How tough is it to be a teacher?

[WhiteSteve]

My gf’s mother was a teacher, she retired early because it just wasn’t fun for her anymore. Her biggest issue was the administration and dealing with the parents, who, more and more, are expecting the teachers to raise their kids for
them, or they go the other way and raise hell because you aren’t kissing the kid’s ass and skating them through with good grades. They also have all these dumbass standardized tests now that kids have to pass, so “teaching” as she knew it has totally changed, now it’s just a mad dash to cover all the material on the state tests so the kids do well and the school doesn’t get in trouble.

Also, not for nothing, you can’t even slap these punk ass kids up anymore when they get out of line. I was probably the last of the catholic school kids to get hit on the hand with a ruler (shout out Sister McGuirk) lmao, and when it comes to breaking fights up, I’m pretty sure the teachers aren’t even allowed to touch the kids anymore. I got in one fight during middle school where I was actually taking the kid but the wood shop teacher snatched me up from behind and absolutely bodybagged me, lmfao, threw me on the ground so hard. I saw my principal in first grade slam a fourth grader onto the ground like three times when he refused to sit in a chair in our classroom (kid was acting up and he was “sitting with the little kids if he wanted to act like one”). I could tell you dozens more stories like this, I mean, if you acted up in school you might get FUCKED UP by a grown ass adult, and that cooled your ass off REAL QUICK. I see school fights on the internet now and the teachers are just watching helplessly while there’s a huge donnybrook or one kid is just getting pummeled and is dead to rights, in need of help, and the teacher is off to the side like “ok, that’s enough Michael, please stop”, while they wait two full minutes for security guards to show up. And it’s all because some idiot parent will sue the school system because their fuck ass kid is a hooligan and needed to get checked. You just can’t have that, man, you gotta be able to fuck these kids up so they stay in line. I would have been HORRIBLE if that threat wasn’t over my head at all times, holy fuck. But now it’s the schools under threat, you can’t look at a kid the wrong way. If I could take today’s societal attitudes and procedures back with me to the 80s and early 90s, I’d be a rich man today, living off suing some poor bastard just trying to keep control of some delinquent kid lmfao.

[Anonymous]

It one of the easiest jobs in the world with the least amount of work and very high paying in many areas.

You literally cannot get fire even if you do something wrong all they would do is put you in teacher jail. Where you just sit in a Room and do nothing but still get paid the same. They get massive amounts of pay when you factor in their benefits like their pension and health care. The teacher Union is massively corrupt.

If we want to improve our school system we need to get rid of the teachers Union and the Department of Education and pretty much close down all public schools and go to a Voucher system.

Teachers love to lie and act like they're underpaid so you have to look at public records here transparent California that show public records for her public employees pay and pensions. There's signs like this for many States that you can get the info for and putting us all of them so how corrupt public employees are and how they are highly paid not underpaid.

transparentcalifornia.com/.../?q=Teacher

[Izumiblu]

I’d suggest that the school administrators, parents and unions make working in public schools a drag.

I personally think that both parents and children should be held to a higher standard of conduct and performance and that we should stratify the schools based on performance and results.

I think doing so would allow teachers to focus to focus more on teaching and give a wider range of options for them as to the type of school and subjects they’d like to teach.

There have ave been a few studies that show teachers in private school receive par or less than the same class at and benefits as public schools but they show a higher degree of satisfaction and longer tenures.

[On_cloud_wine]

I’ve heard cursive has gone extinct. Such a shame... Such an elegant, convenient form of hand-writing that this generation won’t have the pleasure of experiencing...

I always find I have to add more effort to my movements when printing. So demanding, I must say...

[AynonOMouse]

The main problem here in California is discipline. They are trying to make it so students can't be disciplined at all. They even eliminated suspensions because they don't get money if a students is suspended (not in school that day).
They try too much to cater to parents' demands. Many parents think their child is perfect and if anything goes wrong it is always someone else's fault and changes need to be made. They blame the teacher even when it is their own child that is disruptive, disrespectful, bullying, stealing (often taught to steal by the parents), etc.

Parents suck at parenting. Their solution is to just give their kid a smart phone and then ignore them. Parents constantly cuss at home in front of their kids and then wonder why their kids behave the same way at school. Parents get drunk or do drugs and then wonder why their kids do the same things. Some parents are just plain stupid and they very much are the problem.

They also need to eliminate the participation trophy mindset. You should get what you earn, not get a free hand out for something you didn't earn and get the same as someone that did much better.

[Koalamate]

In australia
School disipline is an issue especialy in religious schools i went to one for a year and a kid smacked another kids head 3times on the concrete as hard as he could he got 1day of suspension he had a concussion and some stitchs.

Teachers are underpaid we have had many strikes but it got to the point were they worked for free for the strike because kids still need school.

If there is a fight and somebody fights back they get detention a mate of mine was on strike 3 and straight up took a beating from a kid half his size to stop a suspension he still got detention all day even though he didn't even push him.

[Volucum]

As a teacher it's very hard to be a good one. You become complacent quickly. Kids don't know how to ask about what they don't understand and often struggle. Not understanding your explanations when you try to explain them.

Some kids learn in a direct way. Some need to know the why's. Some just memorise the functions and don't need to know why they are the way they are. For others this drives them mad.

It's tough because it can be quite draining mentally, especially as an introvert. You have to be focussed on the little details in kids if you really want to teach them well. But these bursts of focus are really tiring. Is a kid not paying attention because they don't want to work? Are they bored and ahead of class? Or do they not understand it and have they given up? It's a hard call to make.

[Bananaman177]

Who wants to be a school teacher during the Fall of Rome?

Nothing really matters anymore, and students and teachers both know it. The world is falling apart and it will continue to fall apart until it collapses entirely and it doesn't matter what grade you get on the Vocabulary test, the "A" students are going to be scavenging the wasteland right next to the "C" students and the "F" students.

If anything, the "F" students will have the unfair advantage in the new economy.

[slatyb]

With infinite resources? We could just reduce class sizes. Sixteen is a reasonable number for elementary students without behavioral problems. For troubled children who have trouble in a regular classroom setting I have no idea but it's a small number.
We could feed all the children breakfast and lunch so no one goes hungry. Buildings could be well-maintained so classrooms are pleasant and attractive. You know, like they are in civilized nations.

[Texaskid1]

I know some people that were teachers. They all quit because they said it was too much stress and the hours were insane. They might technically be on the clock for 7 hours a day but were putting in 10 to twelve hrs plus unpaid weekends of taking work home with them. One guy told me that what he does not work during the summer he works during the school year. Teaching has a very , very high turn over rate - so I think that says something about the job.

[Anonymous]

We need to get the government out of education. Most of the problems we have with our educational system can be traced back to that. I’m talking about disbanding the Department of Education, privatizing education, and making it easier to home school kids. If I were a teacher, I wouldn’t want my salary and working conditions to be determined by government bureaucrats who know nothing about what I do and the challenges I face on a daily basis.

[Massageman]

It was hard, but I liked it.
1. I got no support from the management structure of the college I taught at.
2. I was required to do misc tasks without extra pay.
3. The college's idea of "complete" information on a topic was poor. I had to bring in outside resources (books, diagrams, etc. ) and I even made my own handouts.

[ZELLxoxo]

There are many factors. Such as a kid's age, usually older children are easier to teach. It's different when the child is too young.
Sometimes after spending time teaching kids you have a headache but it doesn't matter. Because it is a very rewarding job.

(I don't have any experience teaching in a school but I'm a private tutor)

[stormbreaker06]

With dysfunctional people come dysfunctional parents come dysfunctional children comes dysfunctional educational system.

as an educator all you can do is teach and take student abuse without any repercussions due to dysfunctional humans creating a terrible environment.

[angecandy]

Teachers should get high paid, there should be 25 students per class and also have many teachers who teach diffrent stuff, so that the teachers can splitt work.

[Daniela1982]

Today's kids have no respect for teachers and if a teacher tries to deal with these bratty, won't listen kids they get fired. Plus the schools need to do more about bullying. I for one would hate to be in high school these days.

[Liam_Hayden]

1. Ideally get all government out, but as that is not realistic in our current climate, get the federal government out.
2. Allow teachers the freedom to teach kids HOW to think rather than WHAT to think

[Pete671]

teaching was too tough for me, it's a total mindfuck, kids I had no problem with, OTHER teachers and parents were the biggest issues for me,,,

It really is a vocation, currently work as TLA special needs, min wage but I love it,,,

[Anonymous]

My experience gleaned from Mrs is the administration in schools is generally rubbish, other teachers can be catty and unprofessional, free lesson time is often revoked (time when marking and other activities can be done), and support from upper management is patchy. She often had work to do at home in the evening. Stressful job. Then there's ofsted (in the UK), and continual governmental interference.
Then we get on to the kids... And their parents.

[FakeName123]

Really depends on what grades you teach and what locations you are in. Teacher in an elementary school or high school? Teacher in a high or low socioeconomic area? etc

[Lloyd_the_Ace]

At least in the US, school is horribly inefficient and rarely prepares people for the real world. It needs major reform and teachers need a universal raise.

[Janenow]

Teachers either need to learn how to handle kids and get on with their job, or choose a different proffesion.

[Hugemoth]

In the united states kids have no respect for teachers because their education system is shitty. They should learn from many European countries where the system works and kids respect teachers.

[WhereAmI]

A camera in every classroom to protect the teacher and students against bullying and false accusations by parents.

[Anonymous]

It's tough but very rewarding when you sleep with your students.

[sixxx]

School never prepares you for real life. System itself should be changed.

[Jersey2]

Give people school choice and allow schools to throw out those that are disruptive.

[Anonymous]

There should only be 16 kids per classroom. Also, computers are faster than teachers now days

[midnightmoon05]

Be back for this one...

[Anonymous]

Schools are bad because teachers are being forced to "teach" immoral values, and anti-American propaganda by the administrators of those schools. Student confusion and violence are THE RESULT.

[Plitty-Tank]

The school system needs major changes.