Just so fed up this week

[PumpkinPie2016]

Apologies for a self indulgent moan. I am a new HoF for a core subject (Been 2nd there for a couple of years so not a new school).

We are short staffed for a few reasons (though I know a lot of schools are the same).

There seem to be so many initiatives/projects from SLT that they want us to 'drive forward' - not small things either. All important things but just too many all at once 🤯

A few team members who are negative about absolutely everything but when asked what they would prefer/how they would like it to be done, they 'don't know'. Others are at a low ebb because we have had a bad cold going round and they feel rough but are dragging themselves in because they know we are short.

To top it off, a lovely 6th former came to me upset because she is having a really difficult time outside school and other than listen, there is nothing we can do to make it better😥

After more negativity in department meeting today, I honestly drove home wondering why I bother 😥😥 looking on here and twitter I know I am not alone but it's so relentless at the moment.

It's like all the stuff that couldn't be done during the last 18 months is being crammed into a single academic year.

Christmas jobs in sainsbury's actually look quite attractive, although I'm sure they also have their issues

Of course they do; working with the public, awful pay, low job satisfaction among many. It’s frustrating and patronising when people who work in education talk about getting shop jobs etc as if they are so easy; much like the backs that go up when people outside of education say how easy teachers have it
I would say what you are experiencing is all standard at the moment for a lot of workplaces. It’s the same in the school I work at. Have you told SLT how you are feeling with regards to their projects and staff negativity?

We had a supply teacher in school who taught for four days and had a Saturday job in Sainsbury. Sounds good to me.

Pumpkin it’s your job as HoF to enthuse your staff, and if the workload is too much to push back against it to slt. Its a relentless job but your dept need to feel you have their backs re slt, and slt need to see that you can both stand up re workload, and enthuse your team,

My sister in law works at ASDA and is off with stress. She was pushed and shoved near the self scan by an angry guy for daring to ask for ID. They have secret shoppers in all the time to check they’re complying with all the age restrictions etc. She’s always getting pulled into the office for pathetic reasons. She has worked there for years, but has never had so many incidents to deal with that seem to have come to a head over the past 6 months or so. Working with the general public sounds bloody awful, not to mention the pay.