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Hello @moug @BPDSurvivor @Millieme @Shaz51 @tyme

So as you might know from my posts elsewhere, my improved mood was actually hypomania. I was in mania for about 11 days until the day before yesterday.

I have taken last week, this week and next week off work.

My private psychiatrist has given me a return to work date of 2 Dec.

I have managed to reconnect with the service of my psychologist, who I last accessed in Jan 2023. Her next available appointment is Mon 2 Dec, so I plan to return to work on 3 Dec at this stage. I will play it by ear, in terms of my return to work date.

My mother has been doing the communication between us and work (my school). She has been in contact with the HR manager, who has informed the Campus Principal. The Campus Principal has informed us via the HR manager that she is ready and willing to chat with either Mum or me if need be.

I am using this time to not think about work, check emails or lesson plan. This is a time for me to focus solely on myself and my recovery.

By the time I go back to work, the 2024 academic year will be over, including the marking of Year 7 and 10 exams, so I'm happy with that!

I have been granted the role of Extension and Enrichment English teacher at Year 8 2025. The expression of interest process was quite competitive and I cherish this opportunity to develop my curriculum curation skills further.

Just need to stay well/recover as fully as possible now, to be in the best possible headspace to fulfil that role.

hello @Millieme , @moug , @BPDSurvivor , @tyme , @Spirit_Healer

you will all be on school holidays soon , yaaa

Hello everyone

Yay! It’s school holidays! So exciting! @Shaz51 @Spirit_Healer @tyme @Millieme @moug !

I think I just scraped through the end of school. Just wrapping things up was hectic even though I don’t teach classes anymore.

Once again, next year, I don’t have a teaching load. I’ll be full time coaching and mentoring in the area of inclusion.

Unless that changes of course.

Our school is moving fully to the VicCurriculum 2.0 so I’ve been doing a lot of the initial planning and overviews for the school. I’ve noticed there’s a lot of collaborative work.

My question is, what about for those who don’t do well with group work?

Im speaking from experience because as a kid and even now, I don’t like working with people and prefer to do things on my own. So im really curious to understand why vic curriculum 2.0 has embedded extensive group work and collaboration in descriptors??

Anyway, im having a break from school and will get back to it in Jan.

Cya!

Hey @BPDSurvivor and everyone else.

I think the answer is that collaborative learning is one of the 21st century skills. These days, it's hard to find a job where staff don't need to work together. Therefore, the priority of the Vic Curric. is not so much academic scores, but rather, it is skills and knowledge focused. What do you reckon?

I didn't work to the end of the school year in 2024. I became manic in mid November and ended up needing the last six weeks off from work. I landed in a PARC and I'm about to get admitted to a private ward this Monday. Hopefully my medications will be sorted before the start of term in late Jan, and I am healthy enough to return to work. I've been granted a time fraction reduction from 1.0 to 0.8, so that will help lighten the load. I will get a day off each week 😀

How is everyone? Make sure to recharge these holidays and try not to think about school work too much!

@tyme @Shaz51 @moug @Millieme

Hey @Spirit_Healer ,

Great to hear you looking after yourself.

So true! Don't think too much about work at the moment. Enjoy your break!

Maybe staff need training on What is Collaboration?? @Spirit_Healer

Or What collaboration can look like?

It irks me to 'make' kids work with people when they don't want to.

Since being on holidays, I've been hanging around a lot. Getting a lot of home things done such as getting a new air con installed, electrical work, shopping for things I need in the house, tidying and cleaning...

Went to an ex work colleague's house for brunch today. I've shared elsewhere, but it was an interesting time because she said I am one of her only 2 friends. To me, I don't consider her a friend, but more a colleague.

Does anyone else hang out with work colleagues (outside work) and call them 'friends'?

I think I feel I can't be friends with people I work with or have worked with because when we get together, it's work talk. I don't want to talk work....

In a way, I'm excited to go back to work. Ready to take up the challenge for what this year will bring.

Whatevz... I'm just blahing... too much time on my hands to blah.

Welcome @NightFury !

Great to see you head over here to kick back, relax and talk all things education (and not education) with other fellow educators.

@BPDSurvivor @Spirit_Healer @Shaz51 @moug @Millieme

Are you all on school holidays?

Victorian kiddos are returning to school on Tuesday.

@tyme thank you for the welcome.

We are on school holidays and have another week left. I've had a pretty busy, rough first week, so I am looking forward to the second week of school holidays and hopefully some time to kick back and relax.

Do you have much planning to do for school @NightFury ? If you don't mind sharing, which age groups do you teach?

We need to take our hats off to teachers. It seems to just be getting harder and harder.

Please look after yourself during your break.

@tyme luckily we had time to plan and get organised in the last two weeks of term. I have a little bit to do still though, but our planning for Term 2 was due before the school holidays.

At the moment, I teach Grade 5/6, but last year I taught Kinder, prior to that I spent 8 years teaching Grade 7 - 12 English and History.