Is teaching really so stressful?

[summertime06]

Really trying to get my head around this without getting flamed. I have a good friend who is a teacher, part time since having kids, doing the same hours as me (I'm not a teacher), 3 days a week.

For the past year or two, all I ever heard when we met up was how stressful her job was, how difficult it was to be a teacher and a mum at the same time etc etc. I get that there's work to be done outside teaching hours, but I do the same in my completely different job and just get on with it, I think it's part of the job when you get up the pay scale/responsibility level a bit. Any time I did mention that things were similar in my job, I was put down, I couldn't possibly understand how stressful it was to be a teacher?!

And now she's made the decision to take a career break for a few years because there's just no way she can continue to be a teacher and a mum to 3 young kids. That's fine if that's what she wants to do but she's making out that she's been left with no choice but to make this decision because teaching is just so difficult. Is it just me or am I missing something? I get that it can be stressful as are lots of other jobs, but there are surely also lots of advantages? Not having to sort out summer camps and childcare during school holidays? Is it really so much more difficult and stressful compared to other jobs? I genuinely want to understand!

My cousin is a GP and she said that many teachers are on anti depressants

Some others embraced it and lived for it-

What did you mean by this?

I mean they embraced it ... in simple terms they loved their job. And “lived for it” means they put their family plans on hold to build their career so it was their life....

This wasn’t what I wanted. Anything else? Simple enough?

many teachers are on anti depressants

Many people are on antidepressants - 15% of the working age population will take them in any given year. I would guess, though I can't find figures to support this, that more women take ADs than men. If this is true then it would be reflected in a profession like teaching where women are over represented.

Even if teaching were not a particularly stressful job you would expect a lot of teachers to take ADs simply because they are widely-used drugs and schools employ large numbers of people.

I get people turning up to my clinics high on drugs, if there's no security around I call the police. I've had patients go to the toilet to do a urine sample and have taken a drug overdose and collapsed. I've had someone take a heart attack in front of me and have had to use a defibrillator. I then go home and pick my 2 toddlers up from nursery, give them dinner and put them to bed.

From op

Unfortunately this has all also happened in schools I’ve worked - not all on the same day but it’s symptomatic of having large groups of people, time and circumstances. However, this is not what we are trained for. You are a health care professional.

As others have said, it’s not a competition. It’s surprising you seem unable or unwilling to accept teaching is stressful despite overwhelming evidence.

Teaching is a job with very high responsibility but with very low autonomy. The stress originates in demonstrating accountability to a nit picking degree (SLT, LA QIOs, HMIe, GTC(S) and some parents) but with so little control over your working experience/life.

Many jobs have low autonomy but equally low responsibility.

Many jobs have high responsibility but also high levels of autonomy.

It's the high responsibility/low autonomy that makes jobs like teaching stressful.

This wasn’t what I wanted. Anything else? Simple enough?

This is like talking to a worm with two heads.

Teaching is a stressful profession. Whether a few individuals embrace that or not is irrelevant to what I am trying to get across, so I am going to leave it there.

Incredibly rewarding and stressful in equal measures but after 25 years I love it even though it consumes your life.
I don’t complain about the workload and it’s my choice to stay in the profession but over the years it has changed immensely and yes it’s hard.

Bloody hell, you must be a journalist. Loving how you cut and paste certain quotes to manipulate.

I NEVER SAID TEACHERS WEREN’T STRESSED! Go away and either learn to read or find another career because quite frankly you are a rubbish journalist (too obvious love)

Seriously, take your surveys and statistics and shove them.

😭

The issue with what you’re saying seems to be the insinuation that the problem with teacher stress is certain teachers’ inability to embrace it.

Jesus, give it a rest, BollocksistheWord, you're being quite ridiculous.

The bit I find hard is when you plan an awesome lesson for a class and every bloody lesson you have 5/32 kids pissing around and talking over you while you're trying to deliver it to the rest of them. You have to work really hard to keep everyone's attention. THEN it's your fault that kids aren't making progress!

@noblegiraffe not at all, please read my posts. I was a teacher and I was saying that some people do embrace it but it wasn’t for me.

@Feenie ok then, love how you’re seeing what you want to see. Read the posts love

Imagine doing a normal job where you have meetings, make phonecalls, photocopy, liase with colleagues, get assessed, write reports, do paperwork, emails, etc.

Now add in 6 hours of teaching. That's honestly what it's like.

I've read all your posts and you're behaving like a dick. I'm also not your 'love'.

Surely here is a middle ground here? Yes teaching is tough, and can be long hours. The holidays are a nice part of it, but during term time it’s hard work and very stressful.

Also, there are other jobs that involve long hours and are tough and stressful.

We all do our best - and we all have freedom to choose what career we want to pursue. So let’s just get on with it and stop competing over who made the poorest career choice😂😂

I was saying that some people do embrace it but it wasn’t for me.

Ok I think it’s your use of the word ‘embrace’ that niggles. Embracing something is positive, not embracing is generally negative. Therefore putting blame on people who are (for whatever reason) not embracing the stress of teaching, rather than suggesting that people not embracing the stress are entirely reasonable, as that level of stress is unreasonable.

‘Cope’ would be a better word.

Oh lord-I've just pressed send on my application for secondary school PGCE for next year.
Currently a social worker....possibly one of the only other professions with similar stress levels 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Those who do 'embrace the unrealistic demands are usually those in their early 20s, super keen, in schools where 70+ hour weeks are expected, where incredible hulk model displays are considered good practice because it prove a how much you care about the children.
Then they meet a partner, or settle down, or have kids, or they burn out, usually leading them to realising that they weren't actually embracing it at all. They were doing what they felt was expected of them because as new teachers they didn't know any better.

They were coping, not thriving, but we're sold a line about how great and how dedicated they were (and in part might have started believing they were better than all the cynics who didn't change their display boards and colour code their differentiation).

Meanwhile the 'embracing it' group got held up as a shining example to other staff who were, in the eyes of SLT, not enthusiastic or caring enough, not willing to go the extra mile.

Culture is very important. It's entirely possible to convince people that they are thriving when they are just surviving.

@Dippypippy1980 what I said but apparently I’m being bullied by the clique now.

Ffs I don’t want to keep saying it but for all those that clearly cannot read I WAS A TEACHER AND I HATED IT SO QUIT. Jeez so many thickos on this website

How long did you last, Bollocks?

It's entirely possible to convince people that they are thriving when they are just surviving.

^^

Like this

The most draining thing about being a teacher is fighting to finish every fucking sentence and then answer questions form the five people who weren’t listening anyway.

This sums it up completely.