Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, been greeaat to see many promotions. Congrats all. I am a UT and I have been feeling really overwhelmed at the amount of things to do in terms of non-lesson related. As well and managing all the complaints coming in about xxx and xxx. Kids being kids will have their own stories and idk I feel so helpless? And then there is like 100 other things gg on which we must keep track and know. I joined wanting to make a difference and now I am wondering if I can even make any difference. So much of my lesson time goes towards classroom management.

I want to ask you all experienced teachers. Does this get better with time? What are some tell tale signs that you can grit through this or signs that it maybe it better to just leave if I am already struggling to keep afloat as a UT.

What makes you all stay in this profession? What would be your 2 cents towards this lost soul here?

Would appreciate any kind advice to this lost soul.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The open posting world is your oyster. Besides other schools where such vacancies are open, try for a position in HQ or academies as well. There are opportunities to demonstrate your potential to climb the career tracks.

Today I had a talk with my RO, was given a leadership role of sorts this year and from what was mentioned it seemed like if I manage to do well this year in this role then it might bring more opportunities. So I guess I'll just have to see what happens next year. If it doesn't pan out then I'll have to rethink things. But like what someone else mentioned, if my CEP is still low then going anywhere else may not change things...

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Today I had a talk with my RO, was given a leadership role of sorts this year and from what was mentioned it seemed like if I manage to do well this year in this role then it might bring more opportunities. So I guess I'll just have to see what happens next year. If it doesn't pan out then I'll have to rethink things. But like what someone else mentioned, if my CEP is still low then going anywhere else may not change things...

All the best! It's great to hear that the school is giving you some way to demonstrate your abilities. Fingers crossed for you!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, congrats on so many of you getting promotions! Keep working hard and your efforts will pay off. I would like to seek some advice from u all experienced teachers.

I am an untrained teacher and I feel v overwhelmed with what I have on my plate now. I know that life as a teacher wont be easy, but experiencing it is a whole new thing. I am fine with the lesson prep, lesson delivery, dept work etc but whats tough is managing the other 100 things that are going on at the same time (students feeling sick/complaining of another student, taking note of whos absent and managing their work, corrections gg back and forth). And having that 1-2 students who are disruptive to the class and when you try to manage them, time is almost up and your period is gone and then you are behind SOW. I spoke with the FT, but I still feel v helpless about this student and its not fair to the rest. I barely havr time to eat or use the toilet.

I joined this industry wanting to make a difference. But with everything packed so tight and pressures for deadline, is there any real difference that we are making? I love interacting with the kids 1 on 1. But as a class, they are just so different.

Can I ask are all these struggles that I am facing real or am I unsuitable for this career :-(

My load is quite like a full time teacher.

How do you all experienced teacher know what you want? Take one step a time and fight one battle at a time? What motivates you to fight on?

I see my colleagues all leaving at 6pm, bringing home work when they have kids and commitments too, how do you all heroes do it?

- struggling soul who would appreciate any kind words/advice

Your scenario shows how useful contract teaching is before signing a bond to the teaching service. This is the reality of being a teacher these days. It is way beyond just teaching in class. For me, I really want to make a difference in my students' lives (academically, at home etc) so that's my motivation to dealing with all the fights.

Some of your issues seem solvable. To manage better, speak to your mentors or colleagues. I acquired some of their good practices & also came up with my own. For eg, I have my excel sheet to keep track of student daily submissions - it helps me to chase for homework, helps me to monitor if some student needs intervention. There is no fixed manual to doing things. I find that after these years in service, I'm still learning more and more ways to organise myself. Keep trying different methods until you find one that makes you efficient. Once you get that sorted, you'll know when you can eat, which days need to dabao for lunch etc.

With regards to class management, it takes a great effort. If the FTs can't help, ask their other subject teachers. You are not the only one who deals with them. There are also strategies you can google on, to handle class management issues e.g. ignoring disruptive behaviour. It's also up to you if you want to try to bond with the student/ make some special arrangement. I would personally do that, although I admit this doesn't work all the time. Anyhow, just don't take his/her actions as a personal attack - this way, you won't feel so emotionally drained.

Of course whatever you do makes a difference. Your students can feel it & know who the genuine teachers are, trust me. Keep making the learning fun but at the same time, learn to plan your lessons properly. It's normal as a UT to struggle to meet the syllabus. But dude, this is the best time for you to make "mistakes" and get away with it. Keep bantering with your dept colleagues & ask for advice then grow from there. No one judges a UT for asking for advice. They won't expect a UT to perform like a HOD, let alone a BT. When you share your concerns, support will come. If you suffer silently, when it affects assessment, that's when you get penalised. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Take this time to learn to organise yourself, manage your time & emotions. There's a learning curve there but once you build your own system, you'll manage well. All the best!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, been greeaat to see many promotions. Congrats all. I am a UT and I have been feeling really overwhelmed at the amount of things to do in terms of non-lesson related. As well and managing all the complaints coming in about xxx and xxx. Kids being kids will have their own stories and idk I feel so helpless? And then there is like 100 other things gg on which we must keep track and know. I joined wanting to make a difference and now I am wondering if I can even make any difference. So much of my lesson time goes towards classroom management.

I want to ask you all experienced teachers. Does this get better with time? What are some tell tale signs that you can grit through this or signs that it maybe it better to just leave if I am already struggling to keep afloat as a UT.

What makes you all stay in this profession? What would be your 2 cents towards this lost soul here?

I think the experience will really differ from person to person. For me, the workload actually feels heavier each year on. I'd started quite idealistic and really liking the job; but as life went on, with different priorities (ageing parents, young children), it feels harder and harder to keep up without sacrificing either quality of work, or time with family.

In your shoes, if I'm having trouble finding something that keeps me going despite the challenges, then I'd seriously consider leaving first, rather than signing a bond. You can take the rest of the UT period to evaluate this?

That's great! Realistically, the school can give you plenty of (unofficial) leadership roles to test you, even if there are no vacancies available - if you do well, they can up your CEP to the SH level, and you'll be able to apply for other vacancies (even try for KP positions)!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Today I had a talk with my RO, was given a leadership role of sorts this year and from what was mentioned it seemed like if I manage to do well this year in this role then it might bring more opportunities. So I guess I'll just have to see what happens next year. If it doesn't pan out then I'll have to rethink things. But like what someone else mentioned, if my CEP is still low then going anywhere else may not change things...

I am meeting my RO soon for a target setting meeting. This is my first time filling up the EPMS form, so was wondering if any one has any advice on how to use the form?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am meeting my RO soon for a target setting meeting. This is my first time filling up the EPMS form, so was wondering if any one has any advice on how to use the form?

Head to HRMS (VPN needed if accessing from home), search EPMS. There are guides & role profiles for you to reference to.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, been greeaat to see many promotions. Congrats all. I am a UT and I have been feeling really overwhelmed at the amount of things to do in terms of non-lesson related. As well and managing all the complaints coming in about xxx and xxx. Kids being kids will have their own stories and idk I feel so helpless? And then there is like 100 other things gg on which we must keep track and know. I joined wanting to make a difference and now I am wondering if I can even make any difference. So much of my lesson time goes towards classroom management.

I want to ask you all experienced teachers. Does this get better with time? What are some tell tale signs that you can grit through this or signs that it maybe it better to just leave if I am already struggling to keep afloat as a UT.

What makes you all stay in this profession? What would be your 2 cents towards this lost soul here?

Different schools have different challenges. Some schools don’t face as much issues with classroom management and student behaviour as others.. You can try writing in to apply to academically more inclined schools if you manage to get into NIE next time. It depends on your education philosophy, do you wish to make a difference in the lives of lower performing kids, or is your interest more in stretching the higher ability ones. Different sets of challenges.

The merit increment is out on pac@gov but it seems like the quantum has decreased.. It used to be close to $200 but now it's only $130 despite having the same standard grade of C.