To think it's not normal for over 35% of teachers to have cried at work this term?

[Postapocalypticcowgirl]

Whenever we talk about teacher working conditions, teacher strikes etc on here people always point out that lots of others have really stressful jobs. But this can't be normal in any job, surely? It's not even people who've cried about work- just people who've cried at work.

I think this is really indicative of the stress a lot of teachers are under, and the real reason a strike is on the cards. But it's hard to strike about workload/stress/behaviour/parental and SLT expectations- whereas striking over pay is legally straightforward.

No matter what job a person is in, they will have occasions where they cry at work/about work. Not just teachers.

I always tell the NCT and trainees to expect to cry, then they don't feel as bad when they do! I think its partly because as teachers we want to do well and hold ourselves to that standard, whereas if I didn't care about what I was doing I wouldn't cry over it.

In my role (not teaching) stress is huge and people often feel at breaking point. As a society generally there are too many jobs where this is the case.

How do you know this isn’t the same for all jobs? I cried about work last week. I have so much to do, a lot that needs buy in from other people and it seems to be taking forever

I'm not surprised at all. I work in FE and my colleagues are on the floor this term, I've never seen morale this low. I cried twice today and at least three other times this week, and have seen other colleagues crying and being totally overwhelmed and struggling - and I don't mean one or two people, I mean maybe 10 this week.

I don't think it is normal/right that in 6 or 7 weeks a third of teachers have been reduced to tears.
Yes, people may cry at work sometimes but that is a very high percentage.

This is one of those things you can really not understand until you've walked in their shoes.

It's a job where you don't just invest your time and effort, you put your heart and soul out there and it's massively scrutinised, judged and can be torn apart.

Sometimes you cry because of the workload and impossible deadlines, often you'll cry over the brutality of the children's home life and other times it is frustration or relief.

I'm not surprised at all.

I only taught for 3 years, but I remember going into the book cupboard to have a cry on several occasions. It's a bloody stressful job.

I used to cry all the time when I was a teacher (not in front of the kids but many evenings) usually about student behaviour or abuse from parents.
I have been in a different job for nearly a year and my life has been transformed. Yeah I get stressed sometimes but nothing that happens at work has ever made me cry.
I'm sure it happens in other professions too but I can only speak as an ex teacher

Playing devil's advocate here but the reason is needed imo. I would expect people in jobs like teaching, social work, care, medical settings to cry because they come across some really heartbreaking situations.

If the teachers are crying because there's a lack of support from higher up and central government then that's different.

Yes, that is a very high percentage.

I used to be a teacher and was regularly reduced to tears, not often in front of a class but it did happen.

I also saw a teacher cry this week after a parent berated them in the playground.

I think the reason is burnout. Overwork, overwhelm, lack of support and utter exhaustion.

I’m SLT in a secondary school and after 16 years in education I’ve decided to hand in my notice after half term. The stress is ruining my physical and mental health, and I’m a tough cookie in general.

I’ve had enough. This isn’t a life.

I have a lot of respect for teachers - my sister is a teacher but blimey you’ve got a very distorted sense of the world. You think you have the toughest job in the world - you don’t. You think everyone hates you - they don’t. You think you’re particularly hard done by - you’re not. There are tons and tons of tough professions where I imagine employees crying is not unusual. You can’t pluck a piece of research out of the air and consider it relevant without some comparisons

I’m surprised it’s only 35%! I’m a teacher and have cried several times at work this half term and I know most of my close colleagues have as well. Usually it’s because I’m overwhelmed and the stress just builds up to the point you need a little cry. I teach at a special school and we also have many with children with complex medical needs/ life limiting conditions so sometimes their situations can be emotionally tough to deal with and we also have many students with very challenging behaviour and sometimes after an incident the only thing to do is cry, especially if somebody has been hurt/ injured in any way. As long as crying isn’t done in front of the children I feel like it’s fairly normal and better to cry at school than hold it in and take the tears and emotional stuff home when it’s still raw.

I never cried at work, but had a boss who broke down once. The stress he had on was imense.

I know some teachers.
So yeah, I believe it.

Teachers are not special I'm afraid. Lots of jobs are stressful with worse pay and worse terms.

That's awful. I am a teacher but at a university. I cried once in the summer which was v unusual. To be regularly stressed to tears is not right in any profession.

Moral in teaching is so low at the moment 😔

I've cried at work I'm not a teacher. DH has never cried in work he's SLT. Teachers are under stress but so are a lot of other professions.

*morale

EXACTLY what I said. It's just so narrow minded and ludicrous to assume it's only TEACHERS who have a stressful job!

Mmmm.

Too many variables.

35% of teachers surveyed (just under 8k according to the pic) is not the same as 35 % of all teachers.

Why are they crying? Are they not suited to the job? Is it too much stress? Not enough support? Kids being awful?

Yep, this. ^

For parenting site people do quite hate people who take care of their kids for quite a large proportion of their childhood...