Are you an autistic teacher?

Well I have only been at this school for a month. I have to deliver lessons designed by a one-man band who has created his own Berlitz. Sometimes there are not enough papers. The children moan the old teacher was much more fun because she used to just talk with them. I have never set with large groups of little ones before and cannot raise my voice too much or I will start coughing. Ever the rookie.

I do a lot of classes at home and that's easier by far, more control. The children often enjoy feeding the cats. The cats are a magic ingredient in home teaching. I should think it would be a nightmare to teach in the UK. Here, people can be very critical of their teachers 

I work sometimes with individuals who have been diagnosed with autism, attention deficit, dyspraxia and so on. 

I will when I’m stronger x

Thanks Nexus. I teach EFL too but in the UK. Yes mixups can throw me too even in a place ive worked for 6 years!

Thsnkyou Komaneko

Like most teachers i agree its the clasrrom time which is most enjoyable. The actual teaching part outweighs the other stuff. As im getting older i do think i would encounter stress in any other jobs too. At least in teaching i get something back from my students and can see their progress and confidence grow. Yes its different everyday but there is some structure to my day which is always down to my own organisation skills....i like this autonomy and also the opprtunity to be creative in my lessons. I dont think i would get this "package" in another job.

Thanks .. Would you care to elaborate on any of my points or questions raised in my first post? :-)

I dont even know if i can multi task or not. I just know that talking and photocopying both require cognitive thought and i cant do both at the same time! 

Komaneko said:

I realise I have been performing and not really sure who I am all that time but teaching is a performance and now I have my diagnosis I am finding I can figure out who I am bit by bit.

yep, I can relate to that!

I teach English as a foreign language abroad. I have started work at a new school and do find certain things challenging - mixups over what classroom I am supposed to be in, for example, using the computerised register. I have not sought any diagnosis as an adult, got plenty of one's as a child though, none of them edifying. 

Hi I'm a primary school teacher,  have been teaching for more than 20 years and was diagnosed last year.  Other than my kids, the job has been my life and even though I can see positives and negatives there are far more positives.  Firstly I never wanted to do anything else and can't think of anything I would have enjoyed and still enjoy.  There is routine and structures and teaching is an opportunity to explain things over and over again, the same but a little different each time.  I know I can do my job well, can see results clearly and children are much easier to talk to than adults.  The stressful parts of the job are all around other staff.  Very few staff know about my diagnosis and I don't intend to share it, mainly due to the large number of uninformed comments about autistic people I have overheard.  I cope with that by rarely going into the staffroom and never attending any staff events and trying to stay away from negative conversations.  I have had many many meltdowns and panic attacks quietly in my room and there have been times when I have felt burnt out but the actual teaching is the part I enjoy and I just have to remember that. Teaching is a changing environment but  if you are in it to give kids the best life chances you can, that never changes.  I can see the lack of  workalike balance and stress is bad for my health but that would probably be the same anywhere, I can't imagine any job is without stress and every 6 weeks there is time to recharge.  

I'm not sure how being autistic has had an impact on my teaching, as I had been teaching for 20 years before being diagnosed.  Since my diagnosis I have been more accepting of myself and realising why things have been difficult which has made things easier for me.  I realise I have been performing and not really sure who I am all that time but teaching is a performance and now I have my diagnosis I am finding I can figure out who I am bit by bit.

I tske low pay and stress! Haha. But its a trade off. Managers are great and on my side. Colleagues are lovely. Theres no office politics and hours are flexible.

I too find situations with staff difficult. Not conflicts. Just genersl every day stuff.

out_of_step said:

Since ive self-diagmosed i can see that i really do need to switch off a break times but its nigh on impossible as staff come to me or there are problems to sort out for the students. I think a lot of it is overload of receptive input. Also i struggle before class when im trying to get things ready and staff want to chat.

oh yes, that rings true for me...just when I am focussed, somebody interrupts me and then my brain is like a grasshopper flitting from one thing to another. On the other hand, I am pretty good at mutli-tasking, but when I'M the one in control of the events.

Yes I am - most of the time anyway. I find I have nothing left afterwards though. The pay is a downside but I'd take low pay over stress any day. I can find situations with staff difficult too.

Teaching is an extremely difficult profession, with a lot of people leaving due to stress etc, I have worked in various schools on supply, Teachers complained a lot about the stresses and strains of the job, and I too thought for a long time, everyone finds teaching hard, its the nature of the job type of things, Am just not great at dealing with it

But I realised a lot recently as I was researching into autism, that a lot of autisms traits on the outside seem the seem the same as neurotypical, for example a female on the spectrum  might just be seen as shy for most of her life, type of thing, but if you scratch beneath the service, their is a lot more going on.

In regards to teaching I don't think its just the job, I think its got a lot to do with executive functioning issues that most with autism have. Therefore teaching takes a lot more out of us then it would a NT. If am teaching that is all am doing I cant do anything else,i mentally struggle to switch of and it mentally exhausts me, 

18th year teaching

I would seriously think about setting up on your own doing your own idea. 

There’s a huge amount of Home Education people around. Most of them have kids on the same level as us... Home edders were bringing their Neurodiverse kids to me years before I knew about my own ASD & plenty of adults who’re not even aware they could be ASD. They come to because I’m offering something that’s out of the box... 

i know know a guy who has his own art school in his garden. With classes up to 8 students at a time. Each adult learner paying £125 each per day. That’s seriously money with no ‘idiot squad’ leaning over you - Ofsted

It’s something like 22 hours per week and then you have the Moron Squad knocking - the people who check up on schools. Can’t remember the word for them. They’re totally out of touch though. It’s those guys who’re making life difficult for teachers....... Ofsted

I teach my kids directly in front of the parents - an arms reach away so I don’t even need a CRB check. 

I cant argue if thats how you feel. I dont work in a school setting so cant comment but it must be frustrating for the teachers if they feel the same as you. Good luck with your swimming school. I bet its good working for yourself. I wonder if your school has as much accountanility and has to evidence everything as much as we do! 

Thanks Binary. You sound contented in your job. I dont think we can ask for more than that in this day and age! 

I think with how i am (possibly autistic) means i have a good attention to detail. I generally have few problems with my students. My stresses and anxieties come from thr staff i work with (who are very lovely) but i often dont know how to desl with everyday situations with them.

Im sorry you had to leave but at the end of the day your health is number 1 priority.

I can see where youre coming from about "perfectionism". Ive learnt after 7 years that its a trade off. I feel if you are worth your salt as a teacher and to be resepected you need to have integrity which means doing things honestly, tjoroughly and correctly. This isnt possible if you want to keep a relatively good degree of mental health.Ive learned to cut corners but not at the expense of my students. This has meant ive come under fire for not completing paperwork properly. Im not bothered. In the class is where it matters to me. A colleahue once said "youll never be a perfect teacher, even when youre dead". Unfortunately its the managers who expect perfectionism. But they have to maintain high standards.

I couldn't see that being a total mess outside of work was a huge sign that I wasn't a functioning adult

This rang alarm bells for me today when i read it! I think often we are on autopilot so much we dont realise. I just dont know how much of my stress is down to the job or maybe being autistic. 

As i said below, teaching is a performance. I think most teachers wherever they are on the neurological spectrum would agree.

Thank you for such a detailed response Bagpuss. A lot of what you say chines with me. 

I too always said i wanted to be a teacher but had other jobs before this. The best part is being in the classroom which i know most teachers would agree with! 

I like your idea of a weekly to do list. I might try this myself. I usually have a lot in my head and write chunks down but i wonder if a regular to do list is the way to go!

Theres something i want to say about how planning at home disrupts my home routines which i think i struggle with..even tho its down to my own time management...but i cant form my sentences correctly so will come bsvk to this another time.

I hear what you say about sensory issues. Since ive self-diagmosed i can see that i really do need to switch off a break times but its nigh on impossible as staff come to me or there are problems to sort out for the students. I think a lot of it is overload of receptive input. Also i struggle before class when im trying to get things ready and staff want to chat. I have a classroom support assistant who is fab and has learned not to make conversation when im setting up as i need to concentrate. I did notice todsy tjough thst just having her presence in the room sets me off as i still feel theres some expectation to be social. Then even thinking about and being aware of this detracts from me concentsting on the task! 

I have no problem holding my own in a room of 20 students (i teach adults) but struggle sitting down for dinner with my in law family. Of course teaching is an act but thats different to masking. Im not trying to cover up snything. Im in control. I know my subject and can talk at ease. I know my role.  At my in laws its an unstructured socisl situation which is completely different. I tslked about this to another support assistant who "came out" to me as autistic and she completely understands what i mean. (I know everyone acts differently depending on the situation but i feel for most people theres a general base line which they have which is essentially who they are....i feel i dont have this foundation layer). Teaching is performance, masking is getting through the everyday.

Im glad you have supportive managers. It does make a difference. Mine is understanding of my mental health. Ive never mwntioned suspecyed AS though.

Thank you for such a positive post!