I, too, am 29, energetic and giving it my all as a teacher, but I certainly don’t fear becoming one of the so-called “walking dead” (“What keeps me awake at night”, 7 October).

I have worked with many experienced older teachers nearing retirement, and I find their self-assurance, passion for their career and experienced cynicism refreshing. Teaching is a demanding profession, and God knows every time I open the pages of TES I fear for the future of the profession and the children we teach. Yes, we get up early, we work late and we all count the weeksdayshours until half-term. But at least we are never more than seven weeks from our next holiday. If the rewards of changing lives for the better and 13 weeks’ holiday a year on top of that are not enough, the author of this column has already joined the ranks of the walking dead.

Do us all a favour and get out of the teaching profession if you don’t like it. It’s people like you constantly whingeing and moaning that give the rest of us a bad name.

Anonymous