This post has been prompted by an image posted by @TeacherToolkit that pretty much summed up exactly how I was feeling on Friday!
End of term-itus. A teacher suffering is easy to spot. A slight dead look in the eyes accompanied by large bags under them. They let the little things get to them and start stressing about things that aren't even their problem. They can't bare the sight of children (or some other members of staff....) and can be seen going from extreme highs and extreme lows in the time it takes to make a cuppa. Is there one in your staffroom? Well this was me this week. This half term is always tiring but I don't think I have physically or mentally felt as exhausted as I did on Friday. Eyes burning, barely functioning and almost feeling as though I was dealing with a hangover (induced by the trauma of having to chaperone at the school disco, don't even get me started at the inappropriateness of the whole thing, inappropriate music, inappropriate attire and children off their faces on E numbers.......anyway I digress). Looking around the staffroom on Friday it was clearly not just me feeling like this. Teachers bleary eyed and loading up of caffeine, tempers fraying and everything getting just a little bit emotional. It got me thinking, is this normal? Is this level of exhaustion just end of term-itus that is to be expected? School productions, discos and open school have all fallen into the same two weeks, is this just bad timing or is this level of exhaustion a sign that we really all are running on empty? I for one am very ready to have that 6 weeks holiday to recharge so that I can come back at 100% battery and ready to go. I love my job immensely and couldn't do anything else but I am hoping I can squeeze that last bit of life out of an otherwise empty battery over the next 7 days......
End of term-itus. A teacher suffering is easy to spot. A slight dead look in the eyes accompanied by large bags under them. They let the little things get to them and start stressing about things that aren't even their problem. They can't bare the sight of children (or some other members of staff....) and can be seen going from extreme highs and extreme lows in the time it takes to make a cuppa. Is there one in your staffroom? Well this was me this week. This half term is always tiring but I don't think I have physically or mentally felt as exhausted as I did on Friday. Eyes burning, barely functioning and almost feeling as though I was dealing with a hangover (induced by the trauma of having to chaperone at the school disco, don't even get me started at the inappropriateness of the whole thing, inappropriate music, inappropriate attire and children off their faces on E numbers.......anyway I digress). Looking around the staffroom on Friday it was clearly not just me feeling like this. Teachers bleary eyed and loading up of caffeine, tempers fraying and everything getting just a little bit emotional. It got me thinking, is this normal? Is this level of exhaustion just end of term-itus that is to be expected? School productions, discos and open school have all fallen into the same two weeks, is this just bad timing or is this level of exhaustion a sign that we really all are running on empty? I for one am very ready to have that 6 weeks holiday to recharge so that I can come back at 100% battery and ready to go. I love my job immensely and couldn't do anything else but I am hoping I can squeeze that last bit of life out of an otherwise empty battery over the next 7 days......