Support and Teaching Staff Safe Space - bring biscuits! (edited by MNHQ)

[BehindTheSequinsandStilettos]

Didn't we have an inner staff room within The Staffroom - you know, where we could chat and vent about the week?
Am I being stupid or has it gone?
Rough week, needed to chat x

Can I join?

I'm a trainee TA and juggling college, school placement and family life. I was off today for the first time and worried it will reflect badly 😔

@IgnoranceNotOk sorry it's so tough - that sounds horrendous and with a lack of support from SLT, no wonder you feel so fed up!

Thankfully, ECT was in!

@Teachymummy hi 👋 don't feel bad about being off - its one of those things and new staff are often susceptible to the bugs that go round!

My day was mixed really and very busy!

I had nice lessons but one of my form was very upset about an ill relative. It's not looking good basically and she was in bits. Honestly could have cried with her 😢

Plus a safeguarding thing came out of one of my lessons on contraception.

Good meeting about a project I am starting to finish the day which was nice.

Just running on fumes as I'm so tired 😴

We made it to midweek guys <group hug>
Do any of you get those Wake Up Wednesday emails?
I needed coffee to wake me up this morning. Am on my knees.
Teachy please don't worry, our trainee was ill too. As long as you get to your 120 days or whatever it is, you'll be fine x
Condoms on phalluses pumpkin?! Lucky you.
Back in the day it was bananas!

I can’t teach through the constant disruption (which we’re supposed to ignore because SEN)
I feel you. We are supposed to cut a bit more slack than the 3 strikes you're out but it becomes whack-a-mole and I feel I'm not protecting learning by giving more "chances" - it dilutes the system and makes it confusing for others.
I wish I had a solution. I have two lovely LSAs but they're meant to circulate while the "expert" does the 1-1. Fine in principle, but not in real terms given that I am jack of all trades, master of just one, and certainly not what I'm covering at the moment.

enigma
What's your favourite thing to do/the best use of your time?
In the past I've tried to involve our LSAs with reading aloud etc but as I don't plan the lessons, we just have to see what we're left and both try to engage the kids/generally facilitate their learning. I agree there seems to be increasingly worrying behaviour earlier with unmet need - that's exactly it. I believe in inclusion (my own have additional needs) but I am struggling atm to protect the learning of the majority/keeping a calm classroom, a working safe environment when there's at least 3 with what we used to call EBD sabotaging what I'm trying to do.

@BehindTheSequinsandStilettos
wnat witchcraft did you do to get LSAs???

The need is that high in some classes - i.e. a whole key stage behind.
The fact that I'm still failing them makes my heart hurt (although cover is cover, I'm still better than most out there). That said, some of the conduct is absolutely chosen. One lad in question who is behind worked beautifully today. Really tried his best. Another took up 95% of my time stopping him trying to wind his peers up.

@IgnoranceNotOK mostly saying yes it is hard, there aren't more staff, we have no money etc. They are doing their best to push for things to happen for these children, but in the meantime it is really taking it is toll on staff. It just feels like a lot harder than when I started teaching.

Can't believe we have another week to go, we're all on our knees at my school.

Had a bit of a breakdown at work this afternoon.
Just a big full on cry in front of two of my managers.
I'm now really embarrassed.
There's a backstory to it (which I won't go into on here) and I took exception to a comment which may have just been flippant but came across as snark/sarcasm.
I just have to go in head high tomorrow, don't I?

Another week to go. I hate this half term! Start was disrupted by stupid AQA reviewing because they can't quality assure Literature marking themselves apparently, then I was into entrance exam/ UCAS fast track stuff and I'm on the back foot all the time.
Oh and nobody opens the windows so I ended up with a nasty chest infection. Again.
Utterly exhausted. Another week to go and it's 6th Form Open Evening next Tuesday!!

Thank Crunchie it's Friday!
Got through the day. People I cried on were great and I was able just to get on today and put things behind me.
Wishing us all as good a weekend as we can muster
Sequins x

Happy Friday everyone! 🍫🍩
5 days to go!! 🕺

@BehindTheSequinsandStilettos hope you're ok. I think sometimes it's good to show your vulnerability- means you're human.

Crap week at my school. Monday lunchtime all staff were asked to attend a meeting, which we expected to be to do with update on handling a particularly difficult and dangerous child after we had to lock the rest of the children in a separate building on the Friday afternoon in order to keep everyone safe.

Then four sharply suited men and a lady who might as well have had "HR" stamped on her head turned up and we were told they plan to merge the school with closure of our site expected by the end of December. None of our staff will be needed, but no redundancy as our MAT is widespread so there could be redeployment at any of their schools (including those 2 hours away from us.) 🤨

And having dropped that bombshell, they wandered off and left us having to teach all afternoon with that weighing on us.

Atmosphere at school is horrible.😟

@Lancrelady80 oh my goodness! That is insane.
I hope you manage to enjoy some of your weekend

There's a campaign kicked off big time in the local community, and attempts are being made to rally parents of the larger school by pointing out a 25% increase in pupils with no additional staffing might not be in their best interests. Especially when class sizes are already over 30. No idea where they think all the kids will fit!

Anyway, in the short term lots of alcohol is helping, thank you @BG2015 Trying to shove it to back of mind and enjoy the weekend with my family.

@Lancrelady80 that is awful, you poor sods. Did you ever get any help with the very difficult child?

@Lancrelady80 bloody hell, that's awful 😳😳😳 and a really awful way to deliver the news as well!!

@Enigma52 poor you as well 😢 sometimes, you just have to let yourself be emotional - please don't be embarrassed, we are human!

My week was OK, just absolutely manic - I honestly don't pause for breath some days, but then, do any of us?!

I had to report a safeguarding concern for someone in my form, who I also teach, following the lesson on STIs 😔

Another of my form was in bits on Wednesday due to a very ill relative. Honestly, could have sat and cried with her 😢

And a third is feeling really low all the time 😔

So, had all of those things to deal with on top of the usual.

We have two students in the alternative provision unit in school and I sent detailed planning for the half term. The staff in the unit are not confident in my subject though, so discovered this week that they haven't really done much. Need to plan for next half term and not sure what to do. Ended up giving a free up next week to go and support.

Bloody exhausted and now have a cold ☹😡

Another week to go and I have a trip I am leading, a 4 hour parents evening and we have a culture day on the last day of term. Plus the usual things of course. To do list is a mile long but I don't seem to get anything done in the school day as it's manic.

Roll on half term!

Oh my goodness LancreLady80 what an awful shock!

PumpkinPie that sounds like a crazy busy last week - only two days to go now thank goodness.

Overall, I am having a good week although I am incredibly tired as are the children which is making the last few days a bit of a slog.

Survived open evening. And my great idea to teach all year 10 together first thing yesterday.
Two more days.

Hi, haven't been on Mumsnet for ages. I'm a TA. Just finished a killer 8 weeks with a tough class who I've been with on and off for a few years. We are in the Ofsted window, our SATs results were dissapointing last year, we've had to sharply cut TA hours because of budgets, every resource now comes from the value ranges and is barely fit for purpose and the SLTs are strung way too tight.

Stressed by various school related things I have just badly upset my adult kid just as they were going out to meet a friend, which they rarely do.

I wasn't yelling at them or anything like that, just talking about lack of funding, resources, especially letting SEN kids (they are SEN themselves) down - no names, no specifics, obviously. Just venting and I'm so mad at myself because I've upset them in this way before. I just lost in venting and forgot to think about my audience (generally we talk a lot, at length, about everything) and secondly I need to be able to talk about the problems of working in a school, (within confidentiality limits obviously) and there's nobody to bloody talk to!

And I've just remembered I forgot to update the bastard Intervention records again!!!!

That was a long 8 weeks!

Can anyone advise me on finding your feet as a new TA? I'm a trainee TA after a long stint as a sahm and although I enjoy it I feel like I'm juggling lots of balls and invariably dropping them!

How is everyone doing? I hope those who have been on half term have enjoyed it!

Mine has been lovely and relaxing for the most part which was nice. Only thing is, I have still felt tired all week - feel like last half term totally wore me out 🙈 getting up early and going to work tomorrow is not going to be fun!
I have a late night this week as well with an options evening.

I'm organised-ish, haven't really done much work at all over half term so my to do list is massive, but then, it always is 🙄

I'm sorted with lessons though so hopefully all will be well once I get going!