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.

And @Topgub I would say that parents are genuinely supportive but often don’t have the first clue how to help because some of the behaviours are so complex.

Many parents have no idea what their kids are viewing and (quite understandably) are busy with the complex worries of adult life these days.

There used to be sure start centres and parents help from social services. It has all disappeared in the cuts.

We have finally got rock bottom. Schools are now being asked to teach, feed, diagnose SEN, develop support plans, act as social services and provide parent support. Which used to be the job of at least four different agencies. That is where the tension is.

A parent asked me last week if the school could provide help with her elective mute daughter. She’s been on the CAHMS waiting list for three years. We do what we can but we have no training in this area.

Just teaching, marking and answering parent emails take from 7.30 to 5pm every working day. And even then I am letting a lot of stuff slide to deal with behaviour issues as they crop up.

I worked 7.30am to 8pm last week solidly, without a lunch break and still did not finished everything- not for want of trying.

I don’t think it’s me who is confused - did the world end when they asked for a higher salary? It it only teachers who negotiate salary in your field? Have you never negotiated terms when starting in a new field?

This is another weird post from you, are you all right? Why so aggressive?

Dont forget watching Star Wars!

Although I wouldn’t have be quite so personal 😱

I’m not really enjoying Star Wars tbh. Mind you, it’s better than being called a pig.

Well quite

Services are absolutely broken and it is near impossible to get any sort of intervention for people. Teachers are bearing the brunt of children, other services are bearing the brunt of adults and whole families.

Staff are on their knees, dealing with situations in which they feel absolutely helpless. I have uttered more than once at work about serious case reviews, but it seems nothing is learnt and little is done to prevent more.

I do know of more than one situation where every other statuary service have shrugged their shoulders and said "not our job" leaving it to schools and non-profit organisations to deal with.

Everyone is broken, and I can't see it getting any better soon.

@MNHQ

Please don’t delete this thread just because some people hate teachers so much that they’ve started a bun fight and are now being vile.

I would really like parents to know how fucked schools are.

I;ve been support or admin staff in education for 20 years, across all age groups, and while my job is very busy and pressured it's nothing like what a teacher experiences. When you are in sole charge of 30 other demanding people there is nowhere to hide. You are "on stage" with all eyes looking at you and you have to be competent and resilient and give your all at all times. In most jobs there is a team of people working with you most of the time. Someone who can take up the slack and make you a cuppa if they know you're feeling on the edge and close to tears. To send you to the break room/canteen/round the block for 10 mins change of scene or fresh air. If there isn't a team right there with you then it usually means you have an office of your own. A desk to hide behind to cry into your tissues and get the stress out that way uninterrupted. You can put your phone on answerphone while you have a sob and release the tension.

There is very little time during the school day when teachers are able to not be "on show" to children or parents. Usually on break times that they're not on break duty they're prepping for next lesson or dealing with a pupil who is having an issue. If they have time to use the toilet to quickly empty their bladder then that is a good break time. Any tears that do flow have to be quickly away because they haven't got time to let the floodgates open properly to end up a snotty mess. Lunchtimes are just as busy and often involve ringing a parent or doing dining hall duty, or running to the office to order supplies or photocopy.

After school they're dealing with parents on the phone, meeting with colleagues to discuss curriculum stuff (no time to discuss personal stuff really), marking and prepping. There is no let up at home at night because there is more marking and prepping and emails to answer.

I'm not at all surprised at the figures, OP. Teachers are like pressure cookers. There is no let up and eventually they burst. I'm not sure there is anything that can be done to avoid it because of the nature of the job. Outside life pressures like cost of living and worries about elderly parents only will get worse and build their stress up more.

I thinkA&E staff are probably similar. Although if things get too much for them they can usually take a few mins in the staff room or a corridor to pull themselves together and talk to someone else who knows how they feel, before heading back out to deal with the next patient. But a teacher can't leave a class of children alone for any length of time so there is just no opportunity to release a build up of pressure before it gets too much.

A 16 year working part time in the catering trade negotiates at the moment.
There is a national labour shortage!

Of course inexperienced people negotiate.

Quite sad that you think it is odd. This is what contributes to the gender pay gap.

This is the worrying thing, isn't it? I've noticed it too. Other services know that school staff will do their utmost to pick up the slack.

@CurlyhairedAssassin

Exactly. We are the public facing role and they know that parents come to us first. So we have to make something happen for the kids, even if we have to do it ourselves with what little resources we have.

Why would they delete a whole thread on the basis of one personal comment, don’t be so reactive.

I have twice this year. I'm on SLT and it's just horrendous.

*It surprises me that people are happy for very stressed out, unhappy people to be looking after their children for six hours a day (or more) most weeks.

It also surprises me that so many people are saying this level of being upset at work is normal- I think that shows that something urgently needs to change.*

Exactly!

Whitefire and curlyhairedasssasin giving good examples of the only teachers ever have to....post

@BeenThereDoneThat21

Anyone who is SLT at the moment must be putting in some hours. We’ve had two decide to leave in January after land teaching careers. Not sure how anyone copes with it at the moment, especially anyone who is a DSL.

@Divebar2021 I'm a teacher and I agree with you. A huge number of my colleagues in the various schools I've worked in, and myself also included, have never worked in any career except teaching. Therefore, we have absolutely no idea what any other career is like as a full time role and I do think it often means we are a bit unaware of how hard other careers really are.

I've worked in part time retail, children's holiday camps, some waitressing etc as a teenager until I qualified as a teacher (early 20s) and these jobs were challenging in their own ways but teaching is on another level when it comes to stress. However I am always happy to hold my hands up and say I am completely unaware of the pressures of other jobs such as banking, nursing, caring, marketing etc.

I think that figure is quite low tbh. I'd imagine nurses would be far higher.

Yep. According to curlyhairedasssasin teachers crying at work is worse for teachers than crying at work in other jobs, even A&E staff!

@WhiteFire @CurlyhairedAssassin @Legrandsophie
Do you think you could express the challenges you face without denigrating other professions?
Maybe other services aren't 'passing the buck' because they'll know you pick it up but because they are on their knees too? Maybe they are picking up far more than you think, and are in tears in their workplace scared that what they are doing is unsafe and not acceptable and dealing with much more severe issues than previously?
And maybe there are lots of other professions where every minute counts and you have to be 'on' and you don't feel you have a second to pee let alone cry and no they don't get to pop around the block or have someone make them a cup of tea.
And maybe those professions are your best allies and source of comfort and support and solidarity?
Maybe you are more similar than you are different and it's counterproductive to keep implying otherwise?

@Overthebow

But even then, A&E staff still don't have it as bad

😆