September, for me, will always be a time of stationary supplies, new diaries, school shoes and a brand new bag to cart my shiny new swag around in. No, I'm not trying to relive my teenage obsession with Paperchase (how can I relive it? The obsession never died!), I am in fact a teacher.
Along with a blood volume that consists of around 75% caffeine, stationary (mainly board pens, pencils and bic biros) make up a good third of my body weight. I am never without a notebook and pen.
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| September has me like ♥ |
I teach English in a secondary school and 6th form and it's one of the most rewarding jobs I think you can ever do. I'm not one of those teachers who hates their job and moans about it constantly...and trust me, there's enough to moan about! However, it is challenging - an entirely different thing to 'hard' or 'soul destroying' like I've heard colleagues from other schools refer to it as. One of my favourite things ever is to see a kid's smile once they've come up with an interpretation that is valid and original on a text I've read a hundred times. I get just as much of a thrill getting a pupil to a C grade when they've struggled for 2 years as I do when one of my gifted and talented children bags an A*.
The kids really do make this job worthwhile. In fact, it's not a job...it's a vocation...a calling. Of course there are times when I'm knee deep in marking appallingly bad essays and tatty scraps of homework that make me want to scrawl "are you fucking kidding me?' across it in big red letters a la Bad Teacher, but for the most part, I think I'm pretty lucky that my days are so different and unique and filled with challenge rather than boredom. Plus I get a lot of holidays...yeah that's always a positive!
But since I became pregnant, I've found teaching a little harder to engage with and it's taken me 8 months to really accept that I have to change my methods of teaching and adapt to my current condition. Accepting this earlier would have made my job easier and so I've put together some tips for teachers who are pregnant or planning on becoming so in the not so distant future.
1. In the early stages of pregnancy, tell a trusted colleague that you're with child.
Most women want to wait until they're past 12 weeks and in to the 'safe zone' of pregnancy before they reveal their joyous news. But in my opinion, you're making things incredibly hard for yourself. I suffered with hyperemesis in my first trimester. I was throwing up fifteen plus times a day, all day, every day. It started at eight weeks pregnant and didn't stop until I was fourteen weeks. I soldiered on and went in to work but had to run to throw up far too frequently in the middle of lessons. I also felt appalling. Don't underestimate how rubbish any degree of morning sickness can make you feel. In the end, I had to tell my line manager and also the headmaster because I honestly felt I could no longer work. I ended up being signed off work for 3 weeks and being put on anti sickness medication which made me drowsy and unable to drive in to school. I felt like a hindrance and I was nervous about telling my manager and the headmaster so early on in my pregnancy but I needn't have worried. Both of them were incredibly supportive and were able to inform HR that my extended sickness fell under pregnancy related issues, meaning I didn't receive a disciplinary for long absence. It also meant that when I did go back in to work, I had 2 people who were primarily concerned with my health and well being and they could put measures in place to help me.
Even if you only tell one trusted colleague, it will help you. They can check on your class if you need to run out to be sick and if you're feeling rubbish, they can buoy you up and feed you ginger biscuits. Always a good thing.
2. Get the kids to do things for you.
It's a common trait in teachers that they often work harder than the children they teach. For some reason, I spend an inordinate amount of time handing out books, text books, paper and other supplies to kids. Save yourself some much needed energy and ask your pupils to help you out by handing out your resources, writing on the board for you and collecting things in. I even took up one of my sixth formers on their offer to go to the office to make me a cup of tea! Many of your pupils will be so excited for you and will want to show you that they care in some small way. The majority of my pupils are so accommodating of me and can't do enough to help me out...even the ones who groaned at me several months ago when I asked them to collect in the glue sticks!
3. Be honest with yourself about what you can handle...and then be honest with your colleagues.
I'm a middle leader at my school and have a responsibility for KS3 english. It's a lot of work on top of my day to day teaching and whilst it's a job I've worked hard to get, I've found, since becoming pregnant, that it's much harder to meet all of my responsibilities. Exhaustion is very real in pregnancy; I've never known tiredness like it and whilst many women may be full of energy in their pregnancies, I really haven't. This has meant that from big parts of my job like data management, intervention, curriculum planning to the little things like maintaining displays, have taken their toll on me. When I returned to work after having hyperemisis, I realised I needed to be straight with my colleagues and let them know that I just couldn't do everything anymore and I needed to delegate. To my surprise, they were happy to help me wherever they could and it's actually provided excellent opportunities for professional development for many of them. This is one tip I'll be following even when I'm not pregnant!
4.Be comfortable.
Ask any teacher how many times they sit down during the day and they will most likely look at you in confusion. Sit down? As in have a rest? Can you even do that when you're a teacher?! Well, actually...yes. We all take on too much as teachers. By nature, most of us are compassionate and self sacrificing (to a fault) and will gladly work through their break times and lunches to help a struggling student. Well, I'm sorry to say it, but pregnancy is the one time where your own comfort comes first. At break times, actually get out of your classroom and go to the staffroom and sit down; eat a snack, have a drink, demand the comfy chair! During lunch, go for a gentle walk, eat whilst, *gasp* SITTING DOWN and stop checking your e-mails every 5 minutes. Additionally, if you're finding work trousers uncomfortable - I do...the waist band sits right over my bladder, and you just can't cope in a skirt, or a stiff shirt or your feet are welling over the top of your smart patent loafers, then wear comfortable clothing. I find black, thick jeggings and smart tunic style tops or maxi dresses with black slip on sketchers to be the most comfortable thing to wear in work. These outfits are a lot more casual than my normal work attire but you know what? I'm growing a human and educating the future generation. I think it's my prerogative to be comfortable whilst doing so. You'll be surprised by how many people agree with me on that...including bosses.
5. Prepare wisely
It's a truth universally acknowledged that teachers are equally as disorganised as they appear organised. I am frequently complimented on my organisation - I host parties that I've catered and decorated, plan and execute elaborate menus for dinner parties, get birthday cards and gifts weeks ahead of schedule and am usually done with Christmas shopping by the end of November. But in school, it's a different matter. I can often be found 10 minutes before a lesson scrambling around trying to find a pile of essays I marked last week that I need for the next class. Similarly, it's happened more than once that I've walked in to my lesson with nothing but a smile and a prayer to help me teach those expectant faces all about Aristotle's Tragic Arc. It happens. Teachers can't be outstanding ALL the time because, hey, we're not robots.
So plan and prepare wisely. Use resources you've tried and tested before, ask colleagues for lesson plans that they might have used that you could borrow, be honest with children about the amount of time it will take you to mark their work - don't promise them you'll have it done by tomorrow if that means you'll be using toothpicks to prop your eyelids open at 1 in the morning just to get them finished. There are a wealth of teaching and learning aids available on the internet and, I'm sure, within your school and department. Use them to help you. You might just find you become a better teacher for it.
I'm sure there's much more advice that you can follow but these are just a few of my tips to help you get through your pregnancy whilst you're teaching. It can be a tough slog but we're lucky in lots of ways and it's important to remember that; we get those lovely holiday breaks, kids who are genuinely interesting and delightful....plus think of all the gifts you'll get from your pupils when you go on maternity leave! Bonus.
J
