Sorry, this is my first time posting, I’m not great at writing. Sneaking away from my boss to post this at 1 a.m. because I can’t sleep... gotta be back in front of class in the morning.

I’m a 35-year-old social studies teacher at a small school in Rayong. I really try to do my job and I love the kids, but lately I’m so stressed I don’t know who to talk to.

Short version first. Some coworkers clearly have much less on their plates, but I keep getting pushed into extra after-hours duties — community guidance work, supervising clubs in the evenings, weekly meetings that stretch into 10–11 p.m. sometimes (I once recorded 3 hours 20 minutes on my phone). I’m also the go-to person coordinating with parents on days off like it’s my main job now, even though there’s no overtime pay or extra benefits. The red pen I use to sign documents? It’s obvious I sign a lot more than others.

Longer and messy: the boss seems nice to other people, but his friendly, chatty way makes it hard for me to say no. When he says, “Please help out, can you fold this into your schedule?” I usually accept even when I’m exhausted — I need to prepare morning lesson materials, finish reports on time, and I run the school music club with a concert at the end of the year. If I don’t prepare them, the kids might lose that opportunity. I’m just soft-hearted. Lately I’m getting home around 7:30 p.m. at best. If I say I can’t do it, he might think I’m not a team player; but if I keep saying yes, my kids’ learning and my home life fall apart.

There’s another thing bothering me. Some of the new teachers don’t help much with after-hours work. When there are group tasks or special meetings they often cite class time or say, “I’ll avoid that, teacher,” which I can understand. But sometimes I see them in the staff room on their phones or leaving early. Then there’s another teacher who gets very light duties because of connections in admin. It feels unfair. I’m not usually a sulky person, but I’m starting to feel exploited — or am I being too sensitive?

Some nights I can’t fall asleep until 2:30 a.m., staring at the clock even though I have to prepare lessons for tomorrow. I fear that if I speak up I’ll be seen as not cooperative or lacking team spirit, but if I don’t speak up I’ll keep being taken advantage of. I also worry the kids will be hurt if I quit the club because I truly have too much work. I feel sad and confused T_T

I’d like advice from others — what should I do? Should I talk to my boss directly and set clear boundaries about tasks? Or start negotiating conditions, like time compensation or reduced teaching load? If anyone has been through this and spoke up, how did it go? Or should I change my own mindset first — maybe I’m just too soft. If you have polite but firm ways to refuse, please share.

Thanks a lot for reading this far — I’m really stressed and I’m afraid of changing the school atmosphere if I complain. If I speak up and end up labeled as not a team player, what then?

P.S. If any teachers have gotten through this and fixed it, please share — I’d be so grateful, seriously lol 555 (haha).