The Sixty-Second Republic - Pop da pop pop, the beat don't stop until the break of term

[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 for school staff to let off steam.

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. Finally, upload your covid test results twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Dr Madeline I can identify with that - you could have heard a pin drop in my room today after I showed my class an explanatory RSE video!

Yes Rule - totally undermines a telling off when you can't remember the word for the thing they were vandalising. Mustn't get hopes up but I really hope I have great results like you. Then I'd just kick myself for having waited so long.

My best question from year 6 was: yeah... but what is a clitoris for?

After about 30 seconds of waffling I just said 'fun'.

@TheHoneyBadger

I suspect but they worry that it would lead to a 'two-tier' system under which Tarquin will be disadvantaged. If some people have their children vaccinated then some people might suggest on different processes for vaccinated and unvaccinated children eg. when there is a positive case in school or when darling T is a known contact of a positive case.

They don't want Tarquin vaccinated, isolated, tested, 'muzzled' or in any way bothered at all and they don't want their to be any consequences for that choice.

That reads a bit like the Molly Kingsley article last week or so .

Hope you're feeling better soon, and good to see you, MonkeyTennis. How is the family?

My Y7 had a sex ed lesson where they had to watch a baby being born (in fairly graphic detail, ds tells me). Two of them didn't make it to my Maths lesson afterwards....

All the bloody isolation threads have suddenly made me think about the fact that it's only a week until my mum gets here. I'm not going to be very impressed if I end up as a close contact in the next week, or worse still get covid.

My flight finally was officially cancelled and I've requested my refund No idea what our summer will entail.

I don't know how I'm going to get to Egypt to sort the flat - don't know if school would give me a sabbatical/unpaid leave. I doubt it but it would presumably be cheaper for them as even though supply is expensive they'd be saving my salary and my pension and NI contributions. No clue when we'll reliably be able to travel.

Bit of a whinge coming but there's only ds(14) and I and I don't drive which makes holidaying in UK difficult and depressing to be honest. Can't easily do weekend breaks or day trips and being stuck the two of us somewhere without the comforts and distractions of home and potentially shitty weather and doing anything costing a fortune and being unikely to be anything we both get something out of anyway is....

The plan for Egypt leisure was just living in the sea for ds and in the water is one place we really get on and enjoy ourselves together and could go snorkelling, diving etc. That's just not replicable in UK to be honest and accommodation and food etc is so expensive.

Feeling a bit sad about it I guess. I was really looking forward to taking him away from all the normal influences and back to his sea loving, happy talking to people from all over the world, confident lovely boy. I was looking forward to teaching him to dive too if he could be talked into it.

Sorry for the pity party but it's been a hard year or so hasn't it? I just needed to get away and see friends and people who are like family to me and be in the place that feels like home as well as sort out property and finances and ensure that security survives for the future. I'm basically here to work and to get ds through his education and to be around for my aging parents - that's all important stuff but none of it is very soul charging itms. Two years of it without getting to my other home is super draining and I worry how much longer I can do without burn out or depression. This summer was about reminding myself I have a life over there too that will still be there after ds has finished school and recharging my batteries with some joy and being in a community that nourishes me.

I can see lots of people burning out next year - especially if it is similar to last autumn. Teachers might not be isolating as much but I can see numbers signed off with depression rocketing.

Perhaps wrongly I threatened ds today that if he didn't get his shit together and start taking his education seriously we would leave. It's all that I'm here for and if he can't be arsed and isn't really trying and is getting into trouble in the UK school system then what's the point?

I could take an overseas job tomorrow and have a better quality of life and better education and influences around him and be exposing him to such a broader experience. He doesn't want it - he's had it and loved it but now wants to be here.

Double moan sorry - sometimes (and I don't like to admit it often) it's hard being a single parent and it's hard living in a country and system that you don't connect with. My rent is over 75% of my salary, luckily I get some child maintenance and UC on top but what's the point? Property prices just keep on going up and up and my savings shrink rather than grow because of no interest rates and? I'm here because I'm a Mum and a daughter rather than really wanting it and financially I'm just about treading water and going to the gym is the high point of my weeks. I work hard at my job and think I do it pretty well but never hear a well done or a thank you really but people jump on you the second they perceive you to have done something wrong or not have managed to complete the crazy levels of extra work piled on you.

I was emailed about a History job in Cairo today which probably hasn't helped. About 38k a year tax free, free accommodation and health insurance and transport to and from school, free tuition for ds at an international school where he'd be around different languages and culture rather than some rip off wanna be gangster culture that the boys aspire to around here and a 7hr bus journey from my flat and friends and a lovely social life and the beautiful sea for decadent but doable weekends if stress is building up.

I love my son and I will put him first but it's really hard sometimes.

Hey @TheHoneyBadger wish I had a magic pick me up for you but I don't. Just wanted you to know that I'm still awake and I agree it sucks.

Thanks so much Squashed. Hopefully I'll be back to proud oh it's fine, chin up etc tomorrow but.... meh!

Life does suck a bit at the minute - I try to avoid admitting it because I'm so, 'must avoid getting depressed', but yeah, it's all a bit sucky.

HoneyBadger, just a hug for you. You sound worn down. Perhaps ds needs to hear that from you .

So many hugs Honey badger. You're doing a great job!!

Oh honey I’m so sorry about the flight to Egypt. You sound utterly fed up and I do t blame you. Hope your ds pulls his finger out soon.

Oh that's shit Honey.

I too had a minor meltdown last night about holiday cancellations.

Child's covid test is negative though, so that's a relief. For my parents mostly.

A final nail, Honey- so sorry.

Don't blame you for the pity party, Honey. Go right ahead.

Do you know, I think I'd seriously consider the job if I were you. Surely an international school would provide a decent education for ds? Amd if you don't go, I'd definitely look around for a new school here for you (and maybe for him for year 10). There are places where you are valued and hard work noticed and rewarded.

I understand what you mean about UK holidays for you too but maybe give a short, cheap city break a try. Apartments are usually available pretty cheap. Depending on where you can get to by train, you could have a lovely few days in London, Newcastle, Liverpool... fab beaches at the latter two as well as cool city stuff to do. You don't have to spend a fortune.

Just popping on to send hugs to you Honey - it's such a difficult and depressing time. No wonder you're exhausted and sick of it all. I would definitely look at international jobs - the one in Cairo sounds incredible!

Ugh. Dingwall is the new bete noir. On BBC today opining 'why can't children just stay home if unwell?'. a) has he not been in a school and seen all the kids whose parents send them in with limbs hanging off and snot streaming from orifices and b) has he not heard of asymptomatic transmission?? How will they know they are ill? He wants testing to go too.

We are back to 'we know schools aren't drivers of transmission'. Do we? Do we really?

The whole backdrop to this is that no one has monitored what happens t the close contacts who are sent home!

Hugs, honey that sucks. Go right ahead with the pity party.

If we know schools aren’t drivers of transmission, then why do public health seem to be being much more cautious about contacts at the moment? And it seems to be at odds with the government messaging.

@DrMadelineMaxwell

Yeah, no dangling please. You've just given me flashbacks to my growing up and puberty talk this morning.

Upon asking whether they had any questions after watching the dvd, one of them plaintively asked "Why did ad have to learn about that?"

That sounds like my dd2. She's learning about puberty at school and she keeps putting her hands over here ears when I attempt to discuss it at home. Apparently at school her teacher got them all chanting "penis, vagina, breasts, testicles" so they got used to the words and stopped giggling at them, lol. Dd was soooooo embarrassed!!!!

honey that sounds so hard. Have you had a serious discussion with ds about how life could be if you took this international job in Cairo? Is he about to go into year 10? That sounds like a good time to move to me, as I assume international schools start GCSEs in year 10 (I might be wrong on that front). It sounds ideal for you tbh.

Honey I’ve been a single parent too. In my case there was lots to keep me at home - I was happy enough and my situation was comfortable - and no real opportunities to go anywhere else, but in your position that job…well, I’d apply for it. Your DS sounds bright enough to have the proposition put to him and I bet he’d do just as well if not better at an international school. Go if you can.

Just hearing from JCVI that teachers will be nowhere on the lost for vaccine boosters just as close contacts stay in school.

I think I'll be leaving teaching next year.

*list

@SaltyAF

Just hearing from JCVI that teachers will be nowhere on the lost for vaccine boosters just as close contacts stay in school.

I think I'll be leaving teaching next year.

So we’re keyworkers but not keyworkers. Lovely.

honey it’s so difficult when it’s just you making all the decisions, isn’t it? Does yr DS acknowledge all the great times abroad with you?

Here’s what the BBC know about lack of data on Covid spread in schools / isolation results
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57671735

Oh and the interpretation of what Gav said in Parliament yesterday about “whole bubbles shouldn’t be isolating” is that the govt are saying HTs have misinterpreted the guidelines. How bloody dare they???