How do you keep going?

[PenOrPencil]

It’s been of those days at secondary school. Objectively most of my students are well behaved and want to learn, but a small handful (and their parents...) are making my life hell.

How do you motivate yourself and keep going? All I want to do at the moment is shout, stomp my feet, pack my stuff and never ever go back.

Book a holiday
Treat yourself
Remind yourself of some of the high moments
Dob in some of the key characters to the member of SMT most likely to bollock them

I'm assuming management don't have your back. Without this, the pupils aren't containable.

What are the parents doing? Again, it's unlikely to just be you so what are management doing about this?

Have you spoken to parents? (assuming you have by the and parents bit!)

Are they apathetic for a reason? (ie subject they won't continue with post options)

Get SLT on board if they are supportive.

Apathy is more frustrating than down right refusal!

Yep, I have spoken to parents and been verbally abused. SMT are making some supportive noises but I see no results, just kids running riot without any consequences...

I’ve been at a new school since September and there are some tricky and disengaged students. I taught a lesson today where the lack of respect is just really galling and exhausting. I teach over 15 different classes per week, and all the others despite some really quite tricky characters are essentially ‘onside’, as in sometimes the behaviour is a bit on a knife edge and the personalities can kick off a bit at each other they fundamentally like and respect me so I can firefight where necessary. With today’s class however I am a bit lost as to how to tackle them as they are just not responding to me at all, so I need to think of some new strategies.

Sit in the staff room/ talk to colleagues- we all have to look after each other. And- you will never be the only one struggling.
Try to find one good or positive thing- they do outweigh the negatives, but they are easier to forget which is a shame.
Plan something nice for the evening/ weekend.

I find gin helps

Venting to sympathetic colleagues really helps. I’ve definitely given, and been a sympathetic ear to many rants over the years. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed to keep going, other times more support from above is required.