Feeling stuck

  • ‘I work harder and harder but am not getting better results in class.’
  • ‘I don’t enjoy my job/teaching any longer.’
  • ‘I’m in a rut!’
  • ‘My teaching is not getting any better!’
  • ‘I need some inspiration, I feel so demotivated!’

Feeling stuck, the niggling sense that something is not working, leaving your class and wondering why something didn’t go as planned, can be caused by a number of things but is all too frequent to ignore.
Most teachers would probably admit that there are moments in their career when they suddenly feel stuck, as if in a rut, doing the same things over and over, with little sense of accomplishment or job satisfaction. This comes at different times for everyone; it could be after a couple of years teaching or after twenty.

Teacher or juggler?

Unquestionably, teaching is a highly complex profession and involves wearing a multitude of hats such as …

  • course planner
  • syllabus designer
  • lesson designer
  • materials/activity designer
  • assessor
  • test writer
  • coach
  • class manager
  • class monitor
  • error corrector
  • class psychologist
  • friend
  • parent substitute
  • needs analyst
  • class researcher