Alone in school

[OverWorked]

Recently made full-time, I'm now working the holidays in the school. As it's a small school I'm the only one here.

 

It's a weird feeling. I've given myself a list of jobs to do and am steadily working through them. This is great - total freedom and no interruptions for "can you show me how to print four photos on one sheet of paper?"

 

But... Not having anyone to talk to is getting a bit depressing. I'm the kind of person who doesn't talk much to colleagues whilst at work. I just want to concentrate on my work. Now they're not here I'm missing them.

 

Anyone else got the whole school to themselves?

[leco]

Just me and the caretaker - it's lovely. But keep getting interrupted by visitors, or the decorators (finished now).

 

Like the song . . . "Don't it allways seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"

 

Still there's always Edugeek:)

[Sylv3r]

Working from home today as sitting at my desk at school doing paper work / policies etc was too quiet.

 

I have been working alone at school for the last couple of works apart from two days when the technician was in. He will be coming in the final week so we can put computers into newly refurbished areas of the school.

 

The school isn't completely empty with a couple of people working in the main office / builders / decorators / electricians on site as well as the caretaker but it is very quiet.

[richard.thomas]

Theres 6 of us in ICT in the school and theres a few admin staff, site team a few teachers dotted about and some builders but no one else.

We had teachers and kids in last week and i suspect again next week. and a quick look on the student tracker shows theres 7 kids currently logged in at the other end of the school!

This school is only closed 2 weeks of the year, it's quite normal for there to be lessons going on during the holidays!

 

At the moment i'm on my own in a room that needs re-imaging waiting for SP3 to finish downloading and installing on one of the machines. Then all the machines need fogging and i'll come back later on to make sure everything worked

[OverWorked]

It's not just me then.

 

There was the caretaker here, but his leave began two days ago. There's two decorator painting the outside of the school.

 

I've just stuck a sign on the main entrance telling visitors to come to my window round the corner.

 

It's amazing how many contractors turn up unnanounced. They all ask for the caretaker and are surprised he's not here, then expect me to sort them out. I don't mind really.

 

At the moment I'm getting my head around wireless network security - trying to decide on the best solution for us. Lots of reading which I can't do in term time.

[OverWorked]

Then all the machines need fogging and i'll come back later on to make sure everything worked

 

What's fogging?

[tonyd]

What's fogging?

 

I'd guess it's a bit like ghosting...

 

if (fog = free opensource ghost) then fogging ~= ghosting

[IrritableTech]

Overworked.

 

Have your school got a lone worker policy??

[srochford]

I'd quite like it to be quiet here but it isn't :-)

 

We have courses that run through the summer so there are students in but we've also got endless builders, electricians and other odd bods doing things (putting in a new lift is quite exciting!)

 

There's also a new building going up outside my window - amongst other things, buses will be serviced in there so there's some fairly heavy duty kit being shifted in to it :-)

[OverWorked]

Overworked.

 

Have your school got a lone worker policy??

 

You mean for H&S and security? I doubt it. I have thought about it. ie I'm not going to do any work up ladders. The security is a worry, though.

[ahuxham]

Three of us in IT, 2 in at the moment.

 

Administration, Marketting, Bursary, Foundation accounts for another 16 people.

 

Maintainance and Groundstaff account for 11 people + 6 Gap Students for general help.

 

Add General staff in, your looking at around 38 people still in school. I doubt there will be a point where anyone is alone in the school.

 

Well that being christmas, I had to work the 3 days while everyone was off as I drew the short straw, but saying that I never came in. Remote Access and forwarded calls to my mobile phone incase anyone really needed me.

 

Must be nice with all that peace and quiet.

 

ADD Summerschools as well, Latin has just finished, Choristers in now.

[Sylv3r]

You mean for H&S and security? I doubt it. I have thought about it. ie I'm not going to do any work up ladders. The security is a worry, though.

 

On a similar note - where teachers turn up unannouced and go straight to their classroom how many make sure staff sign in?

 

We have only recently started doing this here but it does help the caretaker when locking up / if they is a fire etc.

[TechMonkey]

Sounds like time to turnt eh music up to 11 and enjoy the freedom

[tmcd35]

Sounds like time to turnt eh music up to 11 and enjoy the freedom

 

One step ahead of you there mate

 

I'm all alone in my office, the other IT guy is a couple of rooms down doing an inventory check, the other 2 are on hols. In this building there is also a DT tech wandering around (I think he's lost?). Thats 3!

 

Everyone else, all 5 of them (2 finance, 2 caretakers, receptionist) are on the south site. There maybe a couple of contractors down there with them.

 

God I'll miss quietness of the summer when the little blighters (staff) return after the hols!

[russdev]

On a similar note - where teachers turn up unannouced and go straight to their classroom how many make sure staff sign in?

 

We have only recently started doing this here but it does help the caretaker when locking up / if they is a fire etc.

 

 

Done it for number of years here everyone must sign in through hols.

 

Russ

[webman]

I love being in on my own.

 

I can play my preferred taste in music, get on with things, no interruptions, and don't have to speak to anybody.

[SYNACK]

I do a fair chunk of my work at schools during the night and so I am alone in the schools then. It is nice not having to worry about taking systems down and such.

 

It also makes it more exciting some nights as when the wind or rain picks up the buildings - being old - creak and moan and click, its like so many scenes from horror movies just before the main character gets jumped by the monster. It makes it much more fun

[OverWorked]

I love being in on my own.

 

I can play my preferred taste in music, get on with things, no interruptions, and don't have to speak to anybody.

 

Playing music just makes it worse for me. I can't concentrate. I made the mistake once of putting the TV on. Then realised I'd spent a whole afternoon watching a Laurel and Hardy film.

 

I love it, though. I'm not looking forward to everyone coming back.

[bossman]

Just a reminder of the health and safety act:

Not wanting to sound condescending ok I do know that you are all careful about what you do so just a reminder (Be Safe) :-)

Working alone.pdf

Edited August 7, 2008 by bossman

[richard.thomas]

And yes. Fogging is like ghosting... only more fun and less pain!! (sounds better aswell!)

[BaccyNet]

I think the staff signing in over the holidays is a very good idea and something I would like to see here. Theres been loads of times when staff just appear on-site as though its a normal day and dont lock up what they unlock (like a normal day:p)

Problem is some staff would see it as monitoring there working hours, etc and wouldnt like it, also we have quite a few ways into the building so it would be difficult to enforce.

[EduTech]

I love been in the school on my own.. getting on with my jobs with no one to bother me.. its great!

 

Not been on my own all through the holiday so far though.. Site Manager is in, Few decorators.. and the admin staff have popped in a done what ever it is they enjoy doing.. and the rest of the IT staff come in so we have our feedom!

[SteveMC]

I've been spending most of the time in two schools that are combining to form one (but still on two sites). As a result, although there aren't any teachers around (they've actually been banned from the sites until later!) there's usually at least 20 or so people building/decorating/wiring in various places.

 

The next challenge is to get the fibre-optic cable under the road between the two schools and then implement the layer 3 routed network...

 

It's a bit odd though, since at the moment all the renovation work is on one site, with the other completely empty.

[Edu-IT]

I haven't been in school that much since we broke up but when I have been it's never been completely empty. I wouldn't like to be there completely on my own; not for security but because it's lonely!

[joe90bass]

Most definitely not alone in our place. We've just moved into a new school, there's loads of pickford bods and lorries transporting all the teachers (and our) junk. The LA are moving all our PCs and old servers, lots of deliveries - 5 new servers today , site staff, my tech, plus contractors finishing off work - inlcuding the dozy pillocks who were disc-cutting the stairwell complete with sparks and smoke and constantly setting the smoke alarms off