Top tips for stressed teachers?

[Greedygirl]

Got any? I have completely lost my sense of humour at the moment and need someone to share their wisdom or give me a kick up the bum.

If I did as much as that, Heated, how would I fit in all my MNing?

Right just finished marking those winking a level essays and am about to hit the wooden hill while trying to ignore the pile of year 9 assessments that are waving at me while shouting "woo hoo"

I don't get it all done, there is much more that I would like to do. I do like to stay on top of my marking and give pupils the kind of feedback they would get in a smaller class perhaps from an independent school.

Heated coursework is a dirty word, that is this weekend's priority.

Ah now I am feeling humble as you clearly all have even more ridiculous workloads than me!

Some good ideas on here. I have decided that as soon as humanly possible I am going to find another job! My DS has two more years before starting school and I don't want to spend all that time tearing my hair out and hiding in the spare room doing work at the weekend.

Xmas soon everyone!

I have finished marking all of my Yr 10 and 11 exams - hurray! And a couple of my Yr 11s got their first ever grade Cs on a piece of work - it suddenly feels worth it when something like that happens and they and the class are so proud and supportive. One of them told the class that until he had me as his teacher, he never believed he could do English and now he knows he can. It was lovely.

However, in catching up all of the marking, I have had little time for planning dynamic lessons, so tonight I really want to think of something fun (but educational) for them to do tomorrow.

Oh - and one of my Yr 10s has mastered irony and got an A in his exam!

That is so sad, I almost left teaching a few years ago as the demands were so great. I came back but again after a few years found my worload intolerable, I have changed school and that has made a huge difference

Ok. My current to-do list:
put up classroom Christmas tree etc..
change 3 displays (incl complex science one, plus a fiddly hands-on maths one)
prepare choir for performance
attend and hekp at Xmas fayre
mark 30 science assessments
mark 30 maths books (already self-marked, but comments needed)
plan science lesson (detailed for tomorrow)
finish making topic books, then mark 30
Assess and review IEPs
plan a lesson to be observed next week that must be good or outstanding
get all Teacher Assessments on to network in Maths, reading and writing, showing improvement,
Attend meeting with HT to explain why improvement not shown in all kids
Plan, prepare and make Xmas tree decorations for school tree,
Plan, prepare and kids to make party hats for Xmas lunch
Plan, prepare and kids to make Christmas cards to go home
Plan, prepare and kids to make Xmas biscuits plus nice container to transport....
Organise some sort of attractive folders/books for kids to display/keep all Christmas topic work in
Prepare whole school for carol service

Need I go on?

I think if you like a school and the pupils it makes a massive difference. I am lucky enough to have several classes that I adore, so generally I don't mind marking/preparing for them, as I know they will appreciate it. I have another class who are equally unresponsive, whether I've spent six hours or twenty minutes preparing for them!

I am off to work, am running an INSET tomorrow on being positive, so can't be on hear moaning,

Here!!!

(Tutts) Standards of teachers these days ;-)

Tutts - can't even get her smiley right.

All too stressed?!

Have a few more tips - take nuts and raisins and oatcakes to work with you, so you don't get too peckish.

Try and have ten minutes 'chilling' with other teachers at some point in the day: it makes a massive difference.

Do not try using scissors, glue or felt tips with 9:4 on Friday afternoons - it will be a disaster and you will all end up hating each other.

Have at least one thing in your classroom that makes you smile whenever you see it. Mine is silly photographs of Year 10 pretending to be Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

I want to know why is it with my 9:4 that I hand out 15 glue sticks with lids and get back 14 with lids and one without and usually with the end cut off.

15 glue sticks? 15? I dream of more than one between 4.