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

[Floursacktabletop]

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?

@mrpenny, care to explain why you think I'm joking?

All of what you've said, 100%. I feel the same.

Oh do fuck off.

They're not all paid. Teachers get the same amount of paid holidays everyone else does in this country. A quick online search if you didn't already know that (which you probably do) would explain it to you.

Behaviour
Lack of resilience among students
Lack of parental support. Parents allowing children to escape taking accountability for their actions.

I am a secondary school teacher with a teenage child with additional needs. He needs support and accommodations within school, but his additional needs are not to be used to excuse rudeness or disruption in lessons. He must take accountability for his actions.

What the hell do you want to keep contacting us for!!!! parents never used t9 and we managed fine. Endless, endless messages about nonsense most of the time.

I qualified at the end of 2021. My dream , sacrificed years of my life studying and training . I’m already out .

I have never been so depressed , I almost had a breakdown - and that is not an exaggeration, one day I just walked in and realised I couldn’t take another day , and I walked out. If I hadn’t , I dread to think what would happen. The pressure , the micromanaging, the lack of respect, the workload, the complete hopelessness you feel when you realise the system is designed to impress ofsted not do the best for the children . The worst - especially as a mother of a SEN child - the lack of support for SEN. I was directly told to stop what I had implemented for a SEN child and focus instead on the other children because “ he’s never going to make it “ .

Im now in a different role - still education but adults , disabilities and the best part… no ofsted. I’m excited to go back on Monday because I absolutely love my job now. Yet when I was in teaching I’m not being dramatic when I say I had lay in bed many Sunday nights hoping to have a car crash on the way into work so I wouldn’t have to go in .

Secondary - middle leader - core subject.
I am fortunate that behaviour at my school is good and the SLT support where it isn't.

However, (and its a big however!) for that to be achieved, the job is absolutely relentless!
We have extremely tight, consistent routines across school. Line ups in the morning and after break/lunch. So, some days, I can up and down the stairs 8 times (I am on the top floor of a 4 floor building- I get my steps in if nothing else).

Manning corridors at lesson changeover (when not up/down the stairs).

Lunch is 30 mins, but in reality about 25 mins.

Then lessons have the routines embedded and we have to be tightly planned - not necessarily a bad thing but literally, some classes, I know I can't breathe for a moment or the balance is upset.

Ofsted are due and the pressure that brings is huge.

Huge workload (and my school do try to minimise it).

It is literally like being on a constant hamster wheel all day, every day, with no break ever.

I love teaching but it is utterly relentless.

Behaviour and not the big hitters with the disregard, swearing and lack of wanting to learn. It is the low level disruptive grind. You pause for breath and someone says some thought that pops into their head. Then everyone sees it as a free for all. They you have to get quiet again it is draining.

They all think what they have to say is more important than others learning.

Not all classes but a lot more now than ever.

Also agree with sen provision and the parents.

Seriously? Surely you aren't that dim that you believe this to be true....but then you did post it🤔
I couldn't do the job of a teacher its bloody relentless and I work in the NHS!

The messages are often abusive or completely disproportionate to normal sanctions

It's a good way of putting it. I feel trapped like a hostage too.

Sorry..it was meant for the op you replied to… I totally agree with you!

So true! Entitlement is off the charts. Parents have no value for teachers.

The parents who doesn't parent their children, no discipline or respect

"All behaviour is communication"

🤣🤣

I think that a lot of parents these days believe that good parenting is advocating for their child and this is what takes up so much teacher time and leads to a lack of resiliance in the children.

My own youngest regularly comes home outraged that her friend said this, or Mrs Jones didn't believe her when that, and it was totally unfair when something else happened. I listen, I make soothing noises, I agree that it sounds like she had some ups and downs today, I ask her what she might do differently if it happens again, and we move on.

What I don't do is send a little note to Mrs Jones asking her to sort out the terribly unfair situation because that creates a whole load of paperwork for Mrs Jones and means she'll be spending either her own break time, or class teaching time trying to get to the bottom of a non-event that my daughter probably contributed to anyway, and then using effort and time to send me a carefully worded email explaining what happened in a way that doesn't sound dismissive, but also doesn't escalate the situation or mention any other children.

I'm a non teacher and couldn't do the job myself in a million years...

Behaviour and trying to prepare kids for exams when already swamped with 3 million other tasks

im not a teacher, I am a parent, I don’t envy you guys at all, I was saying the other day I don’t know how you guys do it, some of the kids I’ve come across, I’d have killed them by now. Teaching sit for the faint hearted and you have to have the patience of a saint.
DS is in his first year of college (asd) and dd year. 7, of all the teachers I’ve encountered over the years, I can honestly say most have been amazing except for maybe a handful. I will die on a sword that not all teachers are cut out to be teachers and unfortunately DS been victim to such teachers. But thanks to some amazing ones he managed to get his way through high school which isn’t something we thought he’d managed. I’m not naive to believe all kids are angels because they certainly aren’t, no one is perfect… I’m pretty laid back for the most part, but I honestly wouldn’t be able to be a teacher. Not a chance.
system is flawed and needs a reset for sure. My step mum is a TA so she tells me stories (. Without telling me names ) .

Corridor behaviour - pushing & shoving. It’s embarrassing when I have a visitor in.

Students gaslighting me & trying to convince me that they weren't talking (I saw their mouth moving), they weren't passing notes (I confiscated it but they sneaked to my cupboard to take it back) they didn't have their phone out (despite me seeing it) & then argue the toss about getting a detention for these things.

Students going to complain to head of year if they get a level or detention. Sometimes they are 'desperate for the loo' & will kick up a huge fuss until you let them go & instead they go & complain!

Parents - you only need to read a few threads on here to comprehend the problem.

The pressure to ensure every SEN issue is supported. It’s hard to remember them all when you teach about 300 kids. There were very few 24 years ago & now a third of the class has some sort of extra need. It’s hard to remember them all!

I do still enjoy being with teenagers though. Never a dull moment

I remember being over the moon because I had to have an operation- and 2 weeks off to recover

Also, children have much less focus and stamina than they did 10 years ago. The symptoms of too much screen-time are very similar to ADHD-like behaviours. It makes it very hard to set any of the children off doing an independent task for longer than 5 minutes to allow me to teach a small group. I'm constantly supervising everyone the whole time which leaves less time for targeted teaching for those who need it.

This is really true. Kids struggle to watch a 20 minute video now

Behaviour- largely due to parenting. You see it on the many threads on here: 'pick your battles', 'they're just being a typical 5/10/15 year old', 'they're 25 but their brain's not fully formed yet'- all bullshit excuses for lazy parenting and creating arseholes.
SEN- inclusion does not work. I'm sorry for parents of children with SEN, but it doesn't work. Even our children who have an EHCP and a full time adult are struggling, and the adults are having breakdowns dealing with being attacked on a daily basis. There needs to be more special schools created and staffed.

Parents.