indiegirl

All I can say is that she has been suspended, and her rear-end-licking head of governors has been voted off with a 'no confidence' vote. The current acting head of governors was previously sacked by the head from the school, and as such doesn't hold the head in high status. I think it's safe to say that it will be very difficult for her to go back. On top of that, the entire Support Staff have said that they will walk out if she does go back....

Information / Job Ad here. This is the job at my old school which, although I have applied for, I probably will not take. It is a Citrix environment, with approximately 200 thin clients, plus 100odd staff machines. The NM there is a good, honest bloke... the school has some very well behaved kids, and although in a slightly worse area of MK, generally the grades are very good. Only thing to note: the Headteacher is currently suspended from her role, although it is thought that she will not return. A further decision will be made in September. This role is to work alongside the NM in an assistant's role, as the NM is looking to retire in approximately 2-3 years... Final day for apps is 9th June - be quick!

oooh, the very, very best of luck to you...

@ indie - you're more than welcome to get the beers in, mind... @ russ - I'm thinking support side - as it's what I seem well-versed in now. The beauty of this position is that in 2 years if I hate support, I can move anywhere in the organisation - to development, server stuff... I can even use it to lever myself out of IT if I wanted to... (not that I would).

[edited for personal reasons] I've been offered a new job outside of school that I was interviewed for last week. I'm speechless... gobsmacked... shocked. I didn't interview well, felt that the techie questions were targeted way above the level of requirements, and yet today I was told that I scored highest in the techie questions and that they will offer me one of two jobs as a result. Add to this that I'm practically promised back to my old school, and I'm in a real pickle.. what *do* I do? Do I stick with education, or do I return to industry?

Same here... get the IE-styled "S" for the support start page, then more big fat DNS errors...

I only wish I knew which student it was.... it wouldn't have been inserted in his (I'm sure it was a male) mouth, that I can assure you...* I think I may have to dissect Mr Mouse on the operating table later... I hope he pulls through the operation...... * disclaimer: I would not, of course, intentionally harm any of the darling students in my school. Unintentionally, yes... if I could do it

Not filtered here.... until about 2 minutes ago (for students...) Woefully out of date though - I've just flagged the head of our school as having left two years ago...

You can often imitate, but never better.... (lovely choice of colour(s), btw!)

I am particularly fond of Mr Microsoft Mouse, just this model, mind.... its sleek curves and rounded edges set it off beautifully, and its little red light is just oh so cute ...................... ;-) Ahem. I'm nervous about damaging the lens with meths (possibly), so for now, have carefully extracted enough to allow the optic lights to reflect accordingly... let's hope I never have to do this again...

Honestly, these kids must've been bored... Other than digging the stuff out, any suggestions on removing the blu-tack from the optical bits of my lovely Microsoft mouse??

Hmmm. I wonder why we only see it on one of the printers - we have a few dotted around the school... I've enabled the 'advanced printing features' - will see if that resolves it.... and will post if I do manage to work out a resolution! I did search first, but couldn't find anything related. Mind you, I may have mispelled/mistyped, etc.... it's cotton-wool-head day here...

I've got a printer that - even when multiple copies are selected, will only print one. Nice paper-saving device, although staff are moaning at me about it (clearly they are too lazy to click 'print' 10 times). The printer is an HP 1320n. We use Print Manager Plus - the person in question is an 'unrestricted' user, so no problems there. I've looked at the Printing defaults on the printer itself - and can't see anything untoward or different to our other 1320n's. Any ideas?

It was sheer luck, actually - I always had a keen interest in IT all through school, but was at school before IT really came into the curriculum - there was no GCSE nor A Level at my school in IT. So I went with what I got the highest grades in... at uni too. (couldn't afford to stop my course and start on a new one halfway through!) I just got a v lucky break by getting onto a large corporate bank's Graduate IT Scheme, and it kind of panned from there, really... even then, I was the only girl in my team of 20, until another woman joined us alongside 3 other men... so we were 1:11 females to males in that particular team! I fully believe that it probably would've had a massive influence on how things were developed. Heck - only now are we seeing 'pretty' OS's like Vista coming out . Seriously though, I wonder what the chances are in 50 years' time of seeing a female equivalent of Bill Gates??

More things I wanted to add (as if I haven't rambled enough already)... as you can tell, I find this subject very interesting. I don't find teaching as a female-dominated role at all. Certainly, for me, teaching makes me think of very old-school professors cloaked up - after all, many, many moons ago learning was something that boys were encouraged to do, and women not so. Maybe my experience of secondary schools leads me to think this, but I find teaching a very balanced profession indeed. This may have shifted over the years, certainly.. and for me - primary schools are certainly more female-oriented places. It's to do with the nuture thing we women (supposedly) harbour. One of my previous employers arranged their IT section into very gender-specific roles: the women were the 'helpdesk' and manning the phones, organising problem records, assigning jobs, etc... and the males were the programmers and those doing the physical problem resolution. When I joined the male-side of the team (the first girl to do so), their first comment was: "I hope she's happy lugging PCs around the place". Needless to say, they'd built up quite a rapport as a team of blokeys, and weren't very welcoming to me. Needless to say I didn't fit in there and when I left it was more of a relief than anything. I've since found out that my old team leader (also female) has moved into HR because she didn't enjoy the IT environment... And why I identify myself as I do... my username's an old one from my university days. I guess that one day I'll no longer be able to get away with this 'girl' tag (how old can you get before no longer being a 'girl'?!!?!)... so something less gender-specific will come into use. I guess that as a young, naiive 17yr old, I needed a name that described me.. and my musical tastes + feminine status = indiegirl. Teehee.

Oh, I have nothing against said look... in fact I'm honing a girlgeek thing myself I'm sure you know what I mean though. Mention the words "Information Technology" and everyone automatically assumes one thing about the person - *that* geek look [hangover is subsiding... it is nearly 5pm, after all...]

Why the girl thing? Well for me on this site, it's about opposing the standard stereotype that all IT geeks are nerdy blokes with thick-rimmed glasses and unkempt hair. When I tell anyone what I do for a living, I get: "oooh, but you're a girl!". Yes, I am - well spotted! Women make up about 10% of the IT Profession and although there are more women being appointed into the roles, I personally find it very odd that people are still amazed that I do a 'typically male' job. When attending interviews, I get asked how I will deal with working in a 'male environment'. Outside of the IT Profession, it's common (but becoming less so nowadays) to think that women aren't interested in IT and technology... I'm willing to bet that in most houses, the men spend more time online than the women. I guess that we women are keen to show that we do have this interest in IT and therefore feel the need to identify ourselves to everyone to prove that we're just as able to use a computer too!! On this site... I guess we identify ourselves here because it's a well known thing that women's brains work differently to men's (scientific fact, like!)... and I wonder in some way if identifying ourselves as so hopefully reminds you that when we do have a problem, it's sometimes because we just haven't thought the answers out the same way... etc. As for getting the men to 'remember to behave themselves', that really doesn't bother me (I'm almost as bad as some men can be ) Would you not want to know if women were lurking then?! [disclaimer: this is a hungover ramble. I apologise if it doesn't quite make sense...]

Demon.net here, £19.99 a month for their 'home' option, unlimited use, 1mb line (but would be 2mb if I were nearer my exchange). No static IP but you can pay an extra fiver a month for that ('home office' option). Rarely any downtime, only downside for me is that they've just outsourced their call centres to India and (weirdly) Scandinavia. When I moved house they didn't transfer my account properly and I had two logins at one point. Only ever got billed for one, though... so I shouldn't complain.

I think the amount of ranting about NTHell should suggest to Nij that they're perhaps not a viable option ;-)

NTHell... don't get me started!! (nor about Powergen!)

I can see what they're trying to do, and in theory, it'll be great - staff like simplicity (simple icons, 'favourites')... but that's exactly what we techies dislike!! Also in reality we all know what'll happen....... Can't *wait* for this one to be unleashed... oh no....

Mon: revise for job interview Weds. Tues: Empty ICT suite out of old machines as 6th form are taking over the room as a common room. Must remember to organise the collection of old equipment. Weds: Job Interview (eeeek) Thurs & Fri: Hopefully start building the new Art & Music PCs (if the stuff turns up on time...). Clear out cupboards, organise toner delivery (just sat in IT room at the mo...) Not a very exciting half term, and probably not very productive....

Firstly, I should clear something up. I love football :-) However, that doesn't mean that I advocate watching the games in school time..... I've no idea what he plans to do - knowing him he'll disappear off to the PE Dept, under the guise that he's "busy" and watch the games there... he certainly won't make any time up. I intend to report him to our line manager if he does a 'disappearing act' during the games... I also know that he wouldn't get my old job - I've fully appraised my old boss of his name - so he'd know to not bother picking him out of the sift. TBH I think that the salary is about what the NM's on, so he wouldn't apply for it... plus, he wouldn't cope having to answer to someone again (it's bad enough him having to answer to me). The salary for my old job is *very* generous, mostly because it's pretty much an assistant NM job rather than a technician (although it's been advertised as a techie's job). My old boss wants to leave in 3yrs and needs someone to be trained up. Sysman - why not apply? If I get a job at the Govt place, I won't be going to LG anyway! At the end of the day, I think he's so thick skinned that he doesn't realise that I am an unhappy technician, with poo pay and poo conditions to work in. He genuinely believes that I wouldn't consider going back to the old school... and hasn't even put two and two together in that the news that our promised new office isn't going to materialise next week as previously promised... which equals an even unhappier Indiegirl...

I have a lovely knitted cardie, just for the girly geek out there... I don't think my school like me wearing one of my obscure indieband T-shirts (probably the one that says: "when do we start fighting?" on the back). Mind you, they probably don't like me wearing my 'Smash Your Computer' t-shirt either... I haven't been told to shave my beard yet... :-D

I'm not normally one for pushing my blogging, but this tickled me so much last night, that I've blogged it for posterity. http://giraffeonastick.com/edublog/?p=30 Numpty does not do this bloke justice..... would you honestly tell your technician, who has previously told you that he/she isn't happy with their salary, that their old job is up for grabs on more than they left? Assuming that they didn't leave under any acrimonious terms, surely that would open the way for them to reapply for their old job... you'd think...???