Tips for surviving the next 7 weeks

[CuckooCuckooClock]

Please help me keep it together until the summer.

I've had 2 weeks off with stress (3 incl half term) and I'm back on Monday. I've posted before about my school. No schemes, no support, rarely even speak to another teacher unless its hod or slt telling me off after a learning walk or book scrutiny. Truly miserable.

I just need to get through this half term without completely falling apart. I've only been there since September so I don't have much paid sick leave so can't take many more days off. I know I'm not properly better but I need the money so I have to go back.

I know I'm going to get back to a thousand emails I need to deal with, lots of changes to catch up on, kids complaining about my absence, data that needs entering immediately, books that haven't been marked etc.

I feel sick. Any coping tips would be gratefully received.

You don’t sound ready to go back. Can you have another week? Still won’t be enough by the sound of it.
Have you handed in notice?

If not, it’s just seven weeks. 35 days. Can you find something each day in school that you like? Can you find a positive in each lesson? Not necessarily something SLT would think is positive, but something you are pleased with. Something you’ve been wanting to try? Something you believe in?

I take it you've handed in your notice and so it's your last 7 weeks? (That's an awfully long half term btw).

I really feel for you, I've been off with periods of stress before, it isn't a nice place to be.
Just wondering if you could pop in today to read emails before you go in on Monday, so you're prepared and it doesn't feel so scary?
For me, it would make it easier to get everything ready for the week, photocopying done, emails answered etc without lots of people being around.

Thanks for replies.

I only had a 12 month contract so notice needed.

I can't go in today because I've got young children to entertain.

I do need to find something positive but I just can't at the moment. The thing is, I don't ever want to return to that school, so another week off won't make a difference and will just mean more catch up to do.

If you can’t find something positive you might still be able to mentally detach from the crap. Why not try using it as seven weeks to improve something you want to get better at and just focus on that so you’re better prepared for your next job.

Thanks parrot I think detaching from the crap is the exact skill I need to work on!

i realised this year that In my previous 2 schools it's been positive relationships with colleagues that have made the bad bits manageable. When slt are being shits I need someone to reassure me it's not my fault.

This year I haven't had that and it's destroyed my clearly rather fragile confidence! I need to be able to survive without supportive colleagues or I need to leave teaching. For the sake of my health and my family. I'm just not strong enough to carry on when being told I'm doing it wrong all the time.

I think that's one reason it's so hard is because it feels like the end of my teaching career and the sense of failure.

Bless you. Have been there a couple of years back and ended up staying until end of term, but it was rough and having a really supportive colleague did help! In all honesty, If it is a 12 month contract think I would pack it in asap and do supply, not because of anything you have done - you are seeing yourself through a negative filter put there by SLT by the sounds of it. The job is hard enough without that too. The supply will help you build up confidence again and if you are punctual, go the extra mile and make the effort (and call the agency a lot!) they will give you jobs. Ring an agency and find out what they say.

My friend got me a copy of ‘what else can a teacher do?’ and it helped me work through what i actually wanted, as i thought that might be it for teaching, and it actually was a different school not a different role.

I honestly think there are SLT who need to learn to build and not blame people all the time - got a head now who is a great manager and team builder and it makes it a different world. Wishing you the best

Thanks ididyeah
My contract ends in the summer so I can't leave before the end of term. I did think about giving notice in Feb and leaving at Easter but decided to push on through. I wish I hadn't now. I thought things might get easier but they've got harder.
I'm already a career changer so I could go back to my old profession if I left teaching. I just feel so sad when I think about leaving teaching.
I am planning on trying supply in September if I can fit it around childcare.

It may well just be you're in the wrong school.

Change your school and you may find it totally different

That may be the case. I was happy at my last school.

The problem is that I'm part time (kids are only young and dh has a high pressure, work away a lot job, so there's no way I want to do full time). I feel like the only schools who will consider me are really crap ones who have no choice because they can't get anyone else (I'm in a shortage subject).

At my last school I was a maternity cover and a full time job came up but they preferred the rubbish nqt, because he was full time, over me because I wanted part time.

I keep emailing places with vacancies to ask if they'd consider part time but most say no.

the only schools who will consider me are really crap ones

What do you mean by 'really crap ones'? The school you're in sounds like the crappiest of crap, so surely it can't get any worse?

If you mean the OfSted report isn't very good and/or bad area, then I'd take a good look at them anyway. I've just moved to a "failing" school, and, yes, some of the behaviour is appalling and a lot of procedures need sorting out and tightening up BUT, the support and cameraderie amongst the staff are amazing.

This sounds so familiar. I left a year ago a Christmas. What helped me get through the final half term was counting down the days. If you are part time, it will only be about 20 days! You can do it!

I have been on supply since then and love it. I am often offered part-time, long term things but don't want them. I love walking out at the end of the day. My mental health is much better and I have time to spend with my own children instead of worrying about other people's.

Sorry, posted too soon.

My mantra is, 'It's not you, it's them.'

Something has to give soon as the current system is unsustainable.

You shouldn’t have to catch up on marking! You were off sick.
Make sure you have the first week back planned, know what you’re doing with the children.
Supply should have marked work.
Plan something nice at the end of each day.
Make a “ticking off the days” chart.
Ridiculous as it sounds I find giving my classroom a tidy helps for some reason- if it looks ready I can face the day better.

castasp by crap I mean places where no one wants to work so they are particularly desperate. Where I am is awful but I don't think it's unique and there's no point getting another job in a school where I'm going to be miserable again. What I mean is that schools that aren't terrible places to work aren't desperate enough to consider me.

Thanks disappearing your story gives me hope for the future.

sure I don't really know how to plan for next week properly until I see the kids and their books and find out what they've done in my absence, I did email my hod but just got 1 sentence on each class and it's not very useful. For instance, according to hod, a class I see once a week has finished a unit so is ready for the test. I know I had 5 hours more teaching to do so I don't see how they can be ready for the test after 2 hours of supply. It's also a shared class so I need to check with their other teacher if they've covered their content too. None of this can be sorted out until Monday after school and I teach them Monday morning so it's hard to be prepared.

I would plan a revision session for Monday giving them notice of an assessment. Then you will have followed the HOD advice. Sketch the sessions you have left out and plan something good into each day your are not there.
What about filling a jar with happy thoughts and suggestions to keep you going. You know like mindfulness colouring, 30 minutes cuddling the dog or whatever is a happy place for you. When you are stressed visualise the numbers counting down and the jar.

What subject is it? If you dont mind sharing that then those of us who teach the same as you might be able to help by suggesting our best / easiest ‘one off’ lessons that you can use for the first few days.

Oh, and marking... give each child a small slip of green paper and a small slip of orange on your first lesson back.

On the green one, get them to write ‘what I have learnt in the last two weeks’. On the red one, ‘what I still want to learn/ improve in this topic’. Get them to stick them in their books.

DO NOT MARK anything before those slips.

Thanks for the suggestions.
I've planned a couple of revision lessons and some stand alone lessons that I'm quite excited about.
I teach science so I've got chem phys and biol. mainly low ability so some will struggle with the green and orange slips but I might give them a table of topics to RAG.
I suspect they haven't done much in my absence but I wasn't exactly up to date with my marking before I went off sick so there will be several pages that have not been assessed and my schools policy is to assess everything. I guess it depends how much grief slt and hod want to give me. I'm hoping that since I'm leaving anyway they might leave me alone a bit.
As for my days off - I always have lots of fun on those with my own kids. I think my job had started to steal away more and more of my family time and that's partly why I became so ill. I won't let that happen again.
I'm feeling more positive now though I'm sure I'll be panicking tomorrow morning on my way in.
Thanks for all the supportive replies. It's been so helpful. X

Honestly, draw a line at the point you go back and don't mark the stuff that was in their books before. It will just swamp you and won't help the kids (if you're too stressed to plan their lessons properly). Do your RAG sheets and then use those as a marker in their books; nothing before that gets marked.

Good luck

I left my job at Easter and went on supply. I had been off for nearly 6 weeks with stress when I went back after Feb half term. That last term was a slog, but I also didn't care what the SLT said anymore - it was quite freeing! I just enjoyed the children and taught what I liked (within reason!) I signed up with an agency while I was off sick and started a position straight after Easter. There are so many supply jobs around at the moment and loads of people I know work part time supply for exactly the reasons you have. Try to find some supply work - there is loads out there - and once you are 'in' with a school you often get regular supply or a permanent position might open up. (mine has actually turned into a job from September!)