Aibu to think most people have no idea what it's like being a secondary teacher.

[Tiredteacherlass]

I believe that most people have no idea how bad behaviour is and how most schools have feral children and no real means of control.

I'm fed up. the shouting, the filthy language, the name calling, the drugs, the absolute lack of slt support.

I'm quite sure that in some schools it's hell on Earth. I couldn't do it.

They're not scared of anyone

I'm so tired of it

I absolutely know how you feel. It's actually horrendous.

I get it. I know that it isn't easy. These things can wear you down.

If you are so unhappy, perhaps you should try to find something else? Either a different job in a more supportive school, or something else altogether?

Primary schools are bad enough, so I can't even imagine how awful some secondary schools are.

I volunteered in outstanding primary and secondary schools near me. I would never want to be a teacher. Those kids were awful

I watched School last night and was horrified. I know when I was a kid there were some naughty kids but I really don't remember it being they bad? Was I just oblivious or has something changed since then?

I have a pretty good idea! I work in a college with kids just out of school. I teach them functional skills because they cannot achieve a GCSE.
I have no powers over them at all.
They are classed as adults so I cannot remove their phones, cannot threaten to call their parents, can ask them to leave but cannot make them, and when they turn up 40 minutes late I can simply say "you are late" and have no choice but to accept them into the classroom so they can disrupt everyone.

The boys are often lazy and refuse to engage and the girls are loud, rude and disrespectful. And I have to stand there and take it because they are "adults".

The BBC show 'School' showed nothing. I am on my knees with behaviour alone. Add the pressure, scrutinies, secrecy and marking (English teacher) to the mix and I honestly feel like giving up. And I earn sweet FA. I want to quit but can't. It hurts.

Sorry, should have said 'showed nothing in terms of how bad the behaviour actually is.'

My partner is a maths teacher and if I hadn’t lived with him and seen it in action I don’t think I’d quite believe just how all encompassing the job is.
He doesn’t really do anything apart from work. Meetings 3 mornings a week at 7.30, works till 11 I’m the evenings.
He’s just told me that he will have 180 maths papers to mark over Christmas.
op , I totally get you.

I got out after 20+ years. Broke my heart but it nearly broke all of me. I'm much happier now, tutoring and running stuff for home ed families. I don't make as much money but I absolutely love what I do.

The kids I work with are an absolute delight (although some would really struggle in a school environment); there is very little marking, which I always found overwhelming; I enjoy the prep I do and the fact that the adults/kids appreciate what I do.

During the first home ed course I ran, the parents were so kind and appreciative of what I was doing and told me how brilliant I was, that one week I went home and cried because I was so overwhelmed by their praise. Hadn't happened for years at school.

There is a life outside teaching and if you are that fed up, then maybe it's time to get out.

Some secondary schools are dreadful and lots of parents are, I suspect, completely unaware of how bad they are. But I actually think I’ve seen behaviour improve in the past ten years, definitely in the (inner city comp) school I work in, but also in some of the surrounding secondaries. If you can, go and teach somewhere else OP. While teenagers will always push boundaries, there are some schools managing behaviour really well.

100% agree @Tiredteacherlass
People would be so shocked if they knew the truth.

I believe it to be across the board, not just the RI schools. As a supply teacher I saw as much horrendous behaviour in so called Outstanding schools as I did in the RI ones. Pupils towards pupils as well as pupils towards staff. Sometimes even assaulting permanent staff, not just supply.

Anyone who still thinks teaching is a cosy 9am - 3pm job with oodles of holiday is a moron and should give it a try to cure them of being a moron

Anyone who still thinks teaching is a cosy 9am - 3pm job with oodles of holiday is a moron and should give it a try to cure them of being a moron

Agreed, there's no telling people. All you get is, "yeah but the holidays" If they actually had to try it most would be on their knees within a week.

I could never be a teacher. Watching School on bbc 2 has been an eye opener. It was relentless even in the succeeding school. Implementing the discipline was hard as well.
There might be huge lack of funds, failings in the support for SEN or disability or lack of input from health or children's services but practically the teachers had to deal with behaviour.

I can't compare if things are better or worse as only compare with my own school days, I was in the upper sets and for the most part classes were well behaved but I dong know if that was true for the kids who were struggling at school for whatever reason.

I'm with you OP. Got called mongrel head this week. Not much happened about that. I also hate the way a lot of kids lie to try and stitch you up eg, I'm walking down a busy corridor to my classroom, brush the shoulder of a kid, they fall to the floor 'assaulted'. We're sitting ducks. The system is broken.

I’m actually worried about sending my DC to school because it’s such a terrible place. It was bad enough when I was there 25 years ago, the kids were wicked and the teachers had no means of control. I hear it’s worse now.

The problem is that there’s no incentive to behave and no consequences if you don’t. They can’t kick you out. They can’t lay a finger on you. And the kids know it.

Genuine question here - what’s changed in 20 years with behaviour?
When I was at school twenty years ago there was no physical punishments. It was lines/detentions/suspended/excluded we had some naughty kids and one lad dared to tell a teacher to ‘fuck off’ it was the talk of the school for weeks.

Why have children got more disrespectful? The punishments are the same as when I was at school?

I admire all teachers. It’s cdrtainly not something I could do.

Genuine question here - what’s changed in 20 years with behaviour?

Pupils today know there are no consequences. Isolation is a treat, suspension a badge of honor and most of all no punishment at home if they do misbehave at school.

I think the parents of the decent children who behave most of the time DO know and are as sick of the behaviour issues as the teachers are.
I have a child with special needs and sensory issues who constantly complains about behaviour and noise in her classes.

I don't know what the answer is though. I have been watching BBC School and they had a Ready to Learn room to get them out of disrupting classes.

What do I think has changed?

Kids who know their rights and aren't worried about discipline from anyone.
More kids with Sen in schools which aren't equiped to support them.
Less pastoral staff to deal with the above .

I wouldn't teach secondary for anything .

Lack of respect from some parents. Poor parenting. Parents being too busy. Addiction to technology.

I teach primary and worked in an inner city school until recently. Behaviour was shocking. Violence, rudeness, no basic manners, entitled attitudes. Some children were lovely but many struggled.

20 years ago the parents were of the generation that respected teachers and would discipline their DC if they misbehaved. Nowadays the parents are of the generation that disrespected teachers themselves when they were at school, so they don’t punish their DC’s bad behaviour and often side with DC against the teacher. It doesn’t help that teaching as a profession has been decimated and teachers are not respected by most of society.

I left school in 2001 and it was horrendous for the teachers then. Kids used to break teachers for fun!