What support can I ask for?

<font face="Calibri">Please can I have some advice. I have Bipolar disorder, diagnosed in July 2010. I have one child and am currently pregnant with my second. I have managed my condition well with medication and careful monitoring. I came off medication with full support of my Psychiatrist so that I could become pregnant. </font><font face="Calibri">But I am beginning to struggle. Mostly as I am very tired. I have pregnancy related insomnia and general knackeredness! My workload is huge, work seems to just keep piling up and up. I have a TLR (which cannot be passed to anyone else, this has been covered in the past)</font><font face="Calibri">I want to talk to school/SLT about this as I want to avoid taking time off etc. But I am not sure what they can offer. They can&rsquo;t plan my lessons or do my marking, or take away any report writing. They can&rsquo;t give my TLR responsibilities to anyone else (there is no one else in department, and when this was tried in past I still ended up doing most of it without the pay!)</font><font face="Calibri">What support can I ask for? Any ideas on reducing my stress, decreasing my tiredness?</font>

 

How long till you go off on leave?

 

End of summer term, so a while yet.

 

Okay, I've not been in this job long so I know there is loads of hidden politics that goes on, but if this were me in my previous professional life, it sounds like this needs a good list.

Make a list of everything you do. Mark which bits are giving you the most bother. Then think of ways round them.

Can't plan your lessons for you? No, but their might be a cover supervisor free who could cover 1 or 2 periods a week, thus giving you an extra non-contact and only a textbook lesson to plan. If you're still seeing them in other lessons one 'consolidation' period won't do that much harm.

Marking taking too long? Does everything need comment marking? Could some more directed tasks be self/peer assessed? I have a colleague who gets a sheet of Avery sticky labels with the success criteria from each lesson printed on them, ticks if the kids have done it and then writes a short comment. Stamps or codes could also be used to reduce repetitive writing.

When you last dropped your TLR you ended up doing 'most' of it yourself. What was the bit you didn't do? Could somebody pick that up?

If you get on well with your line managers how about a good 'nothing ruled in, nothing ruled out' meeting where you discuss all the options and see what comes up?

All the best,
i&V

 

I am going to try and track down an SLT or line manager today and chat. I have made a long list. Part of the issue is that I am HoD of small department (two people) so even though technically someone else can take responsibility, I am the one that knows about exams, SOWs etc.
I have started doing codes for marking, but I teach two subjects that aren't mine and this takes me so much tie to plan, learn the topic and mark. One department is very supportive in this, the other not so much.
Thanks for the advice I will look at my list and chat to someone