Please tell me it gets easier!

[TheJuggleIsReal]

I'm a primary ECT, fairly mature, worked in education for years and thought I knew what I what letting myself in for but I am seriously struggling with workload, behaviour (never an issue on placements), and the resentment of working 11/12-hour days and at least 4/5 hours a weekend minimum. I am utterly miserable.
My class are almost a 50/50 split of those who have met ARE and those working below , including 5 children working up to 2 - 3 years behind and I am struggling to meet their needs. Many of the very low ones are used to being spoon fed but I cannot do this in my classroom set up (nor is it helpful for them to be so dependent) the second I leave them they are off task. In addtion to this I have a child who is now on the SEN pathway due to SEMH which is proving tricky to manage. No ECHPs so it's just me and a very inexperienced class TA who needs a lot of directing.

I know I can do better than this but I just feel like I am dropping so many balls, letting the children down and drowning. My colleages are being super supportive and telling me to stop being hard on myself but they don't see inner runnings of my classroom!
There are, of course parts of my job that I am enjoying but I hate what this is doing to my life and happiness.

Any advice/ words of wisdom? Or do I just need to grit my teeth and get through these first few years and know it will get easier as I get more experienced?

It does get easier. Planning etc takes less time.

With the children 2-3 years behind ARE, why don't they have EHCPs? Talk to the SENCO about this and get the ball rolling.

Your experience will soon increase and it does get better.
Save planning (in the hope you get the same year group) that you can tweak the following year.

I also try & save a selection of children's books that remind me what we did.

Take photos of displays then you can recreate the following year (if relevant) and I save signs and labels I've made which saves time.

@TheLightProgramme Unfortunately, my LA guidance is 4 years behind to qualify for ECHP's so we just have to use ADPR's which don't come with any extra resourcing or real impact due to the lack of support staff. The is also a huge issue with hiring TA's in our area so it's mostly agency which means intervention groups/ daily readers are pretty inconsistent.

@BG2015 Thanks for the tip regarding the displays - I am doing my first corridor one this week so I make sure to take photos and save resources to make it easier next year! Unless things massively change I will be in the same year as most schools around here keep ECTs in the same year for the whole induction process.

Thank you both for your reassurance, that I will get quicker - much needed on my 6th weekend working in a row! Nearly half term!!

If you're drowning in marking (as most primary teachers are) make sure to plan in lessons that don't require any: class discussions that you could evidence if you need to with a photo of your whiteboard, sorting activities in groups that you can photograph the children doing, an art based topic lesson etc. It makes such a difference to workload once you realise that not everything you do needs to produce a piece of writing in children's books!

One thing that gets easier is figuring out the things you don't have to do. Obviously planning/marking etc gets quicker, and things improve from that point of view too.

If there's an experienced teacher in your school who you trust and doesn't seem to have a heavy workload, do have a chat with them and ask what things they don't do.

11-12 hour days are unsustainable- in the short term you do need to find a way of doing less if possible!

And yes, if you can build in some easy lessons that are lower input from you, that really helps!

Hi all,

I just wanted to update and thank you for getting me through a really tough time - I am still standing! Like many of you said it has got easier as I have learnt what needs doing immediately and what can wait. Marking efficiently and thinking about my timetable to manage heavy marking days.
I'm not sure if the job is becoming manageable or whether I have just learnt to manage it! But I have many more good days than bad and I am feeling like I am winging it slight less of the time - I even took on early subject leadership in a moment of madness!

Anyway just wanted update so if anyone if in the same position as me next year they can see that is does get easier.

That's great to hear.

Nearly half term and then you are really on the homeward stretch.

In terms of taking photos, saving resources etc you need a brilliant filing system online to be able to retrieve stuff when you need it. I have been teaching for 12 years and am finding now that retrieving that brilliant PowerPoint when I need it is becoming increasingly difficult because I have so many. My summer job this year is to sort it all out….again! Give it some thought before you start.

Can you do things like live marking or pupils mark their own work via an answer sheet for instance. Less resource-intense lessons?