At the moment I’m sat at home and full of a cold!! A couple of days ago I fell in the kitchen and reall hurt my back, arm and leg, I suffer with my ability to walk on the best of days so now as well a a cold I am aching and bruised and hobbling around on crutches!! I’ve rung in sick the last couple of days and after on/off sicknes and falls over the last few months I am really considering whether or not to carry on working in my current line of work!!
I am a teaching assistant working 3 days a week and although the head has done loads to make my life easier at work, I feel a bit out of it because I’m not doing what everybody else is doing. My job should be very physical and I am young and bubbly but I can’t do displays, run between buildings, participate in school trips so I’m feeling a bit down!!
Before I worked in the school, I was a qualified accountant, but as I have 3 small children, working in the school was a god send as you get the school holidays aswell. Following the births of my children, I lost interest in accountancy and started working in the school which I have really enjoyed until now.
As I have difficulties with walking and balance, the headmistress has limited my outside activities. I feel more comfortable being desk based but I feel like I’m not pulling my weight and that I’m an outsider and am really thinking about returning to accountancy as it’s not physical and my brain is in good working order so at least I can feel like I am on an equal par with people (despite not doing that type of work for about 4 years).
Hi Kelly, Just read your post and I can feel your ‘fed up ness’. A cold makes you feel bad enough without everything else going on too. My sister is a teaching assistant so I know how busy it is but they seem to have been understanding, thing is if you love it there but leave to go back to accountancy you may feel down and then the cycle begins of feeling fed up and symptoms arising etc…? Speak to the staff, I bet they are all understanding and supportive, do they have some office stuff you could do admin wise too as well as the classroom work? Good luck and hope your feeling bit better soon Take care Ally x
Hi I am a teaching assistant too, with similar problems. Last year I was working 3 days a week in key stage 1 and found it really hard going. Everyone was really supportive and were happy to help with displays or take my place on school trips but I know what you mean, you do feel like you are not doing the same as everyone else. So in the summer holidays I went through occupational health (at recommendation of my head to protect me against future changes in leadership etc) which for me was really helpful. Instead of working full days I am now working four mornings a week in key stage 2. This has made such a difference to my health, as I do not feel so permanently drained. Also children in key stage 2 are more independent so it is less physically demanding. I think, in my school anyway, a lot of the more physical activities also happen in the afternoon with the focus being on literacy and numeracy in the mornings. Is that something that could work for you?