As a teacher every now and then you can feel a little isolated both from the outside world and fellow colleagues and start asking yourself ...
“Can I say I’m having a bad day or will I get berated by a friend telling me that at least I get mountains of holiday?”
“Am I meant to like my students all the time?"
“Is it okay to hope for a sickness bug just to get out of school for a few days?”
This internal dialogue can cause some people quite a lot of stress, the number one thing to remember is that all of us dislike work every now and then, whether you are an experienced Science Teacher scowling at the misuse of a Bunsen burner or an excited NQT pretending not to hear the weekend stories of Year 10’s you will always move between loving your job to hoping there is a freak snow storm and work has been cancelled … forever.
Blogs and social media are a good and fun way of gaining other teachers opinions and ultimately confirm that the way you are feeling is very normal.
Here are a few blogs and accounts you should be checking out!
https://stackofmarking.wordpress.com
This blog has been created by Tom Starkey, a teacher and writer, who uses his daily experiences to create a very funny, tongue a cheek blog that brings up todays issues without leaving you feeling deflated. Tom also offers up his contact details so you can always contact him to talk about teaching/ maybe starting your own blog!
http://www.loveteachblog.com/
This blog seems to be anonymous, with the author titling themselves as ‘Teach’, it shows the ups and downs of teaching whilst making you laugh out loud. Check this out if you’re looking for some funny stories and excellent advice.
http://www.theguardian.com/profile/the-secret-teacher
This is a blog style article that is published by the Guardian, it tends to be more hard hitting and focus on the bigger issues facing teachers across Britain. However it is a great way to stay on top of educations news through the medium of real teacher’s perspectives.
https://uk.pinterest.com/annmarie597/funny-things-only-teachers-understand/
If you don’t feel like reading after a long day at school, then why not check out some inspiring, funny and awkward memes that will make you smile, laugh and generally feel good! If you make your own account you can find loads of resources and tips on how to make things for the classroom, lesson plans, games and much more!
http://lemonlimeadventures.com/category/learn/
This blog is more based at Primary aged pupils, however a lot of the experiments can be move modified to work for older pupils. It is excellent for new ideas to keep pupils engaged in learning and enjoying school.
These are only some of the many current, humorous and down to earth blogs that are out there so take some time and search for more, or if you’re feeling motivated and inspired why not try writing one!