Teacher tips for sticking with it through tough times

I was ready to walk away. I was ready to quit.

I couldn't stay teaching. I couldn't see a way that I could keep doing that for a career.

So, 30 seconds get ready … go!

So, it can work as an agreement in that sentence but it can …

When I first started as a teacher, there was an insane amount of paperwork. I thought about quitting. At one point it was a weekly thought.

People who can't see, don't be afraid. You just keep moving.

It's made an absolute positive difference that's made me fall in love with teaching again.

I know my subject like the back of my hand. Instead of having seven different subjects' worth of books to do across the week, I've now got one or two.

Well done. Okay, good awareness.

The amount of planning I have to do is massively reduced as well.

So I will take over from here. Right …

Game with no name: it will help you with any times tables that you want.

Essentially, we are there to observe, but not in the formal sense of the word.

Anyone else find the sixes tricky? Yeah? Right, that's a good one to start with then.

A magpie morning is much more relaxed.

Six, 36, 24

We can go 'What a great idea. I'd never thought about that before. I'm going to try that in my own classroom.'

I've found that since these new approaches have come into practice that my levels of anxiety and stress have massively diminished.

Can you do that calculation for me?

I've circumnavigated the globe by bicycle. I've expeditioned in Africa, in Asia, and South America and I've never felt like I had to quit.

What drove me to the edge was teaching. I didn't know how to say no. Every time I was given a task, I tried to do it even though I knew that it wasn't doable and I didn't necessarily ask for help. I was beyond tired.

I realised that I was in trouble when I was standing in front of a class and I couldn't be sure that I wasn't going to cry. And when you're in a challenging environment in a south-east London school, that's not a particularly good place to be.

I handed in my notice and I didn't ever expect to go back to the classroom.

I climbed a six thousand metre peak and I thought what if I could shift my perspective and make what was really difficult and challenging, more doable by changing how I looked at it?

We're going to look at planning an expedition …

Teaching is different now for me. I am very strict at my boundaries.

Where would you go?

The Sahara desert.

Lovely.

I think now I recognise that it's important to do these minor jobs we have to do that make of teaching, but if one or two of them get dropped then that is not the end of the world.

The whole idea of exploration is you go with a purpose…

Now I feel a lot more are able to to be open about that. And I find that's changed everything. It's just better for my wellbeing to talk.

That's the one you need to put into your sentence…

The most important thing is that a school puts the mental health and wellbeing of its staff on an even level with the success of its children.

All's good - love that handwriting …

I'm just curious about what I can reprioritise or reschedule?

Speak up if you're not coping and look after yourself. You can't fill from an empty cup so you need to make sure that you're healthy and happy before you look after us.