Equilibrium

'You'll never see your friends'

'I was up until 3am making lessons every night'

'Pffttt.. a weekend? What's that?!'

If you are trawling through blog posts, articles, student-room and the deepest, darkest depths of the internet as a prospective teacher then the above quotes will be hugely familiar to you. It's off-putting. Not to mention it is certainly untrue.

As a PGCE student, you are attempting to find your feet in an environment which is constantly shifting. Everything is unpredictable, interconnected and changing. You barely know the students you're teaching, you don't understand your mentor's expectations, your subject knowledge is a few years out of date and you probably don't know your way around the school yet. Not to mention you have two pending assignments, a Duke of Edinburgh course to complete and lessons to create. It is a busy time.

But that doesn't mean to say you have to work until 11pm every evening or you have to sacrifice your friend's wedding because of work commitments.

I will tell you now, teaching is not the only demanding career in the world. Sometimes teachers, and certainly myself, have a tendency to forget that corporate, government, financial and creative industries equally place a huge demand on their employees. The difference between teaching and a marketing job however is the huge emotional investment that comes with the knowledge that these kids are relying on you to show up and do a damn good job.

It becomes so easy to put pressure on yourself to be incredible every day. You can't hide behind a computer if you're feeling a little bit worse for wear. You are required to stand up, be positive and use your noggin to explain difficult to grasp concepts in a clear and coherent way. I believe the pressure stems from the fact you care greatly and this is amazing! A job you actually care about, from the bottom of your heart, is pretty hard to find. Yet it seems to come hand in hand with the inability to switch off.

I read a quote once which really resonated with me. It stated: 'only lazy people are too busy'. Hear me out because I know this sounds a little harsh.

If there becomes a point in time where you feel overwhelmed and swamped with your to-do list, it has only reached this point because you have ineffectively managed your time. There is no one else on this planet who you can blame that feeling on. Of course, life never goes to plan and your house mortgage might have fallen through unexpectedly whilst you're also preparing for an official observation, or your boyfriend has dumped you whilst year 11 mocks need to be marked. We are faced with unpredictable challenges that pose a threat to the way we manage our time every day.

We use the term 'busy' when we feel this undeniable sense of overwhelming anxiety and pressure. You don't explain why or how you're too busy because you are not thinking logically. Your bucket is starting to tip. And it is starting to tip because you have not used your time productively on things that you could have in the past. Yes the house mortgage fall-through was unexpected, but the observation was not, neither was Joey's dentist appointment which has been in the calendar for half a year. How you (yes, YOU) choose to balance your time has to come from within.

Balance is something you create.

It is important to remember the above. Balance doesn't just come to you, you have to create it. It is impossible to wait and see if things work themselves out because things only work out if you make it work out. There are three things that you can do to make sure it does work out and this is true for a PGCE year, ECT years and beyond. I want to take the opportunity here to tell you that this is coming from a highly unorganised, perfectionist trainee teacher who let the bucket tip a lot. My housemates will vouch for this.

1. Set very flexible and adaptable rules

Allow for change. This is important for both within the classroom and at home. If you don't manage to work until 7pm every evening as you have so diligently written into your shiny planner, then that is ok! Get up a little earlier to finish it off. Put it on the Sunday pile. Or change it. Can you do something else that is A) more motivating to complete or B) will take less time for you to complete? Don't put the pressure on yourself to follow rigid, set deadlines that cause stress. It is totally ok to stray from the path (I am speaking personally of course, don't go missing any official deadlines!).

2. Ask for help

The beauty of being part of a teaching cohort is that your network is far-reaching. Utilise it to your advantage. One of your peers may have taught a lesson on the topic before, or have amazing ideas for a good plenary, or even be able to help you tackle a tricky character in your class. Draw on the experiences around you to better your practice.

The staff in your school are a gold mine. Don't forget, there are more people in the building who are willing to share their years of experience with you than just your mentor. Talk to the TAs, the reception staff, reprographics, the biology teacher, members of the SLT, the organiser of the football club. Someone somewhere is going to have that parcel of knowledge that you are seeking. Of course, try not to be too reliant on others, but also don't be silly and struggle in silence. Teaching is hard and we have every right to bounce of each other.

Perhaps asking face-to-face is not your cup of tea. Social media offers a lot if you know where to look and who to follow. The teaching community on twitter is amazing and there are a lot of people sharing resources, thoughts and relevant global news and events. I have listed a small handful of key people who have been very insightful for my own teaching practice:

@kate_stockings

@undertheraedar

@lcgeography

@HappyHead74

@EduCaiti

@DavidERogers

(Also feel free to follow me!)

3. Do fun things!

Every Friday night and every Saturday is my time. Fridays are for wine, dinner and movies with friends or family. On Saturdays, I always try to do something outdoors - paddle-boarding, kayaking, walking, cycling, visiting a new place or even just drinking coffee on a porch in the afternoon sun (or more likely rain..this is England after all). I don't care what assignments I have or what lessons need to be planned. I need that time to relax, laugh, enjoy the wind on my face and attempt to leave behind the school life. I won't lie, school still consumes 88% of my thoughts during this time but I am learning to push through. Everything is habit after all.

Give yourself the freedom to book something fun into your schedule at the end of every week of teaching. Everything will get done because it has to. You need you time, so be strict with it. Having something fun to look forward to makes the week's effort feel worth it. You are more than just a teacher and do not forget it!

An excellent way to enforce this habit is to block time out in your google calendar. This could be as simple as adding in 1 hour of reading from 8-9pm on a weekday, or adding a baking activity between the hours of 2-4pm on a Saturday. Stick to it and it will become a habit.

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The phrase 'work smarter, not harder' is often thrown around. I think it is a great phrase but unpicking what it actually means is a tough job.

What does working smarter even entail? I think I will arrive at the answer as my experience within the teaching profession continues to grow. However, these three small mantras have been absolutely paramount in keeping me sane during the PGCE and ECT years. I recommend you make yourself a couple of mantras, even if they differ from mine. Something to keep the goal insight whilst respecting your mental health.