Breaking the Bullshit Cycle of Overwhelming Workloads
It’s the bullshit that every teacher faces: the overwhelming burden of marking papers, a thankless task that consumes time, energy, and sanity. However, the intolerable excess of this workload exacts a not-so-subtle toll on teachers’ well-being and most worryingly, is perpetuated by those tasked with leading by example.
Turning Water into Wine
At this time of year, teachers often find themselves in a modern-day parable akin to Jesus with his baguette and tin of Aldi sardines. Just as Jesus performed a miracle to feed the masses, teachers are expected to perform similarly, magically elevating students’ grades to meet the student’s target. Yet, behind this show of divine intervention lies the devil: the guilt-laden question that pursues teachers – “What can we do to get their grade up?” NEWSFLASH: if you have ever said this phrase, then 1. you are a fucking dick and 2. you are part of the fucking problem within education.
Ritual insanity
There are so many challenges facing education (urghhh), but this one comes to fuck me over at the same time every year: the cultish ritual of marking mock exams. As teachers, we find ourselves trapped in a cycle of wasted hours, futile efforts, and little to no benefit for our students. It’s an absolute absurdity and honestly, this divine convergence gives me about as much sense of clarity as an angry agnostic at a scientology conference.
Guilt-Loaded Phrases in Education
The education system: quiet, peaceful, serene… that is until I wake up screaming ‘FUCK YOU’ as I tumble through the treetops (kudos if you know the reference) *and cue title music.
The system is actually a place where exploitation thrives like a North American pine forest, and teachers are guilt-tripped into sacrificing their sanity for the ‘greater good’—or rather, the greater exploitation. But honestly, the postal version of Burt Raccoon is exactly how it makes me feel. Behold the guilt-laden phrases that chime through school corridors, leaving teachers to Syril Sneer as they are torn between their duty and their own well-being. One such phrase, “but you’d already gone,” encapsulates the subtle manipulation used to guilt-trip teachers into giving up their precious time, unpaid, for the system’s demands. Fuck you – let’s call this shit out!
How Branding Eclipses Educational Integrity
The cry of ‘Just do it’ echoes from SLT as they fuel a frustrating trend, but are schools prioritising branding over substance? Schools, especially academies, are eager to establish a unique identity, often relying on shit slogans and bullshit-branded policies, and insisting on brand recognition. But news flash: brand recognition is earned, not imposed. And, beneath the surface lies a significant problem—a gap between branding efforts and the actual educational value they claim to offer.
Navigate the Minefield of Parental Behavior
In the world of education, teachers find themselves not only attempting to mould young minds but also facing growing pressure to participate in discussions about behaviour with parents. Regrettably, a growing number of parents are finding it challenging to demonstrate appropriate standards of behaviour themselves — to the point, they are grade-a dicks and it is often evident that the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the proverbial dick-tree! Let’s explore the complexities and implications of this relationship between educators and parents, without reaching for the axe or box of matches.
Navigating the Sea of bullshit communication
The infamous flood of emails – a digital deluge that rivals a monsoon in rainy season but Noah can’t save you from this cataclysm. Imagine: you’re drowning in a sea of notifications, desperately trying to stay afloat amidst the relentless tide of bullshit email communication. The struggle is real, and the irony is undeniable. Let’s plunge into the depths of this email abyss and explore the multifaceted dilemma that engulfs education.
Narcissistic email Monologues
Picture this: you’re at your desk, drowning in a sea of emails, and just when you thought you could catch a breath, another one arrives. But this isn’t your average email; it’s a lengthy monologue from a member of the leadership, sharing their profound thoughts and opinions on the latest educational buzz. Welcome to the world of verbose, all-staff emails – a phenomenon that’s as perplexing as it is infuriating.
This dilemma involves the insidious use of guilt as a tool to coerce those in education, particularly teachers, into sacrificing their own, unpaid time for the “betterment” of the school. This bullshit practice, often disguised as a display of “good will” and an implied expectation, is yet another threat to the well-being of educators and the quality of education as a whole.
Ever found yourself caught in the relentless whirlwind of stress, always striving for the elusive 100% output? Welcome to the world of “toxic resilience,” a concept coined by Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a distinguished stress expert from Harvard. In this post, I’ll attempt to dissect the pervasive nature of toxic resilience within our education system, highlighting its impact on teachers and the starring role played by leadership.