I am resigning from teaching - and I can't wait.

[Finallyquitting]

Just wanted to share this, have nchanged. I have been a teacher for ten years, now on the SMT for my roles within school.
This year has done me in finally and I am resigning after Christmas and I couldn't be happier. The fact that I have no other job to go to is not really on my mind at the moment!!

It's just got too much for all the reasons given in so many threads and I have read how teachers have left on MN and been so envious, well now I am joining them!
DH is slightly worried about what's next but I have recently specialised in a different area so am going to go down that route.

Fingers crossed for you cc2!

Ooh! What specialism? I am a specialist teacher. The only reason I am still in teaching! Absolutely love it!

Good luck!

Balls didn't get it! Was close though they said and they want me to apply again next time so couldn't have been too bad. The person who got it scored two points more than me in the questions - so close!
iT was visual impairment purple I am a SENCO!

I went part time after maternity leave. I really want to leave and dabble in supply but finances at the moment are putting a stop to it.

Do those of you thinking of leaving teaching/leaving teaching worry about your children's education/effect of current system etc.

Yes, absolutely. But staying in teaching was unsustainable and having a more immediate effect on my child. I think education won't improve until there is a major and undeniable crisis. I wish that the state education system could be thoroughly redesigned from scratch, from early years to 18, by experts who haven't got an election in a couple of years to worry about.

G1raffe - yes! It really worries me.

It all looks rosy at schools at pick up time as teachers always put on a sunny smile and positive spin for parents. It's all crumbling behind the scenes.

Working in an independent school is another world if you'd consider that.

Speak - I didn't mean the children you were leaving in class! I fully understand teachers leaving teaching, I meant your own actual children going through the system. I worry about my young children and occasionally consider home ed, but hope on balance school is still "ok".

Jelly - that's what I fear!

I know giraffe. I understood what you meant, and I was referring to my own child. I then went on to make a more general point about the state of the education system. Which will affect my own child in the future.

Ah fab, just realised I wasn't clear. I think you're right and so wish our education system could be redesigned by education experts. I fear its just going to continue to get worse while people continue to walk blindly into it as a career and the experienced teachers will have left, only those that have taught under the target driven madness will be left and the culture will have shifted. Its quite scary.

G1raffe, I started a thread on Primary Education a while ago to ask if it also worried other parents: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/2508960-Does-this-worry-you

The replies were mainly from teachers agreeing and from one person who kept insisting that there was no teacher crisis.

It bloody terrifies me. I'm seriously worried about my own children's education (as well as everyone else's kids too of course!)

I'll go have a look. I lurk on a few of the threads (especially the SATS related/grammar related ones which seems to be steering the recent change).

I decided against homeschooling when I chose school, and I did love the infant school but all the gradual changes and I do wish things were different. Its not really like we could move area as its a national problem.

I am scared silly for the future and most of the other school mums (the non teacher ones) dont have a clue - they naiively think "oh but standards are raising" or " its important we focus on grammar isnt it good". etc.

Ah yes I remember that thread. Its clear from the many "I want to leave teaching threads" that people outside of teaching still perceive teaching to be far easier than it is and less constrained than it is. Its become such a negative blame culture hasn't it. I think the PR they've done blaming teachers has worked.

Is it going to be another factor in the increasing rich/poor divide.

I can't help think that we will have students going into year 7 with either a very good grasp of grammar (and little else) or that haven't and have been put off by the whole target driven/hoop jumping system.

There's anotehr thread talking about wanting evidence from the reception teacher that their child is making progress. Evidence from the school that the teacher is doing her job that is. I think the target/level driven culture is soon going to be ingrained and those teachers from "before" will have gone.

Good for you, OP. I hope thousands more leave. It's the only way anyone's going to take notice. I've been a teacher for 20 years but have only done bits and bobs of temporary part-time for the last few years. Financially I need to find a full time or nearly full time job now. I'm desperately trying to find something that's not teaching, but the salary and holidays are so tempting . I know I will be miserable if I go back to it though. Dh is a deputy head and it's almost breaking him.

wanting evidence from the reception teacher that their child is making progress

This make me so angry!
When my own DC were in reception (many years ago), what I wanted was for them to be happy, make friends, enjoy learning, enjoy reading. If that happened (and it did) and easy for the child to tell me about - I was happy.
Scary parental entitlement these days.

And re teachers leaving - as a supply teacher currently I benefit from this, but it really is shocking how many classes are covered by supply teachers or 'Cover Supervisors . An outstanding school I go to a lot usually has between 3 and 5 in any one day - and this school is one of the best in London - just can't recruit.
Parents have no idea about this. One school I went to they were desperate for me to cover German, most definitely NOT my subject. The Y10 class had been without a German teacher for three months. One of the kids in the class happened to be the child of a friend of mine - she had NO IDEA, and was incandescent when I told her. Her DC had not thought to mention it to her. Or the fact that the teacher had walked out because one afternoon a kid in her DC class broke the teacher's glasses and thought it was hilarious. That school is a highly sought after school in SW London suburb, where local people glibly recite the mantra - 'standards are improving'. They haven't, but parents believe the PR and don't realise that the reason places are scarce are because of population growth, not that the school is any better than it ever was.
However, I am thinking of leaving supply, mainly because the behaviour (low level disruption, phones out, talking over the teacher, casual rudeness to staff) in even the 'naicest' schools disrupts learning for the good kids who want to learn. Have worked some days at an indie with fantastic behaviour, no low level disruption (no phones!!), who have asked me to take on a PT post.

That's what's put me off going back in as supply. My friends all think I should but they don't know teaching....

In my daughter's school and the neighbouring schools its now common to have a TA teach the class a day or two a week.

The "evidence of progression thread."

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/2588012-Parents-evening-Reception-how-to-ask-for-evidence-of-progression?

Threads like that are exactly why I have hidden the Primary Ed section.
Did it a few years back, and MN is more enjoyable now for me.

Yep MrsGuy - working in a decent independent school is like a totally different job. I worked in one for nearly 10 years. Bliss.

I am leaving after Easter and going into the civil service. Meddling slt, constant difficult behaviour and workload have seen me off. Cant wait!

I am really worried about my own child's education. Currently he is absolutely loving nursery. there seems to be no pressure or target setting etc and he is free to learn at his own pace and play!
I saw the assessment guidance for key stage 1 and 2 last week and sample test papers. It suddenly dawned on me that my inquisitive and happy little 4 year old will be expected to 'do all this' in just three short years.
I fear that his love of learning will be turned off, he will become anxious, self-loathing, fearful and thus hate school. I can see already what education is doing to 4, 5, 6 and 7 year olds - they should be carefree but instead they are having to push their limits in academia, reach targets that were once recommended for 9 and 10 year olds, do things that go completely against years of evidence regarding child development and be instructed to 'respond to marking' at the tender of five, understand their targets (and even understand WHAT a target is!)and know their 'learning path to success' but along the way, constantly told 'EBI' 'blah, blah, blah'.

I REALLY want to deregister my son through Y2 and Y6. But I know that that is unlikely me being in unemployment. I understand the pitfalls (de-registering would mean no detrimental effects on the school that I can for-see) Many parents I know would prefer to home-school (can't - they work) or turn to the independent sector (too expensive). And it isn't because they dislike the local school; they understand teacher's hands are tied tight with no wriggle room and are well informed that the craziness of the education system is purely down to the people whose only experience in education is BEING educated when they were a child called the Government.

*employment -NOT unemployment!