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Afraid this is a bit of a self-indulgent thread about 'highlights' of my Christmas holiday, but I'm posting it because I reckon others will have shared lots of the experiences, not because I'm looking for sympathy. Call it an auto-ethnographic study based on my lived experience!
18/12 - Exhausted but relieved to finish term. Aiming to rest and catch up on big backlog of work. Hoping even to write a blog or two.
Also 18/12 - Got home to news of a positive case in school, an SLT meeting to trace contacts and a couple of hours of self-isolation phone calls.
Also 18/12 - Got home to news of a positive case in school, an SLT meeting to trace contacts and a couple of hours of self-isolation phone calls.
19/12 - News of another positive case, another SLT meeting, more contact tracing and more phone calls to tell students to self-isolate.
Also 19/12 - Was contacted by daughter's primary school about a positive case in her bubble and was told she must self-isolate over Christmas.
Also 19/12 - Was contacted by daughter's primary school about a positive case in her bubble and was told she must self-isolate over Christmas.
21/12 - Became more worried about DfE's plans for lateral flow testing in schools in light of worrying new information emerging of lack of sensitivity of these tests.
22/12 - News of another positive case in school, an SLT meeting, more contact tracing and lots more phone calls.
22/12 - News of another positive case in school, an SLT meeting, more contact tracing and lots more phone calls.
23/12 - Found out that ministers' decision on Jan school openings would be postponed, raising doubts about daughter's school as well as mine.
Also 23/12 - Attended DfE webinar on LF testing. No answers given about low sensitivity, but reassured that testing would be optional.
Also 23/12 - Attended DfE webinar on LF testing. No answers given about low sensitivity, but reassured that testing would be optional.
Also 23/12 - News of another positive case in school, contact tracing took place but luckily no phone calls to make.
24/12 - Same thing again. Yet another case but no phone calls.
25/12 - Christmas. Actually got a break for the day, albeit self-isolated due to daughter. Yay!
24/12 - Same thing again. Yet another case but no phone calls.
25/12 - Christmas. Actually got a break for the day, albeit self-isolated due to daughter. Yay!
26/12 – Started to try to catch up on work not done in previous week due to all the contact tracing and phone calls.
27/12 – Did the one fulfilling piece of work I managed over the holiday: planning to deliver some assessment CPD on first day of term inset.
27/12 – Did the one fulfilling piece of work I managed over the holiday: planning to deliver some assessment CPD on first day of term inset.
29/12 - Govt plans for further delays to school opening leaked to press but nor formally announced. Started to worry about implications.
30/12 - Announcement from @GavinWilliamson which made little sense and suggested no remote learning to be provided to non-exam year groups.
30/12 - Announcement from @GavinWilliamson which made little sense and suggested no remote learning to be provided to non-exam year groups.
Also 30/12 - Spent evening trying to make sense of GW's announcement and writing emails to staff and parents. Cancelled inset session I had been planning. V distracted and forgot to take out post-Christmas bin.
31/12 - Woke up to find that DfE had changed policy. More confusion.
31/12 - Woke up to find that DfE had changed policy. More confusion.
Also 31/12 - Realised too late that had missed bin collection. Bin very full with post-Christmas rubbish. Very cross and shouted a bit. Daughter cried. Drove to HWRC and sat in two hour queue. After some time was told HWRC was closing for day. Went home with bin bags in car.
Also 31/12 - Rewrote emails written to staff and parents the night before in light of DfE's policy change on remote learning.
Also 31/12 - Found out that testing in schools was now compulsory. Had been reassured somewhat by optional status. Still no answers on test sensitivity.
Also 31/12 - Found out that testing in schools was now compulsory. Had been reassured somewhat by optional status. Still no answers on test sensitivity.
1/1 - Found out that primary remote learning extended from initial authorities to whole of London. Started to worry about further extension and implications if daughter's school is closed. My wife is also a secondary teacher so all of us are affected by this and need to plan.
2/1 - Found out about NEU decision to recommend members do not go into school at start of term. Sympathetic to their concerns, but worried on a personal level because of difficulties this will cause at my school and also at daughter's. Little progress on necessary work.
3/1 - Final day of holiday. Waiting for more govt or union announcements. Yr 12 essays almost done but Yr 9 work not marked, EPQ work not checked and little else done. Nowhere near ready for start of term. Still half expecting changes this evening.
So that was my holiday. How was it for you? Similar? Thought so. One thing I'm certain of is that what I now need is a decent break. Oh dear. Happy spring term everyone! Here we go again. Still have full bin bags, by the way. Hoping @GavinWilliamson might collect them as penance.
