To jack in teaching in Covid times?

[Firefin]

Yes, it's a secure job, relativey speaking, and maybe I should be grateful.

But less than a month in and we have been told that we will, effectively, lose all of our lunches and break times as we are now required to escort students to lunches and breaks, supervise lunches in bad weather, collect students at the end.

My line manager also thinks all the normal stuff (displays, regular phone calls home, book work in five colours) should still go ahead, while my timetable does not even allow for my own responsibilities to take place. In addition, we are being forced to wear face masks everywhere, have to change rooms all the time (sometimes on no notice), have to set up before the kids get in, even though we are the ones moving and collecting them from social areas.

In my worst week I do not get lunch breaks some days and most days struggle to even go to the toilet.

We have meeting after meeting, request for remote learning on top of a normal teaching load, request for detention duties, over-and-above duties, interventions etc. as well as a strict covid-friendly behaviour system, all without the support needed.

Less than a month in and I'm burnt out, have no time for my family and my complicated home life. My mental health is back to a point I want to, effectively, not be here (I have all the numbers, no need to point them out).

I am good at my job, but this is not a job I know. I want to quit, but can't afford to. I am trapped, but my mental health is suffering, so I may just get in debt. This is not primary school, either.

@deflationexasperation I work at a large primary. We share devices across year groups in school and didn’t have enough tech to give out to all pupils for live teaching. We didn’t have the money to buy more devices either so poster paper copies along with pencils and reading books as many of our pupils don’t have these at home either.

The school was great at getting many of these vulnerable children back into school quickly and they were taught lessons full time at school with the wider reopening from June 1st.

I literally had the choice between eating my lunch or changing my tampon today. It's in humane!

Sorry, that was as a teacher- fully on board with you OP! Same expectations, increased workload due to providing for those at home as well as in school, shorter breaks, more duties no equipment, poor spacing -argh!

If the older years in primary can mostly be taught from home, it will create more space for the littlest ones to stay in education, ie nursery, reception, year 1 and 2.

How exactly? If teachers of older years are off doing online teaching with their classes, there are no surplus teachers for these younger classes. You have to have a member of staff in with them, therefore you can't split the classes and give those kids more room.

I'm not against online learning mind - not the ideal but we have to be at least open to the possibility - but I just don't see how this idea works.

You are not being unreasonable to feel fed up.

However you need to find a way through.

I’m not meaning to be flippant for one second, but in situations like this where it’s laugh or cry, and crying won’t achieve anything, maybe try to laugh?

After all, you are being asked to achieve the impossible. Not a single one of your teaching colleagues will be able to accomplish all that is being asked, because none of you are a magical unicorn.

Give yourself permission to not get to class before the kids, not finish the marking, etc. Do what you have to to keep the students safe (the covid rules etc) and when is needed to keep yourself safe. This includes not trying to achieve the impossible.

The world will not end if you cut corners. I bet you are a perfectionist. Settle for ‘done is better than perfect’ and also ‘not done is better than a breakdown’.

It’s really really hard (I know) because everything feels non-negotiable. But honestly, if a friend had written your post, what would you tell them?

Good luck

I'm broken today. We keep being told about the importance of health and well-being. Then later in the same meeting we have been told we need to assess 2 cold pieces of writing, a massive maths assessment. We need to track and predict attainment too. We have 2 weeks to get all that done.
We also had to have a virtual meet the teacher, make a video virtual tour of the classroom, got a new patronising wall display policy.
We have a shorter lunch but realistically we don't get a break at all.
The "enhanced cleaning" lasted 3 days and now the regular cleaner is off sick too so we have to add that to our responsibilities.
Covid budget slash means next to no paper. I've had to buy colouring pencils out of my own money.
And parents still moan, that I haven't found their kids unnamed school jumper.
I'm so done. I love the kids but this is not what I signed up for.

Why have you agreed to do the extra?

Just because there is COVID-19, doesn't change the maximum directed time their allowed to demand.

I simply refuse to work during lunch, they asked for 5 mins either side to collect and escort students. I've not done it once.
Been told I need to do extra duties before and after school which fall outside directed time. I've not done them.
Been told I have meetings every week after school, I done one per week, not the 3 they want. Because that's what the Directed time calculations allow.

If you give them an inch, they take a mile.