What are you glad you don’t have to do anymore?

Get up for work. I loved my job but hated dragging myself out of bed on cold dark mornings.

Getting up in the dark and driving 45 mins (30 miles) to work on frosty, icy, snowy mornings.

Driving home again in the dark and dreading the hills in snowy weather. My trusty little 4x4 always got me home.

As Calendargirl said: Awake at night worrying what weather would be like in the morning.

I was a teacher / deputy and had to get into work in bad weather unless I had a call to say school would not open. Had a call once, when I was half way there Not allowed to go home early either if it started to snow during the day or not until children had been collected.

Kiss people I hardly know and don’t wish to kiss.

There is snow and ice where I live and I really don't miss having to dig the car out to get to work.

Work - being pleasant to people I’d rather not have been with!

Drive round and round the office car park looking for a space.
Sit in my office, which was next to the kitchen, and inhale the delightful aroma of a colleague's microwaved lunch of last nights fish curry.
Staff "team building" events. God, how I hated them.

Definitely agree with hating getting up early and scraping the frost off the car. I certainly don't miss having to attend office meetings - they were so boring that I found it an effort to stay awake. Also, no more childhood illnesses and worrying who could possibly have the children whilst I went to work (more often than not, no one, I had to juggle holiday/flexi leave to look after them). I certainly don't miss the loss of freedom looking after little ones entails, life became so much easier when they were teenagers, for me, they were the most enjoyable years!

I agree with just about everything already said. My favourite, though, is not being ruled by the clock. ?

Oh, and dreading Sunday nights!

Getting up early in the morning for work.

Spending Sundays doing final preparations for the school week.

After school activities and clubs.

Whole school hymn practise taken by Headteacher.

I had better stop there!

Wearing full makeup including false eyelashes for work, and constantly checking whether legs, underarms, or chin needed defuzzing.

Same here a lot of the above applies! Getting up early especially in the winter and rush to work! I still get up early but then take my time with two coffees while checking news and social media, then a leisurely breakfast before I can be barely sociable!

Lots of ex-teachers on this thread ?

I don’t miss staff meetings

After school clubs

The Sunday evening feeling.

Parents evenings

The never ending cycle of planning and marking.

I do like my supply job though as I get the best bits of teaching and none of the bad.

Children’s homework!
Everything from colouring in a blasted woodpecker for an overtired dd’s birds project, due in next day, to having the other ringing from university to help with a blasted German essay on Berthold Brecht!

‘For God’s sake, it’s 30 years since I did German A level!’
‘I know, Mum, but if you could just listen to my introduction...’.

Most of the things already mentioned plus not worrying about hiding my roots! Gave up dyeing my hair shortly after I retired at 59 and love the freedom of not having to worry about the upkeep.

Not having to use lipstick......

Having to go to school (to teach!)
The constant preparation and planning, mostly at home.
The marking.
Writing reports, all done at home.
Ofsted!

I do miss the children, and that feeling when a lesson goes well, and you feel you have actually taught something and it has gone in.

Being told what to do by people who have no idea what we do all day and even less idea of how the system works.

Think of and make meals for anyone except myself.

Pull all-nighters because of conflicting deadlines. My assistant laughed her socks off one morning when she asked if I had had any sleep. I said that I hadn't, but took a break to do the ironing.

Like a few others here - teaching! This must have lifted the spirits of many teachers, past and present!

schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-deluged-with-5000-emails-as-parents-turn-tables-on-williamson-by-reporting-superb-schools/

Ironing at least 10 shirts on a Sunday, of course not getting up at 6am to go to work and sat in traffic.

Tidy up ? ( no visitors! )

Oops sorry, thought this was just COVID related.

Tax returns! Loved being self-employed but dreaded the January deadline.