End of year in a school … wow 🤣

[Goolagoo]

I’m a teacher . I’ve never done end of year in a school before as I left my first role before the end and I’ve been supply since . I’ve done lots of long terms, but this time of year I’ve always been day to day and as a supply it’s a really chilled out time.

Ive been on long term in y3 for the past 6 months and WOW. I have never known exhaustion like it ! I’ve worked all my adult life ( so 20+ years ) and I’ve never known this feeling of crawling to the end ! There is so much to do …. I always thought with teaching the holidays would be great- don’t really get them as a supply as I still work part time through the summer in another ( not stressful ) job , so I still do get a break as I go down to part time for 6 weeks - but I am really seeing now how teachers need this break . I’m mentally and physically exhausted- I have nothing left for my family .

If you are a teacher and you’re going back in September to do this all again - I salute you ! I don’t think I could do it . I’m not taking any long terms , I do have a job out of teaching secured with the CS anyway but still on the fence about it - but this has , I think , cemented my decision that I’m not cut out for this .

How are other teachers feeling ?

The lesson planning first came in with the introduction of The National Curriculum in 1988.
I started teaching in 1977 in a small village primary school in Devon. Just two classes, it was idyllic. Every child read to me every day, wrote a few sentences & did mathematics. We followed a class topic which brought in the other subjects. Class size were around 17 children from 5 to 8 years. Afternoons were art & craft activities, nature walks, sports and story time. It was very happy time in my life.

I moved to a large city school in 1986. The planning and extra training to cover the National Curriculum became excessive. It was evidence for Ofsted inspections & to prove that the National Curriculum was being covered in the school. Also lots of formal assessments of children, SATs testing and administration.
The standards didn’t increase in the schools I taught in because they were good schools already but loads of really good experienced teachers left through stress related illness or just because they’d had enough.