Sixty-Eighth Republic - still under temporary guardianship…

[MrsHerculePoirot]

In the absence of staff and her fabulous thread titles and witty openers here is a 68th thread. The broom cupboard is overflowing so time for another Republic. Hopefully we hear from staff soon.

Stolen from previous threads…
'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.'

My second vaccine was in the summer holidays too.
I've got to book my flu vaccine at some point too.

That's why I'm almost glad I've got it now! Get it out of the way.

I have nothing planned I'm going to miss out on or that cost money for the next ten days so it isnt bad timing.

How quickly do positive results come through?!

Tested at half 9.
Text from TTP at half ten saying I'm positive.

I'm used to waiting until the next morning when testing (and being negative) so it surprised me a bit.

On the scotsnet threads I keep hearing that English schools are doing fine despite not having masks, showing we should do away with them too. Not the same impression I get reading about cases from you guys! sorry Noble for using that word

I had my second vaccine in December 2020!!!
Luckily, it seems like my trial vaccine is the dog's doodah of vaccines... and that I've now had one dose of Pfizer for travel, because those of us under 50 won't be getting anything soon.

English schools are doing fine despite not having masks

If you call 'the kids have all got covid' fine, then yes, I guess we are.

I feel really sorry for my Y11. They were badly hit with isolations in the summer to the point where it was impossible to teach anything coherent and now loads of them are off with covid. They've got their mocks coming up and they are going to struggle.

you guys

I'm not a guy etc etc.

That's why I'm almost glad I've got it now! Get it out of the way

I really don’t want to catch Covid. But I really really don’t want to catch it over Christmas. It’s rife at my kids school though. Surely we will either catch it soon, or we are already immune by some miracle.

We had only 100 cases last week, so that was nice

I really don’t want to catch Covid. But I really really don’t want to catch it over Christmas. It’s rife at my kids school though. Surely we will either catch it soon, or we are already immune by some miracle.

I suspect that if I catch it, it'll be at the most annoying part. Might be nice to have a reason for the almost permanent migraine I've had since we returned to school though.

Test arrived (With all my post from last week) today so have done it. Still have a headache and feel exhausted but otherwise I'm not too ill and panicking I've overreacted.

I had my second dose on May 12th as part of group 6 so have to hope I'll be invited for my booster soon. We can't book but have to wait to be invited and just blindly trust that's going to happen.

Sorry to everyone who is poorly. I just found myself entertaining the thought of getting signed off just because I seem to be on the brink of a panic attack frequently lately thinking about how to handle an issue at work. Absolutely fine in the classroom a management type, work relationship type issue though and it's not fair for the kids to miss out because of that so will plod on and try and pull my big girl pants up.

Think peri is contributing to my anxiety levels and reactions to stressful situations? Maybe? Feel like a bit of a loon at the minute.

DrM, am sorry to hear you’ve got it.

Results fromPCRs can’t possibly (AFAIK) come they in an hour - survey it’s either a mistake or could it be when they text and email you to tel you the LFT result that you’ve just reported to them?

Iirc the only difference in the LFT vs the PCR positive message is that the former tells you to book a PCR to confirm.

(I’m assuming everything about the process of testing is the same in Wales as England.)

• Results from PCRs can’t possibly (AFAIK) come thru in an hour - surely it’s either a mistake, or could it be when they text and email you to tell you

Sorry to hear that honey. It's been a brutal term.

If you are feeling like that though, remember that if you end up feeling anxious and like you might have a panic attack regularly because of work stresses then the students aren't going to get the best of you. There's no shame in taking the time you need to be in a good place.

You need to have your own oxygen mask on before helping others.

@TheHoneyBadger

I had my second dose on May 12th as part of group 6 so have to hope I'll be invited for my booster soon. We can't book but have to wait to be invited and just blindly trust that's going to happen.

Sorry to everyone who is poorly. I just found myself entertaining the thought of getting signed off just because I seem to be on the brink of a panic attack frequently lately thinking about how to handle an issue at work. Absolutely fine in the classroom a management type, work relationship type issue though and it's not fair for the kids to miss out because of that so will plod on and try and pull my big girl pants up.

Think peri is contributing to my anxiety levels and reactions to stressful situations? Maybe? Feel like a bit of a loon at the minute.

I nodded my way through your post-I feel exactly the same at the moment. Huge anxiety levels (having never suffered with anything like that before) about work things. Again, not the classroom teaching, but other stuff. Ofsted is looming as well and I think we are going to get mullered. Doom scrolling on Twitter about the new Ofsted inspections this morning hasn’t helped.

I keep waking at 5am with a real jump and knot in my stomach as well-not sure if that’s peri-menopause type things (was hoping I was too young for that, but I’m not) or just stress.

I seem to be increasingly spending my downtime trying to plot my escape route out of teaching and it’s just making me worse as my headspace is full of it all.

Sorry to hear you’re feeling like it, too

@DrMadelineMaxwell so sorry. We’ll all be here for you to moan at.

I feel the same @TheHoneyBadger and @Appuskidu. I’m 6 months post vaccine because hubs near us offered spares to teachers. I can’t book a booster and I’m under 50. And I thought I was worried last autumn - this is a whole new level of stress.

I'm sorry you are too Appu! It sucks, I feel like my mental health is on a bit of a knife edge at the minute.

It's not the teaching or the marking or the kids and I should be feeling good really as I had a successful year last year rationally and things are going well this year and I've been working hard and should ideally be feeling like a competent, valued employee but not sadly.

Sorry to hear honey and appuskidu. I've been given propranolol alongside my usual ADs because of increased anxiety. lolasmiles is exactly right - you can't teach effectively if you're struggling. This job also isn't worth destroying our mental health over.

We can't book but have to wait to be invited and just blindly trust that's going to happen.

@TheHoneyBadger - have you looked on the booking system? I'm almost the same date as you and can book on there now. Couldn't last week.

@DrMadelineMaxwell - how was your partner? Mine is having a day 7 relapse, but I think he secretly enjoys being ill. He love lying around in bed. Meanwhile I chopped up a swede and had to have a sit down.

My bloody child is coughing. Scream! Another PCR visit.

Sorry to everyone whose mental health has taken a nosedive.

Expecting us to deliver as normal in a Covid environment is nigh on abusive. Lola is right, attend to your own oxygen mask, then look after others.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

We can't book but have to wait to be invited and just blindly trust that's going to happen.

@TheHoneyBadger - have you looked on the booking system? I'm almost the same date as you and can book on there now. Couldn't last week.

Did you have yours just on basis of age or due to a health reason though Rule? Mine was the latter and came through GP whereas people who went on age could book online and go to a centre around here. I'm under 50 btw.

Mine was for a health reason. I was called by my GP last week and had an appointment offered for this coming Wednesday at the community hospital. By the time I got through to confirm it, there were no appts left on that day- she offered me 18th November. While I was on hold (27 people in queue), I got on to the booking website and it said I wasn't eligible to book there.

When I had the positive PCR I knew I wouldn't be able to do the GP related appt - I haven't phoned to cancel yet. I can now get on through the normal booking system.

Last time I could never use the online booking service - not for dose 1 or 2, but this time I can.

I'm under 50 too.

Thank you Rule. I've just been on and been able to book. I've booked for 23/11, Could have had an earlier appointment but don't want it before my birthday in case I have loads of side effects again. Hoping not with Pfizer - had AZ last time.