Cried for the first time this year today

[CuckooCuckooClock]

New school so no friends yet just had to hide in a corner for a bit til I'd calmed down.

Y10s were absolute shits.
Argue about everything. Refuse to stay seated never mind actually do any work.
I only see them once a week and I'm starting to really dread it.

And we had ofsted and by the looks we're being downgraded to RI no result yet but I reckon no news is bad news in there circs.

I really don't know why I put myself through all this crap.

Know it gets easier. You lasted until October, that's something. The best advice I ever had for working with difficult classes is to build the relationships outside the classroom. Little compliments or questions in the hall way "oh, your hair looks good today" and "how was your weekend?" go a long way to building trust. Target those who lead the chaos and get them on side.

More importantly have a glass of wine tonight!

I think that's quite a respectable period of time in a new job to wait for your first cry.

(just realised that's not terribly helpful)

Chin up love. Nearly Friday.

Thanks.
You're right about building trust. Not sure how to do that because the hate me so much. I've never had this before. Kids usually like me (and all my other classes are fine). I've got off to a bad start and need to claw my way back into their good books.

Don't sacrifice your standards to be liked, but be kind and respectful. Don't rise to them.

I had an almost-teary moment today too. Also in a new school, which is horribly corporate and pressurised, but luckily work in a really great small team.

Had a modicum of success today with a group I'm really struggling with. Played a pop song on youtube as they were arriving, they instantly calmed down and some even said thanks. Promised another one at the end if all work done. It worked. Worth a try!

You've done well. I've cried about 4 times this year already and it's all over workload rather than any class.

You can get the little beggars back. Don't be afraid to go back to your classroom management basics. Have you a HoD / Line manager who can give back up discipline support in the first few weeks? Like if you give a breaktime detention, then they give a back up detention? A double whammy. You'll only need to do it a couple of times to show them you're serious.

And alongside this, sweetness and light to the ones who play ball. Eventually the shitstirrers will be left out in the cold and beg to come in.

This of course supposes you're in a school with decent discipline in place

I almost cried today too. I am a supply teacher and had a y4 class this morning after having had them earlier this week. They were awful - refusing to sit down, telling me to fuck off, refusing to do the work I set them etc etc. I couldn't even get through the first part of the lesson and felt like walking out. They were the same the other day. I could have turned the work down but I'm in no position financially to do that so had to suck it up.

It's even worse though when you know you've got the same, crappy behaviour at the same time each week and you can't refuse to do it. Several years ago I was ppa cover teacher in a local primary school. The yr 5&6s were my nemesis (or, at least, it felt like that). I didn't fit in at that school and didn't have the support of slt - they wouldn't follow their own behaviour policy and would send the children I'd sent out of class back to class. That job made me ill and I left after 2 terms.

You say you haven't made friends yet but it do you have the support of your colleagues and of slt? If so, don't feel bad when you have to use them. Keep being firm but fair, consistent and follow the school's behaviour policy to the letter. Be friendly and approachable, in & out of the classroom. Be positive and reward the ones who do toe the line.

Slt are a bit of a joke.
Behaviour problems all over school and kids don't really respect the head.
I just feel so bad for the kids who want to learn but 6 weeks in I still haven't actually managed to do any proper teaching, just behaviour management of 10 boys who are doing everything they can to destroy the lesson. Fuckers.

Remember those year 10 boys started off as shy year 7s! That really helped me not have the fear of year 8 I had when I started last year (training) - now an NQT and I'm not scared of them although they still give me the rage. I think everybody has been through the crying in a corner stage. I remember my mentor extracting me from the staff toilets, where I was hiding because year 8 had been little shits. Try to find three things that went well today, it will make you feel so much better!

Clarification: I had the fear last year, not anymore. My form make me feel really insecure though...

I am in the same position - a yr 10 class making my life hell. No support from SLT - I have been here since September and have been threatened with competency unless their behaviour improves.
I am so tempted to hand my notice in and work supply - or look to leave teaching altogether- it’s that bad.
I have a maths degree - I don’t need vile teenagers driving me to a breakdown- and then to be told I need to treat them with more respect.
The fact that I can’t sleep at 1:45 on a Saturday in half term tells me how bad it is.
I feel for everyone in this position.

Poor you. Yes slt blame us for behaviour problems too. We're told if our lessons are better then the kids won't misbehave. The problem is when the behaviour is so bad that you can't even introduce the lesson! The kids don't know whether the lesson's good or shit because they don't give it a chance.

I hope you manage to relax a bit over half term.

Thank you - some tough decisions to make - I feel if I walk away then my career will suffer - but if I don’t my health will suffer more.

I have a similar situation with a y10 class who are just running rings around me and have been close to tears once or twice.

Fortunately for me, however, I've been given nothing but help and support in dealing with them, both from HoD and wider SLT, and am beginning to think there may be light at the end of the tunnel (might of course be the headlight of approaching train ). Am NQT and thinking I really lucked out on school for first job - if they were not supportive I don't think I'd have made it this far without losing the plot. Benefit of being a fairly old nqt is that I am pretty clear in my mind about where my limits lie and how much stress I am prepared to take, and I know that walking away may be necessary for my health. Tough call but life is short and you only go round once.