As the end of the summer holidays approaches, teachers across the nation are slowly but surely finding themselves being pulled into back-to-work mode. 

How can you tell if it’s happening to you?

Getting ready to go back to school?

There are some telltale signs:

Sleep

Your sleeping pattern is starting to find its way back to “normal”. You’re hitting the pillow earlier than you were three weeks ago and you’re waking up at a respectable hour. 

Your body knows. Some days you don’t even need the alarm you’ve been setting.

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TV

You’re fed up with daytime TV (sorry, Eamonn and Ruth). It was fun at first, but the novelty has well and truly worn off. No more This Morning or Homes Under the Hammer. Possibly ever again. (Who are we kidding?  We’ll be crying out for Judge Rinder by 2 September.)

Lists 

Suddenly they are everywhere. You know what you need to do and when you need to do it by. Now you just need to actually do it. 

Sneaking to school

You’ve found yourself popping into school to check on your new classroom or to grab something off the system.

There’s no real need to be there yet but better to ease yourself back in bit by bit now instead of shocking yourself into action on the first day back, right?

Fashion

You think about your work wardrobe and getting sartorially serious again. Gone are the flip-flops and shorts (except for those lucky PE teachers). Suits are being dry-cleaned and smart shoes polished. 

Accidental planning

Lesson ideas have started popping into your head at the strangest times: when you’re on the toilet, in the shower and even when you’re sleeping. Your subconscious knows it’s nearly time to get cracking. 

Tea training

You start getting quicker when it comes to making hot drinks; you had it down to 30 seconds flat in the summer term but the holidays have made you lazy. There’s no time for dawdling when you’re back at work, so you need to start training as soon as possible.

Try getting someone to distract you while you’re doing it; ideally, get them to pretend they are a child having a meltdown or Tracy from the office giving you the latest gossip.

Stockpiling snacks

You’ve been stocking up on healthy packed lunch essentials. Dried fruit, rice cakes and fat-free yogurts are taking up your cupboard and fridge in preparation.

But we all know you’ll be sucking on sweets and pouring crisps into your mouth from the packet by the end of week one.

Advance injury

You’ve been back into school to set up displays and already been struck down with...guillotine elbow! How did this happen?

You did your warm-up and you eased yourself into it but your body was not prepared for that level of physical activity. If this doesn’t make you feel like you’re going back to work soon, goodness knows what will.

 Shannen Doherty is a Year 4 teacher in South London