I can’t do this anymore!

[Undertherainbow00]

Teacher here - not posting this in the staff room chat as I really do need a broad range of responses. Please be gentle, I’m really fragile right now!

Do you think it is reasonable to change up classes (primary) midway through an academic year?
Do you think it is reasonable that an already unmanageable workload is increased to save money on staffing?
Do parents realise how little time teachers have off?
Oh but all those holidays… Aka my working from home days or the two weeks I spend every summer decorating the classroom (literally painting the walls) and prepping for the year ahead!
Friday night and I’m writing my weekend to do list - all work related.
PPA today but spent it dealing with a safeguarding incident. My responsibility as class teacher (no argument on that one) but that time isn’t given back.
I won’t even mention the challenges of dealing with children who have SEND but who have no access to services. Referrals are paused or have an approximate waiting list time of 2.5 years… In the meantime, teachers get on with it.

please give me perspective - should I just walk away?
You should suck it up and wait until the end of the academic year - you are in a vocational profession. What did you expect, proper funding?
The thought of more change for the children is heartbreaking but I really am considering leaving. I feel broken. I can’t do this anymore.

Go self employed and create a fun after-school club instead.

I think you've answered your own question really

Walking away from teaching (70 hour weeks) was the best thing I ever did.

I now write and deliver training for an organisation in house, wfh a lot of the time. Get paid more money for fewer than half the hours.

I'm astonished that more teachers aren't leaving the profession.

From what I see, the workload, the constant struggle for resources, the expectations of parents who aren't prepared to implement good behavioural standards in their children, the erosion of respect for the profession.

Teaching must be emotionally and physically exhausting.

But as a parent, I hope you stay in a job which you probably had so much passion for when you started your career. And I hope that your SLT recognise your worth.

YANBU. It's inhumane. It was bad enough 15 years ago, I can't even imagine now.

You are amazing. The job is never done. Put down the pen and step away from the work this weekend. Give yourself the weekend off and reevaluate at half term.

i know it’s easy to say “don’t work” as i understand the millions of things that probably need doing… but do they? Or will an alternative do? Is it life and death? A break will help

also please do not spend two weeks of your holiday painting a classroom…

You are fantastic OP - I really do take my hat off to teachers for the brilliant work you all do. I had a go at training to be a teacher a few years ago and I couldn’t do it - I left after a few months.

You sound so committed and determined, and a real asset to your school and the profession. Having said that, there are huge demands being placed on you all the time, which must feel relentless. I’m so sorry you feel so demoralised. If you want to leave teaching, I think you should explore another job. I’m sure there are many other jobs you could do. Good luck 🌺🌺

Personally I think more teachers need to walk away because our education system is crazy for kids and teachers! My mum took early retirement from teaching last year because she simply couldn’t do it anymore. I grew up with my mum always working even when at home. I used to get very upset when people said she had all those paid holidays!!! If only that were true!!
our kids are suffering and until something drastic happens nothing will change.
I think all teachers are amazing. Underpaid and undervalued. I don’t blame any of you that have or want to walk away.

Both DH and I have abandoned teaching because of the hours.

DH has never looked back since joining the CS while I've remained in school to keep my term time working (and actually get the holidays off now, bar checking my emails a couple of times) and moved over to the finance office.

Bloody hell, it's revolutionised our life!!!

You do such an important and mostly thankless job. It is becoming unbearable in schools now. Fewer TAs and so much more to do.
However, I would like to suggest a big walk, massage or day off doing what you love and prioritise the 'life and death' type stuff vs the 'it can wait' stuff. I feel like we get so wrapped up in it that it's hard to prioritise things because someone will stress you out over something Ofsted are looking for and simultaneously a parent will email you with concerns, a colleague will tell you something unnerving, a child will disclose something or some of the children with SEN need help with lots of things with no TAs to support them, just to name a few. It must be the biggest multi- tasking role ever. Good luck with your next steps.

Teachers are really under appreciated in society. OP you sound like a wonderful teacher, doing her best to compensate for everything that is lacking from n education, but it sounds like it’s making you ill.
Time to put your health first and quit. Think about tutoring or simply getting a job in retail or hospitality. Anything else really.

I certainly wouldn’t be a teacher.I’m sure there are other things you can pursue. I know several
people who have left teaching, one after 25 years. They don’t regret it, they have their lives back. I think those that manage it must be extremely skilled/resilient.

i entered the nursing profession young. i do think there's a benefit to thinking of teaching as a job. this job should be one that suits you and in an environment that suits you.

you go to work, do your best but don't get involved, how the children feel or react to change is not up to you.
you need to set up firm boundaries, painting decorating needs to stop, the physical space is not yours, routine maintenance needs to be done by the school not you. you don't see nurses painting corridors or the nursing station do you?
next at different times in your career, it's reasonable to switch from full time, to part time, from an elementary school to a college, from state to private what ever works for you.
for your own sanity you need to take care of you.

It is absolutely insane how poorly education is funded and how badly so many teachers are supported. Teachers TEACH our bloody kids, for heaven's sake - we should be looking after them properly and funding them adequately.

Why are you painting the classroom walls? And why are you doing it every year?!

I think being a teacher/doctor/nurse in the uk is self harm at this point. Put yourself and your health first. Wishing you the best ‘

I walked away last year. I thought I'd miss it, I loved working with children but I dont. Youre only a number to the school, all that extra time you put in counts for nothing when you leave totally replaceable by someone less qualified and the children you feel bad about leaving forget about you and move on in a few weeks.

As for the school holidays, I don't even miss not having them, I'm not on my knees by the end of the half term. My line manager (kindly) tells me off if I work more than my 37 hours. I'm not ill every two weeks.
I WFH so I find that a little isolating compared to speaking to 150+ students a day and I miss the energy of the school in September / run up to Christmas but that's it.

Leave, volunteer at a sports club or scouts / girl guides instead and have the best if both worlds.

Everything I read about being a primary teacher in England leads me to think it's an utter mugs game.

Why are you having to paint your classroom walls? Bloody hell. I resent my husband having to buy extra whiteboard markers.

The teaching unions have clearly been gutted, the funding is insane, the expectations are bizarre, the conditions sound appalling.

No one should be painting their classroom in the summer holidays! That’s ridiculous.
Maybe try a different school? I’ve been teaching for quite a long time now and rarely bring much work home. You do the best you can with what you have and that’s all you can do. In the past if my workload has been increased I’ve asked for more time or support to get things done. Don’t suffer in silence or be a martyr or nothing will change.

Do what you need to do for you. It’s great that you care about the children, but you also need to look after yourself.

Our 9 yo DS with SEN is just over half way through a two year waiting list for further assessment and support.

I work for Children’s Services which is obviously not the same, but the pressures and stress levels are similar to teaching. I just about manage my PT role due to mainly WFH and occasionally working outside of my contracted hours. Comparing the two sectors, I would say that teaching is worse re. the relentless workload that is expected as a matter of course.

We use a Tutor for our DC. This Tutor is also a Teacher. They recently reduced their hours at the OFSTED Outstanding primary school they work in. It was either that or they were going to leave.

Sorry to break from the thread but this job sounds so ideal and something I’d love to do. How did you get into this/what’s the job title?

OP, you deserve a medal honestly. I am not a teacher but I have worked in schools as part of my contract. Mixing with some of the teachers I was stunned at their workloads and how burnt out they were. People really don’t realise how much teachers do on the side. Hugs 💐

Find another job. You are not enjoying this one.

It's not as simple as that. So many teachers, like the OP, very much enjoy the job of teaching, but it is being made impossible for them, as OP has described.