To feel broken by teaching, and need to know how to get out?

[SachaStark]

Name changed for obvious reasons.

I haven't slept all night after coming to the realisation yesterday that I'm finished with teaching. My school is unsupportive in every way imaginable, so I can't ask a colleague for help with figuring out what to do (it would all be fed back along to SLT), so can I please ask here?

How do you leave secondary school teaching when you're not going into another teaching role? Could I leave before the end of the school year? At this point, I don't even care if I don't have another job lined up, I just can't bear the thought of work.

I worked at a secondary school and couldn't cope with it...thankfully a position came up at my local college and I now teach there. People are all great and teaching is my passion. Would you consider sixth form?

Marking is far more manageable and really supportive co-workers. Plus they are really into peer and self assessment - so before I have even started marking it has already been evaluated to some extent.....hope you have a productive day looking at other options....life far too short to be unhappy. All the best.

Another former English teacher here. I thought I'd teach for ever, but in the event I'd burnt out by my early thirties. I too left without a job to go to, and with no plan.

Best decision I ever made.

It's just a job. if you don't like it, leave. No point getting worked up about it. You can work in a supermarket or something to earn money until you find something else.

Gave a week off self certified sick with stress/anxiety/depression, get to the doctors and tell him everything that us going on.

I was in a sumilar situation 2 years ago teaching in FE- best thing i ever did was leave. Now working in a GP pratice as a secretary with no targets, planning, marking etc, no stress, suportive colleagues.

I hope that all the mumsnetters who chastised me for not teaching full time as i was skint are reading this.

Most criticism came from non teachers.

yanbu op!

And have taught private...the private school was worse than the rough comp!

Most teachers are conditioned to forget that it's "just a job" heron but you're absolutely right.

Senior management teams and department heads have often all spent their entire lives in schools - school to uni back to school, and have no idea about how adult professionals are treated and managed in "the outside world". When the teachers they are managing also have no experience of working as a permanent, full time employee in a non school environment they also don't have context for what people put up with in other jobs.

The result of that is often senior management covering their lack of adult to adult management skill by being dictatorial, unreasonable and punitive, and teachers taking it because they don't know any different in the workplace.

Teachers are also endlessly emotionally blackmailed (everything is "for the children" - even though 60% of it is actually not) and the idea of a teacher just leaving to work in an office or supermarket or whatever is somewhat taboo, the world view is very much that teachers are teachers and can't do anything else.

All nonsense of course. As you say it's just a job.

When I left teaching I had a small child and for a couple of years I worked as a childminder - after the saving on not paying for my own childcare, and the difference in tax etc I was actually better off financially child minding than I had been working a 60% timetable (but spread over 9 out of 10 days of a 2 week timetable at management insistence "for the sake of the children" so I paid full time childcare, theoretically had time during the day to do my marking and preparation, but actually always got bullied into doing cover in my unpaid time because it wasn't practical to leave the school building for single unpaid lessons).

Wanted to add, it took me 18 months after leaving and moving abroad, to stop waking up each morning at 0500 in a blind panic that I hadn't done my marking/planning. I haven't taught since 06, but have kept examining, which is a stress all by itself. I was secondary RE.

We are coming back to the UK for good next year. I was wondering if I should try to teach again, but perhaps not.

Just a hand hold here from one teacher to another. I am a Teacher OP, full time Y6 class teacher, English Lead, KS2 Lead and NQT mentor. My work load is crippling...I clocked 74 hours two weeks ago (we had two days off last week with snow, and I managed to get so much caught up on at home and I felt a such relief going in yesterday...it's worn off today after staff meeting last night being told we've got a 'special' kind of private inspection happening next Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday that our new academy MAT have booked and we have all been given tasks that have to be done prior 😩)

Im also single...so no 'back up' if I leave and I have no idea how I'd cover my outgoings. It's such a tough gig 😢

I know several young teachers who have walked away without a job to go to. The relief of handing in their notice has had an immediate effect on improving their mental health. One is now a trainee solicitor, one does tutoring and has built up their own business, one has become a childminder, one joined the police. I would say go,for it, your health is more important.

Yet another teacher who has been in your position OP - I used to wish that I would crash my car into a tree so that I wouldn’t have to go in. I had panic attacks in my classroom and spent most of my journeys into work crying. I asked for help from my HoD who promptly told HR who then ‘supported’ me by giving me a week’s grace on an observation by SLT (routine for PM - one of the six we had across the year). I left that year along with 30 other experienced members of staff from across the school and the department that I worked with no longer exists as they all left in the space of two years. It’s shit at the moment, it truly is.

Try not to be wary of the doctor - mine was incredible when I told them how I was feeling, even down to offering to put ‘virus’ instead of the depression/anxiety on my sick note so that it wouldn’t destroy my career (watched others go down in flames for sick notes with those and I didn’t think I wanted to leave teaching, stupid tho that is). I’m still teaching but in a smaller school. The conditions are so much better although not perfect. Get yourself signed off (four weeks gets you to Easter so six weeks in total but if you feel better tell the school as the bastards will take the holidays as part of your sick leave), email once letting your HoD know where your classes are and then let them earn their bloody wages. Don’t set cover once signed off. And please, please rest. Year 11 will survive. Everyone does and will survive. Focus on you.

Have come into work like a fool, but considering just turning round and going home.

In my absence yesterday, someone's completely reorganised my room. I thought this was a kindness, since I was made to move right after Christmas, so no time in this busy term to sort things properly. When I mentioned this to the teacher in the next room, he hinted that he knew who'd done it, but "wouldn't say a word." Not in a jokey, did you a favour way, but as though one of the higher ups considered my room below par and was forced to sort it for me.

Now sat in class feeling like the world is against me, and don't know what to do. Feel as though I may be sick.

op, you might need to go home. I know sometimes that can be harder than staying, the thought of cobfronting them to say you have to go, but i really dont think you should be there for a few weeks. Can you get out? So so sorry

Oh OP, go home. You’re not a fucking child - no one should be ‘tidying’ for you. This is unfortunately someone making you feel inferior deliberately. This isn’t going to help.

Op, you could have self certified for 7 days. Don't put yourself through this misery. It's all mind games and powerplay at best and bullying at worst.

It has made me feel very undermined and upset. They might have meant well, and teacher next door is winding me up, but it is like they're sending me a message. Fair enough, the classroom isn't as perfect as I'd usually like to have it, but when you are unexpectedly moved in the spring term, with A Level coursework to do, and endless GCSE mocks, who would prioritise making gorgeous displays over sorting the kids' work out?

I am so sorry OP. The country is full of teachers whose mental health is being damaged by SLT who have no idea how to manage people without bullying and impossible targets. It is not you. I worked in primary for many years until a new HT started a campaign to bully out everyone over 40 or at the top of the pay scale. Suddenly those of us who had only ever been judged as good of outstanding, praised by Ofsted etc, were being told we were not good enough.Constant criticism, marking scrutinies, SLT popping in for learning walks and complaining, sending emails at 11pm asking for tasks to be done by 8am the next morning, constant moving of goalposts... The whole staff from that school has left in the last 3 years to be replaced by NQTs and supply teachers. I was lucky enough to be financially able to then work as an HLTA (waay less pressure!) and now am exploring jobs outside education. One of my closest colleagues took the bullying HT to a grievance hearing and resoundingly won!

You need to take care of yourself. As teachers we are conditioned to think that if we went off sick or left the school wouldn't function and the kids will suffer. Things will chug along. Get yourself signed off. Contact your union and get them to see if they can negotiate an early exit for you. If your SLT have an agenda against you, they will probably agree to waiving the full notice period. If they won't let you go, you can get signed off sick.

I need to tell you that as soon as I handed in my resignation the SLT totally stopped targeting me and moved on to their next target. For the whole of my last half term after giving notice, they left me alone, stopped asking for my books when doing marking scrutinies, never came near my classroom when they were doing learning walks, stopped interrogating me about pupil progress - they left me alone once they knew I was leaving and it was great. On the day I left I was so so happy to know I would never have to see any of those SLT again ever.

I have some high stress family stuff going on in my life now but thank God I'm not still having work stress as well. Please, please, try not to feel guilty about the kids and concentrate on getting yourself out of a toxic environment and getting yourself well.

If you don’t mind me asking what sector do you work in now?

Sorry ignore my post please.

I hope you are ok op... Be very firm with the gp tomorrow, and if you aren't happy be prepared to speak to the practice manager

What a day. Nearly at the end of it, amazed at myself for staying. Luckily, the kids were absolutely lovely today, I'm currently surrounded by a group of Year 11s who have decided to study in my room tonight, and they are just making me die with laughter.

Definitely going to take the phone call from the GP tomorrow and hear what they say. I have still felt sick on and off at work today. And if it helps anyone's visuals, I've also been dressed in a wanky World Book Day costume as well.

Have got a doctor's appointment for tomorrow after school!

Thank you very much to the people on here who are leaving helpful comments, and to the people who have PMd me. I will reply as soon as I have time!

Good-best if luck op

Hope appt goes ok tomorrow OP, be as honest as you can x

Good luck OP