Thrive as a new science teacher

Teaching science is an amazing profession. In just a day you can meet 30 young people each hour, connect with them, teach them something new and adapt your lesson to their individual needs. You can do this for six hours, but not just as a repeat lesson, each is pitched to a slightly different audience – inquisitive 11 year-olds, unmotivated 14 year-olds or anxious high-achieving 15 year-olds. Around that you meet your tutor group, plan lessons for the next week, create practical request lists for the technicians and then go home and deal with your own life.

It is unsurprising that science teachers feel exhausted by the end of the day. It is unsurprising that when a teacher has an off day it can feel like a failure, and it is unsurprising that teachers can feel they are not good enough. Despite all the wonderful things we achieve for our learners, teaching chemistry, biology and physics takes an emotional toll. All these feelings are normal.

Well-being is very personal – we have different things that make us feel safe, in control and relaxed. Although schools are responsible for staff well-being, there are strategies you can employ to help yourself keep things in perspective and manager your work–life balance. It is normal to sometimes feel overwhelmed. It is also OK not to be OK, and there is support available in school and beyond.

Here are four strategies to help you keep things in perspective. Make them part of your routine.

It is easy to over-plan and spend hours searching for the perfect science resource. Just use your school resources (or the RSC’s) and adapt them – choose one textbook and resource bank to plan your lessons from. If time and circumstances allow, create a new resource for one lesson a week, but certainly not every lesson.

Our brains can focus on the things that we get wrong – that pile of tests you couldn’t get marked by today or a parent who has complained the chemistry homework was too hard. Balance this by listing your successes in the back of your planner. Take five minutes a week just to jot these down. This is particularly helpful if you feel yourself focusing on the negatives.

Science teachers tend to plan their rest during the school breaks and, paradoxically, save tasks they are too busy to do in term time for the school break. This approach to teacher work–life balance is unsustainable. Plan and protect your rest time. For example, decide that Friday evenings are no-work evenings. Some of us find it is possible to be efficient in the week and take most weekends off; see if that is something you can plan to do. If you choose to do some work during holidays, plan the days you will rest and don’t let work run into those days.

It is easy to compare ourselves with others, but this is problematic. Remember, we only see their good stuff. There is always going to be someone who seems more organised, better at behaviour management or liked by more students. What we don’t see is their own insecurities, troubles and misgivings. Remind yourself of what you uniquely offer to your students and the science department. As the saying goes, ‘be yourself, everyone else is taken’.

When to ask for help

We are all human, we all have ups and downs, we all make mistakes. If it feels too much, first recognise that. Accept that you need to ask for help. Talking to someone is often enough to feel better.

Remember, you are good enough. Be kind to yourself and don’t forget to celebrate your successes.