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.

Shouldn't be a need to, if I was sounding off about work it may be about x, y, z but I am not so self centered that I would say or believe that I am in the only job where this is the case. To actually post on social media with that meme just means many people will just roll their eyes and scroll by when if the issues were actually posted about then people may actually stop and listen. For some reason you have decided I am against supporting teachers when that absolutely is not the case. I am just pointing out the flaws in how many people seem to go about discussing it.

You'll always get the morons saying that at least you have a job etc but the majority of people would hopefully understand.

I don't have the solutions, I have never said I have. Do you?

I cried last week, twice.
I am an outreach teacher, I go into primary schools to teach my subject and leave.

I cried this week because it turned out that one of my students at 9yo has the reading age of a reception age child - she can read words like rat, cat, dog. She has been unable to access the work in my subject for this entire half term because no one bothered to tell me this. I don't have access to any data about the children. I cried in frustration that no one had told me, and I cried for the child who has been sitting there unable to do anything every week and didn't dare say anything.

I also cried this week because one staffroom at school was full of food parcels. I thought they were what children had brought in for harvest festival. No. They were parcels FOR children at the school, because otherwise they'd go hungry over half term. It made me cry that some of my students are in that position.

I do have a solution - striking. Teachers need to vote with their feet, as I said earlier. Education needs reformed and it won’t be with teachers crying at their desks.

What do your friends say when you point out how much harder other professions have it?

I don't specifically, they are close friends and its not worth the argument, I may just agree and say yes it's been a tough week, I'd worked more than full time hours by Weds or something. I certainly wouldn't comment on FB at all.

Striking may be the only way then.

Scotland? That might explain it then as I don't think Scotland allows unqualified teachers.

@noblegiraffe

That would explain that I do in fact know what is going on in my kids education and that my point that not all areas are as bad as others is valid?

Huh.

Who'd have thought it.

That would explain that I do in fact know what is going on in my kids education and that my point that not all areas are as bad as others is valid?

I think pointing out you were talking about different countries rather than just different areas might have been helpful.

Sadly I am not surprised at the figure.

Perhaps if you are a parent who does not accept that your child can misbehave at school, or that rules should apply to everyone else, you should think carefully about the fact you may be contributing to this.

@noblegiraffe

I doubt it.

So you hold them up as an example of a moaning teacher on mumsnet instead? How close would you say you are?

I’m in Scotland and it certainly does happen here.

How?

You are deliberately picking holes in everything I have said. It is an anonymous forum and I am giving my opinion. It has no relation to how close I am to my friends. Surely you don't agree with everything your friends say but still love them all the same. I am giving examples on this thread as to why perhaps people don't take teachers concerns seriously.

Because TAs are used to cover classes.

You’re not though, you’re taking a couple of things your close friends have said and are extrapolating that out to all teachers.

@FlirtyMelons

Teachers have this weird denial thing where they will completely deny that aby teacher ever thinks their job is harder than any other, even when it's blatantly obvious.

@noblegiraffe

See?

I haven't said that at all, there are constant threads on here and loads of posts on FB about it so it's not just a couple of stories from my friends. Generally posters on MN can only give their own experiences etc, that's what happens on a forum and exactly what I have done. You seem completely invested in picking me apart for some reason.

I have never disagreed that teachers may have shit conditions. I have no idea why you keep going on at me.

Ah, cover.

England has unqualified teachers hired to teaching positions.

My job, public sector, is having a recruitment problem at the moment. I think working with the general public is getting too difficult for many people.

I don’t think my job is any harder than any others - teaching is my second career and it is incredibly less stressful than my previous career because I’ve got much more control over what I do. Also I don’t have to manage staff, which was a total ball ache in my last job. So I make my job much easier by refusing to work after 5. But that means if your kid is in one of my classes then there are very little frills around what we do - I don’t put displays up, for example. I do the best I can with what I’ve got because I need a better life balance, and that’s absolutely fine.

But I also refuse to be emotionally blackmailed, and I’m lucky I’m at the age and stage that I can make that refusal. Teaching is a job, not a lifestyle.

It's baffling. At least the OP had the decency to admit they believe teachers must have the worst job and was shocked that crying at work is so common.

I genuinely wish teachers would discuss publicly what their actual issues are, all I hear about is how they have to work outside their normal hours, for me that is pretty normal and is for most people I know at work.

I know.

@Pumperthepumper

Good for you?

Maybe you could teach your colleagues to do the same

@Pumperthepumper I haven't in any way suggested it was you saying this though. I am giving you examples of my experiences which are far more than just a couple of stories from friends, i could spend an hour typing all the examples I have seen though.

It may well be that you are still providing a high quality lesson though without the additional resources. Arguably better if you are in a better state of mind.

I don't think anyone is suggesting teaching is easy in anyway. I definitely have never coming across a hatred of teachers, I only knew it was a 'thing' from MN.