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Original poster

Fellow teachers remind me why I am a teacher - other than the holidays.

66 replies

twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 21:40

I have been well all holiday and now the thought of becoming a teacher again with all the long hours and grief has made me ill all day.

I am so stressed I have not been breathing properly all day so I now feel dizzy and sick and have am awful pain in my chest and my IBS has started again.

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popsycal · 02/09/2007 21:46

The buzz you feel when a child who has struggled and struggled finally 'gets it' due to your patience and excellent explanations.

The buzz you get when a parent says how much you have helped their child this year - how they never enjoyed yor subject until they had you.

When you go to get your hair cut, and the hairwasher is an ex-pupil of yours. She says she was rubbish at your subject until she has you, and how she really enjoyed it for a year and did really well (but did not learn anything after that )

When they hang round after lessons to talk a bit more about what you had been teaching them.

When they bring stuff in from home because you motivated them to look into something further.......

Good luck tomorrow

Moomin · 02/09/2007 21:46

Is it really worth it then?
Is this a regular thing that goes away once term starts and go get back into the swing of things? or is it that you work in a horrible school or you find it too much generally?

Do you work f/t?

popsycal · 02/09/2007 21:47

It is 'end of term nerves'. It is normal. Wine helps, I find!

peanutbear · 02/09/2007 21:48

I'm not a teacher, but i would say you do it to inspire a future generation, in the vain hope we get a government who stops tyeing you up in red tape and starts paying you properly for the hours you work

but if you feel ill doing it

p.s with my really bad grammer I am hoping your not an English teacher

eidsvold · 02/09/2007 21:53

what popsycal said.

I have had the experience of ex pupils telling me how they appreciated all i did for them - even the so called oiky ones who would tell you how you seemed to treat them better than others did and how they appreciated it.

Lightbulb moments when kids suddenly get what you have been working on for ages.

I was a secondary school teacher of english and I loved reading their amazing work - the fabulous ideas, interesting thoughts etc.

When kids tell you how you helped them make it through the year and how much they loved being in your class and how it was the difference between staying at school and finishing or leaving early.

For the good kids who work hard, attend class, produce their work on time, do what is expected of them and more, who appreciate all you do - no matter how little.

LaCod · 02/09/2007 21:54

break

popsycal · 02/09/2007 21:58

lol at cod
and 13 weeks hols

Elasticwoman · 02/09/2007 21:59

Are you f/t, Twinset?

There was a programme about IBS on R4 the other day, did you hear it? An ex teacher came on and said her IBS cleared up as soon as she retired!

Can you cut down on some responsibilities, either at home or at work?

Great thing about teaching compared to other work is: it's not boring. Or v rarely. Sometimes comes with great scope for creativity and nice colleagues. Kids sometimes say things that are nice to hear.

TellusMater · 02/09/2007 22:00

I've been out for three and a half years and I miss it .

I liked talking to teenagers. I liked their enthusiasms. And their sense of justice (often misplaced,but you can't have it all).

I liked talking about what I love and getting carried away with how amazing fish gills are for example.

I liked it when I got thank you cards that said "this card has a large surface area to volume ratio".

I liked the buzz that went around the room when I told the new year 7s that we would be getting out the bunsen burners .

I liked demonstrating the exploding custard powder tin and trying to wangle it into every year on the flimsiest of excuses.

Of curse, these would be more appropriate if you were a Biology teacher - but I'm sure you get the gist...

LaCod · 02/09/2007 22:01

no farkign plannign and homeowrk and kids who cant spell soldier
and the sema old stuff to teacha dn trying to enthuse and kids farkign moaning
and attiantment levels and reports and shit

popsycal · 02/09/2007 22:04

Twinset 0- just got a promotion if I remember correctly.

I ditched a similar responsiblity 18 months ago and went down to 2 days. Very sensible.

Anyway - back to the fab stuff

Brand new year 5 pupils that you can scare with you 'how to use a pritt stick coreectly' lecture

jennifersofia · 02/09/2007 22:06

'Cos it feels so bloomin' nice when you stop!

Seriously though..
When you go in the playground and your students greet you like they haven't seen you in 2 weeks and then hang around you

The feeling that you are doing something worthwhile - before I was teaching I was often angsting that what I was doing meant positively nothing.

BTW, I had a friend who had IBS, and hers was basically cured (much to her extreme surprise as she felt so sceptical) by hypnotherapy. Maybe it would help?

cazzybabs · 02/09/2007 22:11

twinsetandpearls - I am like this at the end of the summer holidays. It is because they are too blooming long and I get out of the swing of school. I really enjoy being at home with my girls and don't want to go back. However, by the time I have done a week with the kids, hopefully, it will all be fine!

Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:17

Not the response I was looking for Moomin - it is worth it as I love my job but I do get like this after every summer holiday

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Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:18

Thanks popsy, feel a bit more positive now.

Am also nervous as I start my new promotion tomorrow and last time I took on a management position it all went awfully wrong.

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Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:22

Elasticwoman I heard that programme it was on while I was painting my classroom!

I have been part time am now fulltime another reason for the nerves as well as the extra responsibilty.

I have just been in a tv programme about teachers workloads so am very aware of how my job affects my health.

I think some of it is adrenaline. I think I am going through the stress that drivers have in traffic jams when they have a lot of adrenaline but no way of working it off so it renters the blood stream and leads to stress. I am all fired up for the new term but as it hasn't started there is no where for me to release.

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Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:24

I have a love hate relationship with teaching, I love it and feel alive when in a classroom and get such a kick from it I don;t think I could ever do anything else. But I hate what it does to me mentally and physically, I left teaching for five years after a bout of illness and I never felt quite alive and then I returned to the classroom to look around my new school and I felt as if part of me had returned.

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Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:26

cod I love attainment levels and I enjoy writing reports

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Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:27

jennifersofia had not thought of hypnotherapy.

One of the teachers at school is seeing a herbalist and has had some allergy screening done and she has been able to quit her medication.

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Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:29

THat is it exactly cazzycabs, I have just enjoyed a carefree life with no pressure for six weeks, I have even been daydreaming about being a SAHM or even getting pregnant so I can go on maternity leave but that is ridiculous as I hated being a SAHM and certainly don't want another baby

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Tommy · 02/09/2007 22:30

that very occasional feeling you get when a student suddenly "gets" what you've been trying to put across to them

popsycal · 02/09/2007 22:36

Twinset - i have 'dreams' about teahcing going wrong every year in the last week of the hols. Been teaching 10 years. Last night's dream was when the Ancient Eqyptians came alive (literally) in the classroom. Not good!

Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:39

Have not had my dreams yes but I get them.

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roisin · 02/09/2007 22:42

The day before term starts is the worst: once I get back into the swing of things I'm fine. But I always dread it the day before we go back.

I've been thinking about school all week. Next year I'm going to make sure we are away for the last week of the hols, and not come back until the night before

Original poster
twinsetandpearls · 02/09/2007 22:44

we have an INSET tommorrow and then just year seven so can ease myself in, although as head of year seven tuesday is my big day.

Just too add to my list of problems I have no childcare either! THere are no childminders with vacancies that can drop off at my dd school.

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