Every teacher has had one of “those” weeks. The weeks when nothing is going right, you’re exhausted beyond belief and you feel like you’re failing your children.
It might be that you’re busier than usual; you’ve had two parents’ evenings, done after-school club and have the PTA disco on Friday. Alternatively, you could be behind on marking and feel snowed under. There might be things going on in your personal life that you’re struggling to shrug off at school, or you might have been given some really negative feedback at 8am on Monday that has set the tone for the rest of the week.
It might be all of these things at once. Or it might just be very near the end of a very long term.
These weeks are hard and they’re draining, so it’s important that we have strategies to help us cope.
Prioritise
To get through one of these weeks, I prioritise. I write down everything I’ve got to do on Post-it notes and order them from “urgent” to “things that can wait until I’ve got less on my plate”.
Productivity is key
I use my time wisely and take help when I can get it. Even making the smallest of dents in the workload can feel like a huge weight off your shoulders. And if you are lucky enough to have a teaching assistant, they can be an absolute saviour in weeks like this.
Sleep
Don’t pull all-nighters. It’s not healthy and it certainly won’t help you feel better. I make plans for the evening or the weekend. It could be hanging out with my sister or grabbing dinner with friends, but I’ll have something to look forward to.
Snacks, for the win
I keep a snack box at work so I can grab something at break time to keep me going or if I’m working later than usual.
Have help on standby
I make sure I’ve got a strong team around me. Whether this is my flatmates, my family or my friends at work, I have people who I can, and do, lean on.
Prevention
Analyse why this week was so bad. If it was just a busy week then I plan for the next inevitable busy week: lessons which need no marking or can be evidenced with photos, or I might cancel my after-school club with plenty of notice to give myself a break.
If I’m behind on work, I ask myself why I’m behind. Is it an unrealistic workload or is it that I didn’t use my time wisely? It’s important to ask for help if you need it. This might mean going to SLT or it could be nipping next door to your partner teacher to say you’re snowed under and do they have five minutes to help with something?
When it’s a personal issue, I do my absolute best to leave it at the door. Last year, I had several things happen in my personal life and found that each time just being with the children was helping me through it. Again, I’d go to SLT to let them know you have something going on - they have a duty of care for you.
Be there for others
If someone at work is going through one of these weeks, what can you do to help? You just need to be there for them, listen to them and help where you can. One thing that has helped me was a colleague leaving me a chocolate bar when she knew I was having a rough time. It’s amazing how much that can help!
Shannen Doherty is a Year 4 teacher in South London
