Do you ever just feel like you have had enough of it all?

[KinkyDoritoWithJingleBellsOn]

I'm not going anywhere, I am good at what I do, but I am just feeling so sick of it at the moment.

Twelve years, 3 schools, outstanding, additional responsibilities in department and whole school and totally ground-down by it all at the moment. DH loathes me being a teacher, but he knows I am firmly in a salary trap. I care about the students who I teach too and would not walk away from them even if I could, but lord!

Needed a Monday morning vent. I feel like I'm always counting down to the next holiday so I can have a couple of days where I don't feel obliged to be marking or planning something.

You remember Stretch Armstrong, where you can pull him in each direction? A fitting metaphor for me at the moment.

Sigh.

I love my job too, and I'm part time which helps. But there's never a moment to just relax and enjoy it any more. It's the constant push for the pupils to perform better and better. Every piece of work is supposed to show improvement, which is so, so hard to achieve.

I sound like a right misery .

Asleep it's that combination of workload pressure and managers under pressure, plus a very long half term. I don't know what we do about it. I try to be stricter with myself, only working one day at a weekend, but then I feel under-prepared thanks to all the expectations heaped upon me.

We have learning walks every fortnight, frequent work scrutiny and I've done 3 Ofsted/Ofsted-style inspections so far since January. I'm knackered! Managers are slowly morphing into shouty people from being lovely and supportive when I first started.

I like my school, but I'm thinking I might have to move on again. I don't even think I can bring myself to go through the application process again at the moment.

I'm happier at work than I've ever been, but my contract is temporary (I'd like it permanent really), my hours are part time (obviously I work outside of those hours), I don't teach whole classes AND I don't have any management responsibilities. I'm also not the main wage earner any more.

But despite all that, it's still more stressful than it's ever been in terms of 'results'. Not just termly, but weekly, or lesson by lesson. So how you manage this under circumstances less favourable than mine, I don't know!

I've just had a weekend away with friends and so couldn't do any work this weekend. Obviously I doubled up every evening last week, and know I've got a busy couple of nights ahead of me this week so my planning etc is done. But I'm suffering the worst Monday morning blues I can remember. Two whole days of doing normal things with non teachers has given me a glimpse of the world outside eduction...

I hear you, I really do.
I'm nearly 20 years in. But another 20 before retirement!

It's no surprise that newly and recently qualified teachers are leaving at record levels. Plus, teacher training institutions have failed to meet targets for the number if student teachers yet again.

I forecast a huge teacher shortfall which will really bite in the next 2-3 years. All SLT members (myself included) and governors need to have a really proactive approach to retaining good teachers. But I fear that the profession isn't listening to itself.

Hope your day goes well.

too I'm the only teacher in my family and I constantly see everyone else being able to leave work at work. I'm similar to you this weekend - wasn't able to get the things done I'd planned to as DS was ill on Friday so I hadn't brought home all the marking. I now face a week like yours and it is compounding my misery this morning!

hesterton I can't, but I'm not sure what else I would do. I need my job, I would just like a bit less of it at times, but, as Asleep says, not sure PT is any better. All PT I know are just as pushed and trying not to fill additional days off with school.

Finola Absolutely agree. It will come to a head - they are already talking about recruiting overseas. I work with two Canadians who have signed up to teach here for a year in a core subject that should not be short on domestic staffing.

Right, off to work. May it be fast and painless!

My husband earns twice as much as me in the private sector. His pension is far better than mine, he gets an annual bonus, he receives BUPA (for the whole family, granted) and gets the equivalence of six weeks holiday a year (apparently teachers are only paid for 5.4 weeks). He leaves for work after me and is home a good 90 minutes before me. I never do the housework (except sort washing and ironing) because at home I am constantly marking or planning. My little boy spends an entire day with just his daddy whilst I, again, mark and plan. On days when I am not working, it is because husband insists on a day out. But on the day out, I am constantly thinking about what needs to be done before monday. Half term holidays are a time when I lie on the sofa and catch my breath, usually spend 2-3 days Poorly because of the adrenaline drop etc, etc.
I want to go part time but know that work load will still mean that I end up working evenings as well as my days off.

Riding I think you have summed it up really well. I'm waiting for the annual Christmas holiday cold/flu. Everyone looks so run down today and everyone's counting. Is it normal to be wishing your life away at work? Always counting to next half-term so, like you say, you get a chance to catch your breath.

Full day, load of work to do tonight, been to supermarket, about to make tea, then planning until bed. I'd love to sit, watch a bit of telly and chill out. fat chance.

Why does your planning take so long? Is it because you have to keep a paper trail and be able to show SMT highly detailed plans at no notice?
If it is, that is totally unreasonable. An experienced teacher shouldn't need to write more than a few lines for each lesson.
The marking, however, is extreme and never-ending. Drives me nuts.

And don't go to the supermarket - order groceries online!

It will come to a head

I wonder what will happen? What's to stop them recruiting from abroad forevermore?

Sylvia planning is hard because I have some incredibly needy, weak KS3 teaching groups who need a lot of support, plus A Level, plus a top GCSE set and a needy Year 10. I'm teaching English in a department that is still finding its feet, so not much in place. I also hold responsibility. I don't have to submit plans, but we are regularly learning walked. I know I am well regarded, but it takes a lot of effort to keep me there!

And, I do order online. I'm just in such a stress this week, I forgot a load of stuff .

Roll it all depends on how much people object. I'm thinking of going the other way! As I said, I work with two Canadians. They are shocked at our pay and conditions here, so we're not guaranteed to keep attracting people from overseas anyway.

There are lots of young Irish teachers (well-under 30) at our two local RI comps. It was really noticeable when we looked round in September. I presume there had been a recruitment drive over there. I don't know what teaching is like in Ireland though-is it worse? Why would so many move all at once?

We had a fair few NZ/Australian teachers at my last school but they were doing it as a way to fund seeing the sights over here and had no real intention of settling.

All the ones who I've met are temporary.

Not sure what conditions are like in Ireland. It might also be where there are jobs - it could be wonderful so fewer opportunities over there.