How I keep my Sanity in the Primary Classroom (probably)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s the end of the first full week back with my new class of Year 3s. I always find it an unsettling time: establishing the rules/routines and getting to know a new class all over again, but it has been mostly good and I am looking forward to the year ahead.

Last year was a tough year, both personally and professionally but I’m still here and I’m still smiling! When I see posts on Twitter about teachers feeling stressed or exhausted or discouraged (it’s only week 2!) I can empathise. We all feel that way sometimes surely?

I’m no expert, just one of many ordinary teachers doing my job the best I can in the circumstances I’m in. The following are some ideas of things that have helped me day to day or got me through some tricky times – they might be ‘common sense’: you might even wonder why I’ve bothered to write them down!

When times are tough, take one day at a time.
If it has been ‘one of those days’ – move on – tomorrow is a new day: you can’t change the past but you can change what you do tomorrow.
Ask yourself, is this ‘good enough’ (good enough is good enough)– don’t spend longer to plan than you do to teach.
Laugh – a good class team can maintain your sanity on tough days.
Make sure you chat to colleagues – it can be lonely in a classroom.
Have a stash of chocolate in your cupboard.
Mark as you go, when you can; give instant feedback.
When marking, remember who it’s for – are your comments going to make a difference to that child’s learning?
Get the children to leave their book open on the page to be marked;
Make lists, prioritise – if something is a five minute job, do it straight away.
If little Johnny is being a complete **** don’t take it personally: it’s not personal.
If parents are less than supportive, remember that they’ll have to live with their teenage child, not you.
Make your colleagues a cup of tea – they’re probably stressed and exhausted too (you could also offer to share your chocolate: that’s up to you!).
Keep one day of the weekend completely schoolwork-free.
Do something each week that makes you happy – whatever that is: exercise, music, meeting up with old friends; whatever.
Try to keep perspective – the world will still be spinning tomorrow if you forget to remind the children about non-uniform day/don’t mark those books until tomorrow/don’t manage to get your whole class of Y3s to be able to tell the time.
Don’t reinvent the wheel – there’s loads of brilliant planning out there that you can adapt – use it.