Staffroom etiquette

bobbyss

Any basic bad manners in your staffroom?

How about a long haired staff member combing her hair at the table as you try and have a cuppa.
Someone bringng in stinking food for lunch.
Someone constantly hogging the microwave.
Someone using the last water in kettle without filling it up again.
Someone constantly talking about their kids. ( Because nobody else knows about bringing up kids).


You expect some students to get under your skin but ... .

tedpan

Sounds the same as most workplaces...

killbillvol2

bobbyss wrote: »

Any basic bad manners in your staffroom?

How about a long haired staff member combing her hair at the table as you try and have a cuppa.
Someone bringng in stinking food for lunch.
Someone constantly hogging the microwave.
Someone using the last water in kettle without filling it up again.
Someone constantly talking about their kids. ( Because nobody else knows about bringing up kids).


You expect some students to get under your skin but ... .

It must be seriously bad if you feel the need to bring it up on the internet at 11.00 at night in the middle of a week off.

To say I don't think about the staff room when I'm not there would be an understatement.

bobbyss

killbillvol2 wrote:

To say I don't think about the staff room when I'm not there would be an understatement.

You lucky devil.

TheDriver

killbillvol2 wrote: »

To say I don't think about the staff room when I'm not there would be an understatement.

+1
I don't think about it much when I am there...

bobbyss

TheDriver wrote:

+1 I don't think about it much when I am there...

You lucky, lucky devil.

r93kaey5p2izun

The staffroom in my old school was horrific. A room not much bigger than your average sitting room, with a kitchen typical of your average semi-d, with 100 staff members crammed in. Two male and two female toilets with eternal queues. I've subbed in some new schools since I left and the space and the luxury was something else! Bad manners wasn't much of an issue, but people will get on your nerves when you routinely have to share seats. There's always one who insists on microwaving fish though. You get that in every job, but having worked in many jobs I've never come across such poor staff facilities as that school, even when working out of a portacabin as I often do now.

bobbyss

Rose Crashing Roadway wrote:

The staffroom in my old school was horrific. A room not much bigger than your average sitting room, with a kitchen typical of your average semi-d, with 100 staff members crammed in. Two male and two female toilets with eternal queues. I've subbed in some new schools since I left and the space and the luxury was something else! Bad manners wasn't much of an issue, but people will get on your nerves when you routinely have to share seats. There's always one who insists on microwaving fish though. You get that in every job, but having worked in many jobs I've never come across such poor staff facilities as that school, even when working out of a portacabin as I often do now.

Fish. Ah yes. ( I didn't mention toilets but that's another issue. Enough said.)
100?
Things are intensified when staff numbers are small. Let's say under fifteen. The same faces. The same stories. The same foibles. You'd almost prefer to be back in class.

Postgrad10

Was in a place once where a staff member had no problem coming in and spraying deoderant at the lunch table. And another place a teacher sprayed deep heat spray on their back everywhere and any time. There’s a place and a time. Absolutely no sense or basic manners.

djemba djemba

Not closing the door of the microwave which is at head height.

bobbyss

djemba djemba wrote:

Not closing the door of the microwave which is at head height.

Just thinking of the implications of that in event of injury to face, eyes .

Fian

I am always amused at the staffroom conflicts among teachers. You have a room full of people who have just stepped out of a room where they expected their every instruction to be obeyed without question or dispute. Then they all arrive into a room together and find they are now in a room full of people who rather than deferring to their authority expect deference, they are in the same mode. this in a role that is in any case stressful and wearing.

It is not surprising there is conflict. It's only human nature that they can't all switch modes instantly.

spurious

Fian wrote: »

I am always amused at the staffroom conflicts among teachers. You have a room full of people who have just stepped out of a room where they expected their every instruction to be obeyed without question or dispute. Then they all arrive into a room together and find they are now in a room full of people who rather than deferring to their authority expect deference, they are in the same mode. this in a role that is in any case stressful and wearing.

It is not surprising there is conflict. It's only human nature that they can't all switch modes instantly.

I wish.

RealJohn

djemba djemba wrote: »

Not closing the door of the microwave which is at head height.

Microwave at head height is a health and safety issue anyway.

linguist

Ok, here's my probably controversial two cents about what I think a staffroom should be.

It should be a friendly and supportive common room for all staff. Posts and seniority should be left at the door. The culture should be one of all staff able to socialise together and 'reserved' tables for year heads or senior staff looking down their noses at the new ones who'll never be good enough in their eyes should be absolutely discouraged. There is a huge onus on senior management to ensure that the staffroom is welcoming to newer staff, part-time teachers, visitors etc. by ensuring that hierarchies are not allowed to seep in.

The staffroom should be a speakeasy. Senior management should have the decency to respect the fact that it is basically the break-room for the rank and file. I have seen staff upbraided for comments made in my own staffroom in recent years and that isn't on. People should feel that they can seek support in the staffroom and offload to colleagues/friends within reason.

By extension though, newer colleagues in particular should respect the right of post-holders to have their cup of tea in peace at breaktime and use accepted paths of communication to escalate student issues.

If there is a workroom as distinct from the social staffroom it should remain a workroom. People should respect the right of people working there to do so quietly and take social conversations to the social room.

The staffroom should be off-limits to students and exceptions should be rare exceptions. I have seen certain students who assist with sports etc. entering without knocking to collect stuff as if they were teachers and the colleagues organising such activities not exactly being receptive to colleagues who objected to such liberties being taken. It is called the staffroom for a reason.

amacca

Fian wrote: »

I am always amused at the staffroom conflicts among teachers. You have a room full of people who have just stepped out of a room where they expected their every instruction to be obeyed without question or dispute. Then they all arrive into a room together and find they are now in a room full of people who rather than deferring to their authority expect deference, they are in the same mode. this in a role that is in any case stressful and wearing.

It is not surprising there is conflict. It's only human nature that they can't all switch modes instantly.

You are not a teacher are you?

TheDriver

linguist wrote: »

Senior management should have the decency to respect the fact that it is basically the break-room for the rank and file.

Please tell me you don't suggest that the Principal shouldn't use the staffroom?

killbillvol2

TheDriver wrote: »

Please tell me you don't suggest that the Principal shouldn't use the staffroom?

An Officers' Mess instead perhaps?

amacca

TheDriver wrote: »

Please tell me you don't suggest that the Principal shouldn't use the staffroom?

Depends on the principal...ones that respect the fact that people are there to have a break and don't insist on making announcements or interrupting peoples lunch on a regular basis for things that could be handled at another time are most welcome.

TheDriver

amacca wrote: »

Depends on the principal...ones that respect the fact that people are there to have a break and don't insist on making announcements or interrupting peoples lunch on a regular basis for things that could be handled at another time are most welcome.

Every staff member can be to blame here. The old phrase "sorry for interrupting your lunch but......." comes to mind.

linguist

Thanks to amacca for getting in ahead of me. Of course I have no problem with the principal or deputy principal using the staffroom and I have worked in several schools in my career. I have, however, known a situation where a deputy principal especially never seemed to be out of the staffroom and used it as an extension of their office. That isn't right. As I said in my original post, there were cases of interrupting people's conversations to criticise what they were saying and worse. In one incident, a legitimate attempt to recruit a substitute teacher to the union (just ahead of a strike day) was interrupted. How that didn't become a major issue I'll never know. So, with respect, TheDriver, I doubt you foresaw that type of thing in your response to me. Of course management should be welcome to use the staffroom for breaks and for necessary administrative tasks.

amacca

TheDriver wrote: »

Every staff member can be to blame here. The old phrase "sorry for interrupting your lunch but......." comes to mind.

True true but it can be easier to say no or put a bit of smacht on a peer than a member of management .....(depending on ones career stage too possibly)