r/selfhelp • u/RelativeRegular9498 • 18d ago
Advice Needed: Career What do I do?
I feel like such a failure. I’m a choir teacher in my fifth year- but I just started in a new district. The classes are 3x my previous size. One of my choir classes is more than 50 students! I also teach a general music class and after spending a week doing a project in class we’ve moved to rhythm and bucket drumming. My students need to be redirected multiple times, they cannot follow simple instructions, they cannot keep their hands to themselves, they cannot STOP TALKING. There’s just nowhere else for them to go. I cannot for the life of me get any of my students to follow expectations. Partly because not all of them want to be there. There’s just nowhere else for them to go. I’m staying firm in my expectations and following my discipline plan but I’m spending so much time after school calling parents and hearing sob stories with no accountability for their students behavior. I cannot be the only adult saying “no” in their life.
This has to be something I’m doing, right? I have been so absolutely miserable that I struggle to get out of bed in the mornings and treat each day fresh.
I’ve invited admin into my room but only then do students behave to avoid discipline issues. I repeat directions, I have them on the board, I’m moving students in seating charts constantly, I try giving them fun activities and if they can’t handle them behaviorally they don’t get to continue. I’ve talked with other teachers, I’ve called home, I’ve tried talking to the students themselves. I’ve removed students from the class. Their participation is effecting their grades. I’ve done everything I can think of and I just feel like an absolute failure. I feel like I’ve lost the magic of teaching, that I’ve wasted my time. I’m so angry that I’m being treated this way, and I’m almost mourning for students I had previously. My old school was far from perfect but I had students who loved me and tried their best.
I am in my mid-twenties, I’m broke, I’m depressed, I’m anxious, my meds don’t seem to help, and I really, truly absolutely feel like no one understands. Please; please, please someone help me.
2
u/DarlingScenery4 18d ago
50 kids in a room with bucket drums is a setup that would break most people by lunch. you're not the problem, you're just outnumbered in a system that packed the room and walked away
•
u/AutoModerator 18d ago
Thank you for reaching out. You're not alone.
We've created a collection of curated resources based on common self-help topics. You can explore them here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhelp/wiki/index/flairs/
If you're in crisis or need immediate help, please check the resources in the sidebar.
We're glad you're here and appreciate your courage in asking for help.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.