Teachers : what's the worst thing about the job now?

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I've name changed , but been here many years and teaching for 22 years.
Dreading going back on Monday. For me , the worst bit is the increasingly poor behaviour of students and the continual parental complaints and allegations.
Anyone else dreading it and fancy a solidarity thread?

Behaviour (secondary core subject).

Worst for me is the Ofsted dread and the pressure of doing ridiculous things ‘for Ofsted’.
We were inspected just over a year ago so feel ‘safe’ for now but I just know it’ll all ramp up again in a year or two 🙈

I’m torn between parents and workload - we are in the ofsted window.

Behaviour.

We were watching the rugby in the local club this afternoon and there was a boy (12/13) shouting continually. Turned to my DH and said - this is what every classroom is like. The minute a thought comes into the head it comes out of the mouth, and there's at least 7 of these per class.

It's the constant grind of behaviour that is SO difficult

Parents

30 years in, early retirement this summer.
Behaviour
Increasing workload
Increasing parental interference
Second GCSE spec change in 8 years
GCSE spec unfit for purpose (both of them)
Unrealistic expectations of new teachers
I’m out

The SEND system which is completely broken and is failing children at all levels. We don't have the funding or resources to be fully inclusive and often the wrong decisions are made about what inclusion looks like. It is not one size fits all and needs a huge review because the pressure on schools and teachers is incredible.

Torn between:

Unreasonable parents
Children's lack of attention span
Children's behaviour
Workload
Unreasonable expectations
Poor quality of staffroom biscuits

Workload
Behaviour
Lack of resilience in, say, 50% of the kids
SLT
Parents being in direct contact
Basically being a SEN teacher but without the support

Behaviour, workload and crap SLT with BS initiatives 🙄. I going early. Like my job most the time, but just don't want to work so hard.

I'm primary.

For me, what brings me to my knees is trying to get everything done in a week that I am required to. It's possible, but only if I rush at breakneck speed, ticking boxes and ignoring the actual learning needs of most of my class.

I feel like I'm in a spotlight on a stage, plate spinning as best I can, and SLT are sitting in the audience, eating popcorn and yelling,

• DECORATE CUPCAKES ON THE PLATES AS THEY SPIN!!
• NOW DO IT HOPPING ON ONE LEG!
• NOW CLOSE YOUR EYES!
• NOW SING THE FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM!
• SING IT BACKWARDS!!
• WHILE PLAYING THIS KAZZOO
• ALSO SPIN AROUND! YOU'RE NOT SPINNING ENOUGH!! THE PARENTS WANT TO SEE MORE SPINNING!

It makes me feel better that it's a national picture
I used to love it but now it feels like I'm a hostage

If you’d have asked me this 3 years ago, I’d have said workload.

Now I say behaviour.

The workload hasn’t eased at all though.

We should be downing tools and rebelling. It not sustainable. There is a reason we can't retain new teachers.

Not teacher but SEN teaching assistant. Behaviour! Absolutely no respect for adults, I get told daily by the child I'm working with 1:1 to go away, shut up, rolls his eyes when i remind him of consequences of bad behavior. He raises his fist at me, won't listen, refuses to accept my help. It's relentless

You get staffroom biscuits? You’re lucky! We get nothing, no tea,coffee, milk. Not so long ago we had all this made for break and even scones. We socialised with each other. Now we all stay in our own wee bubble. It can be a very lonely job despite being surrounded constantly by people. The worst for me is parental demands, phone calls, emails and complaints. And a crazy timetable. And the continual looming of inspections, which I do my best to shut out.And horrible stilted internal interviews when you go for a teaching responsibility. And the inability to take an hour off when you need to, eg make a doctor apt.And the bells. And the heat and stuffiness of the classroom. And losing your voice every few weeks. And getting all the colds and coughs going round.Other than that I love it.

Behaviour. I have a student whom I tutor privately and who regularly laments that he can't get work done because of the disruption from some of the other students. He has my utmost sympathy because I remember very well what it was like!

I was also threatened with physical harm on several occasions. You wouldn't get me back into a classroom without a bodyguard these days.

Parents.
They will blame school for every little problem they can actually think of.
Some things are so ridiculous you couldn’t make them up!

Non teacher here. I’m intrigued about the comments saying it’s the parents. Is it just a couple per class or is it a large proportion of them? Are they pushy parents demanding more for their child or parents you’re having to deal with about an issue who are abusive / in denial?

We have no contact with our kids’ teachers other than at parents evening. I occasionally email the school office with a change to pick up arrangements or something else administrative.

Not a teacher anymore (I quit) but I've always wondered what are the unions doing to push for better working conditions? I haven't seen any campaigns at all on this through the door from DH's union magazine. They should be lobbying the government and demanding better conditions.

behaviour ….. and the fact that most parents excuse this behaviour because they think that their kid is ND.
parents - basically allowed to speak to us how they want.

why oh why does every parent believe their kids side of the story ?!!

we have a communication app so parents are able to messages us at any time of the day or night (we don’t reply at night/ weekend ) but why is that ok ?? I don’t have a direct communication line with my doctor or my bank manager !

Behaviour.

It is so so different than even just a decade ago. So much harder now.

The children all seem to think they are there 121 with you. Maybe they're used to it more with parents being around more?

Lots of complaints from parents over every tiny thing, often things their child has actually done. Over exaggeration by parents about teachers 'screaming ' at their child. We have asked out SLT to consider body cam as each complaint is 'investigated ' but of course no parent ever apologises or has to admit their false allegation

As most people have said:

behaviour
parents demands and complaints

I love my job and the kids I teach, but I wasn’t prepared for how difficult it is.

But, also parents.
I had 10 new swimmers to Stage 4 a few weeks ago. 9 of the parents, 9!!!, approached me to explain about their child's bespoke needs. Took maybe ten minutes. The tenth parent? Complained that the lesson didn't start for ten minutes.