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

Secondary - middle leader - core subject.
I am fortunate that behaviour at my school is good and the SLT support where it isn't.

However, (and its a big however!) for that to be achieved, the job is absolutely relentless!
We have extremely tight, consistent routines across school. Line ups in the morning and after break/lunch. So, some days, I can up and down the stairs 8 times (I am on the top floor of a 4 floor building- I get my steps in if nothing else).

Manning corridors at lesson changeover (when not up/down the stairs).

Lunch is 30 mins, but in reality about 25 mins.

Then lessons have the routines embedded and we have to be tightly planned - not necessarily a bad thing but literally, some classes, I know I can't breathe for a moment or the balance is upset.

Ofsted are due and the pressure that brings is huge.

Huge workload (and my school do try to minimise it).

It is literally like being on a constant hamster wheel all day, every day, with no break ever.

I love teaching but it is utterly relentless.

I qualified at the end of 2021. My dream , sacrificed years of my life studying and training . I’m already out .

I have never been so depressed , I almost had a breakdown - and that is not an exaggeration, one day I just walked in and realised I couldn’t take another day , and I walked out. If I hadn’t , I dread to think what would happen. The pressure , the micromanaging, the lack of respect, the workload, the complete hopelessness you feel when you realise the system is designed to impress ofsted not do the best for the children . The worst - especially as a mother of a SEN child - the lack of support for SEN. I was directly told to stop what I had implemented for a SEN child and focus instead on the other children because “ he’s never going to make it “ .

Im now in a different role - still education but adults , disabilities and the best part… no ofsted. I’m excited to go back on Monday because I absolutely love my job now. Yet when I was in teaching I’m not being dramatic when I say I had lay in bed many Sunday nights hoping to have a car crash on the way into work so I wouldn’t have to go in .

What the hell do you want to keep contacting us for!!!! parents never used t9 and we managed fine. Endless, endless messages about nonsense most of the time.

Behaviour
Lack of resilience among students
Lack of parental support. Parents allowing children to escape taking accountability for their actions.

I am a secondary school teacher with a teenage child with additional needs. He needs support and accommodations within school, but his additional needs are not to be used to excuse rudeness or disruption in lessons. He must take accountability for his actions.

Oh do fuck off.

They're not all paid. Teachers get the same amount of paid holidays everyone else does in this country. A quick online search if you didn't already know that (which you probably do) would explain it to you.

All of what you've said, 100%. I feel the same.

@mrpenny, care to explain why you think I'm joking?

But why shouldn’t parents send messages when it is convenient for them? You only answer them when it is convenient for you. Many parents won’t be able to send messages when you are working because they are working.

I realised the other day that I permanently feel anxious and unsafe in my job.
Fights, knives, throwing tables and chairs, swearing at each other and members of staff, deliberate defiance, or simply falling asleep on the desk and refusing to work.
These things used to happen of course but were rare. Now it’s common place, daily for me. (Or, every lesson more recently!)
It’s just so exhausting and relentless and you can’t say what you want to say to the little darlings so you go home frustrated and drained and your family get the brunt of it!
There is no strict discipline or proportionate consequences, now every child deserves multiple chances, understanding and compassion and this has created monsters!
Why are we so scared to sanction children?

My 11 year old has had (apart from 1 awful teacher) brilliant teachers and TA's, and with that positive example, is determined to be a primary school teacher. Obviously very young and lots may change, but I don't want her to be a teacher, as if it's bad now, by time she graduates in 10 years time, will be horrendous. It's an incredibly valuable job, but an incredibly tough one, and I don't want her to go through that level of stress.

Sorry..meant for the poster who was scorning teachers holidays..

I’m resigning in April after 20 years. It’s just a terrible job now. Can’t wait.

I’m so pleased I left 3 years ago. I still earn alot less than I did but I have not even 1/4 of the stress in my new job. I’d never return even for 70k a year .

This is a joke, right?

I am so shocked that children this young are behaving like this. Is this the case everywhere? Is it a new thing? My kids have just left school and I have never come across this behaviour in any of the years or seen it mentioned by any of my friends either.

The last straw was having been kicked in the face - I still have a lump 3 years later - and not one SLT asked me if I was OK, and I still had to work all afternoon.

Constant. Abusive. Most of them. Never had a problem with parents ever but the last five years have been hell. Glad I’m retiring.

I can’t even express how much I dread Monday. The constant criticism from SLT whilst doing absolutely nothing to address the horrendous behaviour.

Do you work full time and regularly put in ten to twenty hours more than you're paid for?

Behaviour has hugely deteriorated because children don't face consequences for poor behaviour at home. When they get consequences in school they say things like "I'll get my mum to email you and cancel the detention" or "my dad will send in a formal complaint".

SLT
Behaviour
SEND and lack of funding to support the children properly
Expectation of being a social worker, speech and language therapist, nurse, parent and that’s before we even think about educating 😞

Our local SEN school is exactly like that. Everyone I know that worked there didn't last because they were being constantly assaulted by the students with no support. Yet the parade of self-congratulatory powers that be continues to walk through the halls...

I was going to ask, as so many of you have mentioned behaviour specifically and it features so high up the list, if you think behaviour has deteriorated noticably in any particulat timeframe and what you think the reason for that might be.

Parents threaten legal and sometimes want to end your career without getting the facts first
causes so much stress

workload - why are thousands of English teachers making Macbeth worksheets when this could be centrally organised?

send , no ed psychs available not resources if a child is diagnosed