To think droves of teachers will make the decision by husband made today- to leave

[Peakyshelby]

Well after 6 years of teaching my husband has broken down, gone to the doctors, been signed off and says he is done.

he has done 3 years in 2 schools and then done supply for 3 years. There is too much to list but the highlights have been

been told to go and fuck himself and other insults thrown at him by kids with hardly any consequences from parents and schools

having stuff chucked at him

having to appear as a witness in court when a parent beat up his own child at home time in the playground

having parents create a smear group on WhatsApp against him and 2 other newly qualified teachers because the parents said there little darlings behaviour must be down to inexperienced teachers not being able to handle them.

having parents laugh and him and tell him he is picking on their little darlings by trying to sanction them.

have children laughing at him and saying my mum and dad don’t care what I do

hardly any support from above.

There is too much more to write but today he had a 10 year old child walk up to him and pour a water bottle over his head.

he is done. He qualified with a group of 10 others and 8 of them have since quit. 2 did not get through there NQT year.

He says the system is broken

I have to agree here..
My son was youngest and smallest in his class...in retrospect I should have held him back a year so he would have been the oldest and tallest.

Anyway...he was bullied a bit in secondary - but hit back hard. Just once.

He was suspended for a day as was the bully he hit- but it never happened again.

It’s always been difficult to discuss. I feel primary school teachers can wind down to the end of term, with trips, sports days etc. and perhaps be in a position to enjoy the long Summer holidays. Shoot me down if I’m wrong! Upper school teachers have to keep at it to the bitter end. Then have to use holiday time to tidy cupboards, get rid of pupils’ work no longer needed. Then show up in school in July for exam appeals(I taught in Scotland). Then go into school a couple of days early, hoping that class lists had appeared, because the two ‘in-service days’ with no pupils at the start of term would see us stuck in the hall listening to educational theorists. If we didn’t go in early, we wouldn’t have the right number of text books, registers made up, and the first pupil day would be a shambles and very bad for future discipline in the classroom. I’d advocate a 4 term year, with a 4 day week for pupils. Teachers would have the whole fifth day free for preparation and marking. I know this would cut down the long Summer holiday, but holidays would me more enjoyable for teachers who weren’t utterly exhausted, as I was every July.

All of the above, plus - as a PTC - I had to use the last week of the hols to organise appeals.

You do realise those trips, sports days etc take longer to plan than lessons would? You also realise that primary classrooms don't magically set themselves up over the summer and that primary staff often move classes/classrooms at the end of the year. Displays in primarys are a much bigger thing than secondaries in my opinion. Most primary teachers I know are in for a least a week over the summer. I agree with you about spreading things out but please don't disparage primary colleagues about winding down. I used to find it the hardest time of year and it was always throwing up things that took hours e.g. ordering a years worth of books, stationery for my class, making peg labels, tray labels, re backing display boards etc etc

That would be fine. But you would have to pay teachers for the extra working time. They are not paid for holidays, but 1265 + directed time. The average working year is 2,000 hours (50x40hpw), and once you add in marking, tidying the cupboards, parents' evenings and preparation done in the 'holidays', then teachers work far more than 2000 hours a year. So who will pay for those extra hours?

Absolutely the hardest and most tiring time of the year. Reports, trips, finishing the courses, tidying etc. I often say to people who don't teach who ask me if I'm winding down, that I'm winding up first!!

Primary teachers don't stick pupils in front of screens while they write reports and set up classrooms for the new session. No time allocation in the working time agreement is ever enough for reporting.

Trips? Probably the most awful, stressful thing I've ever done. They certainly aren't a fun carefree day out - quite the opposite.

When I started teaching in secondary in the '80s, we did have a winding down at the end of term with trips and so on.

Nowadays, we still have the trips and sports days with the concomitant planning and risk assessments, but we also have the change of timetable implemented before the summer holidays. (I'm not making this into a competition with primary: I'm aware that my primary colleagues have their own challenges.) The LAs seem to have a bee in their bonnet about "wasted time", with HTs being praised for changing the timetable as soon as possible. In my LA, I think they all moved in May this year.

The result is that we have a full S2-S6 timetable with the S1 gaps being taken up by primary/S1 transition plus cover for trips and sometimes sports day.

As is the case with our primary colleagues, we also find ourselves being expected to organise open days, concerts, etc.

So far as reports are concerned, we're normally required to have two sets of reports per year group (for parents) on top of tracking, but earlier in the year in order to inform course choices.

I recall nearly being in tears one time when I was a young PT. I'd been on minimum timetable nearly all year with none of the management time that I was supposed to have, because of longterm staff absence.

We finally reached change of timetable and - on paper - I had some of my time back. Then we got the sports day timetable. My non-contacts had been taken away from me, so that I could cover the lessons of a young maths teacher who was going to be umpiring some of the games at sports day. (No, maths wasn't my subject.)

I think it's the only time a member of the SLT heard me swearing... (Yes, exceptionally non-professional of me. I was lucky that he was understanding.) I believe I asked whether they wanted me to stick a broom up my fundament and do the jannie's job as well...

In my last permanent school, we did also have what started out as a "Rewards Day" but finished up being some kind of treats day for all...because we can't discriminate against kids for being badly behaved... We were asked to volunteer to supervise various activities in our non-contacts.

When I failed to volunteer - by then I was a PTC and organising and teaching cover lessons for more than one department (staff absences) in the faculty with the largest number of classes as well as getting my paperwork in order for possible appeals (lest I be struck down by lightning during the holidays) - a Guidance teacher appeared in my classroom to remonstrate with me because it was "unfair" that I hadn't volunteered. To my shame, I acquiesced.

I've been retired from that post for 6 years now. The last I heard, I've had 6 replacements.

I don't think I'd have the patience to deal with the challenges in modern-day primary. I've cleaned up vomit and dealt with injuries in my time, but at least I've never had to deal with children starting school who haven't been toilet trained and I'm aware that primary forward planning has become particularly onerous.

I know that primaries had to defend their 5-14 figures to their Education Officers years back; I think it's the same for CfE levels now? I recall an EO lecturing a hall full of primary and secondary teachers for being too strict in their 5-14 grading! We still get the powers that be trying to "persuade" us to be generous with CfE, but the emphasis is very much on exam results.

One of the reasons that all secondary teachers now spend so much time now on preparing their exam related paperwork at the end of term is that - once the results are in - we're forced to defend our results and to compare them with other departments in our school, other schools in our LA and against the results of imaginary "comparator schools" across Scotland.

One year, I taught the same pupils in two different (but related) subjects. I found myself in the bizarre position of being in a meeting with an EO who queried why my results for one subject were slightly lower than the results for my other subject. I imagine that primary colleagues may have to endure some similar nonsense.

"non-professional"? Doh!

I meant "unprofessional", of course. Blame it on auld age. It's not perimenopause...I'm well over that!

Thinking of winding down I thought I'd share this about the secondary school I taught at in Melbourne. The last week of the academic year was open to any student who wanted to come in and work would be provided. Parents were invited to make an appointment to discuss EOY reports if they wished. No lessons. The first day you'd get the odd student turn up but nothing after that. The whole week was given over to getting ready for the next year, meetings, etc. Last day was staff goodbyes, etc.

It was bloody marvellous and I don't know how they got away with it.

I suppose that the students were better at one subject than the other would not have satisfied the inquisitor? Some people are numpties, a pity they get to have roles in education where they harass teachers.

I was once told off by my Headteacher: "Curb your temper, Mrs Weary!"

I wasn't in a temper: I'd had the temerity to answer back to an EO. (Said EO went on to an ever higher post, but eventually left under a cloud.)

He picked out one name from an entire year group. "Pupil X has not moved up one level in 5-14 in his two years at secondary. He's still level A. [For those outside Scotland: A was the lowest level; F was the highest.] Would you care to explain why you've failed to ensure that this pupil achieves?"

Now, looking at the available info, he could see that X had achieved level A after SEVEN years at primary school. [While A was the lowest, it was possible to have no level at all.] Since it had taken him 7 yrs to get to A, it was highly unlikely that he was going to move up one more level in the space of 2 yrs.

However, there was more to this than an ability to learn, so I replied: "X is a traveller and is always on the road with his father. If you can get him into school, then we'll ensure that he achieves."

The EO had a face like thunder. (Turned out he was a member of an extreme Christian sect where women are meant to be seen and not heard.)

That was when my headie told me off.

Must have have been wearing what DH used to refer to as my Medusa face...

We had one HMI who declared he hadn't done his job properly if he hadn't made af least kne staff member cry. Needless to say he picked on a NQT and succeeded.

It's awful to think that this was known about for years yet nothing was done about it. He's probably retired now on a big fat pension

I've decided today that I'm done. A popular teacher, a kind and considerate teacher that goes above and beyond always, and I've had enough.

I gave out three detentions for rudeness, the disgruntled recipients got together and complained to the head teacher. Told her I called them stupid idiots and was aggressive (outside of the classroom so no witnesses) and they were believed. I've got a misconduct mark on my file and the kids got away without doing the detention! What. A. Joke!

I was accused of hitting a year 9 boy... he was twice the size of me. I never shout, never aggressive, and usually popular with the kids. He had just had enough of the school and took the opportunity when I tapped him on the should in a "come on Jack, let's get on" type way to make an accusation to the school. His parents got the police involved. I had this hanging over me for 6 months until the police finally dropped the case! Utterly bonkers!

Why did the head believe them? You believe the teacher unless there is any other evidence. I don't blame you chucking it in, but go and see your union rep and raise Hell first!

Several things. I was hounded out of my post in the last school I had a f/t contract - this cost me a lot of my pension as I went on supply (another can of worms). Headteacher did not back her staff at all and managed to reduce the lunch 45 minutes to 30 by insisting all teachers were on duty for five minutes at beginning and end of lunch. School a nightmare for behaviour - I was the tenth person to leave in one term, all experienced teachers.
On supply I took a year six class and a boy called me 'bitch' but not in English. Unfortunately for him, I knew the relevant swear word he used and picked him up. He denied it was wrong. I complained. Result was that the school decided they never wanted me to do supply there again. I had called into question the discipline in the school by pointing out that boys (always boys) were swearing at the teachers with apparent impunity.
At another school a boy threw a book across the room and it hit me on the back of the neck. Not a small book, a hard-back dictionary. School did not like me complaining. Agency dropped me. Union took the incident to a tribunal for me with a barrister and I got compensation, but most of my supply work dried up.
A rule I learned the hard way: if you do supply you NEVER report an incident because the school will not want to know.
Rather more insidious: a Teaching Assistant accused me of calling a SEN pupil a 'retard'. Naive as I was, I had never heard this expression used in this way and denied it. It didn't matter. I knew I had not said it but for some reason, the TA wanted to make my life untenable. Another school off my supply list - and no way I could defend myself.
Last of all was the teenage boy who pretended to masturbate in class and when challenged said that the only woman he respected was his mother, so I and the girls in the classroom could suck it up, he could/would do as he chose. I had him removed from the room but he was not sanctioned - went off to do something more entertaining i.e. school contained him. The school was closed a year or so later mainly because of disastrous results and behaviour - the staff tried very, very hard but there was a culture among the students that women did not matter and many of the staff were women and I think this played a part in the behaviour issue particularly of the boys.
And parents wonder why there is a huge turnover of staff and why supply teachers are in short supply.

An S3/Y10 girl accused me of hitting her. I'd told her to sit down and had gesticulated with a pointed finger whilst doing so.

Fortunately for me, it was in front of the entire class and every single pupil testified on my behalf.

Once had an S3/Y10 boy stick his hand down his trousers and move it in a vigorous manner. I told him get his hand out of his trousers and he became aggressive. (I was HoD.)

Parents called in: "He was only scratching." [What?! 15 yr old boy thinks its okay to scratch his privates in public?"]

His father was the local Police Inspector.

@Grammarnut I don't know, I hardly know the kids but suspect one of them has a difficult family who like to cause a fuss. I have never been pulled up on my conduct, only how kind I am to the students! I'm baffled and furious at the same time!

The point you make is sensible, but you don't need to preface it with "you do realise" which is really patronising. All you need to say is "in my experience" or similar.

Id say the biggest problem is the behaviour. Plus the workload. Then add some toxic, blame culture management to the mix. Some management is really good but they have their hands tied to a large extent and then when none of the sanctions work , the kids are emboldened and get off with it because nobody and nothing can control them.
I have got to say that the majority of kids are lovely and their education is being wrecked by the out of control few.

In my experience trips out are a nightmare to prepare and a nightmare to carry out. My late DH always said they were teacher jollies (he liked to wind me up and I was very bad at falling for the bait, so I do not blame him a great deal) and I always told him they were not. He did not give up on the idea until I told him about a trip to a local wildlife museum (taken that day, came home shattered) when one of the pupils lagged behind. Late DH was a youth leader and very outdoorsy, and one of the rules he instilled in everyone was that you go at the pace of the slowest. So when I said I had been lumbered with watching this DC all the time and he hung about, he was furious and pointed out how dangerous this was. No more mutters about teacher jollies.

And it is for all these reasons that I didn't bother pursuing a second career in education after my PGCE. I enjoyed class teaching, but I was 53 when I got my NQT, and was never even invited for an interview. But I would probably have been seen as 'difficult' or, more likely, expensive.