Staff rooms in schools are unfortunately places to regularly see grown human beings cry. How many times a day does this happen up and down the country? What about those that you don’t see, who break down in locked toilet cubicles and in offices? In meetings, in front of senior staff? At home at night, when paperwork is being completed?
Even worse, how many teachers break down in front of their class, or walk out of it as they are about to do so? Can you think of any other profession where it’s practitioners are reduced to tears and mental breakdowns as much as this?
How are teachers who end up in this position viewed and treated? Well, it’s certainly not as a competent professional, crumbling under unreasonable amounts of pressure and poor treatment. Teachers who break down are seen as weak, in the wrong profession and not up to task. It can sometimes be enough to start competency proceedings.
If it does happen in front of students, that group will now be ‘lost’ and any sense of management over behaviour will be gone for good. Some students set out to achieve this in the first place.
The number of teachers on competency proceedings as a result of concerns about their suitability for the job has got to be higher than other career paths. Do any others subject it’s practitioners to such constant questioning of whether they have made the right choice?
Is teaching really only meant for inhuman people with an iron will, no feelings and no buttons that can be pushed? I think senior management teams and the government are kidding themselves if they think enough people like this exist to staff all the schools with this type of person.
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2 comments:
As someone who is currently on sick leave due to stress and overwork, I'm sure you're right. The thing is, that, despite being surrounded by people, teaching can be an incredibly isolating profession. There's just no time to really talk to colleagues, and certainly people are worried about being seen as unable to cope, so nobody talks about it. I know, realistically that the classes and students I find "challenging", are the same for other members of staff, too - but when they're going for the jugular week after week, knowing that doesn't help. And asking for support and not getting it doesn't help either.
Sorry to hear you're not well. You're right, I never developed working relationships with anyone at school because I was just too busy to talk to them. The difference between that and the work I do now is really noticeable in that area.
It is every man for himself, and something I've learned from starting this blog is that successful teachers don't support those who are struggling for fear of being tarnished with the same brush.
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