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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

The 69th Staff Republic

392 replies

TheHoneyBadger · 18/12/2021 11:26

Just in time for the Christmas break. As it's the holidays we're allowed chairs and everything. I believe even buffets are permitted currently? No going to see Bond films though obviously.

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.'

OP posts:
twinkletoesimnot · 17/01/2022 18:04

Thanks @JanglyBeads
It's spreading like crazy 😬

This has to be a joke right?

inews.co.uk/news/politics/gavin-williamson-knighthood-from-boris-johnson-education-secretary-failings-1404274

Vampiremockumentary · 17/01/2022 19:55

Surely!

cornercupboard · 18/01/2022 06:43

Beachhuts90 I'm happy with RRS but it needs to be reinforced from the top as well as up from the bottom, surely? GTHead thinks you can just say "remember RRS", but then when children aren't RRorS what then? Consequences do need to be followed through by SMT who don't give a shiny shit as they are working from home 2 days a week.

13luckyblackcats · 18/01/2022 19:19

Staggering in after a tough day. What is it about being an ECT that makes some (very few) people treat you like a barely competent inferior??

MrsHamlet · 18/01/2022 19:22

It's not about being an ECT. It's about other people being knobs.

13luckyblackcats · 18/01/2022 19:47

True, I need to remember that!

Beachhuts90 · 18/01/2022 19:47

@cornercupboard

Beachhuts90 I'm happy with RRS but it needs to be reinforced from the top as well as up from the bottom, surely? GTHead thinks you can just say "remember RRS", but then when children aren't RRorS what then? Consequences do need to be followed through by SMT who don't give a shiny shit as they are working from home 2 days a week.
Agreed. The whole school has to be on the same page. IIRC the book is a bit wishy-washy on consequences, which seems like nonsense to me, but I'm not very experienced yet.
namechangedyetagain · 18/01/2022 20:34

@13luckyblackcats

Staggering in after a tough day. What is it about being an ECT that makes some (very few) people treat you like a barely competent inferior??
I think I am the ECT you describe. Seriously doubting my ability to teach tonight, or whether I even want to carry on trying. Can't believe it's only Tuesday of week 3.
MrsHamlet · 18/01/2022 21:08

Oh name!!! How can we help?

eitak22 · 18/01/2022 21:15

name I'm sure you're doing a great job, this week has been exhausting here and the children are struggling. Remember the last full year children had was 2 years ago - for my y6 that's y3 and for your children it's year R!

Iamnotthe1 · 19/01/2022 07:29

Name it's very normal to doubt your teaching ability during the first couple of years. The system is almost built to make it happen. Teacher training programmes are too soft and overpraise / overgrade so people go from being told they are outstanding and amazing at the end of their training to struggling and being told they need to improve within a matter of months of starting an actual job. Equally, you start and you're surrounded by experienced professionals who make it all look so comparatively easy. Then there's the level of scrutiny and the sheer number of times in a term it's possible to be compared with how other teachers are doing.

It doesn't mean you're not doing well even if the first few years of teaching make you feel like that. It's a reflection of the education industry as a whole more than it is of you.

Even for the aspects of it that are related directly to you, you need to give it time for those to change. As an ECT, you're like a Reception / Y1 getting to grips with those first steps into academic learning. We'd never throw a KS1 child into Y6 and expect them to cope so you can't expect your skills, confidence and ability to match those experienced teachers around you. In time, those three things will grow, just as they do in the children we teach. Then you'll be one of the experienced professionals making everything look so easy and natural and scaring a bunch of future ECT who will go through the same worry cycle.

namechangedyetagain · 19/01/2022 20:18

That is so useful to remember.

I think it's because everyone expects you to be a good teacher and I probably expect it of myself as well.

I have realised though that I feel quite unsupported. Mentor is deputy so can't speak openly about worries. Exhausted as again I have no TA and a tricky class. I feel like shouting I'm 2 terms in, i need practical help but I don't think anyone would listen.

Radagast · 19/01/2022 21:40

It's ok to not be a good teacher 2 terms into your teaching career, it's the sort of job that takes a long time to get your own base level skills in so they become automatic, especially the stand and wait for them all to be quiet, that took me a while.

Why do you think you can't speak to your mentor even though they are a deputy? They should be able to support your development with you being open and honest no matter what position they are in.

cornercupboard · 21/01/2022 19:26

name we have two ECTs in my primary and both are struggling as you describe. But experienced, established teachers are also struggling. TAs too. The pandemic has made your job harder, with expectations from SMT and Ofsted staying the same despite the challenges we've all been through.

It's about other people being knobs. this is also true.

Hang in there. x

echt · 21/01/2022 19:59

Well, the appeal to to retired teachers has gone out in Victoria, as I said it would: www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/retired-teachers-urged-to-head-back-to-school-to-fill-covid-gaps-20220121-p59q6w.html#comments

Considering the scale of the shadow lockdown here, I'd be surprised if they get many takers.

DenbyChina · 22/01/2022 09:43

@cornercupboard

name we have two ECTs in my primary and both are struggling as you describe. But experienced, established teachers are also struggling. TAs too. The pandemic has made your job harder, with expectations from SMT and Ofsted staying the same despite the challenges we've all been through.

It's about other people being knobs. this is also true.

Hang in there. x

All of this. Can only imagine how much tougher it is in primary at the moment. Hope you’re feeling slightly better, name.
DreamingofBrie · 22/01/2022 17:36

Hi all,
I've been neglecting this thread (and avoiding MN) for a while, so just popping in to offer support.

I am 7 years in now and still regularly feel like a bad teacher, although my results would say I'm no worse than any of my colleagues! Remember there is so much outside of your control - the weather, whether a child was up gaming all night, what's going on the the lives of the people around you. The kids forgive us much more quickly than we forgive ourselves.

The first (I'd say 5) years are relentless. Moving schools and having to learn new people and systems is a mammoth and daunting task. The last 2-3 years have been spectacularly hard.

If there is not the structure or people around who should support you through the early years of teaching, I'd consider a move Flowers.

echt, how is non teaching life? We has very few retired teachers volunteer to return here too (I think less than 500?).

echt · 22/01/2022 19:56

echt, how is non teaching life? We has very few retired teachers volunteer to return here too (I think less than 500?)

All good, though it's still the summer holidays, so hasn't fully kicked in. It will do when the primary school three streets away is back, as for some reason, schools in Victoria have external bells you can hear blocks away to call mining, end of recess and lunch. Hmm

As for the call to retirees, the comments page in The Age recorded a resounding "No". In addition to belonging, to the most part, to a group more likely to be vulnerable, because teachers have to be registered annually, they would have to pay to go back into schools. Another Hmm

winewolfhowls · 23/01/2022 15:02

Hello everyone, long time no post. There seems to be somewhat of a mass exodus at the moment, many more jobs on tes than usual and every social media I use is full of teachers wanting to leave. Has anyone else noticed or am I self selecting based on my preferences for certain pages and sites?

Beachhuts90 · 23/01/2022 15:12

I haven't noticed many jobs in my area, although I'm looking for September and not April, so maybe that colours my perspective a bit. I remember last year this was a bit early for September jobs too though.

namechangedyetagain · 23/01/2022 17:53

Im still here, hanging on. Another one of our ECTs has handed in notice. I'm still considering. I need to see the year out, there are rumblings of moving to a MAT. I love my colleagues and partner teacher. Finding it hard going with no ta (2 weeks now, ill, can't be helped) but really hope i don't get pulled for no progress as I'll probably cry. I'm keeping them alive and they're learning something. I can't physically do much more on my own. Have also been covering duties and mdsa so not even a full break for eating.
Luckily or not i myself have been sick this week. Literally body falling apart and im on my knees.

MrsHamlet · 23/01/2022 18:13

Good for you, name
What support do you have from your appropriate body? There should be some entity outside the school overseeing your induction.

namechangedyetagain · 23/01/2022 19:06

@MrsHamlet i have hopefully messaged you

borntobequiet · 24/01/2022 11:40

Just popping in. I start a new job in a couple of weeks, just two mornings and in a relatively Covid safe sector. I’m 69 this year and want to continue part time (health permitting) for three to five years.
I spent the first three years of teaching learning the basics, after five I was OK and at ten years in I really hit my stride. This consisted partly of being able to differentiate between initiatives that were new and helpful and those that were new and best ignored.
I think it’s so much harder for new teachers these days. At least I was more or less left to make my own mistakes and got support when I needed it.
And yes, it’s other people being knobs.

woodlands01 · 24/01/2022 19:56

Interesting! I'm core secondary in a large department with 2 ECTs and another part time NQT. Very different experience. Lazy, contributing little, using all shared resources, little marking due to no exam classes. Full of verbal diarrhoea, very frustrating - can you tell I've had a bad day Smile

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