Sick of the cliches - on our knees, leaving in droves, unprecedented, we’re all so tired etc

[splittinhairs]

The same old phrases spouted out again and again when explaining why certain professions should have a pay rise. Can’t people think of their own way of describing how they feel? In my opinion what they’re trying to say just completely loses all impact.

Since most of the post on Mumsnet are full of the same old tired clichés, and indeed most of us use shorthand to get our message across, I don't think it's that strange that people will default to hackneyed phrases. Much of the messaging is also 'translated' by the media eg Mick Lynch in right wing tabloids is always a union 'baron', and media bosses are 'fat cats', and a child that dies is a 'tragic tot'.

Imagine having the luxury of the thing that annoys you from the shit show going on just now is other people who are actually dealing with it describing how shit it is!

I'm fucking knackered and want to spend more time with my own kids.

How's that for you?

A bun fight hand grenade of a single, opening post, isn't it?

How about...
I stayed an hour late at my clinic as a client called threatening suicide.
My very own words.
Promise.

@Cherryana sounds like we have had a similar day

I (in absolute desperation and out of necessity) today had to change my tampon in a cupboard in the back of my classroom in the 30 seconds between one class leaving and the next arriving, at around 1.30pm as there was no opportunity to go to the toilet from 8.15 onwards... can feel the UTI kicking in as we speak, and cannot emphasise how degraded and disgusting that made me feel.

How about the expectations placed on me are far beyond what is reasonable to expect someone to be able to cope with.

But I have to keep coping, all the while being told that, yes they understand that it's not possible and yes they understand its causing moral injury and burn out but no you're still not doing enough. You have to do more. With less. For less.

And accept criticism from people who wouldn't last 5 min before they ran away crying.

you carry on delivering on the peoples' priorities...

ODFOD

How about "A child in my class is so dangerous that I have been injured numerous times trying to protect the other children in my class, and there is no space in an SEN setting locally, but he has to have an education so we are required to have him until his EHCP is finished, but the wait time is 40+ weeks and I could be paid more working at Aldi or McDonalds where no one intentionally hurts me". That is what I mean when I say I need a pay rise.

I find one of the most annoying terms "industrial action" used when "strike" is better.

Most strikers have never seen industry except in Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and nobody (except possibly the French) would make an "action" film featuring a dozen glum characters stood at the side of the road doing nothing for 3 hours.

And yes to the 'fight or flight' feeling, that rising feeling of dread and panic when once again, the usual suspects set out to totally destroy hours of planning, the learning of all the good kids who want to learn, and you are trapped in there putting up with it and trying to keep calm and carry on, as you know no-one will do anything about the persistent shit behaviour, and they have got away with it all day due to having lesson after lesson of cover or supply as there are no flipping staff left!

And when you just know it's when they really kick off that someone important will be hovering outside the door, ready to pounce in and blame you. Always looking for the bad.

Or just absolutely exhausted from planning and planning and planning and literally giving it your all so afore said usual suspects are too blindsided and busy to kick off, and then after an hour of living on your nerves and have basically used up every spare second of energy, to then be faced with another four lessons, and intervention straight after school... and of course no lunch break as you have to deal with the aftermath of the usual suspects telling you to fuck off and die when you simply ask why they haven't got their book/are late/are hitting another student round the head...

And tbf I am a good teacher, 15 years of experience and my behaviour management is considered excellent 🤣🤣🤣

Is having to look after your own children during the holidays a complaint?! Surely most parents would love to be able to do that?! Every working parent I know is gutted they have to use holiday clubs etc. don’t really get this.

Most parents would love to be not working whilst looking after their dc during their school holidays. Many many teacher friends are juggling entertaining their dc whilst working trying to catch up/forward plan during school holidays.

Remember how hard lockdown was? Try doing that for every school holiday on top of your full time job. The '13 weeks loads of school holidays' idea is great until you factor in that you actually work during most of those, it's not a 3 months off a year job!

I would have loved to come home at 3.45, given my own kids my undivided attention for all of their school holidays instead of shuffling them around between grandparents' houses and not had to feel guilty about what work I'm NOT doing whilst trying to actually spend time on holiday.

This is why teachers, nurses, doctors etc get so fucked off - people's perception of the job is sooooooooo awry. My sister and her partner are doctors. They've had one week off together in 3 years thanks to hospital scheduling. Not a single Christmas together for the whole time they've been together. Which would be OK if they were mega salaries, but as junior doctors they're not. Long long long hours, zero family life and nothing but shit (sometimes literally) from Joe Public.

Perfectly put, @LakieLady !

And I think people get so fucked off with the teachers who think their job is soooo much harder than every other job. Yes it's hard, many, many jobs are really hard.
DD's teacher certainly didn't spend the summer holidays working, he spent a month of it travelling around Australia. I know because I follow him on Instagram.

💐 to you too. It’s so shit. Seriously I think it’s one of the worst parts of the job, some notion, that we are robots with no need for breaks.

I'm 55 and count my blessings every bloody day I do my 9 to 5 office job, 3 days of that at home.
I did teaching in my 40s for 2 years. I rapidly decided that there were easier ways to make a modest living.
I have school friends that work in teaching. Everyone of them knackered and worn out. And now seemingly being eyed up by Headteachers as hoping to get rid of and replaced by NQTs who are cheaper.
I have school friends that are nurses. Their "part time" is the same as my full time. Doing 13 plus hours on understaffed wards, huge responsibility and feck all thanks. All of them can't see how they can carry on for another 12 years.

The UK was on its knees earlier on here, so not just the nurses and teachers

@georgethegeranium I DID get a very serious UTI once, from not being able to go to the loo regularly and consequently not drinking enough during the day. Toilets are never located conveniently, ours was opposite to the staffroom on the total opposite end of the school from my classroom. Lunch was the only time I might have time for a wee. Quite often I had to choose between going to the toilet or having a very quick 2-3 min lunch.

We had no midday assistants so we had to stay in the hall to supervise lunches (KS1) until every child had finished. In addition to that we dealt with first aid, safeguarding or bullying incidents. When you have to choose prepping afternoon lessons or eating, you inevitably choose lesson prep.

My typical day started at 7.30, walking to the photocopier by 7.45 because by 8am there would be a long queue. I would typically finish at 5.30-6.00 and then WFH from 8-11.00. By Friday afternoon I was quite literally on my knees, still wearing Thursday's messy shower- bun.

We once ran out of everything, no pens or pencils, no glue sticks, no exercise books, no colour copier. My lovely TA found a box of old chewed up pencils at the back of the cupboard, which we promptly put to use.

These are your children's schools, hospitals and universities. Think about that for a moment.

Don't all professions deserve a payrise?
I can only afford 90% of what I could last year due to inflation. Why should I have to live a lesser lifestyle this year than last?
I don't want more I just want the same

A teacher went on HOLIDAY???!!!!
How very dare he. Bet he’s got the heating on right now the little fucker

I had to hide a thread yesterday because I was sick of reading 'leaving in droves'

Thing is, most of what I read here is not unique to public services. It describes many jobs, industries, professions in the private sector ( who also are receiving far below inflation pay rises if any)
it’s not a race to the bottom of course but it’s also not just public sector who are ‘on their knees’

@Oysterbabe oh baby, little do you know!

The teacher probably spent the weeks before the summer holiday planning and prepping for September in order to take those 4 weeks off to travel. Otherwise he probably took his work laptop with him to Australia and worked on the go. I used to spend at least 2-3 weeks of summer holidays getting ready for September.

I know!!! I couldn't believe it. I thought they worked 25 hours every single day based on the posts on here.