I wrote a piece for The Guardian a few weeks back, looking at the (major) issue of teacher burnout. Strikes me that it could resonate more widely into other professions too…especially ‘pastoral’ ones.
Panic attacks, tears, anxiety and breakdown are sadly too common across the nation’s staff rooms, and as governments demand more and more from schools, I’ve only seen this get worse and worse. It’s a price I refuse to pay. Rather than accept every new demand, I encourage teachers to be professional and reflect on whether they have the resources to meet it and, if they don’t, calmly request that their manager either take some other task away, extend the deadline or consider whether it really will benefit pupils (as opposed to impress inspectors). Having the courage to own your professional judgment is hugely liberating.