If you left teaching what did you go on to?

[Snowflakewater]

I had a really tough day today and parTly just need to vent and partly need some advice.

I think at the place I’m in now I really don’t know if I can carry on teaching, I’m losing passion for it on a daily basis. The good kids are amazing but the bad are awful. I got told “spotty features” and another shouted something so bad I just wanted to burst into tears another told me “I’m an arrogant so and so” for them flinging a chair across a room, I learnt not to let much get to me but this just did.

Since I’ve been back after summer I’ve lost the passion to teach, I just feel like I’m on auto pilot, I work with others who just seem to know jr all and one up each other in meetings. The kids simply do not listen and it just feels exhausting.

Part of me wants to stay or maybe this school just isn’t right, but then another part of me thinks, maybe I’m just not a good teacher and actually it might be time to find something that I do genuinely feel more passion for.

How is everyone else getting on?

Also I’m so sorry for the typos I’ve got in the post, I’m using my iPad and didn’t care to go back and correct.

You don't seem to have felt settled at any of your schools, maybe teaching isn't quite for you.

Have you got any other careers which interest you?

It’s been something I’ve felt for a while now. I tried and I would rather people who had more passion than me were in it. I’m not strong enough and I can’t really handle the daily tirades. I want to finish my ECT just incase I ever did come back into education, however I think the bigger picture is that I can’t see myself wanting this for much longer.

Im not sure what I want yet but I’ll be thinking about it.

I felt like this when I was training - my parents, who were teachers too (and sick of it!) persuaded me to stay on.

My first job was in a private school for 15 years, I loved it. I've tutored, taught adults, state schools, private schools, full and part time, all around a growing family.

I would love to do something different now but don't regret my career choice and advise you to see the training through, maybe get into a different school and then make your judgement.

Best of luck.

I considered looking into private school or maybe transitioning to primary school? But I don’t ever want to disappoint children with my lack of passion it seems horrible to do that.

I don't think primary will be any less challenging than secondary. If - at this stage of your career - you're already thinking about getting out, I don't think it's the job for you.

It’s not, I do have bills to pay though so I need to see the year out and then at least I’ll have thag as a back up but I’m just not as passionate about it as when I first began. The behaviour since covid across all schools seems to have taken a nose dive and it’s just become insufferable.

I don’t like being name called especially when it resurfaced things yoh but behind you. I do need to get a grip yes, because they’re kids, but they’re also young adults and know right and wrong.

To add to this I also think I’ve not found the right school and I’ve already been through 3 including placements and I don’t have the energy to feel like I need to keep applying to schools, get there, then I’m back in that vicious cycle. I can deal with all things and I love teaching my lovely kids who actually care but they’re my minority and it’s always overshadowed by children who don’t care and fling chairs because they don’t want to follow instructions.

@Snowflakewater you write about 'passion' a lot. I qualified almost thirty years ago and I'm counting down to retirement now. Passion left my classroom a long time ago. I turn up on time, set appropriate work, and expect my pupils to behave well and try their best. Their work is marked in a timely fashion, and diagnostic feedback provided. That's it. Maybe you are simply expecting too much from the job - or, indeed, from any job.

Then I need to find something I’m passionate about dont I? No jobs perfect but I think honestly I’ve taken a job and quite frankly there’s probably someone who would love it much more than I do. What’s the point of hitting auto pilot for 40 years of my career. Yeah okay it’s fine for some but I don’t want to. You can’t expect everyone to love the rigmarole of a 9-5. It’s not for everyone. There’s a high percentage of teachers leaving and it’s predominantly down to lack of support and constant behaviour issues. I can’t escape behaviour issues so why am I putting myself through a job that’ll make me miserable. For now, I’ll get on with it but as a long term I’m saying it’s not for me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with exploring options while I can.

I love my job but I think if you expect passion everyday, you're likely to be disappointed.
You say you "can't escape behaviour issues" - you've obviously not been in schools which suit you.

True, but who has the time to job hop? I quite like stability. But I suppose my educational background of a private school has impacted my ability to deal with comprehensive schools because we just were not allowed to behave in this way. We’d be immediately expelled. Often when I see poor behaviour slt seem to have washed their hands off of it and the pastoral team don’t have enough time to actually deal with it.

also I did actually observe another school and had a half decent placement at one of my schools but because it was they’re pretty great people never leave.

id feel a bit of a fool if I gave up my job to move to a new school now to leave considering I haven’t even given it a chance. So as I said I’ll see the ECT through then re evaluate.

Perhaps what you really need is to focus on your behaviour management. I teach in a very different school to the one I went to, and I had to really work at that in the first few years.

I’d agree with you there, but I’m actually far too weak to do it. It’s hurtful sometimes being treated like that constantly. I just hate namecalling from kids and yes I’m an adult but I’m a human too and there’s only do much I can take. I understand there’s things I could keep working on however I just don’t feel like it’s not for me generally. Of course I’ll keep working on what I needs fixing for now I’m trying to ignore the rudeness from kids for now and just pretend I didn’t hear it.

If you ignore the rudeness, you're tacitly condoning it. You have to deal with it, calmly, every time.

What @MrsHamlet said

@Snowflakewater I’d agree with the others. With behaviour you have to be calm and consistent. Every single lesson or every day. It’s hard work but it will make a difference. Ask your mentor for specific support with behaviour.

I’d also add that usually second year in a school the behaviour just gets easier. I taught for over 10 years in my first school - didn’t have behaviour problems at all. Moved schools and my first year was horrific - but then it just starts to fall into place a bit more sometimes after that.

can I just ask - will you definitely pass this year? Only because if any danger you might not I think you can’t do it again now? I might be wrong and if you’re going to pass then stay it out as you plan to!

It's not personal, OP, it really isn't. They push you because you have boundaries. Have you observed many other colleagues' lessons? What works best is calm consistency and always being the grown up. Not shouting at them, not trying to be their best friend, not ignoring it.

I probably have boundaries because I was educated in a different setting. So my line thag Shouldn’t be crossed is much firmer than teachers who’ve only ever been in comp schools themselves. I just can’t try to be lenient and when it comes to trying I have to force myself. I’ve been told my colleagues to ignore tactically so it’s what I’m doing. I can only do as I’m directed to now. It’s too stressful trying to figure out what works because when I try and be the teacher I want to be, it’s “too strict” or the kids will push back and say “she’s so mean and horrid” etc. Then I’ll come back and worry that the school will think I’m being a complete shit bag.

I have shouted before I’ll be honest but it’s often when there’s a significant risk going on like something being flung towards someone’s head.

I think I’m really very old school when it comes to teaching. It’s probably a bad thing but very much why I’m finding it hard. I’ll get on with it for now and do as I’m told to but as I’ve said I can’t force something if I’m not happy.

Erm I mean the goal is to work hard and pass. I’ve not switched off I’m still staying on the ball because quite frankly I’m still in my probabtion period and also I just don’t behave that way.

Its just me venting and saying I’m gonna keep at it and keep going however I’m not enjoying it and it doesn’t feel like something I can do forever. That’s all.

Been doing calm and composed and then things get flung around because they take advantage. It’s hard honestly. I can’t get it right and it becomes frustrating and then on top of it the kids just walk all over you for being kind. My age and gender plays a significant role i think and it’s something I’ve been told that happens in inner city schools.

I work in a school that has well above average proportion of PP/SEND/EAL and things do not get ‘flung’ about in classrooms. And name calling would not be tolerated at all. When we suggest ‘ignoring’ it would perhaps be for low level off task/chatty behaviour - so where you can praise those that are doing it right verbally/names on board/whatever your school system is.

What is your school system? We have a very clear system where essentially told, reminded, moved (outside for a quiet chat/to another seat) then taken out of the classroom either via our on call system or to another pre-agreed classroom in the dept.

With colleague in my dept who doesn’t find behaviour easy we have made sure they have something to do on board as students come in and classroom ready for lesson so there is no carnage of books being given out and kids with nothing to do. Make sure at least part of that task is easy for students to do so they feel successful and praise can be easily given very early on.

We’ve taken in in turns to observe and given advice on structure of lesson. We’ve helped tweak the seating plan. We’ve organised which classroom they can send children to who are being disruptive and made sure work is printed/planned to support this.

Plenty of phone calls home, both for those who are not behaving appropriately but also including for those working well as the word spreads. Praise postcards. Lots of positive points on our rewards system.

it is working, but it is hard work and they can’t let the planning with that class slip ever like you could with other classes. Main issue was that they were giving too many chances and trying to appeal to better nature which didn’t work but also their lessons were not planned/structured in the best way which is a big part of managing the behaviour.

I probably have boundaries because I was educated in a different setting. So my line thag Shouldn’t be crossed is much firmer than teachers who’ve only ever been in comp schools themselves
You're completely contradicting yourself here, not to mention insulting a whole load of colleagues!
No one in the single sex grammar school I went to ever insulted a teacher or chucked stuff. Somehow I manage to get my comprehensive school student to not insult me or chuck stuff... and if they do, I certainly don't ignore it. That would be ridiculous.

You really should look for another job.
Teaching isn’t for everybody, and it’s clear it isn’t for you. You don’t seem to understand the basics of behaviour management or building suitable relationships for learning. Still thinking that having a passion for teaching, whatever that might be, at this stage of your career is the thing that matters most, indicates a hopeless naivety.
I was educated in a very “other” way - privately, in an all girls’ grammar school in the 60s. That didn’t stop me teaching successfully in comprehensive and secondary modern schools, and FE, until fairly recently, always (I hope) showing respect and understanding for my learners but setting firm boundaries and not tolerating bad behaviour.

If things are regularly being 'flung' around in your classroom then that isn't even passing the litmus test of managing to run a safe classroom let alone one in which effective learning can take place and it is difficult to see how you would pass your ECT if it continued like that however I'm aware these things do happen if the person signing off doesn't want to deal with actually tackling problems or the push back against failing someone or putting them on capability etc.

What happens to students who fling things around or call you names? What steps do you follow in the lesson and afterwards in terms of consequences? It would help to know what the behaviour system is at your school.

Maybe your passion could be directed towards learning to teach effectively rather than expecting passion to just be there? Being passionate about planning lessons to be as effective as possible (biggest component of behaviour management), being passionate about following through on poor behaviour via school procedures and by phoning home and engaging parents, speaking to form tutors and heads of year and seeing which interventions (applied consistently for a while) have the biggest impact?

Like most things in life there's a lot of hard graft that goes into those passionate great moments where things run the way you'd like them to. Whether that's learning a musical instrument or becoming skilled at skiing or being a teacher or whatever. There's not a lot of passion in the struggling with the basics stage which is where you seem to be at. I think you need to ask yourself whether you are willing to put in the level of work and time and flexibility (ie trying new things, doing research, sticking at new methods long enough to see if they work with consistent application) it's likely to take for you to become a more proficient educator rather than what level of passion you feel.