Calling all pregnany teachers!

[suzym1984]

Hi!

I am a pimary teacher currently 29 weeks and am looking for a bit of advice. I am going back to work after being signed off wih low blood pressure, nausea and just general exhaustion (you know how it is!). I am concerned about work and would like advice about how other pegnanct teachers cope and also what is reasonable to ask work to do to help me stay healthy until I leave for maternity.

So, how do you all cope with the huge planning and markin demands which need to be done in your own time? I work 8am-4.30pm at school and then have at least 2-3hrs to do when i get home, and I am struggling ith this. BUT, obv marking and assessing are part of my job! so what do we do?!

Also, as I have no TA i am really struggling rushing around between each lesso tidying away and setting up for the next lesson, not to mention rushing around school to collect resources. ANy tips/ advice?

Also, due to low blood pressure I have been advised not to stand for too long but we have a school trip in a couple of weeks where I will be resposible for 30 5 yr olds so wont be able to sit down all day Is it reasonable to request not to go? Again, I am aware that this is part of my job responsibility.

Sorry for the long post, but I am genuinely interested in seeing how other teachers re coping with the workload demands.

Thanks x x

Oh no!!!! typo in the title!!! can I blame pregnancy brain?!

I would ask not to go on the trip - health and safety ... but otherwise I suspect there is not alot you can do except start maternity leave early.

How could I forget loo breaks?! This is my MAIN worry! I am currently going every 30 minutes as baby is lying low, but this means leaving my class unsupervised. What can ask for/ suggest to make this easier?

Do you have a phase leader who you can talk to about your concerns? - Preferably one who has been pregnant!

Is this your 1st? they should do/have some sort of risk assessment which will have things like this on?

If you need the loo and I could always hold on till breaktime you could send a child to the secretary and she could sit with your class.

i would suggest asking for a TA, even if they have to get one in just for the duration of your pregnancy. Let them know that if you are not helped you will have to take maternity leave early as you are unable to work under these conditions.

I haven't been a teacher but i was a TA up til 20 weeks in my pregnancy, and even as a TA i found it too difficult to be at work, with all the running around and stuff.

find out if you can speak to an occupational thereapist, they may be able to ofer suggestions. I would suggest using your white board from a seated position where possible, and even simple things like arranging for someone to collect your class from the playground in the mornings and bring them to you etc.

Is it a single form entry school? if not you could share planning with your partner teacher etc, ask if they can take on a bit more of the planning work so that you have a bit more time to rest.

How come you are in Year 1 or Reception with no TA?

You need to speak to your Head, your Health and Safety rep and perhaps your union for advise.

TBH my health has always been fine when pg and I have done trips including a PGL residential one whilst pg.

However, one of my firends had health problems and her school were fab. They even stopped her doing playground duty.

Your school should be supporting you as much as possible. Have they done a risk assessment? I only started at my school part time in September and they did a risk assessment right away. I don't do any playground duty, I just "watch the hall" one breaktime a week (it's a non-job). I have a TA most of the time and they agreed that I could leave the class with the TA if I need the loo. Could you arrange to have a TA on standby so you can send a child if you need to go? Are there other teachers in your year? If so could you arrange during PPA that they try to get resources for you as much as possible? My year leader is very good for photocopying things for me and bringing me boxes of equipment for maths etc.

Also, may I recommend peer marking? I come from Ireland where teachers mark practically nothing, everything is looked over in class, which I think is much more sensible as the children actually learn from what they've done. In my school in here in England self-marking or peer-marking is considered an important part of AfL. Saves loads of time.

You should have done a health and Safety Risk assessment as WoD says. It should have been done with your direct line manager. In actual fact you should probably be doing your second one. I am only 23 weeks pregnant and did my first risk assessment several weeks ago. I have been told that later in my pregnancy I will need to do another one.

As for the TA, I agree with others that you should have one. If you'd have done the risk assessment this could have been identified since you have been told not to stand for too long which of course includes running around the class sorting things out. The risk assessment would also have identified the need to replace you on that trip. I know there is a long trip (8am to 6pm) coming up the week I return from my ML which I have not intention of going on as it is too long for me.

As for the marking it all depends what age range you work with. I'm actually a secondary school teacher and as I'm in a core subject (maths) there is a lot of pressure for a particular standard of marking to be kept. I have been finding this difficult already since my pregnancy fatigue hasn't lifted at all. I work at school from 8:30am to 4pm each day and then come home and sleep for 2 hours so I have the energy to do my planning. Most nights by the time I've slept, eaten and planned it is already running on midnight. The head of my school looked at my marking recently and commented that it wasn't great so I explained my problem. She suggested instead of trying to mark everything that I do assessment tasks that I mark instead which should lighten my load and then do in class marking with the day to day things as WoD suggested. Then just tick and flick for that sort of stuff.

Most importantly though I think it is important that you put you and your baby first, if you are not up to doing something stand by your guns and say so.

Thanks for all the responses, it is really helpful to see how other people are coping at work!

As for the no TA, I have no idea why, we just dont seem to have the budget for one at school. This means that sitting down for 5 mins max is hard as there is always something to sort out at the other side of the room.

1catherine1 I will try sleeping when I get home and then tackling work. That makes sense and dont know why I havent tried that yet!

As for risk assssment, I keep being told that it will be done soon, etc, etc! But thats a whole other thread! haha

Have a lovely Sunday everyone

Hey Suzy, you're on my antenatal thread. I'll have a think about the planning stuff you raised but the first thing I would say is that you shouldn't go on the trip. I myself wouldn't even bother to ask for a risk assessment or anything, I would just state it as a fact that I can't go on the trip, in the same way that it's a fact that someone in a wheelchair can't go rockclimbing.

The best advice you'll ever get re. pregnancy is to not martyr yourself for your job. Think about yourself and your baby first. I don't always take my own advice but it is good advice.

Hi, I am a secondary English teacher, so I know all about the issues with heavy marking loads. I'm 29 weeks pregnant now, and have suffered badly from tiredness and backache (often caused or made worse by long periods standing up).

I have managed by cutting out anything that is not a compulsory element of my job (extra responsibilities, running competitions, and attending optional meetings/training etc). A teacher's job is never done under normal circumstances - you always feel as if there is something else you would do if you had time. However, now is just not the time to do it. The most helpful thing you can do is to decide what HAS to be done, and what can wait until you return, or can be passed on to someone else to do. You will repay the favour at some time in the future!

Also, I find that leaving school as early as possible really helps. I do a little more at home, after I have had a cuppa and a rest first. It also avoids you getting tangled up with other staff/students/parents after school, when you really need to either rest or get on with planning/marking.

As I teach at secondary school, I often get my students to do most of the running around and carrying things for me - I have always treated them nicely and they genuinely want to help me out. Although your little ones probably can't do much of this, perhaps they could be given little bits of extra responsibility to help reduce the amount of running around you do. Being open and honest with them is also a really effective strategy. If you are tired, ask them for their help/consideration. Kids love to think they are helping someone in need!

Peer marking for non-assessed work is both time efficient and very helpful to the students. Tick and flick where you can, so long as you give them some detailed feedback for some of their work, there is no need to over burden yourself with the day to day stuff. Perhaps getting some stamps would help? Or developing a code system where the amount you have to write for each child is reduced?

Above all, you must remember (as has been said frequently already) that you and your baby are the most important people at this time. Be frank with your line manager/head, explaining that you will have to start maternity leave early if you can't improve the conditions under which you are working.

Take care, and I hope things improve for you.

Hi Suzy, I sympathise with all your issues - I am a primary teacher on my second pregnancy and know just how exhausting it is.
First thing I did was accept I'd have to cut corners a bit - by this I don't mean neglecting the basic tasks you HAVE to carry out, but so much of the extra work we do is making lessons fab, creating ideal resources etc. Just accept that for this short period of time (about 8 weeks?) you will do the minimum to get by reasonably well. I am very committed to my job, but my health and my baby come first.
Secondly, you should most DEF have a TA with little ones, you must be never off your feet, I feel it is entirely reasonable to insist upon having one. If they haven't bothered to do a risk assessment yet, they are clearly falling short of meeting your needs and although it is not comfortable to point this out, sounds like it needs doing!
My schools have been lovely during my pregnancies but at the same time heads put the needs of the school first (fair enough, many would say). So protect yourself as much as you can, ask for help with resource-gathering, point out when situations ask too much of you - that trip is a prime example, they should not need that pointed out.
All the best, you sound a fab teacher, the school is lucky you are so dedicated, don't feel bad about asserting yourself a bit.

Hi there Suzy, another primary teacher here. I spoke to the head and said that I wasn't comfortable taking the children swimming or going out on trips and he was able to send someone else (and I covered their class). It is hard. I am 11 weeks and feel sick and very tired at the moment but luckily I have a GT who can watch the children while I (frequently) nip to the loo! You really do need to be straight with your head about what you can and can't do, perhaps take someone you trust in with you for support if you're not comfortable seeing him/her by yourself. You MUST put yourself and baby first (I am rubbish at this too though )

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I'm glad you've had some time off Suzy. I'd defo say that trip does not sound possible for you (esp with lack of loos!!). I would second a TA would help you, but I don't think it will stop your problems.

Could you speak to your union and ask their opinion on what your position is and what options are available to you? Mine were good at telling me what options I had and what I should do. Also, if your school arn't being very supportive do you have a good mw? I've had chats to mine about work and we went through the pros and cons of working/not working and having a non biased person seeing things from a fresh perspective made me see I'm not fit for working.

Haven't had time to read all of the posts on advice people have given, and realise secondary is different to primary (I'm secondary) but in the past if I'm really short on time I try to give homework/class work that students can either mark themselves or mark each others as we go through it together in class - means you don't have to mark AND students get the work reinforced by going through it as a class instead of just ignoring looking at painstakingly marked work. Realise this probably isn't appropriate with primary unless they are older primary.

I empathise - it is such a tough job when pregnant. I left all non essential marking and ended up doing it in my first two weeks of mat leave. I went at 35 weeks and couldn't have gone longer. I showed videos in the last week as I was just so tired. I used to get home and lie in bed for a couple of hours half asleep. Then get up, have dinner, do some yoga or a walk, maybe a bit of work. It really makes you realise how many hours teachers do ordinarily when you can only work 37!

On the plus side, I think having a job where you are active and on your feet contributed massively to me having a very healthy pregnancy and a lovely birth :)

the peer marking is a great idea although i can see that u really have a tricky one with having p1! I tend to mark in groups as in superwoman round room and scan work and tick - you can then go back and look at it closley later if you have time but for anyone that checks it is up to date. Also agree with everyones comments that u have to put you and bub first end of! Does anyone know that if you are thinking about going part time after baby should you tell work or wait until end of mat leave - does it affect pay at all?

Agree with others about the trip- don't go, just tell your management team that you will be unable to do it. I did the same when I was pregnant with DD.

Actually I would definitely sit down with your line manager or the head and make a list of things you will need to support you in your role:

a) Someone else to lead the trip
b) A TA or other adult to pop into your classroom at strategic points to give you a toilet break.
c) School to look into providing some support in class. If they can't afford a TA, can they find a parent volunteer/work experience student/prospective PGCE student? My school are having to turn people away we have so many volunteers. Even if they can't provide someone full time, a couple of mornings a week would help.
d) Some kind of signal that you can send if you do feel unwell- if you're teaching 5 year-olds without another adult, you need some way of letting a senior member of staff know if you suddenly became dizzy or something- do you have any systems in place for this?
e)A plan for handover when you leave- ideally you need some time to work with the new teacher and hand over records etc.

witches If you want to go back PT this will not affect your maternity pay at all. Whether you talk to them beforehand will depend on you relationship with the Head etc, and how certain you are of your plans. I told my Head before I left (have been working 3 days since my DD was born) because I wanted to give them as much time as possible to make arrangements. But you don't have to make the request until later on, just make sure you give them enough time if they need to employ someone else if necessary, or that could give them the excuse to refuse your request.

can I just second the advice above about telling your school as soon as poss what you plans will be. My friend is a secondary head and has had more than one staffing nightmare with people planning on coming back from mat. leave in sept and refusing to tell her in feb / march (ie when the timetable and staffing decisions are made) what they want to come back to in terms of days / hours etc. Yes legally you don't have to that early and it is hard to know for sure what will suit you and your DC but they really need to know if they are going to make the best decisions for the school as a whole. Sorry if I sound preachy but I feel strongly about this - we do have lots of rights but we have a responsibility too I think and some seem to think it is all a one way street.

Thanks again for all of your advice,I will try and speak to someone at school when I go back, although I think having another adult in the room will be impossible. I will just have to see how I go. Just scared of coming over dizzy and being the only adult with a class of 5 year olds....doesnt feel safe!

Regards to marking...peer marking is a great idea, but not v practical with 5 year olds! Also,our school has a very sgtrict marking policy where each piece needs to be quality marked...so no tick and flick unfortunately! At least 2 hours to do every night (which seems crazy with the little ones!)

Witches....be aware that you cannot make a flexible working request until you have had your baby. You can ask for part time but you do not have the rights etc that come with a flexible working request. Just make sure your give the school plenty of time so they are less likely to refuse your request.

Thanks everyone im pretty sure that i will go part time but i know some teachers don't let on till the end and wondered if it was because it affected thier pay - mayb they just have not decided for sure yet!

oh not sure if you still check this but remembered when i was in primary i used library time after break for 10 mins that would give u time to do some marking? just a thought.