I am a part-time experienced teacher and have recently started teaching a year 6 class one day a week. I was apprehensive about accepting this position because I had not taught this year group in class for some time and am naturally highly strung.
I have worked at the school for some time but not as a class teacher. Four students in the class are persistently rude, disruptive and disrespectful. I have tried encouragement and positive praise when appropriate, but this has had a somewhat limited effect. The school's behaviour policy is well-structured and consistent, but the students concerned are not bothered by it.
The year group leader is a young teacher who is confident but could be more approachable. The students concerned have sometimes spent time in her class, which they dislike, but the impact is short-lived. I have spoken to the class teacher but feel uncomfortable and that the problem is not his. He finds these students difficult, but they do not misbehave with him.
The problem is affecting my mental health, and I feel that I ought to be able to manage things better. As I become anxious, I cannot focus and teach well, and I start to make mistakes and feel flustered.
Students in the class who usually are well-behaved are aware of the disruption, and their behaviour deteriorates too.
I want to keep going in this role as I like many aspects of the school, and the class is generally reasonable. I am learning a lot and becoming more familiar and confident with the curriculum. The planning is demanding but excellent.
I cannot escape feeling nervous, sleeping poorly the night before I teach this class and feeling like a failure. When the students concerned are rude to me, I know I am mishandling it, but I don't know where to go with the answering back and rudeness.
When I reread this, it sounds mild, but its effect on me is not. I would appreciate any ideas on what I can do.