To wonder if any teachers can help me …

[Peekaboolight]

How do you get stuff done?

I’ve been trying all weekend, unsuccessfully, to get my planning and marking sorted (I have a toddler) admittedly we are going through a VERY challenging stage with sleep so not going to bed early.

But I’m struggling so much, just bogged down with work

Do you have anyone who would have him for a couple of hours at the weekend?

It does get slightly easier as they get older. I have two under 6 and life's easier now than when I first returned. Sleep is more consistent (from them) which really helps.
I do have some evenings on the laptop in their bedroom but this too shall pass.

It’s impossible when you have kids and teach English and the marking that goes with it without working yourself into the ground. I did fifteen years. When I had kids I went down to three days. Then gave up completely.

@Peekaboolight I also think you need to adopt a mindset of ‘I’ve done as much as I should’ not ‘as much as I can’. The latter tends to mean you always feel that you haven’t done enough and are pushing yourself to do more. I think that turning up each day, doing as much planning and marking as is reasonable and possible in your contracted hours (and a few extra on top but no more than that a week) is enough. I have refused to beat myself up over not doing more than that and am content that I am a decent teacher. I would be better if I had more PPAs and breaks where I’m not on duty, but I don’t and I know I’m not any better when I’m wrung out and exhausted, so I’m content with that.

You need to accept your limits and make clear your boundaries at work to both staff and students. When my ks3 classes ask if I have marked their assessments yet I point out to them that I have 3 GCSEs worth of marking from the mocks (I teach film studies too), plus coursework to mark, extra revision sessions to run and parents evenings etc. I also remind them I’m not paid to mark at the weekends or in my holidays. I’m not snarky with them, I just tell them the truth and often kids respect that. You need to do the same with your line manager. A shrug isn’t good enough, you need to tell them what your working hours are and the marking load are not matching up and that systems such as live marking, need to be implemented as you have a right to a work life balance.

This is the first year I've felt pretty much on top of most things most of the time. This also happens to be the year that I went part time! I can get (pretty much) all of my work done if I'm in school from 7.30-4 five days a week when I'm only working a 0.8 timetable.

The insanity of work longer hours and shut yourself off from your child at the weekends replies.

I am leaving teaching and cannot wait. The job isn’t worth all the family time I’ve missed over the past years.

I agree it's insane. It's the only way I've survived over the past ten years and it shouldn't be that way. No wonder no one wants to be a teacher.

Good luck in your future career.

English is one of the hardest ones for marking. Go for light touch marking. A lot of English teachers give too much feedback and students can’t take it on board. One of my daughter’s teacher sometimes wrote more than she did! My daughter couldn’t deal with that much feedback. My daughters best English teacher double ticked v. good things(quicker than a comment) made one short positive comment at the end and occasionally a target. She flourished when she was taught by him and did really well in her exams because she felt confident and enthused.

@Whoatealltheminieggs it isn’t impossible if you work in a school that respects work life balance. I know these are as rare as hens teeth, but they do exist and I wish people weren’t being forced out of the profession or into part time work (unless that’s what they want) just to cope. My current school allows me a work life balance and I have worked in other schools that did too, though I have also worked in ones where it was insane and I left to go somewhere better.

Live mark in lessons. Build in silent independent tasks into your lessons and then mark the books of one table or row each lesson. Get some peer marking going on too. Do assessments on paper so they are easier to take home and mark than carting a whole set of books.

The only way I get round it is by never having a break. (Not ideal but I get it all done)

If you get to work at 8am get straight to your classroom and start marking, you may be able to finish a set if you work through break too. (Depending if you have a tutor group)

I eat at my desk and do more planning/marking at lunch. If you don't have a meeting after school do another 1/2 set then.

Also if you ask your class to leave their books open at their desk I find that easier as I can just walk from desk to desk and they are all on the right page.

Year 13 won't be giving you weekly marking, and essay every two weeks? That's manageable and classes are usually smaller.
Dedicate Saturday or Sunday night to getting the other marking done.

With planning, I plan for the year, with PowerPoints, resources, videos etc all in a folder ready to go. July will see your year 13s gone so you will have time, use them to plan for or next year.

I usually go into school one day in the holidays too.
Or do you have a partner/any childcare available? As find if I stay really late at school one evening a fortnight I can get loads done. Without the distractions of home.

Primary teacher here. So slightly different. In all the schools I’ve worked in over the years, most of the teachers are still in school at 5pm, some even later. I now work part time (2 days) covering PPA so my workload is slightly less than a class teacher. I prep for the day when I start (8am). I mark over lunchtime in my classroom then do another hour at the end of the day before I go home. I have 12) books to mark each day!!! some marking is in depth, some is a quick tick. I realised some years ago that I didn’t need to write reams in books as feedback, not did each child have to have a different comment. I mark against the LO, highlight some incorrect spellings for the children to self correct.
during a lesson, I also do live marking as much as possible.

@Sherrystrull thank you for the good luck wishes. I will have set working hours. That’ll do me for now. I’ve missed enough of DC1’s childhood and DC2’s toddlerhood but I’m hoping that ends in July for all three DC.

I do understand what you’re saying but can you tell me what other jobs there are that pay the same wages but allow you to work less hours?? 8:30 to 5 is fairly standard hours. The weekend work not so much I suppose.
I feel my head allows excellent work/life balance. I still need to be doing my job til about 5pm most evenings.

I’ve never really stayed particularly late (unless for a parents evening, etc) because I’m just not much use at the end of the day. I am a bit exhausted after teaching all day.

Ideally I’d get in early and get sorted then but I can’t due to nursery opening times.

@Smartiepants79

Teaching isn't 8.30-5

I do 7.30-5.30 at school and then at least an extra 12 hours during the week.

That sounds amazing! Best wishes to you and your family.

Your ideal can't happen at the moment due to nursery/childcare so you need to find the next least worse solution.

Is that keep DS in nursery til 5? Would they feed him thereby saving you time?
Would you get up at 5am and do an hour before he gets up? Does he need sleep training? Laptop on the bedroom floor? Marking on the landing while he lies in bed?

It's really shit when none of the options appeal. However it is unrealistic to expect teaching to only be 8-4, find a few more hours a week and then stick to them.

@Hercisback

marking on the landing on the floor? Wtf; imagine suggesting that to a different profession!!!!!

I am secondary Maths, I work 4 days.

Who does drop off/pick up? I share it with DH. He is the one in charge in the morning - mainly due to flex time and when I first returned to work nursery and school were too far apart for me to drop and get to work on time. They are 7 and 5 now and he still drops off to school first thing. They initially did 8-6 and coped fine.

I am not a morning person, I get to work at 815 ish, blitz final prep and crack on with the day, I have sacrificed 2 PPA's out of 3 a fortnight to be able to pick up the children one day a week, 2 days a week they are at a childminder, 1 day at after school club.

I work till 5, 2 days a week, on the third day meetings till 5 and then I work to 6 the other day. I work through every lunch and utilise every free to the maximum. It's hard work and draining but have done this since I returned after my first who was 11 months old. Most nights I do some work but weekend its only Sunday night when DH does bedtime so I can get going.

I think I am jus about managing, there are some really helpful tips here especially the visualiser.

What I can’t really do is add to DS’s day, apart from it feeling morally wrong it also is counterproductive because he’ll be desperate to spend more time with me so will end up in bed later.

we also have teeth at the moment, and they do look uncomfortable.

I left teaching last year because the workload seemed insane. And not in a fun way. 20+ year career.
Secondary English.

So glad that is behind me.

@OnceuponaRainbow18 Oh I know but I have been there!

I don't work at all in holidays and really try to avoid weekends. If that means marking on the landing during the week then so be it. 8-4 term time only isn't realistic for FT teaching. Those extra hours have to come from somewhere.

Well, I did say I have been working holidays and weekends - we all just do what we can manage and what is practical, I think.

That's the point isn't it, we all work differently depending on our lifestyles, other commitments and demands on our time. My week is chocked full, out of choice, for a free weekend. You don't want to do that so prefer to work weekends and holidays. I echo PPs that set working hours really helps, and once the limit is reached, do no more. Do the best you can in the time you have.

Agreed! I have worked on the bed while my dc slept next to me, on the floor while they were in the bath, while they were at activities, while making dinner. We do what we can do to get the work done and prioritise time with our dc.