Happy/Depressed About Returning To School?!

Eccles

Right this could be interesting ,be honest !!!

On a scale of one to ten, how happy/depressed are you to be returning to your Republic of Ireland based Primary or Secondary school teaching job - with one being suicidal at the prospect and ten being positively ecstatically delighted to get back into the classoom .

Yes I know we 'secure'(scarey to hear that the Supreme Court have just passed a law which means permanent civil servants CAN be fired on economic grounds 'for the good of the country' )teachers should be thankful to have a job at all -please dont factor that into your decision -just gut feelings please .

Remember 10 is happy and 1 is sad ...honestly, I reckon Im at 3ish ...

spurious

I always love this time of year. I love meeting the new kids, seeing how the 3rd to 4th/5th year summer has made so many of them take a growth spurt, sharing their excitement waiting for the JC results.

I don't look forward to seeing so many of last year's colleagues not being there as they have lost their jobs (yes the same safe, secure, cushy jobs we 'all' get 60k a year for doing). I don't look forward to going to bed at 6pm for the 2nd and 3rd week of September as I try to cope with the exhaustion. I don't look forward to spending September chasing scraps of funding from various sources just so we can give the kids what they should be entitled to for free.

I don't look forward to having classes of 20+ with a range of reading ages from 7 to 12 in the same room. Mixed ability my barney. Mixed ability is having me and janeybabe in the same class, not a child who can barely read sitting alongside confident, competent readers.

I'm not happy that the provisions for swine flu are adequate if the nay sayers are proved wrong and it does turn out to be fairly serious.

Overall though, I'm happy about going back, though I haven't actually been out of the school that much - apart from when I was off doing the Polish course. I must have been out the day we got the three month's holidays.

gaeilgegrinds

I'm a 9. I love my job. It's tough and I'm tired at the end of the day but I love making a difference.

The huge mixed ability classes tend to stretch me but overall it's a joy. Not easy and the days are long, I'm in at 8.15 and rarely leave before 5. Then another hour to two per night. That said I've a job, albeit not at all secure.

Toto Wolfcastle

I can't wait to go back. I can't wait to see the kids, particularly last year's first years. I can't wait to see the colleagues I haven't seen all summer, especially knowing that all of them will be back thank God. I'm not looking forward to be absolutely wrecked and I'm not looking forward to the struggles with the kids who just don't care but overall I just can't wait.

Eccles

Ah jayz lads I wish youd tell me where ya get all the happy pills LOL....Now I feel depressed AND guilty...Ah well in my experience the happier ya return the harder the crash!
"Absolutely wrecked /in at 8.15am/going to bed at 6.15pm"Are you trio sure you can keep that up for 40-50 (or whatever 'They' decide by then !-younger teachers have already had almost a decade 'sneaked' onto their careers by the Dept . in the last few years))years !?
Call me an aul cynic but I can see you three being Department Inspectors/Inservice 'facilitators' or (God Forbid!)Principals in ten years time while Im still beavering away('underperforming'/'pacing myself'!) at the chalkface 'making a difference' with those kids...

gaeilgegrinds

I was approached to facilitate inservices already, I'm still in the classroom. I wanted to become a teacher, that's what I've done. Finished my first book this Summer though, always wanted to do that and now with baby Gg on the way it's likely to be the last great teaching feat I do (teaching handbook) until baby arrives. No desire to become anything else, I'm staying put!

Eccles

I thought by 'Baby Gg' you meant you were expecting a girl-of course you meant Baby Gaeilgegrinds ...ladies on baby and parenting forums use abbreviations like 'DD' for 'darling daughter'.Well the very best of luck with that ,its MUCH more fun having one of yer own...Do you want to tell us about the book?Has it been published yet?Id be curious to have a look.General teaching manual?

Toto Wolfcastle

Eccles wrote: »

Call me an aul cynic but I can see you three being Department Inspectors/Inservice 'facilitators' or (God Forbid!)Principals in ten years time while Im still beavering away('underperforming'/'pacing myself'!) at the chalkface 'making a difference' with those kids...

Oh God no, I have no desire to be any of those things. Teaching is fine with me. And believe me, I'm looking forward to going back now but I will be giving out about it within a month. Doesn't mean I love it any less.

spurious

Eccles wrote: »

Call me an aul cynic but I can see you three being Department Inspectors/Inservice 'facilitators' or (God Forbid!)Principals in ten years time while Im still beavering away('underperforming'/'pacing myself'!) at the chalkface 'making a difference' with those kids...

I already provide inservice one day a week.
I would hate to have a job that takes me completely out of the classroom.

gaeilgebeo

Its so encouraging to read all the positive comments about returning to school. I too cannot wait to return. I look forward to getting stuck back in to the work, being in a proper routine again, meeting up with all my colleagues and seeing the students again. I really love my job and get a lot of job satisfaction every year. I will be a happy girl on Monday the 31rst.

implausible

Thank god I'm not a complete weirdo! I get the strangest looks when I say I'm bored and want to get back to school. Have been in for a few days already sorting out PLCs and am happy out. Suppose I'm lucky to have a job that, despite the stressful days, I love:)

Eccles

Ah now COME ON!It was bad enough with the other three ganging up on me without Dee and Beo joining in...For the love of God will someone who isnt chomping at the bit to get back to the little monsters please pipe up!!!At least SOMEONE voted '1' so theres someone even more depressed than me to be going back ...

PS Oh wait there's two on 1 now but EIGHT on 10!!!I cant understand this at all, at all....are ya sure its not just chronic boredom or what...?You actually LIKE being the butt of derision and abuse for students,parents and management...we start like many with a few days 'housekeeping' ...staffmeetings and the like ...you know the sort of thing ...'planning' ...coordinators of coordinators ...'adopting best practice' ...ah God Im gonna stop now ,Im already creeping back from my '3' towards '1'

peanuthead

Anyone who's not delighted about going back needs to hand their position over to someone who didn't get a job this year but really wants one. Seriously.

There are some fantastic teachers gone in our place this year, and then there are some who are secure, but moan about having to come back.

I know we all don't look forward to it 100% but c'mon lads!! We're still working, although is that a good thing?? I can't decide until I see my wage packet! lol

Pjays

I'm really looking forward to getting back into it. I'm particularly excited to hear I will be teaching my second subject this year for the first time. I love my second subject! I also have a good few new classes this year so I am looking forward to while also a little nervous about the first meetings.

implausible

Eccles wrote: »

...we start like many with a few days 'housekeeping' ...staffmeetings and the like ...you know the sort of thing ...'planning' ...coordinators of coordinators ...'adopting best practice'

Damn you Eccles, the mention of planning has just slipped me down to a 9...

Actually teaching the little monsters is grand, I keep reminding myself (and them) that they're just kids and not worth getting stressed over:cool:

rainbowtrout

I voted 6. I am bored at this stage and would like some routine. I have nice classes so it will be nice to teach them, I've got a new subject this year, I'm looking forward to teaching that. But people were let go this year so it will be different. People are getting screwed over on hours - yes there were cuts - but favouritism was implemented on keeping some teachers on full hours and others having their timetables decimated unfairly. Unions will probably have to be brought in to sort it out. I can't imagine the atmosphere being too nice in my staffroom this year, it was horrible last year. So from that point of view I'm not looking forward to it. None of the aggro affects me personally as I'm permanent. But I'm quite friendly with a lot of the people affected

livinginkorea

Technically start back on Monday, August 31st but will go this weekend to prep. Looking forward to going back and seeing how the kids are getting on after the holidays.

clartharlear

New school for me, and I can't wait to start!
I keep having visualisations/fantasies of being in a classroom with my new students - no doubt there'll be times when I'm there that I'm visualising beaches on Bora Bora though!

boogle

I was let go from my school in June and haven't found a job. I'm around 10 on the depressed scale and a 100 on the "feeling useless" scale. I've actually started applying for office jobs and everything. All I want to do is teach!