I started at a new school this month. I'd been at my old one, 20 miles away, for 10 years and loved it there but I had a huge fall-out with the new Head who was/is a sexist pig and I went to the union about him, blah blah blah, anyway I felt I couldn't work under him anymore even though I loved the school and my colleagues were fabulous. By a fluke I got this new job at the last minute and because my old Head knew he was in the wrong in the way he treated me and he didn't want any more hassle he let me go without serving my notice.
My new school is literally 3 mins walk from my house; my hours have increased (although I've lost my management responsibilities) and of course it's really convenient for the dds and their childminder and dd1's school.
But I've been in tears most nights after school . I miss my old colleagues sooo much; the staff at the new school are very staid and traditional in comparison; my classes are AWFUL - all bottom sets, with huge behaviour problems, plus they hate me cos I'm new. At lunchtimes we sit round a table in the dept office eating our sandwiches and I listen to them MOANING on about the kids, the other staff, the management, etc and I could cry with boredom. It's like being at a wake (in fact I'm going to a funeral tomorrow and it will be a damn sight more sociable and jolly - I'm not joking).
The Head is a lovely bloke, a friend of mine, and has promised that after this year I will get better classes and more opportunities and a big part of me believes it will get better.... but I'm soooooo miserable right now, it feels like I've made a huge mistake - but I couldn't have worked at my old place anymore so I really had no choice - but work isn't like it used to be for me; I so enjoyed it before and now, like a said, I've been in floods most nights. i HATE it