Can’t seem to cope emotionally with behaviour any more

[Petitepamplemousse]

I teach in a secondary school with relatively poor behaviour. I’m reaching the end of my fourth year of teaching and I just feel absolutely ground down with behavioural crap. I have high expectations, and consequences which I enforce, and I do my best to still develop good relationships with my classes. I think I’m a good teacher and I think the behaviour I’m experiencing is entirely normal within my school. I’ve got to the point now where I feel there is nothing else I can do in terms of improving my teaching and behaviour management, i’m doing my absolute best and it was enough in my previous school but in this school it’s just not enough.

I’ve had a few fairly serious exclusion level incidents happen to me in the past month as well as a lot of low level general chatty crap and I am at the absolute end of my tether. It’s stopping my enjoyment of teaching. I don’t know why, because I used to be able to leave work at work, but it’s now depressing me constantly. I’m sick of having to constantly fight to be respected. I’m exhausted. Crying on the way home, moody, unhappy.

Not sure why I’m posting really... I don’t want to leave the profession but I’m so miserable with this. Any words of advice anybody?

[elephantoverthehill]

It sounds as if you really need half term. Make sure you do something nice and relaxing for yourself. Have you talked about to other members of your department? I think feeling as you do is pretty common for teachers at certain points but I think you need to flag this up so that support can be put in place eg good neighbouring etc. I have an awful GCSE class, Y9, colleagues who are on PPA give me and the class 10 minutes of their time because they know how awful they can be and I would do the same for them. 'Don't focus on the black spot'.

[Rainuntilseptember15]

It will very probably get better the longer you are in the school. But sometimes there are just schools where behaviour is poor and your best efforts just keep them at bay, nothing more - in which case a change of post could work wonders.

[ToddtheCat]

I'm in the same boat OP, and I have inherited all difficult classes from a phase changed primary teacher so I have a very different approach! It's difficult to help the kids that want to learn when you're constantly playing whack-a-mole with silly behaviour elsewhere. This is every lesson for me and it's demoralising! Luckily I'm in a nice department that has its problems but every break I can find someone to have a good laugh with which is the only thing that's keeping me going! Look after yourself, it is just a soul sucking life consuming job after all!

[Petitepamplemousse]

Thank you all. I think you’re right about being open with colleagues. I’m quite ambitious so I can be worried that people will view struggling with behaviour as weakness. I find it very difficult to ask for help in general, and I like to give off an air of everything being wonderful, which I know is a fault of mine. Think I need to open up more and seek some support, because my department are genuinely lovely. And yeah I do seem to have been given particularly hellish classes this year.

[CuckooCuckooClock]

I'm afraid I'm not sure I have any good advice but I feel very much like you. I used to be able to brush it off but in the past few months the bad behaviour has really got to me.
I'm currently off sick with stress after realising every lesson had my adrenaline going due to constant confrontations and at the end of every day I'd dismiss my last class and collapse in a sobbing heap for10 minutes before I could get anything done.
Could you observe a colleague who has behaviour nailed? Maybe asked them to observe you in return? Don't get to the point where I am. My colleagues are not supportive and wouldn't help me out but it sounds like yours might and you should tap into that.