Resigning some of my job midyear - any advice please?

[PhyllisDietrichson]

I work part time, but I took on an extra day and a half to help out after a last min resignation; because of this I've been given a form too, and Im drowning. I work a 45 hour week and am supposed to work 4 days.

I have year 11 and 9 children at home who need me; they're latch-key kids at the moment with the older one being a carer essentially. My marking n discipline's going rapidly downhill in the classroom as I struggle to cope. I am going loopy, I feel anxious all the time. And I've just become menopausal this year too. It's made me really insomniac (great combo with teaching heh?) I was doing really well last year too with GCSE students getting 90% A-C's.

I want to resign the day and a half and ditch the form responsibilities. That or basically stop teaching, and get a job in a shop. Advice welcome please. Thanks in advance.

It sounds awful - you sound like you're on the verge of breaking point. Definitely drop the day and half extra, especially if you were coping fine before you took that on - is it on a temporary basis? If so, you should be able to drop it with pretty much immediate effect. When you explain to them the situation, lay it on with a trowel if necessary, that you simply cannot cope any longer. If they make it any way difficult for you, or for some other reason you can't quickly drop those extra days, go see your GP, they may be able to either sign you off for a few weeks to give you some breathing space, or be able to write a letter to your employers stating that doing the extra day and half is detrimental to your health.

Your options really, are drop the day and half, or have a complete breakdown, and you'll be no use to anyone then. The other option, as you say, is to pack in altogether, but it seems a bit drastic to do that, if you were coping fine on 3 days, and also, i assume those 3 days are permanent, so you wouldn't be able to leave altogether until April 30th anyway.

DitheringDiva - thanks. Actually the school's immediately trying to help me out as best they can, they're making the right noises anyway so we'll see what they can actually pull-off bearing in mind its midyear. I already feel more sane just knowing that they're listening.