Why do most teachers seem to hate teaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's the parents. not the kids that they don't like.

Well they are free to change jobs, like anyone else.

And you're free not to read their rants

I’m also free to think they are lazy.

Well teachers are human beings too and, like every other profession, a few will be lazy. That goes for lawyers, bus drivers, line cooks, and cops.

True, but are those people on Fb loudly praying that an entire county full of parents will need last minute childcare the next day? Yes, I know school is not daycare and it’s my responsibility, but it’s just really grating to me. I don’t think they realize how they sound to other working parents.

If this is your complaint, you have a low bar for lazy.

Every teacher I know celebrating the snow day has either been ill and resisting taking a sick day off in the weeks before Winter break or has plans to catch up on grading at home. In my case, I’m doing both.

Or we are caring for our own kids who are also off today while still trying to find time to catch up on grading.

No, I do not hate teaching. I’m in it for the long haul - came for the content, stayed for the kids.

Understood. But surely you can also understand that many parents who don't have a 1 1/2 week break from work coming up might also be sick and/or have work responsibilities they are frantically trying to take care of?

Yep, sure can. I had every single day of this week planned for my students, and to be honest, this day off is going to mess that up completely (big project due on Friday, group work happening in class, etc). But here we are, and neither you or I can do a thing about it. I would rather be in my classroom right now, teaching, grading, and planning, instead of at a loud bounce house with my kid. I don’t know why you assume teachers are not also inconvenienced by snow days. Maybe just unfollow the folks who gloat about it.

As for me, I am thoroughly enjoying relaxing with my 6 year old at home (especially after performing in 3 Nutcracker performances this weekend.)

—- teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't you be happy to get a free day off?
Many people stick with teaching because they love children and learning. It is a calling for some, that doesn't mean that there aren't significant frustrations. Others stick with it because they trained for it, are in debt, or can't find a "better" job.

OP here. I live in Loudoun which gives a ton of pointless snow days, in addition to legitimate ones. It’s fine to secretly celebrate a day off. I think it’s tone deaf to continuously and repeatedly gloat about something that is quite inconvenient to almost anyone that isn’t you. Loudoun teachers in particular seem to really hate working.

Nah, I'm not in Loudoun. I think it is everywhere.

In the past, I have tried to advocate for some flexibility with when snow days fall around the "professional days" and "work days" and asked whether grading can't be done on a snow day rather than a work day. Often, schools are closed due to transportation issues, but every other adult in every other profession is able to safely travel to work (and is expected to). The response is always that teachers can't work on "snow days" because they don't have childcare. Apparently they are the only ones with that problem. Don't worry about other parents who have to use all their vacation days for any number of work days, professional days, and other half days on the regular calendar. If roads are fine for adults in other professions, I just don't see why teachers can't drive to school and do their grading. I'm a big supporter of teachers, but this makes me angry.

End of quarter grading can’t always be done on a snow day because teachers can’t predict when a snow day will fall. Here’s an example.

My 7th graders have an essay due on Friday that I planned to grade over winter break. There was a snow day today. I can’t grade it today because I don’t have it yet. Moreover, they are entitled to 5 classes to work on it so now it won’t be due until after Winter Break. I will still need the planned grading day unless a snow day falls between Winter Break ending and the end of the quarter.

Totally understand. I was talking about some past years when the kids literally had a week off from school due to snow, when the roads were fine, then went back to school for one day, and then had a professional day. Why? Why couldn't the professional day have been moved to the last day off? Most teachers I know hate those days anyway.

In all likelihood the work has not been turned in because it is at home with the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't you be happy to get a free day off?
Many people stick with teaching because they love children and learning. It is a calling for some, that doesn't mean that there aren't significant frustrations. Others stick with it because they trained for it, are in debt, or can't find a "better" job.

OP here. I live in Loudoun which gives a ton of pointless snow days, in addition to legitimate ones. It’s fine to secretly celebrate a day off. I think it’s tone deaf to continuously and repeatedly gloat about something that is quite inconvenient to almost anyone that isn’t you. Loudoun teachers in particular seem to really hate working.

Nah, I'm not in Loudoun. I think it is everywhere.

In the past, I have tried to advocate for some flexibility with when snow days fall around the "professional days" and "work days" and asked whether grading can't be done on a snow day rather than a work day. Often, schools are closed due to transportation issues, but every other adult in every other profession is able to safely travel to work (and is expected to). The response is always that teachers can't work on "snow days" because they don't have childcare. Apparently they are the only ones with that problem. Don't worry about other parents who have to use all their vacation days for any number of work days, professional days, and other half days on the regular calendar. If roads are fine for adults in other professions, I just don't see why teachers can't drive to school and do their grading. I'm a big supporter of teachers, but this makes me angry.

I’m one of the teacher PPs (the one with the play comparison) and I never understand this either. Same with the teachers who are shocked every single year that they have to find a camp or something for their kids during our preservice week. I need before care for 15-20 minutes in the mornings but the reality is that I need before care so I pay for it. “But it’s so expensive!” is what I hear from many teachers. Yes, of course it is, but that’s the reality if you need the care. You’re not exempt from needing to pay like every single other parent who needs care just because you work in a school. When I looked for before/after care I made sure it had coverage on days on days where students were off but I had to work. That is no one else’s responsibility besides mine (and my husband’s!). DH has a lot of flexibility in his schedule but he’s on the road a lot and there’s not always a lot of notice so we need to make sure all of our bases are covered.

Teaching is a profession and just because days off for students and teachers often match up, they don’t always and it’s our job as parents to make sure we have coverage for our kids before school, after school, on holidays and on days with inclement weather even if sometimes we are lucky to have those days off in conjunction with our kids’ no school days. The teachers who complain about their own childcare issues give the rest of us a bad name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't you be happy to get a free day off?
Many people stick with teaching because they love children and learning. It is a calling for some, that doesn't mean that there aren't significant frustrations. Others stick with it because they trained for it, are in debt, or can't find a "better" job.

OP here. I live in Loudoun which gives a ton of pointless snow days, in addition to legitimate ones. It’s fine to secretly celebrate a day off. I think it’s tone deaf to continuously and repeatedly gloat about something that is quite inconvenient to almost anyone that isn’t you. Loudoun teachers in particular seem to really hate working.

Nah, I'm not in Loudoun. I think it is everywhere.

In the past, I have tried to advocate for some flexibility with when snow days fall around the "professional days" and "work days" and asked whether grading can't be done on a snow day rather than a work day. Often, schools are closed due to transportation issues, but every other adult in every other profession is able to safely travel to work (and is expected to). The response is always that teachers can't work on "snow days" because they don't have childcare. Apparently they are the only ones with that problem. Don't worry about other parents who have to use all their vacation days for any number of work days, professional days, and other half days on the regular calendar. If roads are fine for adults in other professions, I just don't see why teachers can't drive to school and do their grading. I'm a big supporter of teachers, but this makes me angry.

End of quarter grading can’t always be done on a snow day because teachers can’t predict when a snow day will fall. Here’s an example.

My 7th graders have an essay due on Friday that I planned to grade over winter break. There was a snow day today. I can’t grade it today because I don’t have it yet. Moreover, they are entitled to 5 classes to work on it so now it won’t be due until after Winter Break. I will still need the planned grading day unless a snow day falls between Winter Break ending and the end of the quarter.

Totally understand. I was talking about some past years when the kids literally had a week off from school due to snow, when the roads were fine, then went back to school for one day, and then had a professional day. Why? Why couldn't the professional day have been moved to the last day off? Most teachers I know hate those days anyway.

In all likelihood the work has not been turned in because it is at home with the students.

Professional days don't involve work by students. They are not the same as teacher work days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't you be happy to get a free day off?
Many people stick with teaching because they love children and learning. It is a calling for some, that doesn't mean that there aren't significant frustrations. Others stick with it because they trained for it, are in debt, or can't find a "better" job.

OP here. I live in Loudoun which gives a ton of pointless snow days, in addition to legitimate ones. It’s fine to secretly celebrate a day off. I think it’s tone deaf to continuously and repeatedly gloat about something that is quite inconvenient to almost anyone that isn’t you. Loudoun teachers in particular seem to really hate working.

Nah, I'm not in Loudoun. I think it is everywhere.

In the past, I have tried to advocate for some flexibility with when snow days fall around the "professional days" and "work days" and asked whether grading can't be done on a snow day rather than a work day. Often, schools are closed due to transportation issues, but every other adult in every other profession is able to safely travel to work (and is expected to). The response is always that teachers can't work on "snow days" because they don't have childcare. Apparently they are the only ones with that problem. Don't worry about other parents who have to use all their vacation days for any number of work days, professional days, and other half days on the regular calendar. If roads are fine for adults in other professions, I just don't see why teachers can't drive to school and do their grading. I'm a big supporter of teachers, but this makes me angry.

End of quarter grading can’t always be done on a snow day because teachers can’t predict when a snow day will fall. Here’s an example.

My 7th graders have an essay due on Friday that I planned to grade over winter break. There was a snow day today. I can’t grade it today because I don’t have it yet. Moreover, they are entitled to 5 classes to work on it so now it won’t be due until after Winter Break. I will still need the planned grading day unless a snow day falls between Winter Break ending and the end of the quarter.

Totally understand. I was talking about some past years when the kids literally had a week off from school due to snow, when the roads were fine, then went back to school for one day, and then had a professional day. Why? Why couldn't the professional day have been moved to the last day off? Most teachers I know hate those days anyway.

In all likelihood the work has not been turned in because it is at home with the students.

Professional days don't involve work by students. They are not the same as teacher work days.

In some systems, professional days are for grading. I can’t think of a single training day that occurs in the winter in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't you be happy to get a free day off?
Many people stick with teaching because they love children and learning. It is a calling for some, that doesn't mean that there aren't significant frustrations. Others stick with it because they trained for it, are in debt, or can't find a "better" job.

OP here. I live in Loudoun which gives a ton of pointless snow days, in addition to legitimate ones. It’s fine to secretly celebrate a day off. I think it’s tone deaf to continuously and repeatedly gloat about something that is quite inconvenient to almost anyone that isn’t you. Loudoun teachers in particular seem to really hate working.

Nah, I'm not in Loudoun. I think it is everywhere.

In the past, I have tried to advocate for some flexibility with when snow days fall around the "professional days" and "work days" and asked whether grading can't be done on a snow day rather than a work day. Often, schools are closed due to transportation issues, but every other adult in every other profession is able to safely travel to work (and is expected to). The response is always that teachers can't work on "snow days" because they don't have childcare. Apparently they are the only ones with that problem. Don't worry about other parents who have to use all their vacation days for any number of work days, professional days, and other half days on the regular calendar. If roads are fine for adults in other professions, I just don't see why teachers can't drive to school and do their grading. I'm a big supporter of teachers, but this makes me angry.

I’m one of the teacher PPs (the one with the play comparison) and I never understand this either. Same with the teachers who are shocked every single year that they have to find a camp or something for their kids during our preservice week. I need before care for 15-20 minutes in the mornings but the reality is that I need before care so I pay for it. “But it’s so expensive!” is what I hear from many teachers. Yes, of course it is, but that’s the reality if you need the care. You’re not exempt from needing to pay like every single other parent who needs care just because you work in a school. When I looked for before/after care I made sure it had coverage on days on days where students were off but I had to work. That is no one else’s responsibility besides mine (and my husband’s!). DH has a lot of flexibility in his schedule but he’s on the road a lot and there’s not always a lot of notice so we need to make sure all of our bases are covered.

Teaching is a profession and just because days off for students and teachers often match up, they don’t always and it’s our job as parents to make sure we have coverage for our kids before school, after school, on holidays and on days with inclement weather even if sometimes we are lucky to have those days off in conjunction with our kids’ no school days. The teachers who complain about their own childcare issues give the rest of us a bad name.

OMG! I love you. I have never once heard a teacher admit that before. I liked your earlier post and completely understand why teaching is so difficult. I couldn't do it.

But teachers don't win over parents by arguing they have no obligation to have back up care, when many of us are expected have regular care, back up care, back back up care, and hear about what slackers we are if our kids are struggling in school. I'm so glad my kids are older now. Winters with three young kids were so difficult.

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher and I wish other teachers would stop posting the “yay no school” stuff on social media because it does give us a bad name and not all of us feel that way. There are kids out there who won’t get breakfast and lunch today because school is closed. They may be parked in front of a tv all day instead of learning. It’s not ideal for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't you be happy to get a free day off?
Many people stick with teaching because they love children and learning. It is a calling for some, that doesn't mean that there aren't significant frustrations. Others stick with it because they trained for it, are in debt, or can't find a "better" job.

OP here. I live in Loudoun which gives a ton of pointless snow days, in addition to legitimate ones. It’s fine to secretly celebrate a day off. I think it’s tone deaf to continuously and repeatedly gloat about something that is quite inconvenient to almost anyone that isn’t you. Loudoun teachers in particular seem to really hate working.

Nah, I'm not in Loudoun. I think it is everywhere.

In the past, I have tried to advocate for some flexibility with when snow days fall around the "professional days" and "work days" and asked whether grading can't be done on a snow day rather than a work day. Often, schools are closed due to transportation issues, but every other adult in every other profession is able to safely travel to work (and is expected to). The response is always that teachers can't work on "snow days" because they don't have childcare. Apparently they are the only ones with that problem. Don't worry about other parents who have to use all their vacation days for any number of work days, professional days, and other half days on the regular calendar. If roads are fine for adults in other professions, I just don't see why teachers can't drive to school and do their grading. I'm a big supporter of teachers, but this makes me angry.

I’m one of the teacher PPs (the one with the play comparison) and I never understand this either. Same with the teachers who are shocked every single year that they have to find a camp or something for their kids during our preservice week. I need before care for 15-20 minutes in the mornings but the reality is that I need before care so I pay for it. “But it’s so expensive!” is what I hear from many teachers. Yes, of course it is, but that’s the reality if you need the care. You’re not exempt from needing to pay like every single other parent who needs care just because you work in a school. When I looked for before/after care I made sure it had coverage on days on days where students were off but I had to work. That is no one else’s responsibility besides mine (and my husband’s!). DH has a lot of flexibility in his schedule but he’s on the road a lot and there’s not always a lot of notice so we need to make sure all of our bases are covered.

Teaching is a profession and just because days off for students and teachers often match up, they don’t always and it’s our job as parents to make sure we have coverage for our kids before school, after school, on holidays and on days with inclement weather even if sometimes we are lucky to have those days off in conjunction with our kids’ no school days. The teachers who complain about their own childcare issues give the rest of us a bad name.

Pre-service in August is still not a professional day after a snow day.

[Anonymous]

^^^^huh??????^^^^

[Anonymous]

I love teaching. If only I could do just that. It's all of the other ridiculous demands that make me want to quit. We now how to document basically every conversation we have with everyone. If I briefly confer with any teacher in the hallway in passing about a student, etc, I have to fill out an online form for it. No lie. "Hey, Larlo needs to work on getting to class on time. We need to come up with an incentive to make this happen." Then I have to go back to my desk and fill out a form that we talked about this. If a kid is absent more than one day in a row, I have to call the parents. I regularly have 6-7 students absent like this every day (Title One school). Lather, rinse, repeat. I am so ready for break! PS- I am at school today. No delay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There seem to be regular threads on this board about getting out of teaching, and then on FB there are all the people cheering for snow days and winter break, etc. Why are so many people teachers if it’s so awful. Seems like like all just suffer and exist for school closures/summer break.

The parents. Since you asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love teaching. If only I could do just that. It's all of the other ridiculous demands that make me want to quit. We now how to document basically every conversation we have with everyone. If I briefly confer with any teacher in the hallway in passing about a student, etc, I have to fill out an online form for it. No lie. "Hey, Larlo needs to work on getting to class on time. We need to come up with an incentive to make this happen." Then I have to go back to my desk and fill out a form that we talked about this. If a kid is absent more than one day in a row, I have to call the parents. I regularly have 6-7 students absent like this every day (Title One school). Lather, rinse, repeat. I am so ready for break! PS- I am at school today. No delay.

Thank you for what you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There seem to be regular threads on this board about getting out of teaching, and then on FB there are all the people cheering for snow days and winter break, etc. Why are so many people teachers if it’s so awful. Seems like like all just suffer and exist for school closures/summer break.

The parents. Since you asked.

+1 Some of them are awful, and I doubt any other profession includes the barrage of abuse and disrespect.

For example. I recently learned that a group of moms were mocking teachers for their fashion choices and appearance. The moms had accidentally added a colleague to the thread because the colleague's child is in the class of one of the teachers whose clothing they were discussing. They said horrible things about me, and you know what? They're right. I "look exhausted" and "haven't bought new clothes in forever" because I spend so many hours reading/marking essays and planning lessons. I've been teaching a long time, but when I saw the things those moms posted about how I look, I went home and cried later. Some of them had actually emailed me earlier in the year to thank me for the extra time I had spent with their children.

I love my subject and working with the students, but I hate hate hate the behavior of a lot of the parents. Yes, there are some lovely parents, too, but the bad ones take up so much time and emotional space. I don't think the majority of parents respect teachers, and they tend to view us as childlike servants who need to be watched all the time and who don't notice the parents' contempt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's the parents. not the kids that they don't like.

Well they are free to change jobs, like anyone else.

And you're free not to read their rants

I’m also free to think they are lazy.

Great
Think that.

I planned and graded today on this day "off," but I spent time with my kids, too!

Priceless!

How did YOU spend your day?

[Anonymous]

I have a lot of friends and relatives who are teachers. They hardly ever complain about the kids and parents--it's always the administration. They stay because of the pension.

Except those who teach at private/Catholic schools. They complain about the pay.