to moan less about being knackered and pregnant. I’ll appreciate the time more for hearing these comments.

I do think this is another area where men have it easier. My DP is late 40s - mid 30s when we met, but held off kids for me until my career was on track. He’s now essentially had 40+ years of freedom and holidays, will raise his kids and then retire to do what he pleases again. My dad did the same - waved my sister off to uni and then retired to a life of golf, cycling, skiing and travel. Whereas women are limited by biological clocks and hormones.

Sorry, that’s my morning feminist rant over and done with!

time I had a very similar conversation with a male colleague. We started jokingly discussing how easy it was for him to decide what to wear every day (suit and shirt) and he was complaining he had no choice about it. Ended on a feminist rant about how men get all the "fun" and none of the pregnancy, periods, lifelong hormonal issues. Don't think he'd really thought about it before.

I too am sure I'm in peri. Emotional, anxious, no libido, massive weight gain, sleep is random and yet I'm exhausted. That could just all be PGCE things though as it's been all consuming. And I'm definitely eating and drinking more alcohol through stress. It needs sorting as I look like a pregnant whale.

Anyhow last tlme I mentioned it to gp she was 'well you're still having regular periods' so you can't be. Go away. Basically

And yes, I miss the thought of a baby. I think what I actually would like is my children to be small again, and me not to be ill with PND so that I could enjoy the time again. I didn't / don't think I'm good enough for them.

Can I ask you guys for a bit of WWYD? DD is 11 and hitting puberty (must be about 5 mins off periods starting). Has always been a worrier - but seemingly about things that aren’t controllable eg another world war and being evacuated etc she’s been extreme worrying about crazy stuff and I’d asked colleague at work for advice and they suggested ringing GP which I thought sounded a bit extreme. Then this week DD had a mini panic attack at school - as in couldn’t breathe easily etc... I have spoken to GP who has basically said to watch and wait for now type thing but given me
Some things to look out for and to ring back if it gets worse. Watching and waiting to see if generalised anxiety disorder or another underlying mental health issue as she talked about two voices in her head that argue all the time...

Financially I can not work. I’d have to cull my Amazon habit and we’d not go skiing but it is doable.

I don’t know whether to quit and be at home for them for a bit - she’s is moving to secondary in September. Whether to try and perhaps take a sabbatical at work? Or drop responsibility and cut hours maybe so I could be at home more? Or just keep going, make the effort to work more at home after school/evenings/the days I don’t work and they are at school.... I am going round in circles and can’t stop crying. Which is a bit over dramatic. I just want to do the best thing for us as a family and particularly her right now.

name you are definitely good enough for your kids. You are great!! I know you're busy and exhausted, but that's almost over and you'll have the whole summer to spend with them. They love you just the way you are, don't ever forget that.

Oh MrsH that's so tough. I don't know what to advise, but you have my greatest sympathy . Dd1 was older when we noticed her MH issues, so the fact you've realised now that there's something wrong is fantastic, as you can get her on the road to recovery quicker. Whatever you decide, you've got her at the forefront of your decision making, and you're keeping an eye on her.

Name - the end is in sight. Just keep hanging in there!

Herc - my DD1 is extremely anxious and began having panic attacks when she was a little older than your DD (around the time of puberty though). I've managed to keep working full time but DH's shifts mean that he is home in the afternoons when I am still at school, so there has always been an adult at home. Our GP wasn't a lot of help - just signposted us to websites really.

I informed the school and they were really good about letting her leave the room if she needed some space. She recognises the signs now before panic takes hold and uses breathing exercises and visualisation to get back in control.

I was dreading exams but she was caught up in last year's GCSE debacle so didn't have to sit them. This does worry me, as now the first public exams she will sit will be A-levels, but we will take it as it comes.

I'm sorry, MrsHP.

Transitory to secondary is difficult, my dd found it an unpleasant year especially with friendships.

Is there access to a school counsellor at all? Ours is very busy at the moment. My ds saw her earlier this year when he couldn't cope with the school environment and he seemed to find the talking very useful. Not school related but he likes to read up on History (Titanic obsession when younger, currently watching 9/11 documentaries) and sometimes these lead to him thinking on and getting worried and scared about something like this happening to him/family).

Carving time out at the end of the day to sit and chat to them makes a huge difference. It's to my detriment as it can take an hour with the 3 of them, but it's useful to just cuddle in bed and talk through the day. I'm sure you're doing it already, but my two older dc have, I think, really benefited from this, especially during secondary years.

Sorry, I meant MrsH rather than Herc!