Teachers - how do you do it?

[ohthegoats]

I've just gone back to work after almost a year of mat leave. I'm assistant head and working 4 days a week. I know that this time in the term is not a good time to be judging your entire job, but really... I'm totally exhausted. On my work days I leave home at 7, don't pick my daughter up until 5, family stuff until 7.30, then working again until sometimes gone 11.

My job share is hopeless so far (she's been off sick), and I'm all over the place with my actual planning and knowing the class... we won't even get into my management responsibilities.

I know other jobs are 'bad' when you first go back too, but I just want to know what teachers have done to make things easier please.

I'm thinking of getting a new job at 5 days a week, with no leadership responsibilities. Going back to main scale and not having to deal with a crappy job share has surely got to be easier? We can't really afford for me to go to 3 days a week or 4 days a week on a main scale salary.

Urgh. Just want to cry.

I have no idea how teachers do it - sorry, not helpful, but kudos to all of you in teaching roles

I did go back to a very responsible, professional job with long hours after each of my 6 month maternity leaves.
Here's what helped me survive FWIW:

• Prioritise. Do what is truly important and don't sweat the small stuff. Ignore non-sensical 'targets' etc wherever possible
• be very organised.
• rope in as much help as you can possibly access.
• be realistic about what you can achieve AND sustain. Make sure you have down-time and that the burden of Everything is not just on your shoulders.
• remind yourself that It Does Get Better. You will find your Mojo again.

My youngest is now 5 (DS4). Job-wise all is good, and I am very glad I stuck with it.

In the words of Dory 'just keep swimming'

I lasted fifteen months.

I'm in a similar position. I work 3 days. I sympathise, it's such hard work and job sharing is also very hard work.
My advice

• work really hard on your school days, through lunches, as long as you can after school and in the evening, this will hopefully mean you can avoid work on your days off
• delegate as much as you can to support staff, parent helpers e

• be realistic and know that you can do everything
• make sure you are given time at school when not teaching to do your management role
• don't let small jobs drag on. Deal with things quickly and instantly.
• good luck!

We where lucky as oh went back originally point 4. Still had little time but could manage. Now left teaching working full time but can leave work at work and loving it. But same money full time as point 6 on top rate of threshold. But so worth it.

I went back 3 days a week after my second and found the job share aspect really hard. I've been back full time since she was 3 and it makes work easier but home harder.
Have a planning meeting with your job sharer. Agree who is responsible for what, write it all down, stick a copy up in the classroom and give a copy to the HT and STICK TO IT!
I think most teachers like things done their way but you have to relinquish control a little. You cannot fix what your job sharer does not do to your standards and having it written down helps you remember that you are not responsible for it all.
Things to help in the classroom are making pupils more responsible for materials and tidying up. That may mean ending the lesson slightly earlier for a couple of weeks to get them to do it but it is so worth it. Have them leave jotters open at the page for marking. Have them record their own homework by signing it in on the marks sheet. Have them peer assessing and self assessing when relevant.
One thing that has really helped me is to focus in on a part of the learning or skill when assessing. For example with close reading we will revise a type of question. Pupils will do whole past paper for exam practice and we will mark it together using traffic lighting for reflective self assessment. I will only mark the questions that are the type of question I have taught so I can see if they can do it and I will use the traffic lighting to decide the next teaching point/ area of revision.
I'd also make sure you have at least one lunch time or break a week off. It's psychologically helpful.
At home it's the usual stuff: as much as possible done in advance, batch cook and have a freezer stuffed with extra bread and quick meals. Lower your standards.

Returning to work after maternity in any job is hell. You'll survive this. I'm sure you are doing better than you think.

I was in a role equivalent to Assistant Head in a very large 6th form college when I had two very young children and it broke me eventually. My tips are given with the benefit of hindsight!

The tips given by cornishglos are really good.
My own are to get better at saying 'no' to things that fall outside of your job spec. Only do things that are absolutely necessary first and adopt a sliding scale for tasks from that point on. If it's possible, have an email free day (made such a difference).
I used to cook twice the quantity of things at the weekend and freeze the extra so that cooking during the week wasn't such a chore.
Finally, always remember that you work to live. Put your family first.

I'm a head of year and work full time.
I am managing by not taking work home unless it's a bit of light marking. I stay a lesson behind other ppl in the department and use their lessons/resources so I don't plan from scratch.
I accept that my lessons are not going to be outstanding!
As someone else has said, my d's now comes first, not my kids at school or their parents.
It has crossed my mind recently to go back to just teaching but I doubt I could really take the pay cut.
Good luck

I've just gone back to work after mat leave. 3 days a week job sharing. I also leave the house at 7 and pick up my baby between 4.30 and 5.30 depending on the day.

I have no extra responsibilities now ( I used to be assistant head also) and I hope you don't mind me saying this but I think maybe you should consider going back to class teaching only. Why do you want the extra responsibilities? Do you enjoy it? Need the money? Career progression? weigh up how much time you spend on your assistant head stuff and then think would you rather spend these extra 2,3, 10? (I have no idea how much you do) hours with your family. I don't miss the role at all!

Also consider how much money do you need, we drive 2 old bangers, live in a (too) small house, go camping for our holidays now, won't buy each other Christmas presents etc if we wanted all those things I would have to work full time. My apologises if you do need to work full time financially, please ignore me!

One thing I have started doing at work which has helped is slow down, it sounds really strange but the first couple of weeks I was rushing around trying to do a million things at once and was getting stressed out and making silly mistakes, I've made myself slow down and do one thing at a time and I've actually become more productive and feel less stressed.

I agree though, it is extra busy at this time of year, so everything should calm down hopefully!

Good luck

Shamelessly placemarking. I feel too Sunday night-ish to contribute in any useful way. When I'm feeling good, I can compartmentalise work and family in my head and give appropriate time to both. When under stress or too tired, work thoughts intrude too often.

I've been working full time now since May. This term is harder, but I'm hoping it's just all the start of year stuff.

I would say definitely don't return to 'just' classroom teaching. The marking load is so huge that there is no way a teacher physically has time to do it full time IMO. I have just got a tlr-the extra hour a week is actually worth three to four when I take planning and marking into account.

I'm science, btw in a good school aiming for outstanding. This probably makes a difference in terms of our marking expectations!

Imo, jobsharing 4days/1day is a big mistake. You will just end up doing everything except the actual teaching on the one day you aren't in.
Far better to go to 3 days and make it work. Remember you don't lose another 1/4 of your salary due to the way tax works. Then you'll save another day at Nursery too (unless you can afford to keep them there 4 days and do all your work on that 4th day at home, then not work all weekend and every evening?)
If you work 0.6 you are MUCH more likely to share the work fairly. You can say - to any unreasonable requests...'Remember I have 3 working days and therefore dont have the capacity to do everything, which do you want me to prioritise?'
The schoo, will not benefit from having you collapsing from stress and overwork. Remember that.

Completely agree with backforgood.

backforgood Can you explain about the tax thing? (I'm 4 days a week, but would love to drop back to three).

I taught full time as a single Mum. In my opinion it isn't possible, and shouldn't be attempted. The job is impossible, ridiculous, pointless and stupid. Most of it isn't even teaching. I was ending up leaving at 7 in the morning, getting back at 9pm in the evening, sleeping 11pm to 2 am, then getting up and marking for the rest of the night.

After a few years , after seeing four teacher friends disintegrate beyond repair, and and another one die in unexplained circumstances, I realised this was no way to live.

I've never been happier now I've given up. Even a minimum wage job is paid more per hour than teaching.

Well, what I mean (rounding the figures for simplicity) is

Say you get paid £30K per year, then you are being paid £6K (per year) for each day you work..... so £24K for 4 days, £18K for 3 days, £12K for 2 days, £6K for one day.

However, with the personal tax allowance (ie, the money you are allowed to earn before you start paying tax on any of the rest) now around £10K (can't remember the exact amount, but just for demonstration purposes....)

If you work 1 day a week, you pay no tax
If you work 2 days a week, you keep all of the first £10K, and pay 22% of £2K tax (£440) so you take home £11 560
If you work 3 days, you still keep the first £10K, and pay tax on £8K, leaving you £16 240
If you work 4 days you still keep the first £10K, pay tax on £14K, leaving you £22 620

So - if you went from 4 days to 3, you would be about £530 a month worse off, but obviously also saving 1/4 of your childcare bill each month so the loss wouldn't be this much from your family budget. Obviously you would have to look at all your outgoings to see if this would be doable, financially. If it is , then it's definitely worth it for your mental health, IMVHO.

Thanks very much for taking the time to explain that.

Job sharing can work well but some people are just impossible to job share with. If your job share partner is only doing one day a week she is never really going to know what is going on. You will end up doing everything. I think you would find it much easier doing three days or maybe even being a fulltime classroom teacher. Remember it will probably take a year for you to feel sorted and happy in a new role/with new hours so don't be hard on yourself.

I was a HoD on a three day week for 2 1/2 years and it was a nightmare. My timetable was ridiculously compressed and I had duties and extra curricular stuff crammed into every spare minute. I've just started a new job as a full time HoD with more responsibility - bigger school, more key stages etc but I am much LESS stressed. Reasons being:

1. I actually have some frees now, and because I don't have to cram all my extra curricular stuff into 3 days I have more 'grabbed time' (registration period etc) that I can use
2. I don't miss meetings etc due to not being in, and then being on the hoof and not knowing what's going on
3. I can deal with stuff IMMEDIATELY as I'm there every day. Stuff isn't hanging over me as such.
4. culture of the school is totally different.

I'm only 4 weeks in, and exhausted but it was the right choice.

You can do it OP, this term is the hardest!

I'm a HOEnglish and back FT after 8 months mat leave. I considered going back part time but after speaking to others realised it wasn't a great idea - I would have lost A LOT of money and had to cram five days work into four.

I'm not a perfectionist with lessons, but I've been teaching long enough to have some tricks up my sleeve. I know I teach well because the kids into classes make progress so I don't need a whizzy PPT to prove this. I mark homework in class where I can and have a marking timetable that I stuck to. I delegate (a lot!) and I say no to stuff that doesn't need me or my experience to do.

It is tough though, especially after a bad night's sleep

I really feel for you. I am a teacher too and I have quit my full time HoD post and taken a very part-time mainscale job teaching A level which is a dream come true. In the end there was no other way. The pressure at school (and on the wrong things!) was too much and despite everyone saying the hardest year is your NQT year, that has turned out to be a fallacy with every year being harder than the last. I have fought depression, been denied part-time working request and in the end had to concede defeat. I wish you luck in your quest. I am already a lot calmer and happier, if very poor and already wondering how I will afford any christmas presents for my kids, but they are only children for a short-time. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks for all your responses. I'm a week further in, my job share is back off sick leave, and things feel more 'doable'. Maybe I've also just got back into my groove a bit - remembered how to teach, got to know the class a bit more.

I am in class for three days, with one management/PPA day, so the job share does two days in my class. Originally I chose to do 4 days so that I could keep 'hold' of my class, but that might have been a mistake. At the moment I'd gladly be the 2 day/less responsible part of a share, but I'm not sure I'd have been able to have a whole day out of class on a 0.6 contract. Or even kept my management job at all.

It's a job that's always going to take up loads of my life though isn't it - doesn't matter how much I'm in class/how many days I'm paid for, I'll still be doing work outside of normal working hours. That's just teaching. And it's only getting worse.

Meh... I'm going to wait until half term before I even start thinking about making any decisions, but I do love being in class.

I've done job share (with lots of different people) over the last 14 years. Always on 3 and a half days. It made sense finiancially to do more than three days, worked with my timetable back then which helped make it easier for the head to agree to my request, and I liked to be in school on the same day as my job share person to do a decent handover. That was before PPA started.

Since then, having ppa means that I teach my class for 3 days and my jobshare did 2 days. They were in class a bit more so knew the children and I still was with the class more, so they felt mostly like my class.