Do you find the holidays hard???

[CaptainBrickbeard]

My Twitter feed this morning is full of advice on how to handle the transition to the holidays and teachers bemoaning how difficult they find the ‘lack of purpose’ and how much they miss the classroom. I am, frankly, agog. I have never struggled in the slightest to adjust! I often get ill in the first week or am extremely tired, but that’s not what the Edutwitter names are talking about and I’m finding it baffling and also a little irritating. The holidays give me a chance to indulge my interests, look after myself, spend relaxed time with my children and enjoy the break from stress, tension and pressure. I can’t imagine letting the job define me so much that I didn’t know what to do with myself in the summer - I will read, write, watch tv, go abroad...it’s like when people say they would stay in their job if they won the lottery because otherwise they’d get bored. I can’t understand it AT ALL.

I’m going to cherish this holiday because when we come back, the school is launching it’s new behaviour policy...no prizes for guessing which way they’ve decided to go.... I’m thinking that as a result, next year could be my last in the profession so this might be my last six week break! I’m certainly not going to mope about missing the classroom routine!

Thank you for all the perspectives. I think as a very introverted person I used to love the six weeks before I had children whilst my husband was at work - and I know that I wasn’t alone because I had the evenings with him anyway so not at all the same - and I did recharge with the time alone. But I can imagine it would feel quite different in the circumstances described above.

the school is launching it’s new behaviour policy...no prizes for guessing which way they’ve decided to go...

Thoughts and prayers...

When my kids were younger I had to brace myself a bit for the holidays because it was another full time job, just different - and as a fellow introvert, being constantly in the company of noisy children was very tiring.

Now they are a bit older it’s far better, I can read Mumsnet a book in my room while they watch TV read a book in their room so I get enough quiet time to recharge in between trips and activities.

Can I ask about the behaviour policy please? I don’t know which way you mean. Sorry if I am asking an obvious question.

I always taught away from my family and would go back to my parents/ hometown for the six weeks so it really made it like a proper holiday.

It’s Pivotal style - get rid of consequences and sanctions, replace with cost chats. There is a particular phrase on the briefing sheet we have had which is attached to an anecdote about a child who responded daily to ‘good morning’ with ‘fuck off’ and after a year or so of this, eventually decided not to say ‘fuck off’ one day. Great success! We will no longer be protected from abuse and harassment in the workplace and pupils won’t be held to account if they choose to swear at us.

cosy chats not ‘cost chats’!

I don't get bored as such but I do prefer to have some structure to the week. Entertaining a toddler on a budget for 6 weeks can be annoying and quite Groundhog Day ish if i'm not careful. I am trying to make sure I have a couple of things planned in each week to break it up a bit.

And I would still work if I won the lottery! Just maybe not this job....

Thanks for explaining - I am staggered by that. There won’t be any cosy chats in the real/working world surely? Don’t understand!

Ah yes, the ‘fuck off’ anecdote is from the Paul Dix book. I was appalled when I read it. Suck up abuse, folks!

We are not paid to be punching bags, we are paid to be teachers.

Can’t believe your school has actually put out that anecdote as a model. Say fuck off to your head when he says good morning and see how that goes.

Only that’s a major part of my objection actually. It might feel like the kindest thing to do when a troubled child swears or disrupts and you know the horrors of their home life to let it go, rise above it etc. But I don’t know how kind it is to make these children believe that there will be no consequences for selfish, abusive behaviour and that it can be excused because of their feelings or experiences. That won’t be the case in their personal relationships or future education and/or employment. I don’t think it will develop their resilience or ability to navigate the world in any way. I think it’s more about an ego boost for SLT to portray themselves as the good guys.

Agree totally!!

noble our head’s end of year speech said specifically that we are not just teachers but listed all the things we apparently are to our students as well including counsellors, social workers and parents.

I can get your kid a decent English GCSE that will give them a solid stepping stone to their next life stage and I’ll do a good job of it. OR I can attempt to manage their mental health, organise them, mentor them, parent them, lie down and be a punching bag for them along with getting them that GCSE and I guarantee I’ll do a crap job of all of it. Because I’m not trained to do all of that, I don’t want to do all of that, I haven’t got time to do all of that and I don’t think it tackles any of the problems that any of these students are actually facing.

Right, it’s the holidays, I need to switch off the work stuff for the next few weeks!!

I can honestly say that I give very little time to think about school in the holidays! I have no interest in following education ‘experts’ etc on twitter either. It’s time to relax, re-energise and spend time with family.

I have s bit of work to do over the holidays as I'm moving into year 6 for the first time so have no planning of my own to use. Sorry from that I will be completely happy to waste while days on MN on spending time with my own children for a change.

Paul Dix has a lot to answer for. It's really not helping kids to excuse/ignore poor behaviour.

I do find it hard to "come down" at the end of the school year, but after a few days of thinking I ought to be doing something more useful, I love it. It's my birthday 2/3 of the way through August and I make it a rule to do nothing work-related until after that.

I do love my job though - I don't team in a mainstream school any more so I don't get any back-to-school jitters. I've been kind of missing my Year 13s since they left too - not in a weird way, but I've been teaching them all day every day for two years. Once I'm over the first week (tops) I love the summer hols.

I certainly don't struggle in the holidays

Finished work yesterday and have arrived in beautiful Cornwall for 2 weeks today so I am currently sat in a lovely cottage with a glass of wine

Apart from the holiday, I am going to read books that aren't textbooks and spend quality time with my 5 year old and husband. Plus see more of my wonderful Nan than I normally get chance to. Generally just chill and do whatever I/we want.

I suppose if people don't have a family or fanily/friends who are all at work then going from the manic of term time to suddenly nothing must be quite a shock to the system.

I've been kind of missing my Year 13s since they left too - not in a weird way, but I've been teaching them all day every day for two years.

Not weird at all-I teach a performing arts subject too (I think you do as well-not stalking you but recognise you from other posts!) and you spend sooooo much time with the kids who really engage that they end up like an extended family. When I used to work in a boarding school I would see the keen ones every single day for lessons or rehearsals including weekends. We celebrated birthdays together (any excuse to bring cake to school!), got each other through the highs and lows of UCAS/driving tests/A levels/university admissions etc and the older ones also often helped with events for the younger kids-doing sound and lighting for junior productions, front of house, playing in the band etc. There are certain classes which have a really good atmosphere, and it’s always sad saying goodbye to that. I’ve just left a school and I’m really sad to leave my exam classes, they were hilarious and motivated and passionate about their lessons and we just had such a lot of fun.

Unless I am actually away, I get bored after a few days off work. A weekend is long enough for me.

I have lots of friends who are teachers, they are moaning because they need to go in next week and finish off but apart from that they are on their last legs and grateful it's the holidays!

Fuck no. I love them. I hate that my academy trust has given us 5 weeks and 2 pissing days though. I resent them massively!

Paul Dix model failed at our school, despite lots of backing by SLT. Behaviour got worse and worse and worse. Ironically, Dix himself doesn't behave very well on Twitter sometimes.

I saw a tweet that poked fun at the system a couple of months ago, basically saying middle aged, white, male leaders love Paul Dix because they think kids respect them now they say hello to them in the corridor and chat about the football. So everyone can do that, right?

No, kids just treat you differently than they do the young, inexperienced, female NQT because they can spot what they perceive as weakness a mile off, and your established position protects you. A nice chat with you will go well... not so much for someone in an entirely different position....

I'm bloody sick of men in leadership roles thinking that boys misbehave in women's lessons because we 'don't understand them'. Fuckwits.

I can’t understand getting bored in the holidays, starzig! Don’t you enjoy doing anything non-work related? I could never get bored in six weeks of books alone! Then there are walks, gardening, swimming, a couple of trips away if possible - I can’t fit it all in. I honestly don’t know how boredom would happen!

Tigerseye it will fail badly in my school. It’s a huge, huge academy and to manage a site of well over 2000 kids, boundaries and clear consequences are absolutely imperative. SLT think they are amazing for knowing all the personal interests of the badly behaved kids like they have an incredible insight into their personalities and how lovely they all are really. Of course, none of them ever have to teach these children in classes of 34 with the pressure of everyone having to reach an ‘aspirational’ target! Paul Dix is a total dickhead.

Anyway, I’ve read the NASUWT conditions of a behaviour policy and if ours doesn’t mention staff wellbeing (it won’t) I’ll contact the union.

I never dread the holidays. They are the best thing about teaching!

The last Sunday at the end of the summer is when l feel really down.