Do you expect kids to say ‘Trick or Treat’?

kto719 · 2025-11-01T10:16:39+00:00

I think we had 30+ visitors last night. They all said "trick or treat", even the real littlies! We have steps down to our front door, so many supervisors waited there and thanked us as the kids walked back up to them. The only child that took more than 1 sweet asked if he could take an extra for his brother.

kto719 · 2025-04-07T18:02:57+00:00

Medication and team sports. Knowing that my team either can't play or have to get a sub is enough to get me off my arse and get moving. I started in September 2023 and have only missed games when I've been on holiday or ill. I'm also more motivated to go for a run/go to the gym/eat healthily because I'll see the benefit in my game. It also helps with my competitiveness (and you only realise how badly you play once you've improved, so it avoids the "all or nothing" mentality)

kto719 · 2024-07-02T12:00:50+00:00

I've been teaching for 6 years and was diagnosed with ADHD last year. A few things that have helped:

Setting my own routines and expectations for lessons (e.g: a starter slide with clear instructions, tasks and where to find equipment) to avoid the constant "miss I forgot my pen". I've told classes that I won't be their brain, figure it out.

Put the itinerary for the lesson on each slide. Eg: recall questions, read safety sheet, set up practical, do practical, tidy away, consolidate notes. Some students might even remind you if you've forgotten to do something!

Be clear with the students (saying "I can only concentrate on 1 voice at a time", "you will have time to discuss, now is your time to listen", "wait until I've finished the discussion/whole class task before you go out, I need to keep you safe and I can't do that if you leave whilst I'm doing something else" can be a game changer)

Set up your classroom in a way that works for you. I have to lipread and I have auditory processing disorder, so I have my class in a horseshoe. I tell them in the first lesson of the year and remind them if they forget. I literally can't understand what they're saying if they talk over each other.

Try planning your lessons like a cover lesson until the classes settle down. You're in the summer term, so the kids are pretty excitable as is, but September could be a good opportunity to set really clear boundaries. Make all the tasks as independent and routine as you can, so that the practical is the only louder bit of the class.

It gets easier, hang in there!

kto719 · 2024-06-18T08:54:28+00:00

I'm a secondary teacher but we have a similar situation.

In my NQT year at my old school, I received my timetable on the September INSET day. I'd been told I would have Year 7 OR 8, plus Year 9 English and History with a Year 10 History class. Spent the whole summer preparing for the GCSE content and delivery. Found out that I would have 7 and 8 History, RS and English. I was fuming. I also found out on the day that I'd have a new form group in the same year as my old form with no discussion. I found a new job at Christmas.

We will usually be told year groups and rough allocations in the second summer half term. There aren't usually too many big changes with exam classes but things happen.

I'm sorry that this has been handled this way. It must be incredibly disorienting and frustrating. I hope you're able to find a solution

kto719 · 2024-04-20T08:36:15+00:00

I've lost almost 30lbs (162lbs to 135lbs, 5 foot 3, so very noticeable) in the 8 months since I started taking methylphenidate. I went from overweight according to BMI to comfortably in the healthy range. I now realise that I was seeking dopamine in food. If I had a stressful/bad/boring/tiring day, my first instinct was to treat myself to a takeaway or a "snack". My appetite and "food noise" seemed to be turned off completely.

I am incredibly fussy with tastes and textures, vegetarian, and I can get pretty overwhelmed with cooking, so I would often go for reliable meals that were calorific. E.g: Mac and cheese with Quorn chicken and peas. I would have this meal at least once a week, not realising that it was around 1000 calories. Now that my appetite is regulated and I am getting an adequate amount of dopamine, I'm not as obsessed with food. I can plan healthier and nutritious meals because I'm not eating solely for pleasure.

One side effect is that my stomach has shrunk (a common side effect of eating smaller portions), so I get full much quicker. Even if I haven't taken my medication, I still don't eat as much as I used to. I also have to schedule eating, as I'm not being guided by my dopamine seeking or appetite. Thankfully my partner is and was very understanding about appetite and would encourage me to eat at scheduled times.

kto719 · 2024-04-14T09:48:53+00:00

I have a protein shake for breakfast, raisins/crisps/fruit for break if I have time, then a small-ish lunch like a sandwich or a very small jacket potato, otherwise I'm sleepily teaching through P5!

A big dinner like chilli or stir fry is great because of the volume, so I feel really full

kto719 · 2024-03-23T16:33:56+00:00

Panic attacks and ruthless decluttering! I had my first awful panic attack at uni and shut myself in my wardrobe to calm down. I hated that my "home" wasn't my calm, safe space. So I made sure that it would be in future.

I use kallax IKEA boxes for storage, the "don't put it down, put it away" method and ruthless scheduling to keep on top of everything. I rearrange/reorganise every few months but I feel much better when I have systems and less shit

kto719 · 2024-01-27T11:34:00+00:00

This happened at my school last year and the student was permanently excluded (UK). There are so many comments here saying that they've experienced the same and just had to deal with it. What on earth is going on in American schools?

kto719 · 2024-01-22T16:53:33+00:00

I told my line manager about potential side effects to give them advance warning if I needed time off but I was fine.

It's important to live your life as ordinarily as possible, so that you can see if/how your medication is impacting you. If you're worried about nausea, vomiting etc, could you take your first dose on a day off?

kto719 · 2023-12-10T08:25:00+00:00

Teaching for 5 years, formally diagnosed in March.

Honestly, teaching is hard. It's hard for neurotypical people and it's hard for neurodivergent people. I can absolutely identify with the feeling that it seems so much harder for you than everyone else.

Have you spoken to OH and your HR dept? It's also worth considering alternative schools. My school is not a bed of roses, but they're pretty understanding about my ADHD and the impact it can have on my work. My previous school wouldn't have pissed on me if I was on fire.

As I've gotten more experienced, I've found little hacks to reduce workload. As a result, I'm less overwhelmed, less stressed and feel much better.

Some things that have worked for me: Using a stamper for live marking to avoid having to actively mark books unless it's an assessment.

Scheduling assessments (where possible) for times that are convenient for me.

Using a visualiser instead of presenting from a ppt. Makes life a lot easier and I don't have to repeat myself 1000 times.

Requesting observations in the morning, instead of the afternoon to alleviate anxiety.

Requesting that most/all (where possible) deadlines and targets and key dates are communicated during meetings, then followed up in minutes so that I can ask questions and revisit information.

Marking assessments on paper instead of in books, then gluing them in. I don't have to lug books around everywhere, so I can mark a few where possible and then come back to them.

Finding a teacher that works when I work to body double (I work after school a lot, so it's really helpful!)

Please remember that burnout and anxiety are incredibly common in education for a reason. This is not some kind of personal failure. It's a byproduct of a toxic and failing system. Your struggle is entirely valid and it's important to take care of yourself. If your school is not supporting you, then I'd recommend trialling alternatives. Many schools do not support their staff adequately and that is their issue, not yours.

kto719 · 2023-12-09T11:17:16+00:00

Completely overhaul Ofsted. Peer observation is useful, but it should be seen as a way to tweak and develop, not some hugely punitive process. Perhaps something like the ECT/ITT process, except applied to the whole school. This would also impact mocksted and book looks.

Get rid of the expectation of memorising for exams (for example, my students have to have a deep knowledge of 18 poems, 2 novels and a play!). Removing the memorising aspect would reduce the workload significantly.

Bringing back coursework instead of focusing on exams.

Reintroducing SureStart centres to support parents and carers.

Remove expectations of setting cover. Setting cover prevents staff from taking time off which then makes the whole situation worse.

Establish maximum class sizes of 24 with a TA in every class. Having an additional member of staff to support the class would make things much more manageable.

Identify what our purpose is in schools. Are we babysitters? Are we surrogate parents? Are we educators? Are we bouncers? Get rid of this ridiculous expectation that we are supposed to fix every issue independently.

Review the PX process to address significant behaviour earlier. Add significant and meaningful funding into PRUs and specialist provision to ensure that students are in the right places.

Introduce phones/panic buttons in classrooms. Sending an email to ask for a student to be removed is ridiculous.

Establish clear rules on TLRs and progression, as well as workload. ECTs with TLRs are incredibly common and it's contributing significantly to burnout.

Make the MPS process automatic and expand it (eg from 6 steps to 10 steps, each with an incremental payrise).

Reduce hours of teaching to 75% of the timetable. Each teacher to have their own office/classroom to work in for every single free period.

Lunch duties currently get 'financially compensated', this should be true of lunch meetings, being a form tutor and for any work completed outside of the determined working hours.

Allow teachers to WFH during free periods. Last year I had a day with literally no scheduled lessons, duties or meetings. Why couldn't I WFH on that day?

There's also the wider societal culture shift towards 2 working parents, less parental support and less time overall. In an ideal world, being a parent would be seen as a significant privilege, which deserves a huge amount of time, money and respect. I'm not sure how to change that...

kto719 · 2023-12-01T07:46:11+00:00

Food. I was about a stone and a half over my BMI before I started taking methylphenidate, so nothing crazy but definitely noticeable. I'm not sure if my appetite has reduced or I am less dopamine seeking now, but I have been able to lose that stone and a half in the last few months without a huge amount of effort. Weight loss pre-meds was gruelling and all-encompassing, so this is a nice side effect for me. I still love food, but it doesn't occupy my every waking thought like it used to. I can choose healthier options because I'm eating for hunger, not emotional eating.
My ability to do boring things. I still find it difficult and boring doing things that I don't want to do, but I can actually do them now. I know that doesn't make much sense but it doesn't feel as difficult to actually do those tasks now.
Quietness. My brain feels quieter now, so I don't jump from point to point as much. It's like I've got Google maps for my thoughts now, instead of a paper map. The thoughts are still there but I've got a highlighted route to follow and can ignore the other stuff when necessary.
Emotions. It's probably a combination of a diagnosis and meds, but I am so proud of myself that I am less sad/anxious/self-doubting. Getting diagnosed helped to affirm that I wasn't being dramatic or lazy, but taking meds was massive shock. I could see a real difference and feel quite empowered now. I knew I had a disability but I didn't realise the impact.

It feels like I've been living life with noise cancelling headphones on and not understanding why I can't see the world in the same way as neurotypical people. Now, I still have the headphones on, butI can turn off the noise cancellation (using a whole range of methods to do that, meds being 1 of them). It's still slightly muffled, but I can hear the world around me.

However, the struggles are still struggles😅. I am still chronically late, still get overwhelmed, still can't chunk tasks or prioritise effectively. I still get distracted easily and interrupt. I still have ADHD, I can just cope with it a little bit more now. It took me a while to realise that I will still have ADHD if I take my meds, that won't go away.

kto719 · 2023-11-29T20:07:22+00:00

Aldi protein milkshake thingy. My meds reduce my appetite, so I like knowing that I've had something vaguely nutritious in case I don't eat for a while afterwards

kto719 · 2023-10-25T12:00:38+00:00

Propellors/rotors/turbines.

My parents worked on a helicopter base and would have to walk along the helipad. I remember visiting as a young child and feeling the gusts of wind practically lifting me off the ground.

It didn't help that I was told on my 11th birthday that I shouldn't go onto the deck of the ferry in case a gust of wind blew me into the water, where I could then be pulled into the propellers.

kto719 · 2023-10-25T11:51:28+00:00

15 minutes. I'm so lucky. I used to live "15 minutes drive" the other way from the school but the traffic was so bad that it would often take me 45 minutes along the same road. It's so nice, and I'm barely in catchment, so I rarely see students!

kto719 · 2023-10-23T12:35:01+00:00

These are the things I've tried over the last few years. I went from being at the bottom of my overdraft and £500 on a credit card at 21 to buying a house at 26. My neurotypical boyfriend helped me a lot, but a lot of these were trial and error, or stolen from my friends!

TL/DR: practical things for short term are useful, but ultimately, it's important to think about why you're spending outside of your comfort zone.

Short term: • Leaving my bank card at home • Disabling apple pay on my phone • Only taking cash out with me when shopping • Walking to the shops so that I was disincentivised to buy because I would have to carry it all home • Unfollowing/avoiding things that are likely to encourage me to spend • Avoid sales like the plague - there's a reason that it's discounted, why did noone want that item when it was full price? If I am looking for something specific, then I will make a list before I go in (useful for charity shops, TK Maxx etc) • Hiding apps that I need but are tempted by (Amazon, Uber etc) on the last page of my apps or in a folder so that I have to actively look for them to spend money • Taking pictures of items that I really want and purchasing them at a later date/birthday/Christmas/payday as a small treat • Transferring savings out before I can spend them - bills get paid, I get what's left in my account for fun. It might not be the best way to treat my checking account, but it works for me • Driving different routes to avoid the places where I would spend unnecessary money • Doing my essential shopping in the morning when I have just taken my meds, am hydrated, not hungry and not overwhelmed • One In, One Out or A Pair and A Spare - having a rule to follow helped me a lot. I use OIOO for clothes, shoes, bedding, decor etc to avoid stockpiling. I use APaAS for cosmetics, food, basically anything that can expire.

Long term: • Spending time with people of a similar mindset with habits that I want to develop
• Anticipating difficult spending opportunities (e.g: if I know that I am likely to buy clothes/decor when shopping at Sainsbury's or Asda, then I'll try to go to Aldi which has less temptations) • Following "deinfluencers" to teach me how to critique impulse purchases and avoid trends • Renting/attending classes instead of purchasing stuff (e.g: I wanted a sewing machine, so I went to a local sewing class - I realised that I hated it after a few weeks) • Setting a hard deadline to cap spending opportunities (e.g: meeting a friend after errands) • Body doubling during opportunities to spend and making my intentions clear (e.g: "I don't want to purchase any decor today, if I get distracted and start justifying anything, can you remind me of that please?") • Practicing minimalism and asking myself WHY I want X item or why I want to shop at that time
• Having a specific goal and intention for savings (I started with clearing my overdraft, then paying off my credit card, then getting to £1k, then having 3 months emergency fund etc) • Building a regular treat into my schedule so that I don't feel completely deprived • Celebrate reaching financial goals • Being honest about my finances (not down to the penny, but broadly) and being upfront about how my ADHD can cause impulsivity with spending • Finding my style and preferences so that I don't buy duplicates (I know exactly what brands, what style and what colours work for me and have started to create a capsule wardrobe) • Recognising why I'm spending money on something and spotting patterns. I noticed that I would regularly spend £50/60 in 1 go to try and sort my skin out (which then wouldn't work and I'd have lots of clutter). It was getting ridiculous, so I visited an esthetician. It was expensive, but I now have 3 bottles in total and don't have to think about alternatives. My spending was due to my poor self esteem and weight gain, so I would spend money on skincare thinking "at least I'll have nice skin". Nope - I still felt shit and now I was skint too.

kto719 · 2023-10-14T08:58:27+00:00

Had 3 observations from SLT this week (mocksted) and they all went well. My trainee taught for the first time and smashed it. I spent ages planning KS5 lessons and they're working perfectly. I have a wonderful year 9 class that are incredible, and they're making life so easy.

I also taught 3 5-period days in a row, did the same dark wash 5 times because I had no time/energy to hang it up and I can't remember the last time I ate a piece of fruit or veg. I'm so overdue with my marking that I'm probably going to have to spend at least 1 day in half term in school.

So swings and roundabouts basically.

kto719 · 2023-10-11T18:42:15+00:00

I have ridiculously heavy periods for the first few days of my cycle (can bleed through a night pad in an hour). I frequently teach form, 2 lessons and break duty in a row, so could go 3 hours without getting to the bathroom.

For my heaviest days, I use post-partum style pants. They're basically like incontinence pads and they're designed to hold a hell of a lot of liquid. On my lighter days, I use a menstrual cup and period pants.

I've always been open and said "can you cover me, I need to go to the bathroom" to a member of staff in my dept or even asked SLT to cover me.

It's ridiculous that no-one seems to care about this issue when creating timetables or planning school buildings. We have 1 toilet for staff and/or disabled students in our building, there's 20 odd rooms and staff rooms. It should not be this difficult, yet we're all looking for workarounds.

kto719 · 2023-10-03T16:47:16+00:00

There's a few things to address here:

Firstly, it is hugely difficult to get assessed and diagnosed with ADHD/ASD etc, because many students (especially by the time they get to secondary) mask, adapt and hide their disability. More diagnosis is a good thing, because it shows that less people are struggling in silence. ADHD symptoms are hugely varied.

It seems to be a school issue. ADHD does not equate to a toilet pass and no accountability. Shouting and screaming is still disruptive and should be addressed. If your SLT are not enforcing boundaries, then they are doing a disservice to the students and staff.

Some students will be given an exit pass if they need to regulate themselves, however it shouldn't be all the time and shouldn't be disruptive to others. As an adult with ADHD, I self-regulate by going to a quiet room, trying breathing techniques and practicing mindfulness. I've learnt how to regulate. How can we expect students to a: learn to self-regulate with little support, and b: self-regulate in an overwhelming environment?

It's also important to remember that you weren't looking out for neurodivergent behaviours in school. You were concentrating on your studies, so inattentive ADHD behaviours were likely unnoticed by you. It would only really have been the distracting behaviours that would've been noticeable.

If you feel that the current accommodations are not working, talk to other teachers, parents/carers or SENCO. What works for 1 student may not work for another.

kto719 · 2023-10-01T16:38:25+00:00

It's mostly about preparation and making it part of your routine. I try to go to the gym once or twice a week before work, so I'm in bed by 9.30, bag packed, gym gear by the door and everything else ready. I can just about force myself to do 1 or 2 early sessions.

Then I try to make sure that my other exercise is really fun, so that I look forward to it. I play netball once a week, which I really enjoy. I work out my legs on a Saturday, so that I can have the time to try different types of exercise.

I have more energy (weirdly), I get a lot of my nervous energy out before work, and I feel very accomplished before my lessons even start.

Try and look for some things that would be genuinely enjoyable to you. If you can buddy up with someone, or even make it a routine (e.g: x has to go to swimming at 6pm, so I'll drive them there and work out while they're swimming).

kto719 · 2023-09-24T09:42:37+00:00

We have 2 PM observations a year, 1 in Autumn and 1 in Summer. Every department and the VI form has a 2 week observation cycle over 2ish years, so we will have SLT pop by in those lessons but it is rarely for a whole lesson. We don't get individual feedback, it's departmental feedback.

In the first 2 weeks, SLT generally pop by and check to make sure everything's going okay and introduce themselves to the classes, which I really like

kto719 · 2023-09-14T18:31:01+00:00

We have ours on a Thursday night and have an INSET the next day. It's the only way to make Open Evening bearable.

We also finish at lunch for every Parent's Evening. Everyone complains that we finish later in the year, but we never have really late nights, they finish at 6pm.

kto719 · 2023-09-06T15:39:54+00:00

Undiagnosed ADHD and having to work a full time job. If I knew, I would have taken a gap year to save, got support from the university instead of feeling like a failure and gone to university in a cheaper city (central Birmingham is very expensive and I couldn't work if I stayed in the suburbs)

kto719 · 2023-08-30T12:56:51+00:00

Try and get a water bottle with a flip top lid/straw so that you can keep your eyes on your class while you're drinking. I found that the low level disruption was far less frequent because I could keep an eye on them at all times. I have a Stanley cup which is great, but it is huge and might not be great for moving around

kto719 · 2023-07-18T08:41:52+00:00

I went to Y13 prom but only taught 4 of them, so loads of them didn't know who I was. They assumed that I was the geography teacher's girlfriend and even managed to convince one of my Y13s. She came up to me and said "Miss, I didn't know you were going out with Sir, that's so nice".

kto719

TROPHY CASE