Page 6 | Teaching and going to the Gym

jerometheturnipking · 21/08/2021 09:26

Full time teacher, with kids at home. Between school and making sure I'm picking the kids up from childcare on time, I have no time for the gym. I do home workouts instead after dinner when the kids are entertaining themselves.

LawnFever · 21/08/2021 10:30

[quote Elkey]@lawnfever

The OP:
Hey everyone, I'm doing a PGCE for the next year, any advice on having a routine for going to the gym from fellow teachers, I used to go to the gym before the pandemic but have fallen off the wagon and not been to the gym since. I'm a bit worried that I'm going to be so busy working that going to the gym will simply not happen as I would like to get back in to going to the gym.

Tell me, where is "the assumption that only teachers possibly work so hard/so many hours as opposed to other jobs" that you and others have found "so irritating"? I can't see why anyone would even need to mention how hard others work other than to bring the poor OP down a peg or two and to teacher bash. She simply wants advice from others who have experience of the same course.[/quote]
To the people who seem to think that finding time to go to the gym as a teacher is the same as anyone else with a full time job... it's really not.

There is full time, demanding job (normal teaching is one) and then there is the PGCE year in term time.

It's the feeling that you've never actually finished. It's the fact there's always something else that needs doing. It's how unpredictable it all is: I'll plan to do an hour from 4-5 prepping, then 5-545 marking then drive to my class at 630. But I've suddenly been hit with a load of phone calls home. And an urgent request from a parent. And that data needs looking at again. And can I see you about that essay?

Just a few examples of the race to the bottom to claim nobody else’s job is ever as tough.

I don’t disagree that teaching is a hard job with long hours, as are many others, it’s this competitive ‘I’ve got it harder than anyone ever’ stance that’s irritating.

54321nought · 21/08/2021 10:35

I was a teacher and a mother, there wasn't really an opportunity to exercise for around 10 years or so!

There was a gym at school, and also a badminton club, and I always aimed to go, but rarely made it - a couple of people did make it

Mrsblobbyspants · 21/08/2021 11:05

@speakout

It isnt teacher bashing.

And doing a PGCE is a red herring. How long does that last? 9 months at most?
So no different to many vocational courses, with students also having to work part time too.
I would be interested in hearing a qualified teacher explainig their working week and hours- any takers?

Pleasure. I qualified a year ago. I start on Sunday. I usually work from 11am to about 6pm, planning lessons and preparing for the week. I teach approx 150 kids a week so lots to prepare. Mon to Friday, I start work at 7.30 and leave at 5pm - I teach 6 lessons a day and have meetings, detentions and extra duties the rest of the time. I do not have any lunch breaks as pupils pop in for help most days - I eat lunch whilst working with them. At 5pm I go home, cook for my family and then sit down around 7pm to work. I have 150 books a week to mark, 150 pieces of homework to mark and log in detail onto a spreadsheet (all paper because my school won't pay for online homework packages) and various behaviour reports to complete. I often sit until midnight doing marking, more planning and preparing revision resources for my year 11's. I must also note that I do not get 13 weeks "holiday" - other than 25 days paid, the rest is UNPAID leave. We get our salary over 12 months but we don't get paid for 12 months. I worked in industry for 15 years in a well paid profession. I have never worked as hard or been treated with as much contempt as I do now. I stay because I genuinely love most of the kids I teach and want the best for them. I have to buy by own books, pens, cellotape etc as the school cannot afford them. I don't want sympathy as I have a choice. I won't last much longer and will go back to industry leaving kids to be taught by trainees and non-specialist teachers - I teach a key subject with a massive shortage of teachers. I also teach in a deprived area where they struggle to recruit teachers as nobody wants to work there. The education system is an utter mess!

surreygirl1987 · 21/08/2021 11:10

@evvyjb oh yes I quite agree! I found some interactions in the swimming pool changing rooms quite awkward too. I'm a HoD too and thankfully have not had to deal with your scenario!

I was just commenting because @fizbosshoes said:

"I clicked on the thread because I was intrigued how there could be anything unreasonable about teaching and going to the gym (there isnt)".

I know people don't like it when teachers say you can't fully understand if you're not a teacher... but there are simple things like even just going for a swim that can become really complicated purely because of your job. Most people don't think of that (understandably!).

Hesma · 21/08/2021 11:13

🤦‍♀️

Evvyjb · 21/08/2021 11:55

@surreygirl1987 I'm far too old and fat to be worth photographing, but certainly some of my younger members of staff aren't!

robotcollision · 21/08/2021 12:01

@Mrsblobbyspants - That sounds like the average (insane, undervalued) working week of most teachers I know. Did you know what you were letting yourself in for when you switched careers?

Hobnobsandbroomstick · 21/08/2021 12:54

Quite a few years ago, I joined a gym with two of my friends from school. It was quite posh (for the area and time), and had a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi in the changing room. A lot of the members were older than us, and would wander from the jacuzzi to the sauna etc naked, which we found a bit odd as fairly body conscious 16 year olds. We were often the only ones in bikinis, and sometimes other women would say things like "once you've had kids all your dignity goes out the window and you stop caring girls!".

One day, I was in the jacuzzi with one of my friends, and a woman (with one of the biggest bushes that we'd seen by that point) started stepping in, so said bush was at our eye level for a moment or two. Then we looked up and realised it was our English teacher. She looked mortified and made a quick exit.

I thought this thread would be about something similar!

WhatAShilohPitt · 21/08/2021 13:22

Go twice at the weekend and once in the week on a night that you aren’t tired.

Welshiefluff · 21/08/2021 13:50

Find a gym that opens at 6:00 or 6:30 near where your course is based and go to bed early. It is that simple.

Riverrushing21 · 21/08/2021 14:15

I would say it’s wishful thinking to imagine you will have a gym routine during your PGCE year… or your NQT year, or the one after that!

Unless you want to completely burn out before you’ve actually begun to enjoy the job and found your feet, I would just prioritise surviving the job. I’m 6 years into teaching and it took me a good few years to get used to the all consuming workload. When you first start out, you don’t have the confidence or experience to know which extra parts of the job to prioritise and which you can get away with leaving to another day. You will also take longer to get daily jobs like marking done, as you are new to doing it. Your to do list will never ever be done and that’s something you have to learn to accept, whilst not cutting corners. I love it now, but it is overwhelming in those first few years. There is a reason that a third of teachers quit the profession within 5 years!

Also bear in mind that once your PGCE is done and you have your own class, the workload does ebb and flow somewhat depending on the time of year. Autumn is crazy because you are getting to know your new class and the parents and put things in place. Then Christmas comes along which is equally crazy with performances etc to organise. Spring term is quite a nice one (unless you’re in a SATs year group) with no major events. Then along come Summer with report writing, final data deadlines and end of year activities. So your life outside of school generally ebbs and flows along with it (in my experience).

Good luck!

Looubylou · 21/08/2021 14:23

I'm not a teacher, but I did a 1 year post grad uni course, which was also very heavy on professional placements. I did not have time to do anything other than work, study, and be a mum to my under 1. Walked when I could, but trying to prioritise fitness too, would have led to failure. I would get settled onto your course, and then see what you have time to do. Same when you start working as teacher. Lots of jobs can be all consuming if you let them though- if you find no time for you once settled, it's the wrong job.

MasterGland · 21/08/2021 14:25

@hobnobsandbroomstick. Goodness, that made me laugh and cringe. I am reminded of a safeguarding talk we had in an old school I used to work in, where it was advised that we probably should never wear a bikini, ANYWHERE, including foreign countries, as you never know where the kids might be!!

Elkey · 21/08/2021 14:50

@mrsblobbyspants

Pleasure. I qualified a year ago. I start on Sunday. I usually work from 11am to about 6pm, planning lessons and preparing for the week. I teach approx 150 kids a week so lots to prepare. Mon to Friday, I start work at 7.30 and leave at 5pm - I teach 6 lessons a day and have meetings, detentions and extra duties the rest of the time. I do not have any lunch breaks as pupils pop in for help most days - I eat lunch whilst working with them. At 5pm I go home, cook for my family and then sit down around 7pm to work. I have 150 books a week to mark, 150 pieces of homework to mark and log in detail onto a spreadsheet (all paper because my school won't pay for online homework packages) and various behaviour reports to complete. I often sit until midnight doing marking, more planning and preparing revision resources for my year 11's. I must also note that I do not get 13 weeks "holiday" - other than 25 days paid, the rest is UNPAID leave. We get our salary over 12 months but we don't get paid for 12 months. I worked in industry for 15 years in a well paid profession. I have never worked as hard or been treated with as much contempt as I do now. I stay because I genuinely love most of the kids I teach and want the best for them. I have to buy by own books, pens, cellotape etc as the school cannot afford them. I don't want sympathy as I have a choice. I won't last much longer and will go back to industry leaving kids to be taught by trainees and non-specialist teachers - I teach a key subject with a massive shortage of teachers. I also teach in a deprived area where they struggle to recruit teachers as nobody wants to work there. The education system is an utter mess!

This is an extremely accurate depiction of how I found it. Though there's a lot hidden in the term "extra dutes" and doesn't account for all the other little things on top such as phoning parents, dealing with endless emails, arranging extracurricular activities etc. Then there's busier times when there's there's mock exam marking and report writing on top. All while managing behaviour (spend hours planning a lesson you think your kids enjoy only to be called a c*nt because this kid is having a bad day); managing parents who treat you as the enemy (such as those who can't understand why their child hasn't attained a higher grade or won't accept they've behaved badly etc.); and facing pressure, blame and recrimination over every little thing (your form has poor attendance or a child from your form isn't in uniform again).

Of course it's not the only demanding job, but there's a reason there's a teacher recruitment and retainment crisis.

Thadhiya · 21/08/2021 15:00

@54321nought

I was a teacher and a mother, there wasn't really an opportunity to exercise for around 10 years or so!

There was a gym at school, and also a badminton club, and I always aimed to go, but rarely made it - a couple of people did make it

Being a mother isn't an excuse not to exercise either. The child has two parents. One is perfectly able to leave the house leaving the other in charge of the children.