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Top tips for stressed teachers?

38 replies

Greedygirl · 28/11/2009 19:19

Got any? I have completely lost my sense of humour at the moment and need someone to share their wisdom or give me a kick up the bum.

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cathcat · 28/11/2009 19:22

I'll join you on this thread, to nab useful tips.
This week I did order a load of stickers to motivate the children, and some 'Praise pads' and raffle tickets which you award and have a draw for a small prize.
What age are you dealing with?
be back later.

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JaneiteMightBite · 28/11/2009 19:27

Bumping for you. I am loving the pupils at the minute but everything else is horrible - really finding it hard to get up in the mornings and really thinking I can't cope with the workload and relentless demands from SLT and higher up.

Meal planning, preparing food the night before, getting clothes out before you go to bed - these can help you feel a bit more organised.

Setting a limit on marking - I made dp take my books off me at 9.30 the other night - and just apologised to those I didn't get around to doing. Nobody died. They waited.

Don't feel guilty about not staying after school every night. Go home and chill - have an early bath. You will feel more human and therefore more able to cope the next day.

Hoping others come along with more.

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Greedygirl · 28/11/2009 19:42

I teach in FE so 16-19 year olds predominantly. I also do one session a week at a uni and it has taken me beyond my comfort zone tbh which is probably why I am a bit more of a whingebag than usual!

Cath - xmas hols can't come soon enough and I am really trying to get everything done so I don't have a box of work staring at me every time I go in the spare room (paranoid, moi?!)

Janeite - like you I am finding it all a bit relentless at the moment. All my basic time management has gone out the window, I have missed a couple of important appointments , I have seriously been thinking of a change of career but in the current climate I guess I should just be glad of a job.

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Greedygirl · 28/11/2009 19:43

P.S. luckily I have a 2yo so I have to leave to pick him up!

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manyhands · 28/11/2009 21:11

I've found a great technique for a really challenging class, each table has a pot in which I place marbles if they are doing weli behaving etc. I only need to shake the pot to get quiet.

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gigglewitch · 28/11/2009 21:16

count me in. am like at the hours expected in new job - they appear to want 8am-6pm and I have 3 young dc and a 45min journey to work. Also going to be on the move unless this gets sorted sharpish!!

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Greedygirl · 29/11/2009 12:28

Thanks Manyhands. I am not too stressed during lessons as my learners are older (although they can still be challenging when they put their minds to it) just all the stuff around lessons - paperwork, marking, prep etc.

It helps to know that others find it stressful too but also makes me think even more that a change of job might be required!

Gigglewitch - I would do more work in an evening but after I have put my son to bed my brain is not really functioning at all. I am guessing you have that effect x 3?!

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Morosky · 29/11/2009 12:37

Something I have always done is before I leave on Friday I either send a well done postcard, letter or make a similar phonecall. I am therefore leaving on a high rather than a low.

I have also had to learn that sometimes I need to say to a class, I am sorry I have not marked your books. So for example my year 7s have not had last week's homework marked.

I am so lucky to have my dp, he gets all my clothes ready Sunday evening so I have five days of outfits, shoes, underwear and accessories. That means my morning starts in a calm manner.

I also try not to work through lunch every day.
So Monday I do duty, Tuesday I have my full lunch, Wedensday I run drop in sessions for students that they book, Thursday full lunch, Friday I run revision sessions. That is about to go out of the window as I am running a club.

When I get home I walk the dog so I am getting exercise.

Probably teaching grannies to suck eggs but I look at the tasks I am setting and the work it will create. So if I am setting essays in the VI form and perhaps an assessment elsewhere I will set spellings or something that needs minimal marking elsewhere.

Make time to talk to colleages, it is so easy to think that you are the only one.

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Morosky · 29/11/2009 12:39

We are expecting OFSTED to make that call soon, no doubt I will then start a thread like this.

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gigglewitch · 29/11/2009 21:43

hmmm, morosky, we've just had them at ours. Nowhere near as bad as expected. The head's actually flipped out since they came

Tell me honestly, people, what time do you go home (as opposed to finish working iyswim)

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Morosky · 29/11/2009 23:57

I have just finished working.

I tend to leave school between 5 and 5.30pm.

I am not overly nervous about OFSTED there is just a lot of pressure to get an outstanding. We have been told to expect a 20 minute visit to our classes as they have beefed up inspections. I

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Morosky · 29/11/2009 23:57

Why the bee in bonnet?

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gigglewitch · 30/11/2009 00:01

bee in bonnet about length of working day. Stay til about 5.30, maybe a bit later, meetings and such, three days a week, the other two I leave to collect my children from their various minders/grandparents. Getting some 'comment' from above. If I stay any later I won't see my children at all. Thus will be leaving the job.

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gigglewitch · 30/11/2009 00:03

and as my dc are in bed by 7, I hit the laptop at 7.30 and can easily get another 4 hours in, should I need to.

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Morosky · 30/11/2009 00:53

That is sad that you leave the job beacause of that, I know people in my school will leave quite early a few days a week because of home commitments.

Are you part of the school management?

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gigglewitch · 30/11/2009 01:04

new job, deputy head but small school

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Morosky · 30/11/2009 22:12

Ignore my advice as I am clearly talking crap, I am so tired I thought I was going to pass out earlier, have been shaking and light headed all evening and ache all over. Have gone to bed but I can see a pile of A2 essays winking at me.

on a more positive note I had my performance management observation today and was awarded an outstanding despite the fact I am so tired I want to curl into a ball and slowly sob.

Dp has got all manly with me tonight and sent me to bed with chocolates and wants me to call in sick tomorrow. If only!

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tethersend · 30/11/2009 22:17

I find large amounts of alcohol tremendously helpful.

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Morosky · 30/11/2009 22:33

If only, I just have to get these essays marked.

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tethersend · 30/11/2009 22:36

Drunken marking.... ah, it's been a while

I remember having to explain to a year 8 class that I had left their sketchbooks in the pub somewhere.

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MistressIggi · 30/11/2009 22:49

Marking - peer/self assessment is a big thing where I am at the mo, so try to set classwork/homework that can be marked by your students! Stickers also beef up your marking without writing too much (I nick ones from DS's cbeebies mags).
You all sound like you work way too much by the way. What's your working week agreement?

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gigglewitch · 30/11/2009 22:56

where's our what??

am still chuckling at that the mental image I have of the pile of marking winking at poor morosky
...and the sketchbooks in the pub!

I do stickers in a big way. The latest swizz model of good practice I've come up with is [as I'm in SEN] getting the TA's to write witness statements for their children's independent work, and photo's are the proof. Hence dozens of TA's running round with cameras and bits of paper to prove that their kid's the best Perfecto.
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Morosky · 30/11/2009 23:04

Cackles at the thought of a working week agreement - I agree to get it done!

I don't think stickers quite cut it for an A2 essay.

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MistressIggi · 30/11/2009 23:08

No but seriously, you must have some kind of expected hours to work?

I really don't believe you can ever get it all done - my favourite time management book (called Eating the Frog) said on the first page to accept you will never have enough time to do everything you want to do (ie you need to prioritise). Just felt relieved when I read that as am bit of a control freak at work.

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Heated · 30/11/2009 23:22

Can I join? Am mightily hacked off with work & am just not feeling the love - medically am meant to be taking time off but just ha bloody ha.

Have just finished yr 8 APP set 1 (set 2 waiting in the wings) but in an act of calculated offloading, someone has given me ALL the Alevel c/w this year - yippee. The tipping point is always something SLT imposes: 90 individual student 'blogs' for parents by Wednesday. Am going to do my year 13 prep as bedtime reading.

Intravenous chocolate infusion over Christmas holidays required.

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