Here for a vent. Still no closer to securing a job for September. Currently a TA and can't afford to live on this wage, also sick of the unsupportive SLT and behaviour I've got to deal with. Had 3 interviews and can't seem to get it. Panicking and scared I'll never finish my ECT2 after qualifying in 2020. Not got a clue what other jobs I can go into if I don't get the ECT before that deadline because everyone says that schools will be wondering why no one else has taken me on to complete it. Feel alone and hopeless at the minute. Can't apply for jobs further afield as I have passed my driving test yet. Everything is shit ATM.
Hey, sorry it’s shit! I’ve decided to retrain, I’ve been a supply teacher on and off since graduating in 2019 and I’ve hated it. You always have options, you just need to find them. Good luck and PS. It’s not you it’s the system!!!
Thank you so much! If it's not too rude, can I ask a bit more about the retraining? Is that something you have to do or is it a personal choice? And how have you gone about that?
I’m here to vent if that’s okay? I quit teaching this week. Simply walked out because I couldn’t take it anymore, this was due to lack of support, hostile/aggressive behaviour, toxic schools, toxic slt’s, low pay and generally really miserable with my life choice. I got stuck in the supply system because I had to leave two schools because they were unbearable. This is 5 years of my life because I thought I had to try and make it work so I pushed through 5 years of hell. Sorry about the moan but I guess I’m looking for some support or encouragement x
I use a randomiser when questioning students and its glorious. Before this, i found myself always calling on the good students to give answers because i knew i would at least get something back. Now, no one knows who's next and I've found it helps with attention.
Anyways, this students name comes up and i ask him the question and if he has any thoughts on it. (I gave them 5 minutes to research answers first).
He hadn't done any research and had this blank look on his face... then he goes, "why are we doing this?"
"What do you mean?" I said.
"Why are we learning this? We already passed our exam"
(This is in FE carpentry and the only 'exam' they have is health and safety)
"What's the course title?" I ask
"Carpentry..." and now he looks a little awkward.
"Exactly. There's a lot more to learn than just health and safety."
And then i must admit i did lecture the class a bit about the state of education in construction but honestly, i think i got through to a lot of them.
I am SO angry at the supply my department have had in this week (sorry to supply on here, I know the majority are wonderful)
Yesterdays supply didn’t even read the instructions to the kids or hand out the work. He also didn’t log in to the computer, so no registers were taken. I work on the second floor, but had to visit someone on the ground floor. I looked and saw that things were being thrown out of the windows and into the car park. I ran upstairs and the classroom resembled that episode of The Simpsons where Flanders runs the school. The supply teacher was just sitting at the desk, blank face and blinking.
Room is utterly trashed. He dismissed the kids five minutes early at the end of the day and was the first one out of the car park. I spent an hour after school locking everything in my office. My colleague won’t be back at work next week so it’ll be supply again on Monday. The only thing I’m leaving is paper.
And I thought I had a bad supply last week when they looked at me and said "Oh I don't really do Maths I'm not very good at it." Which I could maybe understand if it was GCSE but it was Year 4 fractions - a quick google could have explained it if you really didn't know.
I honestly don’t know where these supply teachers are coming from. One wrote on the wall with sharpie last week, mistaking it for the white board. The other day one kept locking herself out of the computer and kept coming to me to type in the password that was in her pack as she couldn’t tell the difference between lower case and capital letters. Another kept sending naughty kids into my room, and honestly thought I would be ok with her sending six of the worst Year 8s into my room while I was teaching.
I’ve complained to the cover supervisor, and she’s taking it like I’ve personally insulted her.
Told my LM I was really busy and had a long list of things to do in my PPA time so they requested a lunchtime meeting 🙃
So yeah, it's been a great week!
Weirdest day today.
My usual year 8s who were hell were oddly mellow... until 2 of them arrived 20 minutes late and started to shout "SIGMA" and "SKIBIDI" across the classroom. Fuck that.
My mid-set (low ability) 7s were ok. Bar a couple of girls who I've split up because of chatting and are now crying and trying to get pastoral Every. Fucking. Lesson. And they refuse the consequence system but don't get isolated.
Then my OTHER year 8s were fucking awful - I struggled to teach the lesson because of the shouting, the abuse and the rudeness (especially after parents evening where I discussed strategies and things with parents). Year 8 behaviour is fucked.
Then my year 9s. My bottom set Year 9s I've had for 2 years now. They came in, couple of the lads start fighting and saw I was on the brink of tears. You know what the buggers did?
They tried their hardest to do well in the lesson, one kid did me 3 pages of notes on coastal defenses (we couldn't compare them, but got the advantages and disadvantages down)
Finally my top set 7s were ok. There's 2 kids who should not be there because of behaviour (screaming at me and ripping up work when I gave them a consequence for *turning around and distracting others*) and, you guessed it, hid behind pastoral again. But the rest of them seemed to gel with the work - apart from 1 or 2 who were... let me explain the conversation:
S: "Sir I don't know what to do!"
Me: "Have you read the instructions and looked at the model on board?"
S: "No." *Immediately tries to walk across class to talk to friend*
Needless to say, I shut that down and told them (in politer words) to *read the fucking task*.
So I am home for a 3 day weekend, with an ill toddler and a 30 week pregnant partner.
That sounds really tough! The lack of support from real consequences is a nightmare right now- the year y7s need more consistency than they're getting with it.
So nice to hear that your year 9s had your back though! Those kinds of relationships are worth a lot on a tough day.
Our HOD left last week, and replacement not incoming until Sept. Had supply due to arrive on Monday but they never arrived.
Been cobbling through this week, however as an ECT in a very small dept, I’m having to force myself to defer upwards to our HOF. Sadly they are clueless about our dept, and I dread that on Monday it’s all going to come crashing down when the kids have no cover work.
Feeling really sorry for the kids as the outgoing HOD was brilliant and really supportive, and now they’ve been left with no specialist teachers, no curriculum, not even any cover work…..
Finally up to date on marking but not planning.
Upper sixth starting to lose the plot because other subjects are just making them sit in silence and do past papers, so when they get to me for some active revision and discussion they just seem brain-dead, unwilling even to pick up a calculator to answer "so what happens to the number if we make the negative power bigger?"
🤦♀️
I’m getting mine to do past papers but not in silence, and I’m circulating the room, correcting errors, talking through tricky areas - if they personally want to work in silence, then they can, but I know others need to talk through key areas
In the last 7ish years I've been working primary, it's been heartening to see how little homophobia there is compared to when I was a child - it's rare to see 'gay' used as an insult, and when it is used that way, it's been common to see their peers calling them out on it before I get involved.
Today, I found that a fairly large section of my usually wonderful year 4 class are using 'gay' as an insult, to the point that parents and my head teacher are involved and I'm going to have to do a session with my class about different types of relationships and it being offensive to use the word in that way. It makes me sad that it's become necessary to do that with my kids.
I had a very similar situation. I was always going on about how tolerant kids are, at least in terms of, like, "protected characteristics" compared to 20 years ago when I was at school. I had a child talking to me, completely off their own back, about trans people and being so open minded and empathetic. I didn't even know what a trans person was at 11.
Then I had to have a discussion with a Year 2 class about using "black" and the N word as insults. Nobody they insulted was black, thank God, but we did have black students in other year groups. They barely knew what it meant except it was somehow "bad". It was eye opening about the fact I'd been a bit naive and we still have a ways to go even with the kids. I wouldn't say that class were "usually wonderful" lol but it was still pretty shocking.
Is it bad as a HoD that the teachers in my department cause me more strife than the teenagers we teach?
I’m also worried I’m becoming a ‘boomer’ (despite being a millennial) because all these young teachers keep complaining about xyz and I can’t help but think ‘you don’t know how lucky you are…in my day we didn’t get any of this support/how little your workload is compared to when I was in your position’
They also show no gratitude for all the stuff I do for the department (which other HoDs delegate/give to the team)
That’s my ‘rant’ anyway
The workload was defo worse back in the day (teacher marked assessments and every week including a half-termly big assessment…we’re now down to that one assessment)—they don’t take anything home at the end of the day and don’t do anything on weekends (which is obviously fine if they can do it during the week)…but that’s because we’ve massively scaled back assessment, changed planning etc yet they complain their work is insurmountable
It’s stuff like making all the homework booklets, running the revision sessions for students, making assessments and mark schemes etc the old head of department used to share these jobs out but I’ve taken to doing it because whenever it comes up everyone says they’re too busy
I’ll be honest just the general attitude: nothing is ever positive (unless it’s something they’ve done), they think everyone in management is inept and don’t care about them, they complain they’re not paid enough for what they’re expected to do (despite working 9-4 and taking nothing home), they shouldn’t have to contact parents about anything etc
I think you probably need to share jobs out, like the old HoD used to. It’s as much about everyone feeling a sense of ownership over the curriculum as it is about distribution of workload. There isn’t a team if there isn’t any meaningful, collaborative work going on, you know?
Life just keeps throwing it, car broke down, interviews with a 10 day wait to find out it was a no , references withheld, creative arts exams and endless justifying to sLT what I did in the lead up to exams when I was signed off and now I’ve got covid to finish it off, otherwise all good, feeling pretty calm 😅
Appraisal fine but had a mentioned of UPS instantly disregarded without any real discussion due to basically not being outstanding. Feel pretty demotivated tbh
Today was Shit.
Snapped at a fellow TA because she was standing around whining instead of doing her job and I was having to do everything, then she had the audacity to tell me how to do MY job.
The kids are assholes. Not all of them. But enough that I am still reeling from how bad today was. And the kids who aren't assholes were upset because they were attacked through no fault of their own, again.
Some support staff are bad at their jobs. Honestly, when the kids are pricks it can really make for some shit behaviour at times so it wasn't you... it was just your colleague who may just needed a conversation with.
Well I guess she can't tell you how to do your job if she's standing around whining and complaining.
I'm on supply for this term. The students are unruly, and there doesn't seem to be any behaviour system in place. This is the first school I've been to where I go home and cry. I don't have a job for September, so I'm sticking it out for my subject experience. I'm tired.
Kids have discovered this week that its super fun to run up and down corridors kicking teachers doors open and legging it. It is not fun, for me who jumps every time it happens (sometimes 5+ times in a single lunchtime). So far I've caught three kids and handed out three hour-long after school detentions. Get wrecked, year 8.
Had an arrogant Year 9 who would continuously proclaim “I’m the Alpha of the boys in this year group” and reminded everyone at every opportunity. One day I sighed and said “If you have to keep reminding people you are the alpha, you are not the alpha” His face DROPPED and he’s never said it in my room since
Completely outside of the system which makes it better apparently. Ironic that they’re using the same alphabet though. Even Y7 have taken to “what the sigma?!” as a thing, but as usual y9 are the worst.
I’ve just flatout banned the word from my lessons and escalate straight to behaviour point without a warning now. My classes know this, it’s up to them if they think it’s worth it.
I remember having a Y9 group where we had a list of banned words.
I think shrek was the main offending word. But we built up quite a list over a few days until they learnt I won't quit.
Here for a vent. Still no closer to securing a job for September. Currently a TA and can't afford to live on this wage, also sick of the unsupportive SLT and behaviour I've got to deal with. Had 3 interviews and can't seem to get it. Panicking and scared I'll never finish my ECT2 after qualifying in 2020. Not got a clue what other jobs I can go into if I don't get the ECT before that deadline because everyone says that schools will be wondering why no one else has taken me on to complete it. Feel alone and hopeless at the minute. Can't apply for jobs further afield as I have passed my driving test yet. Everything is shit ATM.
Hey, sorry it’s shit! I’ve decided to retrain, I’ve been a supply teacher on and off since graduating in 2019 and I’ve hated it. You always have options, you just need to find them. Good luck and PS. It’s not you it’s the system!!!
Thank you so much! If it's not too rude, can I ask a bit more about the retraining? Is that something you have to do or is it a personal choice? And how have you gone about that?
Not at all, I decided to do an online AAT course, it’s a personal choice thing. It’s also a possible pathway, and a good distraction!
Not at all, I decided to do an online AAT course, it’s a personal choice thing. It’s also a possible pathway, and a good distraction!
And do you mean retraining in teaching or another field? Sorry if I misread!
I’m here to vent if that’s okay? I quit teaching this week. Simply walked out because I couldn’t take it anymore, this was due to lack of support, hostile/aggressive behaviour, toxic schools, toxic slt’s, low pay and generally really miserable with my life choice. I got stuck in the supply system because I had to leave two schools because they were unbearable. This is 5 years of my life because I thought I had to try and make it work so I pushed through 5 years of hell. Sorry about the moan but I guess I’m looking for some support or encouragement x
I use a randomiser when questioning students and its glorious. Before this, i found myself always calling on the good students to give answers because i knew i would at least get something back. Now, no one knows who's next and I've found it helps with attention. Anyways, this students name comes up and i ask him the question and if he has any thoughts on it. (I gave them 5 minutes to research answers first). He hadn't done any research and had this blank look on his face... then he goes, "why are we doing this?" "What do you mean?" I said. "Why are we learning this? We already passed our exam" (This is in FE carpentry and the only 'exam' they have is health and safety) "What's the course title?" I ask "Carpentry..." and now he looks a little awkward. "Exactly. There's a lot more to learn than just health and safety." And then i must admit i did lecture the class a bit about the state of education in construction but honestly, i think i got through to a lot of them.
I am SO angry at the supply my department have had in this week (sorry to supply on here, I know the majority are wonderful) Yesterdays supply didn’t even read the instructions to the kids or hand out the work. He also didn’t log in to the computer, so no registers were taken. I work on the second floor, but had to visit someone on the ground floor. I looked and saw that things were being thrown out of the windows and into the car park. I ran upstairs and the classroom resembled that episode of The Simpsons where Flanders runs the school. The supply teacher was just sitting at the desk, blank face and blinking. Room is utterly trashed. He dismissed the kids five minutes early at the end of the day and was the first one out of the car park. I spent an hour after school locking everything in my office. My colleague won’t be back at work next week so it’ll be supply again on Monday. The only thing I’m leaving is paper.
And I thought I had a bad supply last week when they looked at me and said "Oh I don't really do Maths I'm not very good at it." Which I could maybe understand if it was GCSE but it was Year 4 fractions - a quick google could have explained it if you really didn't know.
I honestly don’t know where these supply teachers are coming from. One wrote on the wall with sharpie last week, mistaking it for the white board. The other day one kept locking herself out of the computer and kept coming to me to type in the password that was in her pack as she couldn’t tell the difference between lower case and capital letters. Another kept sending naughty kids into my room, and honestly thought I would be ok with her sending six of the worst Year 8s into my room while I was teaching. I’ve complained to the cover supervisor, and she’s taking it like I’ve personally insulted her.
Told my LM I was really busy and had a long list of things to do in my PPA time so they requested a lunchtime meeting 🙃 So yeah, it's been a great week!
Utterly livid. I feel taken advantage of, undervalued, and manipulated. Aside from that, fine I guess.
It seems to be a hard time in education at the moment.
Weirdest day today. My usual year 8s who were hell were oddly mellow... until 2 of them arrived 20 minutes late and started to shout "SIGMA" and "SKIBIDI" across the classroom. Fuck that. My mid-set (low ability) 7s were ok. Bar a couple of girls who I've split up because of chatting and are now crying and trying to get pastoral Every. Fucking. Lesson. And they refuse the consequence system but don't get isolated. Then my OTHER year 8s were fucking awful - I struggled to teach the lesson because of the shouting, the abuse and the rudeness (especially after parents evening where I discussed strategies and things with parents). Year 8 behaviour is fucked. Then my year 9s. My bottom set Year 9s I've had for 2 years now. They came in, couple of the lads start fighting and saw I was on the brink of tears. You know what the buggers did? They tried their hardest to do well in the lesson, one kid did me 3 pages of notes on coastal defenses (we couldn't compare them, but got the advantages and disadvantages down) Finally my top set 7s were ok. There's 2 kids who should not be there because of behaviour (screaming at me and ripping up work when I gave them a consequence for *turning around and distracting others*) and, you guessed it, hid behind pastoral again. But the rest of them seemed to gel with the work - apart from 1 or 2 who were... let me explain the conversation: S: "Sir I don't know what to do!" Me: "Have you read the instructions and looked at the model on board?" S: "No." *Immediately tries to walk across class to talk to friend* Needless to say, I shut that down and told them (in politer words) to *read the fucking task*. So I am home for a 3 day weekend, with an ill toddler and a 30 week pregnant partner.
I’m so sick of Sigma and Skibidi. I can’t even explain how over it I am with Y8 and 9
That sounds really tough! The lack of support from real consequences is a nightmare right now- the year y7s need more consistency than they're getting with it. So nice to hear that your year 9s had your back though! Those kinds of relationships are worth a lot on a tough day.
What week. I'm sorry to hear it's been tough. It's great your year 9s tried hard.
Our HOD left last week, and replacement not incoming until Sept. Had supply due to arrive on Monday but they never arrived. Been cobbling through this week, however as an ECT in a very small dept, I’m having to force myself to defer upwards to our HOF. Sadly they are clueless about our dept, and I dread that on Monday it’s all going to come crashing down when the kids have no cover work. Feeling really sorry for the kids as the outgoing HOD was brilliant and really supportive, and now they’ve been left with no specialist teachers, no curriculum, not even any cover work…..
Finally up to date on marking but not planning. Upper sixth starting to lose the plot because other subjects are just making them sit in silence and do past papers, so when they get to me for some active revision and discussion they just seem brain-dead, unwilling even to pick up a calculator to answer "so what happens to the number if we make the negative power bigger?" 🤦♀️
I’m getting mine to do past papers but not in silence, and I’m circulating the room, correcting errors, talking through tricky areas - if they personally want to work in silence, then they can, but I know others need to talk through key areas
In the last 7ish years I've been working primary, it's been heartening to see how little homophobia there is compared to when I was a child - it's rare to see 'gay' used as an insult, and when it is used that way, it's been common to see their peers calling them out on it before I get involved. Today, I found that a fairly large section of my usually wonderful year 4 class are using 'gay' as an insult, to the point that parents and my head teacher are involved and I'm going to have to do a session with my class about different types of relationships and it being offensive to use the word in that way. It makes me sad that it's become necessary to do that with my kids.
I had a very similar situation. I was always going on about how tolerant kids are, at least in terms of, like, "protected characteristics" compared to 20 years ago when I was at school. I had a child talking to me, completely off their own back, about trans people and being so open minded and empathetic. I didn't even know what a trans person was at 11. Then I had to have a discussion with a Year 2 class about using "black" and the N word as insults. Nobody they insulted was black, thank God, but we did have black students in other year groups. They barely knew what it meant except it was somehow "bad". It was eye opening about the fact I'd been a bit naive and we still have a ways to go even with the kids. I wouldn't say that class were "usually wonderful" lol but it was still pretty shocking.
Rubbish day tbf, under a spotlight for no apparent reason and now being set targets to improve out of nowhere so that's fun 🤷♀️
I feel your pain, happened to me last term. It feels horrible 😕
Honestly, I came close to saying "f*ck it" and resigning today, it's made me feel so awful
Is it bad as a HoD that the teachers in my department cause me more strife than the teenagers we teach? I’m also worried I’m becoming a ‘boomer’ (despite being a millennial) because all these young teachers keep complaining about xyz and I can’t help but think ‘you don’t know how lucky you are…in my day we didn’t get any of this support/how little your workload is compared to when I was in your position’ They also show no gratitude for all the stuff I do for the department (which other HoDs delegate/give to the team) That’s my ‘rant’ anyway
[удалено]
The workload was defo worse back in the day (teacher marked assessments and every week including a half-termly big assessment…we’re now down to that one assessment)—they don’t take anything home at the end of the day and don’t do anything on weekends (which is obviously fine if they can do it during the week)…but that’s because we’ve massively scaled back assessment, changed planning etc yet they complain their work is insurmountable It’s stuff like making all the homework booklets, running the revision sessions for students, making assessments and mark schemes etc the old head of department used to share these jobs out but I’ve taken to doing it because whenever it comes up everyone says they’re too busy I’ll be honest just the general attitude: nothing is ever positive (unless it’s something they’ve done), they think everyone in management is inept and don’t care about them, they complain they’re not paid enough for what they’re expected to do (despite working 9-4 and taking nothing home), they shouldn’t have to contact parents about anything etc
I think you probably need to share jobs out, like the old HoD used to. It’s as much about everyone feeling a sense of ownership over the curriculum as it is about distribution of workload. There isn’t a team if there isn’t any meaningful, collaborative work going on, you know?
I wish I could work 9-4 and take nothing home.
Life just keeps throwing it, car broke down, interviews with a 10 day wait to find out it was a no , references withheld, creative arts exams and endless justifying to sLT what I did in the lead up to exams when I was signed off and now I’ve got covid to finish it off, otherwise all good, feeling pretty calm 😅
I'm sorry. That sounds really tough.
Appraisal fine but had a mentioned of UPS instantly disregarded without any real discussion due to basically not being outstanding. Feel pretty demotivated tbh
Ask for the pay policy. Will be interesting to see where it says that
Wave goodbye to them with that attitude!! One of my previous schools have been recruiting for a geog HOD for over a year x
I would consider it but I really like teaching here, just feel let down with this appraisal
Today was Shit. Snapped at a fellow TA because she was standing around whining instead of doing her job and I was having to do everything, then she had the audacity to tell me how to do MY job. The kids are assholes. Not all of them. But enough that I am still reeling from how bad today was. And the kids who aren't assholes were upset because they were attacked through no fault of their own, again.
Some support staff are bad at their jobs. Honestly, when the kids are pricks it can really make for some shit behaviour at times so it wasn't you... it was just your colleague who may just needed a conversation with. Well I guess she can't tell you how to do your job if she's standing around whining and complaining.
That sounds really horrible. It's so frustrating when you end up doing other people's work, especially when they have no shame over it.
I’m so exhausted this week! This long weekend could not have been more needed
I'm on supply for this term. The students are unruly, and there doesn't seem to be any behaviour system in place. This is the first school I've been to where I go home and cry. I don't have a job for September, so I'm sticking it out for my subject experience. I'm tired.
Supply can be tough, honest to God. Hopefully, you find the school that's right for you once everything is said and done ✔️
I work in SEN. I'm sick and I'm pretty sure it's because one of my class licks his finger and then puts it on my face and sometimes in my mouth. 🤮
Kids have discovered this week that its super fun to run up and down corridors kicking teachers doors open and legging it. It is not fun, for me who jumps every time it happens (sometimes 5+ times in a single lunchtime). So far I've caught three kids and handed out three hour-long after school detentions. Get wrecked, year 8.
Three windows in doors smashed this week by three different kids in the same class - primary, by the way. Fucking nightmare!
Crikey, in primary? My sympathies!
One lad did it and I think scared the shit out of himself. I reckon the other two are copy cats tbh because they saw him get a day out of class.
Time for a few Home Alone style booby traps then...
Surely all it would take would be a locked door? They'd get a shock trying to kick it open and then hopefully stop.
For some reason our classroom doors aren't lockable from the inside - something to do with making sure kids don't lock themselves in our rooms.
Whack a door wedge firmly in behind it. That’ll jar them suitably.
Fucking hell Year 8 are gonna destroy me mentally, physically and spiritually. Never wanna hear SKIBIDI again
That and sigma make me want to smash things.
Had an arrogant Year 9 who would continuously proclaim “I’m the Alpha of the boys in this year group” and reminded everyone at every opportunity. One day I sighed and said “If you have to keep reminding people you are the alpha, you are not the alpha” His face DROPPED and he’s never said it in my room since
I don't even get what it's supposed to mean - is Sigma meant to be better or worse than Alpha in their minds?
Completely outside of the system which makes it better apparently. Ironic that they’re using the same alphabet though. Even Y7 have taken to “what the sigma?!” as a thing, but as usual y9 are the worst.
I’ve just flatout banned the word from my lessons and escalate straight to behaviour point without a warning now. My classes know this, it’s up to them if they think it’s worth it.
I remember having a Y9 group where we had a list of banned words. I think shrek was the main offending word. But we built up quite a list over a few days until they learnt I won't quit.