Why do teachers moan so much?

[LivingOnAnIsland]

I'm a teacher. I'm good at my job, use my time efficiently, very happy with my salary, and spend all of the holidays with my DC. My colleagues do nothing but moan, but I just see the good things in my job.

So OP, who seems to have been on mumsnet for a week, posts a goady thread just weeks before the end of term and disappears?

Any relation to the TA who posted about how surplus to requirements they and all their colleagues are?

Is there a DfE mole on here working to discredit the widespread public recognition of the challenges faced by many teachers and TAs in the current educational system?

I'm certainly starting to wonder! Strange way to recruit folk to education...

The only teachers I meet who have the same attitude as the op, are supplies. Teachers at our school (primary) are usually in by 7:30 and rarely leave until around 6pm. They will then take home marking, or planning to do at home. Even in primary, they are marking around 120 books daily ( work has to be marked so teachers can tweak plans and address any misconceptions in the next lesson) . Family who teach in secondary school, have similar workloads with the added pressure of gcse or a level curriculums that have become more demanding without the resources required to teach them. I know of no teacher who hasn't been affected by the budget cuts - whether in terms of resources or even staff. I know of several schools locally who have made their tas redundant, so the knock on for teachers is huge as they now have to do everything they normally do and what their tas used to do as well. I also know of two schools who've made teachers redundant and now have bigger classes as a result. 40 kids in a class in one local primary school and no ta! No wonder they moan. And yet, almost without fail, the moaning is because they see the results of all this on the children, not forthemselves. Those that mean for themselves are the ones who are leaving. I'm glad my dcs are grown up as I dread to think about what our education system will be like in a few years.

Newsflash - not all teaching jobs are identical. Maybe you are a gf have been very fortunate in your workplace, OP. Or maybe you think it's all great but your colleagues think you're lazy and doing a crap job. Who can say? But you certainly seem to be in a minority.

Incidentally, as a teacher, I'm sure you realise that a lot of what teachers 'moan' about isn't purely self-interested. It's about the fact that a lot of what they have to spend their time doing has no discernible benefit to the pupils. If you don't find that, then you're probably either very lucky or you're part of the problem.

Maybe it's because they're stressed. Ever thought of that? If a child found something hard you wouldn't go online to say 'well I don't find it hard so why should they?'
Maybe it's because their colleagues aren't supportive. I don't moan about my job most of the time. However, there are times when it's just too much and yes I have a moan. I've known many teachers over the years and sadly several I know are on medication just to cope. One amazing teacher friend is leaving the profession as she just can't do it any more. She has been on antidepressants and has had extensive counselling to no avail. It has destroyed her - utterly destroyed her. She is a shadow of the person she used to be and I doubt she'll ever be the same again (no exaggeration). I would leave too if I found something I'd be as passionate about.

Most teachers I know enjoy the job but are feeling the relentless grind just too much to bare week in week out. Have a bit of empathy you soulless, heartless woman. Your attitude is disgusting.

Oh-the OP seems to have vanished! Perhaps they have gone back to hiding under their bridge.

Bishy - I've been teaching for 8 years, currently year 3, inside M25 south of the Thames, mixed bag of children, school is rated good, am in by 8 and out by 5, work from home is mostly limited to Sunday evening when I make sure I've got everything organised for the week, I go in at the beginning of the summer holiday to tidy up my classroom, and then for a couple of days at the end of the summer holiday ready for my new class, SLT is OK, had a medical appointment on Friday and forgot to take a book to read so was on mumsnet.

I didn't say that I don't work hard - I do, as do all my colleagues including teachers, TAs, office staff, etc. I have friends in other professions that work much harder than me and are paid less but they don't moan nearly as much as my teacher friends!

I'm just heading home as been putting last things in place for year 7 inductions days. Have 25 tests to mark and references to check. Tonight. Should make it to bed by midnight. I'm not moaning, just stating facts. And OP well done on not having any extra jobs to do in your school. I suggest never leaving.

We've had the Ofsted call. Might get to bed by 2am if I'm lucky. Back up at 5am. Yeah nothing to moan about here. Having a 5 minute break as starting to go around in circles.

waitingforlifetostart good luck with that, hope it goes smoothly and you get glowing reviews

LivingOnAnIsland thanks for coming back and answering my narky questions, I do believe you are a real person and not a goady troll! I do constantly ask myself whether I could be more organised and more effective, but it's been 10 hour days this week with more at home and I'm still chasing my tail.

I think in the right school, teaching can be a joy, but there are so many factors which can make it a living hell. I'm glad you are in a good school and enjoying it, not least because children need to be taught by people who love the job!