Teachers : what's the worst thing about the job now?

Not sure why you are still quoting me as I’ve quite clearly written that I understand the difference between mutism and being a little anxious about speaking in class. I’m not talking about EHCP students but those who tend to grab on to a label, often quite incorrectly, and see it as an escape route from everyday classroom interactions.

Anyway I’m obviously a ‘twat’.

I’m glad your daughter has overcome her struggles and here’s to her next chapter.

I know, l taught secondary for 25 years.

She wasn’t ’randomly given a place’

She applied and went. Her burnout got better once she got away from someone who repeatedly kept asking her questions despite her mutism.

They just took it on board at college with no issues. She has an EHCP which states all her issues.

Great that you have such an understanding of ASD in girls👌

I’ve discussed this elsewhere. This is a widespread genuine problem. Being a bit worried about high stakes thing is normal and often helpful (it means you care). Anxiety is something else entirely. I’ve been medicated for it. It’s awful and nothing like feeling a bit anxious or not liking doing something.
The same is true for feeling a bit down v being clinically depressed (again I’ve been experienced both - very different). It would be helpful if we had different words for clinical issues and normal emotions. In fact, I’m having a conversation tomorrow with my year 11 about anxiety v being a bit anxious.

The things most teachers object to is in reality the being asked to do a range of often conflicting things which can only help in the short term (avoid asking questions) whilst realising that there’s no support to improve the situation. It’s like putting a small plaster on a gaping wound. It actually makes things worse.

Justonemorecoffeeplease and MrsHamlet

I quite like how the pupil was given a place on an access course as if the child was randomly pulled out of a hat or had enough relevant information to get on the course with absolutely no teacher intervention at all.

Its an examtide miracle I tells ya

It's exhausting. Nothing we ever do is good enough - someone always wants the exact opposite thing!

Don’t worry I think she was having a pop at me.

Where did I say that I would keep asking a student questions if I had been told not to?

I didn't.

But there is a danger in normal "anxiousness" being turned into "anxiety", which can become paralysing if we don't help children understand that anxiousness is actually a normal feeling to have at times.

My final Y6 class before I quit. Students 1 to 11 (out of 30) but have probably forgotten several. Sure there were some fidgets and cuddly toys in there too

1: Don't ask questions (makes them anxious)
2: Doesn't do homework (makes them anxious)
3: Can move into the corner to play with lego anytime they feel overwhelmed
4: Needs everything on green paper
5: Blue paper
6: Peach paper
7: Needs a special pen. Gets tired. Might need a laptop
8: Must have a desk covered with a sheet to use anytime as a den. Can't read or write. Smashes stuff up. Runs off.
9: Doesn't speak English. Hasn't been to school in home country.
10 & 11: Ongoing ridiculous feud. Keep separate.

Plus several working at year 1/2 level. Several at year 3/4 level. About 6 of these very fragile, can't do anything independently and cry regularly because of that. Mostly no TA. It's impossible.

You better hope she does because in case you haven’t noticed this country is running out of teachers quickly.
I’m sorry your daughter had this experience- it’s awful but most of us are going above and beyond every single day for young people.

Not sure you read my post properly. I’ve taught mute students and plenty of genuine ND pupils and have happily made accommodations. What I’m not willing to do is just write off interactions on a whim because of an email or that a student doesn’t want to do it. As for checking that the need is 'genuine' that is a question I put to the HOY or pastoral team not the child!
Feel free to call me a twat if you wish but I would suggest you should see just how many false ‘needs’ we as teachers are presented with and how it’s a judgement call we have to make. Those with genuine need get lost in the ‘noise’ of these spurious requests such as ‘my daughter needs a new fidget toy every day and will only write in purple pen’ - I kid you not!

Behaviour
Workload
Parents

And a teacher with this attitude caused severe ND burnout in my dd.

Despite having dreadful social anxiety and mutism, one twat of a teacher deliberately kept asking her questions, even though she was told not to. My dd became paralysed with anxiety and refused to go to A levels anymore.

Fortunately she got on an access course which had a completely different attitude and now has 5 university offers under her belt.

But you keep doing you.

I feel this deeply about my current year 11s.

@Tia86 “Expectations over grades being down to the teacher not the student. The pressure over what you were doing to help them reach a 4 or higher, not what the student was doing to achieve this (actually revising).”

simple and accurate

😂 it's selective though isn't it. I used to teach a girl I was told not to cold call (by school and parents) because of her anxiety and she would also refuse to say anything in the language I teach eg "ten" (would insist on saying in English). She had no issue shouting top of her voice at me across the classroom though

@MrsHamlet absolutely spot on with the medicalisation of perfectly normal day to day anxiety. Sometimes our HOYs will name an issue in a meeting with the medical term and I'm afraid I'm always 'that' teacher who asks if this has been medically diagnosed or at the very least is being investigated? Absolutely there are some mental health and learning needs that we should be aware of but with the increased need to 'name' an issue I think there are a lot of false flags being raised when really the child is simply experiencing day to day worries. We need to put plans in place for the ones that really need it not for someone who is worried about speaking in class because it's a little embarrassing.

@MrsHamlet totally agree and l work in mental health.

Behaviour and then followed up by no support from the parents.

Can we also talk about the parents who send an email 4pm and then chase it up 8am when you've not even read it yet. Even worse those that then call the school demanding you ring them back immediately or rock up refusing to leave till you have a meeting with them showing an absolute lack of self awareness and entitlement.
I work in an RI school and the behaviour is disgusting. But I left my leafy, high achieving school because the entitlement from parents was draining and I'd had enough. They lost 20% of teaching staff that year, most going off to worse schools.

It's no more or less than I tell the kids flapping about.

It's normal to be nervous, but we can avoid panic by paying attention so we know what we're doing.

The medicalisation of "anxiety" has done many many kids a huge disservice.

🤣🤣🤣 harsh but fair @MrsHamlet

Of course the precious little sausage has anxiety.

He's woefully unprepared for his GCSEs. I'd be anxious if I'd been fucking around for 5 years and knew nothing.

They never consider that though

Same issue here. I've just predicted a Year 11 a grade 1 for the same reasons and their mum emailed me yesterday to ask if I'm aware he has anxiety?
Shockingly he wasn't feeling too anxious when he brought a carton of eggs in to throw at Year 7s PE lesson last week 😳

I'm in secondary and I agree that behaviour is really concerning. I'm teaching lots of students who just don't want to engage in school routine; turning up 5-20 minutes late every lesson (hiding in toilets), rude and horrible behaviour towards staff and their peers, apathy towards lessons (head on desk or blatant refusal to work). It's also complicated by the fact that most of these students have attached needs in the form of self-diagnosed or professionally diagnosed ADHD or SEMT issues. This makes it hard to get parents on board with negative sanctions; for example, I have a Yr10 girl who reduces one my department to tears. She is rude, prevents others learning, takes things out of people's pockets, wanders in and out of the classroom, and will scream at my teacher (who is very softly spoken and would never scream or argue back). The parent has said that we need to be more aware of the girl's SEND plan, and that she just doesn't like the lessons so it's not really her fault that she has to be there (in an options subject that she selected).
My teacher didn't sign up to be sworn at, or to be laughed at or even to be screamed at. She just wants to teach her subject.