To believe that I will leave teaching altogether within a couple of years ?

[Phoenixxx]

I am fed up of verbal abuse from students, and being spoken to like dirt and mocked. Some of them are astonishing. I'm fairly thick skinned, I get all sorts of comments about how I look, how I walk, my voice, anything, but it just wouldn't happen in a lot of other professions and we shouldn't have to put up with it. Because of the cost/issues attached with permanent exclusion, most are back in your lessons within a couple of days, even the next day.
Other teachers in my school have had death threats, and luckily i've never been assaulted.
But I have some very intimidating characters in my lessons, and the fear is there.
Like most other teachers, I frequently work more than my directed hours without extra pay. The 30 minute lunch break is rarely a full break for you to sit and do what you want.
I barely have any energy in the evenings.
Is it like this in all schools ? I saw on Facebook a friend who was posting practical jokes that colleagues were making on her during the day. I couldn't believe that people actually have the time at work to sit and mess around like that.
People going out for cigarette breaks when they please.
It's a shame for the students who do want to be there, who have good behaviour. I would like a less stressful job with better pay and no daily abuse or intimidation.
Did anyone leave teaching and find themselves happier in a new career ? Or is anyone in a school where majority of students are very well-behaved and respectful ?

I could have written @LaserShark post. I left last year. Just before i said exactly that to the HT and got a patronising head tilt for my trouble. It’s 100% true though, we’re not equipping children for reality if we reward appalling behaviour with dvds and hot chocolate.

I moved sideways from mainstream into county council SEN teaching. I get paid the same but it's such a different job! Biggest class I have is 3 pupils, most of my caseload is at different schools so I'm in charge of my own calendar and booking in visits/meetings etc., my planning is for me alone, I don't have to worry about parents evenings or report-writing... Did I mention it pays the same?! I'm UPS as well!

Best move i ever made. I love my teaching job now!

My ds has just started secondary. He is pretty well behaved and respectful to teachers but the things he tells me about some of the badly behaved students is so shocking.

I'm so incredibly grateful to the teachers. They are absolute heroes. I don't know how they do it.

Some Schools just dont seem able to "get on top of it" very well .Our friend who was a victim of job losses ,had to try a new School where the behaviour was very much as you have described .He did 2 terms and has now got a new job in an independent ,where the behaviour is much better . Can you look around ,maybe a longer commute but well worth it in the end .Maybe not an option for you but several Teachers have gone abroad (Belgium/Middle East) and seem to really enjoy it .much different approach out there .

The school I work in (primary) has completely turned behaviour around. It has involved permanently excluding a small number of very disruptive children. For the rest, it has been all about having high expectations, a clear behaviour policy and consistency in applying it. All led from the top. It seems unbelievable some of the stuff that used to go on there now. It really was horrendous. So my advice would be, find yourself a school with strong leadership.

It’s very depressing as a good proportion of these young people will end up in prison. And on their way will have stopped other well behaved children learning and reaching their potential.

Move ... or teach primary.

Unfortunately, even in primary (if you don't have a school with good behaviour management), you can be sworn at, be physically assaulted and have to remove 29 children from a classroom for their own safety. Repeatedly. The only advantage is that they are shorter!

How much do you a credit to lack of action by primary schools?

Are they all from one school - can you ‘tell’ xschool students from y students

I understand. I'm planning my escape. I currently teach permenantly 4 days a week and top up with supply 1 day a week. I cannot even begin to explain the abuse you get as a secondary supply teacher. You are pretty much bullied for 6 hours straight. I know I'm a good teacher, but kids these days have all the power and know full well that we have none. Our head also does a 'chill out club' where a child who has just called their teacher a cunt, threatened them, thrown things across the room and been totally out of control goes and has a bit chocolate, a biscuit and a bit of a joke around with them. No wonder these kids come back and laugh in my face.

It's nothing about control or not being a good teacher. It's appalling and I'm exhausted.

I'm going back to university to do something totally different.

I felt exactly as you do now 14 years ago. I decided to try a different school and I said if it wasn't better by Christmas I'd leave teaching. I'm still there!

It's still difficult. I still work bloody hard. I plan and mark for hours. The difference is that I haven't been sworn at every day (it has happened here, but twice in 14 years), I don't have to shout in every lesson, most pupils do want to learn (as in the ones who want to be there are the majority rather than the minority). If the behaviour policy works and you feel supported then it makes the world of difference! We're a truly comprehensive school as well, not a grammar or in a posh area. We're very rural, so it's a different sort of deprivation than in urban areas, but there is still a lot of deprivation.

I left last year. Unfortunately it's the same in most schools now.
Really sad

I'm primary. I can completely see myself leaving in the next 5 years I'd the behaviour in our school continues to decline. There used to be one or two challenging children in our leafy village school and rarely would they be abusive.
We have a few currently excluded. Others who bounce in and out and a ruck of those with a pack mentality who all want to act up to be found funny and cool..

I left last year after 15 years in two local comprehensive schools. Behaviour continued to decline and, despite many exclusions, showed no signs of improvement. Was lucky enough to have a family business to get involved in, otherwise I'd have been considering a move to independent, but that's hard in a different way.

I think we work at the same school. What you are saying sounds very familiar to me

The behaviour at my son’s school is excellent. They have to work in silence during lessons, apart from discussions obviously, and there is a set of clear rules that all pupils have to abide by and immediate consequences if they don’t.

Definitely try a different school first. Our head is brilliant.

All sounds very familiar.
And then tories announcing that they are going to end teacher shortages by paying NQTs more to entice them in. The problem is, that they won't stay.
When will people realise that the main problem isn't the pay?? (although obviously more pay would be better), "The issue is being ground down day after day by the threats of Ofsted, the kids saying 'you can't make me' (or worse), endless scrutiny, marking stuff purely for the sake of ofsted, unsupportive parents, unsupportive SLT, ever increasing demands to do after school catch up sessions, revision sessions, booster sessions, primary outreach sessions...
The reason reason teachers are leaving the profession is workload, stress, very poor morale, and lack of work/life balance. Paying NQTs more does not solve any of these issues.

I second looking at Independant schools. DS is at a independant secondary school in Scotland and I can guarantee you there are none of these issues. Not a single child in his class would even dream of swearing at a teacher. Bad behaviour is just cracked down on instantly, so you just don't get the culture of it.

I would second the suggestion of trying supply work; I discovered my last school this way. I went in initially to cover for staff sickness, then applied for a permanent post when it cropped up later. One of my temporary colleagues got in touch to tip me off to get the CV and references lined up, and for better or worse, they knew what they were getting!
It is sad but true that disruptive pupils get short shrift in most independent schools, as parents want their moneys worth; they haven't forked out good money on tickets for the "Silly Idiot Show", although there can be pressure in other ways about wanting results.
You see schools as they are, not the show they are putting on for Open Morning. One of my friends, in a similar position, due to stay for three days,went to the HT's office at the first lunchtime, said she's had enough and asked to fill in the forms for just working the morning! He was shaken to the core, she found a better position not long afterwards.
There are still lovely schools out there, but your problem may be that the staff there are counting their blessings and sitting tight, and less likely to be off sick with stress.

I really feel for you op.
Not sure what age you teach but I teach in a sixth form college and the behaviour is so much better. The worst I've had is an eye roll from a girl in class. I think mostly they want to be there (plenty of exceptions of course) and have a goal in mind (uni etc.)
I taught for one year in a secondary school and hated it.
Still very much results driven where I am but at least I don't have to be abused all day.
Maybe a different school in a slightly different area would work?

Depending on what subject you teach, could you go into adult learning?

Thanks for the replies. Today, i've had a girl tell me to shut up, someone throw a sharp object which narrowly missed my eye, a boy slam the door in anger as hard as he could, a girl mimic my voice, and 3 students swear in the room. All in 1 day !

Secondary school, nice area.
We have a group of yr10s holding the staff basically hostage with their constant nasty behaviour which includes the attempted / successful bullying of female staff they’re trying it with me currently We’ve lost maybe half a dozen female staff to their behaviour since they started. Yr 9 are following in their footsteps. Lots of them are behaving the same way at home so there’s no support there. It’s soul destroying. SLT don’t know how to cope with them. You just see staff crying in rooms around the school. Again, a leafy, ‘nice’ area.

You would think from discussions on MN that schools across the country are outrageously strict and issue sanctions at the drop of a hat. Most aren’t, but you can see from this thread why some have gone that route.