|
Concerned Spouses of Stressed & Suffering Teachers
Introduction
COSST offers a listening ear, advice, support and information to spouses of teachers struggling with the increasing demands put on them within the teaching profession. From their first hand experience they offer alternatives and possible strategies for managing in situations relating to damage done to healthy marriage and home life by the growing demands on teachers.
COSST was set up primarily to help the many many spouses who feel desperate and powerless to do anything, as they bear/share the suffering and stress experienced by their teacher loved ones, who they can only stand by and watch as they work themselves into an early grave. “Education, Education, Education…” has quite different connotations here.
COSST has received reports from the many many people who have rung and written, who must only represent the tip of the iceberg, and these are mostly of teachers…
Who are worn out physically and mentally, through the present day demands of the job, which requires teachers to arrive at school early, work continuously all day including during morning and afternoon breaks and lunch time, leave school late and then work at home in the evening, often till well after midnight, only to find they can’t sleep. They work 60 hours a week on average.
Who, despite their ill health, need to continue working, through commitment to their school/pupils/fellow members of staff. (Added to this the job to-day makes no allowances for possible time off, as if they are, then the backlog of work that needs finishing just keeps on growing.)
Who daily struggle home with boxes of work that need completing for the next day.
Who, as a result also come to treat home as an extension of school with its disastrous impact on husbands, wives, marriages, families and family life.
Whose work extends into the weekends when what they have not been able to complete in the week has to be done. Some weekends have to be spent catching up with sleep and recovering/ convalescing.
Whose work further extends into their holidays when what they have not been able to complete in term time has to be done. Much of what is left of holidays is spent recovering from all the above.
Who are nevertheless much criticised and widely misrepresented and misunderstood.
Who through the media are continually in the spotlight, while they are also under the microscope of OFSTED inspections and the like, making their jobs feel very insecure.
Who suffer from depression and even become suicidal. Many have to look to early retirement to survive, only to find that early retirement through ill health is not available to them due to the overwhelming demands from teachers for it.
And all the above is before one begins to consider the mental and psychological demands of having the heavy responsibility of dealing with the needs and wants of classes of children/ young people (and their parents) each day, often including many pupils who are undisciplined and uninterested in learning (and uninformed demanding parents).
As things stand, it would appear that the only people who can hope to teach successfully without in some way permanently hurting themselves, their spouses and families, are young and single people who can devote virtually their whole life, energy and lodgings to teaching and all that surrounds the job, and there aren’t many of these around. Novice monks and nuns are ideal!
It is not surprising therefore that there is now a serious and growing teacher shortage.
To confirm the above, in confidence, ask your closest teacher friends & their spouses
In future, if anyone else, other than those in the above category, is to do the job, i.e. whilst also having a home and family life, teachers who trained and qualified to teach must be allowed to teach as required, but with all the peripheral work being undertaken by administrative assistants etc, and thus more of teacher’s evenings, weekends and holiday times freed to charge up their batteries, and for their own needs and wants, and those of their spouses and families.
For more insights from founder, Peter, read the tip on Pressures of a spouse's job on a marriage.How to Contact
| Contact name | Peter Lewis |
| Phone number | 07751 858 453 |
| Contact Email | Peter Lewis |
|
 |
|
