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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have underestimated how demanding teaching is

179 replies

Makingplansfornigel2 · 07/09/2022 06:34

I was naive to think I could do the planning and marking in my frees and go home on time, I absolutely can't.
And this is with me using already planned lessons from TES. Either that or I print a worksheet and then create activities based on that, but this takes no more than 5 mins. I learned from the PGCE days that it's really not worth spending hours making fancy glittery PowerPoints.
We can't mark work in class as it's a school where they don't want you to tick things, they want written feedback in every book, and haven't got time to do that in lessons.
In between this there's tidying classrooms, adding on merits/behaviour points, contacting parents etc. And just having a break.
Would love to hear from anyone who gets it all done in school hours or stays the bare minimum after school!

OP posts:
OutDamnedSpot · 07/09/2022 06:36

YANBU, obviously. But I don’t know anyone (teachers or otherwise) who ever thought that would be possible…

ElephantePicante · 07/09/2022 06:38

YANBU. It's a thankless job.

alwaysfactor50 · 07/09/2022 06:38

I sat in my classroom and cried yesterday, I felt overwhelmed and the children aren't back yet.

I know I'll get people telling me I've had 6 weeks off and get a grip. I've been into school over the holidays but also wanted to give myself a bit of a break due to the ridiculous hours spent at the end of last term. I'm already overwhelmed with new behaviour policy, ofsted coming soon, knew planing systems. You have my sympathy

Original poster
Makingplansfornigel2 · 07/09/2022 06:39

Planning and marking homework too. I dread to think what it's like when reports are due as well. Also just realised there are about 5 different things they want us to glue in every book and I've only done two, oops, so will have to sort that this week. Gone are the days when you just had your exercise book given to you and that was it!

OP posts:
ChagSameachDoreen · 07/09/2022 06:40

I would honestly rather clean toilets than teach.

Original poster
Makingplansfornigel2 · 07/09/2022 06:41

I hope you feel better in the coming days, it is very overwhelming at the start especially for new staff with all the things they chuck at you! Just realised I haven't done my online training either due this Friday oops

OP posts:
Verbena87 · 07/09/2022 06:44

I go in early in the morning (so do 2 hours ish before p1) which helps loads. Usually leave between 4 and 5 at home time. So I guess I do 10/11 hour days but then bring relatively minimal work home. I don’t work at weekends, ever. I’m part time and I will do a bit on my days off some weeks, but not all.

That said, I’m secondary. There’s no way my primary teacher friend could manage like this - her workload is frankly stupid.

MistressIggi · 07/09/2022 06:45

Good grief where did you get the idea you could complete your work in free periods? There is not such thing as leaving "on time" either. Personally I set an amount of time I feel is reasonable (35 hours? 45 at busiest times) and try my best to stick to that. But that's still way longer than the pupil hours, as it should be!
You will get into a rhythm as you go along, OP. Thought the first year is always tough.
Best of luck!

RamblingFar · 07/09/2022 06:46

My sister fits it all in, or at least claims to, and as far as I know has never been under a capability plan for failing to. No idea how she does it though.

Unfortunately it just leads to the view in the family that I was being overly dramatic about the workload and that I should still be teaching.

I left nearly 3 years ago now. Workload was absolutely impossible. Often didn't leave school until 10pm (teachers had keys to lock up their classrooms). No life outside school.

I'm now self-employed. Work 7 days a week now building up my business. So much more time for a life though.

Fucket · 07/09/2022 06:48

get The students to self-mark homework. Go through the answers at the start of the lesson. They will learn from their mistakes and you get them to reflect on another pen colour I.e green.

Then when you do mark their books the process should be a heck of a lot quicker. You are providing feedback and perhaps one or two targets.

I never set any questions without having a markscheme and visualiser ready, so we can go through the answers together.

I believe the students learn so much more from this kind of marking.

plantseverywhere · 07/09/2022 06:49

I mean, yes, in a way I think YABU to have thought you’d be able to just do your work in the actual “work day”. That literally never happens. I am usually at work from about 7:30-6:30 most days but then I live really close to work so I then have a whole evening free when I get home.

I personally find my work life balance is now pretty decent but in my first year I was working through the evenings and then for 8-9 hours one weekend day too. It was exhausting and ridiculous but honestly, that’s teaching. You have to remember you aren’t doing any of it on “automatic” yet - you’re having to think hard about literally everything.

Your workload increases each year (in my experience) but so does your capacity to handle things. It is just not an easy ride, I’m sorry. There are still times when I’m like, there is physically not enough time to do everything… but it always gets done. As you’re an ECT you should have a mentor? Speak to them if you need to but honestly I’d give yourself a bit of time to try and get into a routine.

PopPopPopP · 07/09/2022 06:49

Ah bless you! I feel for you OP, but surely it's extremely well known that this is what teaching is?? I taught higher education for years and the marking, lesson planning etc.. was all in my spare time. It's a given in teaching and I thought this was obvious and everyone knew that.

Teaching isn't the only job where people work over their hours!! I'm in another field now and work way more extra hours than I ever did teaching. That's life! Especially the higher up the pay bands you go in my job anyway!

Stick with it OP, as you get more experienced you can re-use lesson plans etc.. and marking will be more streamlined.

Original poster
Makingplansfornigel2 · 07/09/2022 06:50

Thanks I will take the suggestions on board!

OP posts:
JangolinaPitt · 07/09/2022 06:51

I do my planning in free periods but marking is on top of that. Did a career before teaching and am used to impossible deadlines so this is no worse that any other professional career.

MardyBumm · 07/09/2022 06:53

I had a breakdown in my second year of teaching as the expectations from my head were too high and I was working 70 hours a week but still feeling like I was failing the children in my class. I've since accepted my list of things to do will never end and just prioritise what needs to be done each day and stop when I need to.

Yale445 · 07/09/2022 06:53

Oh OP I hate thinking of teachers like this. That’s so hard. I’ve been there. You need to find a different school not all are like that .

Look into sen. I work in a sen specialist school now and the days are very very busy but I leave at 4 x3 a week. No marking. Planning is much more creative and has to be more personalised so I do spend more time on that but I can do that of an evening with a glass of wine and I don’t not enjoy it IYSWIM. Assesment is done via photos which I take during the day and can update of an evening. We get more PPA time as well. I don’t feel my workload is excessive . And I enjoy the days so much more. There is such a sense of camaraderie in SEN. Think about it. You also get paid slightly more so it might be possible to drop to 4 days ? Which is what I do and that day just gives me time to breathe.

Skelligsfeathers · 07/09/2022 06:54

Is this secondary ir primary?

Notateacheranymore · 07/09/2022 06:55

Look at my username. Says it all really.

Original poster
Makingplansfornigel2 · 07/09/2022 06:55

This is secondary! Yes maybe could look at SEN as I also have some experience

OP posts:
Original poster
Makingplansfornigel2 · 07/09/2022 06:55

Yes it does 😁

OP posts:
21reasons · 07/09/2022 06:56

Eh? Why would you use a five minute worksheet from the TES? You are doing the students a disservice if you are making up random activities from a random worksheet.

You would get far more out of the job if you planned properly and gave students constructive feedback. Why do you want to get everything done asap in the school day?

Strange attitude for a new teacher or any teacher tbh.

Mookie81 · 07/09/2022 06:58

Fucket · 07/09/2022 06:48

get The students to self-mark homework. Go through the answers at the start of the lesson. They will learn from their mistakes and you get them to reflect on another pen colour I.e green.

Then when you do mark their books the process should be a heck of a lot quicker. You are providing feedback and perhaps one or two targets.

I never set any questions without having a markscheme and visualiser ready, so we can go through the answers together.

I believe the students learn so much more from this kind of marking.

She can't do that if it's not in her school's marking policy though. 🙄

Darbs76 · 07/09/2022 06:58

I always say to my kids if you calculated the time teachers spent working at home / before and after school in the classroom then they’d probably get no more than minimum wage.

Magnanimouse · 07/09/2022 06:59

The bad news is, no you can't go home on time and realistically get it done, particularly when you are new in your career.

The good news - you can time manage a little more than other employees (ie some days you can leave at 3.15 and then work until 6pm the next day) and you get the holidays, which are in effect a bit of a trade off for long hours in your working week.

As you progress in your career, you find ways to make it easier. And marking everything with written feedback sounds like your current school is a bit excessive, so there are easier schools out there. Realistically, you need to expect to work until 5pm or 5.30pm, and maybe one evening a week, and then start to feel that its "excessive" above that.

SunflowerOrange · 07/09/2022 06:59

You truly can't enter your first year of teaching without expecting to be working evenings and weekends. So yab aittle bit unreasonable for that. I'm amazed you've done a pgce year without realising how fill on it all is!

Otoh it does get a bit easier or we just adapt to crazy levels of pressure. Not sure. You kknd of weigh it up with lah and holidays and accept ypu dont really see people outaide work in term time. I loved it pre kids when I could do that. Otoh -T
there are a lot of people leaving teaching...