Hi everyone,
I’m a primary school teacher in the UK looking to share my ideas, thoughts and (hopefully) earn some pocket money!
Balancing work and life has always been a challenge for me. Our education system leaves teachers stretched; sole responsibility for 30+ pupils and lunchtime duties keeps me busy and on my feet until 4pm. After this I have to mark books, lesson plan, meet parents, produce reports, make displays, tidy the classroom, and prepare teaching resources. Invariably this takes up my evenings and I find myself using weekends to catch-up.
Recent surveys suggest that; 79% of NQTs (newly qualified teachers) do not have a good work life balance, and almost 40% of quit within a year.
These are shocking statistics, and cannot be healthy for our schools.
So, what’s the solution? I would love to hear your comments and ideas. Lets face it – we can’t do any worse than the politicians!
-Ms Liddell