The 69th Staff Republic

[TheHoneyBadger]

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.'

Sorry you're unwell, and feel pressure to go in. I hope you feel better soon. The advice is stay at home if you are unwell. You may get critisism for saying at home, but you'll get way more for making other people unwell.

Please don't bring covid to school - you're ill. Stay at home!

Sadly, not at my school - party line is business as usual, have to treat covid like a cold now/get used to it, all pupils and staff to attend/no isolation.
Also called out for testing as we should not be testing anymore, unless told to by GP. I was in today, tested positive, nothing to see here was the mantra.

That's appalling @BeenThereBoughtTheTeeShirt . I hope you have taken time off. I'd be furious if I caught it in school now because people were being forced to come in. My school is still telling staff and students to stay at home if they test +ve.

DD who is a PhD student caught it 3 weeks ago. She felt awful for around 36 hours then it was like a cold. She tested negative on day 6 but was told by her department to self-isolate until she got that negative test. She looks fine but still can't sing (is in a chapel choir) and is very tired. Please look after yourself.

How are you feeling today, @BeenThereBoughtTheTeeShirt ? That's dreadful that you are expected in even if you feel unwell.

When does term end for you?

I was expecting to be told to go in when I messaged my boss to tell him I had tested positive after what I thought was a very tired and hayfever heavy weekend.

They still want a minimum of 5 days and only return with a negative test.
Great in terms of keeping people safe.
Lousy in terms of my being able to say goodbye to my y6 class who leave on Friday.

3 teachers, 2 TAs off with it this week.

And I know I caught it from 2 kids in my class. One who went off having tested positive mid week last week and another that coughed all week while maintaining they had a negative lft with exactly the same sounding cough I came down with on sunday.

I feel for you not being able to say good bye to you year 6s. I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks @Lonelyplanet

So sorry you'll miss your Y6 class, DrMaddie 😥, what bad timing. I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks Brie. Luckily, I've had a negative this morning (day 4) and another this eve so I can at least go in and see them off on their last day! Originally we weren't due to finish til next Wed, then Wales took 2 training days as covid return prep days, telling us to take the training days properly later in the year. They were twilighted. Add on the QUeen's Jubilee day and that has us finishing tomorrow instead of Wed.

Considering the upcoming heatwave (36 degrees even forecast here in N Wales) and how hot our classrooms are on a normally warm day, it's no bad thing!

Sending cooling and calming thoughts to those who are still in work teaching next week!

I'm back here because I can't bear the teacher bashing on the extreme heat threads!

I'm lucky because my classroom is having aircon installed today so I'm looking forward to using it next week.

The engineers have been in all day today so I took my 30 y5's on an impromptu geography field trip around the school looking at disabled access, safety signs etc.

I'd love for some of these posters to do my job for the day. They seem to have all the answers!

I’m really worried about next week. I can’t cope in any form of hot weather ( for the teacher bashers i have never spent a holiday on a sunbed/lying in the sun)
My room is warm at the best of times, it was 25o today when official outside temp was 17.
we are allowed to not wear jackets next week!, kids are in pe kit, I forsee not being well enough to drive home

Yes, the bashing has begun again even at the thought of any closures. Its just a couple of posters ' hobby....

It's noticeable the people denying the extremes of the temperature are also the covid minimisers! Scroll on by, I guess!

Monday and Tuesday will be torrid.

Glad you got to say goodbye Dr Maddie.

I am also dreading the heat... I don't cope well in it and live in a flat so even at home it's far too hot. I'm so worried I'm going to her very ill as burn so easily.

On Tuesday MN will be full of posters complaining about irresponsible schools, and teachers not putting sunblock on their children and they all have heatstroke.

Good news @DrMadelineMaxwell

The extreme heat threads are driving me nuts too. As if teachers really want to send the kids off so they can "sit in a pub garden" or "go to the beach"! Admittedly I live 3 miles from the sea and the pebbly beach is nice, but on a boiling hot day, I'll be inside. HTs will no doubt pile on the work even if the kids aren't in. All the whining parents - can you imagine them in a classroom full of 30+ sweaty little monsters, or worse in my opinion, sweaty teens? They would be demanding air filtration systems, water fountains in every room and a rota system of TAs to fan them and bring them iced drinks. In realty we all know it's not fun, but we do our best. Shame some of these loudmouths don't appreciate us.

Everyone is more fractious when it's hot as well.