Tiredness, suggestions? Teachers?

[Jaynee]

Hi everyone, have recently gone back to work, as a teacher, four days a week. DS is just 6 months today and DD is 3. Any other mums out there who have any tips on how to cope with the tiredness? Am so exhausted every morning when I get up at 6 I feel ill. Am still bfeeding and don't want to give up and am having to plan lessons etc in the evenings. Dh being fairly helpful (doing the shopping and making lunches) but I feel about 100 years old! Any advice gratefully received.

I'll bump it up for you. I haven't got an answer-I find it exhausting with older children. Can you afford to make it a job share with 2 and half days or 3 days? If so would you be allowed to do it?

Don't think I could afford it boo hoo, am so tired, please help

I suspect that you are not getting any replies because no one has the answer Jaynee.
Unfortunately it is very tiring-just count off the days until the Easter holidays and try and take it very easy then.

What age do you teach? Do you get your full PPA time?

my friend went back 3 days initially and now she's dropped to 2 as she can make up the same amount of money doing supply if and when it suits her

is that an option?

I don't know how to help - I always have a nap when I get home.

i had to reduyce my hours - ds1 was 3 ds2 was 6 months
i go back in may after ds3....
it is very tiring
i was breastfeedinng ds2 too and will be breastfeeding ds3 when i go back

Could you do your lesson plans at the weekend? I should mention I am not a teacher but am volunteering at a school and the teacher says she does planning on Sunday afternoons.

I teach full time and have 2 DSs, aged 3.9 and 2. I went back when they were each 18 weeks old. In terms of tiredness, all I can really say is you get used to it!

You say your DH does shopping and lunches...is this all he does? My DH and I split all household chores completely down the middle. I'm just asking because it can be hard to get people to accept that you're working full time when you're teaching!

Are you managing your time well at work? I try to bring as little home as possible!
Have a finishing time and stick to it, what isn't done by then isn't done.
I also recommend internet shopping! get rid of any extra tasks that you can.

If I can think of more tips I'll be back!

I went back to shifts and used to nearly vomit with tiredness. It gets better bearable. Honestly.

Jaynee, this might sound a bit daft but once you factor in 2 lots of childcare, you could find, like we did, that financially it makes little/no difference whether you work 3 or 4 days...so I do 3.

And although we can't afford a cleaner (will become a necessity if I go f/t) I do send the ironing out as that gives me a couple of hours I wouldn't normally have...would this be possible?

Also, I don't know how helpful your dh is, but when the dcs were small, dh always used to get up in the night to them on a Fri and Sat night, just so I could recharge for the week ahead (he'd catch a few hours later on) - and now they're older he takes them swimming & shopping Sat morning instead so I can either do marking/prep then or sleep!

oh yes, god bless the sainsbury's van

I work 5 days, one from home but only have one child. The only think I've found is to go to bed really early during the week. I quite often am in bed by 8.30-9pm. I know that's a bit sad but I find if I can get in a few nights of good sleep (even if it's interrupted) I can just about cope.

Can you do anything to make your life easier outside of the childcare/job stuff? I do a big roast on a sunday and eat that during the week so only really cook once.

I also get viry tired teaching, it came to head the other year when it was a factor in my having a breakdown. I have now got a job in a school that is less stressful and that makes a difference. My dp also now works less hours and and from home so he can rn the house. I still need to have a nap when I get in and I often literally sob with exhaustion in the shower in the morning. Sometimes I get so tired I get awful headaches that leave me throwing up. Last night I came in from parents evening and was throwing up and think that was just tiredness as I have been fine today.

Probably not much help but I do the following

use the internet for readymade recources. subject groups, tes recources etc.

Dp signed me up to an animation website so I can find images quickly rather than spend ages looking for the right one.

Although I often have naps I do feel better if I have some exercise between getting home and starting work again. So I try and walk the dog with dd when I get in.

I have a colleague who keeps an eye on me and will say twinset you are doing too much and looking ill. I know then to take a step back ir risk meltdown.

Internet shopping.

Get dh to help as much as he can

Drink lots of water in the day I always have a bottle on my desk. Much better than tea coffee.

Try and avoid working through your breaks you need them.

Eat well, I make things at the weekend and freeze them or on a night when I have the energy to cook I make extra and freeze for those nights when I cannot be bothered.

Twinset's advice is good.

I teach F/T and have 3 kids, though mine are older than OPs.

TBH, the only real answer is that gradually you get used to it. Your body and mind adjust, your routine becomes the norm, and you just get on with it. But the early days, when you're still bf and getting broken nights are hard!

Apart from all the tips for making things easier on the domestic front, think carefully about how you can utilise your working day more effectively. I am in a management role now, and I always ask my team 'Do you work hard?', followed by 'Do you work sharp?' Some people are hugely conscientious and spend hours over a task but that doesnt necessarily make the outcome any better. Sometimes less is more. Obviously there are things you can't cut corners with - marking for example needs to be thorough and detailed - but as the years have gone by and I've gained experience, I find that I can get jobs done more effectively with less stress and less time.

When you're planning lessons and making resources, stop thinking 'is it as good as it can possibly be?' and instead think 'is it good enough to work in class?'. I've cut about a third off my workload since and probably saved my sanity to boot.

I think routines at home and school can make your life a lot easier. Unfortunately, I am not a very routiney person (was rubbish when I had babies), so I have to work hard at being disciplined with myself. However, it pays off.

At school, it helps to have weekly routines for when you give out homework, when you take it in to mark, and when you give it back. Then to have specific slots where you do planning for the week ahead, any photocopying or resource preparation, etc.

At home, if you can get domestic help, then do (we can't afford it, so everyone at home has to muck in). Online shopping is really helpful, but again, needs to be planned. I have recently bought Ocado membership, so get groceries delivered at least twice a week. I've been using their online menus to take away that 'what are we going eat tonight' groan.

As for the other nightmare - laundry and clothes. I find that the easiest thing to wear to school is suits. I have three or four, and tend to do two days of one, two days of another, and then a more dressed down Friday. It really makes it easy to get everything ready on a Sunday night, and you know you are going to look reasonably smart.

The other thing is don't beat yourself up when everything goes pear-shaped - you are doing your best, and this phase will pass. If you miss a set of marking one week, don't try to fit it in in your personal time. The world won't end. The school is better off with a happier and more energetic you than a set of perfect books and a downtrodden teacher.

I am lucky that although I tend to do the washing on a Sunday dp will iron and lay out five days of outfits complete with accessories, lingerie, tights,shoes etc in my dressing room. He does the same for dd and her uniform. It means no washing work stuff in the week or hunting for clothes in the morning. I get up and it is ready.

I also try to be aware of the workload I am creating. I have five year 11 gcse groups and four year 10 gcse groups plus AS and top sets in every year group. At the moment I am snowed under with exam marking so I have my KS3 classes doing things that do not require intensive marking. My yeat 7s have been doing a court case that they assessed themselves. Next week they are doing some filming so again no marking of books needed I can watch and assess in the lesson. My year 8s I have researching and making mosques and my year 9s have been doing some drama and recording speeches. Next week I can switch my key stage three back onto written work as year 10 are out on work experience and year 12 on study leave.

I also timetable my frees and evenings , so for example Friday after school I use my two hours purely for my tutor group. Phonecalls, letters home, admin , postcards. Another evening is to upadate my displays. Certain frees are dedicated to certain year groups.

I get the kids to do a lot, I am quite lucky that I have a year 10 tutor group so they monitor merits and other admin type things for the tutor group.

Ask colleagues for help, get to know each others strengths and weaknesses and use them. We all know within the department what we are good at so rather than everyone recreating the wheel we all focus on what we can do and share.

AT home we have an ironing basket each plus another for socks. So if we fall behind we only have to look in our own baskets for something rather than go through everything.

I also use my child! She often comes in and tidies my classroom, laminates, cuts, puts things up, sorts etc for a small fee.

I'm going back shortly with my 3rd child but I only do 2 and a half days a week now, I cldn't physically do any more.
One tip is to prioritise your classes - which class requires the most input and focus your best efforts/energy on them. Don't expect too much of bottom sets and if ur shattered they won't mnd doing sth smple wh requires little input from you, Get the kids to mark each others work sometimes and you can just cjeck their marking (for classwork , not exams)Peer assessment is a good thing!Don't get drawn into "staffroom politics"it's a waste of your energy wh you need to conserve, and if you feel you can't cope, take a day off or make your class do sth wh doesn't require you to be using a lot of energy. Maybe next year you cld ask for one or two less exam classes so there's not as much pressure on you there, if ur happy with that. Good luck

I went back full time when each dd was 10-12 weeks old. As someone says earlier, you do get used to it. Looking back, I haven't a clue how I coped but I did, including breastfeeding dd2 to 13 months.

Deffo keep drinking water throughout the day; I also used to take in a little tub of nuts and seeds and dried fruit everyday and some mints, for when that horrible sicky/tired feeling strikes.

Meal planning / Internet shopping both a godsend, especially if you can do some batch cooking or at least batch vege chopping on a Sunday.

Peer assessment is helpful, as are stickers and stamps. Be prepared to say "I'm concentrating on Year 10 this week and will concentrate on this class next week' or whatever, rather than trying to mark everything. Or mark set pieces, eg: a unit assessment, rather than everything.

I also do the sorting out clothes for a week thing, when I remember - it makes the mornings a million times easier. Capsules are good too - eg I have two pencil skirts, a few full skirts, a few pairs of trousers and a couple of dresses. Each skirt and pair of trousers has a couple of tops that I know go with it/them, so then it's easier to just grab things off a hanger. Personally I find that black tops with jauntier bottoms are easiest, as then the tops go with all the bottoms!

Oh yeah, I have a couple of stamps I got made up from vistaprint.I even have a detention stamp! So I can just fill in the place and time.Also (I'm a lang teacher) I got a couple that say Excelente, or whatever, then instead of writing the same comment over n over again I can just stamp the books, and they love that. I do put marks as well, etc, but I've just found this saves me time on the simple exercises so I can focus on levels, grades etc. when necessary

Oh and remember when the parents evenings are so you can have the relevant books marked up to date in time!

I am a stamp addict, I have a

Twinset says organised planner for my tutor group
Twinset says no homework
Twinset says detention
Twinsets club

I also have a three stamper that has on
1 merit
target achieved
excellent homework

I was a teacher and I found it exhausting BEFORE I got pregnant so Im not looking foward to returning with a baby dd. I remember drinking lots of coffee. Not good advice though. Try doing as much marking and planning as possible before going home.