Why do most teachers seem to hate teaching?

[Anonymous]

I know quite a few teachers. They do not hate teaching; what they hate is 1) the ever-increasing demands put on them by the administration and the school system (ex. paperwork), 2) the lack of support they get from administration and parents when there are challenges in the classroom, and 3) the behavior challenges that they face (which often goes back to #2). However, they still love kids and seeing them learn, and they are trying to stay with teaching until they can get their retirement benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most don’t. DCUM and social media in general are bad places to get an accurate picture of how most teachers feel.

Not true. I have taught for 35 years. I mentor grad students and new teachers. I've worked with hundreds of teachers over the years and I am active in forums, professional groups, classes, etc. It has become a seriously toxic and severely low income producing job. I do not know ONE teacher now who would choose to stay, but do because they have to for a variety of reasons- the main one being the amount of money and time invested into the front end of the career. It doesn't translate to other jobs readily.


It is a high stress job with expectations that are not realistic and cannot be maintained. Parents no longer support teachers, behavior in classrooms is out of control- with nothing in place to deal with it. Students are under prepared from home, are expected to perform beyond their capacity, while distracted by the dopamine draw of their phone. Teachers are literally judged based upon many variables entirely out of their control, and without any recourse. Student needs rise exponentially throughout the system and over time, while resources for them decrease. It is a psychologically, emotionally, and physically draining job which takes about 60 hours a week just to stay afloat, and much more to be completely prepared, but one has to eat and sleep sometimes. This is whether one teaches Kindergarten or 12th grade AP History.

There is a major exodus of teachers leaving the field without new ones coming in. Within the next 20 years, there will be a major sea change of how kids are educated and by whom. It won't look like this- buildings with hundreds of kids categorized by grade or groups.

[Anonymous]

Most don't hate the teaching itself OP (as others have noted). They dislike the BS that goes with it ... meetings, teacher/parent conferences, fundraising for supplies, etc., etc.

[Anonymous]

That's a pretty obvious question don't you think? Every single person I know hates their job. I don't know one happy nurse or doctor. All the lawyers I know are alcoholics, abusing prescription meds or are cheating on their wives in order to try to make up for how miserable they are at work. My one friend who works for the government never stops complaining. My other friend who works for an office can't pay her bills. And on and on. I don't know anyone who loves their job. Hell, I don't even know anyone who barely tolerates their job.

[Anonymous]

I don't hate teaching, I just don't feel safe in the classroom due to very serious mental health issues among students and parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a pretty obvious question don't you think? Every single person I know hates their job. I don't know one happy nurse or doctor. All the lawyers I know are alcoholics, abusing prescription meds or are cheating on their wives in order to try to make up for how miserable they are at work. My one friend who works for the government never stops complaining. My other friend who works for an office can't pay her bills. And on and on. I don't know anyone who loves their job. Hell, I don't even know anyone who barely tolerates their job.

It’s funny because most people I know —including dozens of teachers— love their jobs. They just vent now and then. I’m more worried about the people who say that they hate their jobs.

[Anonymous]

I have great respect for teachers. I'm married to a college professor. That said, why would anyone want to teach in the DMV where they are not respected and they can make more money doing something else with less stress? Why deal with Type-A, mean, obsessive parents who won't back them up and are always trying to game the system when you don't have to? Who needs that noise?

That is the challenge of school districts here. That is why they can't find great teachers. It's why we are leaving.

[Anonymous]

It’s not so easy to just switch professions when your degree is in education.

[Anonymous]

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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.

Maybe they don't care any more about you than you do about them.

[Anonymous]

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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.

They also likely involve other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most don’t. DCUM and social media in general are bad places to get an accurate picture of how most teachers feel.

Not true. I have taught for 35 years. I mentor grad students and new teachers. I've worked with hundreds of teachers over the years and I am active in forums, professional groups, classes, etc. It has become a seriously toxic and severely low income producing job. I do not know ONE teacher now who would choose to stay, but do because they have to for a variety of reasons- the main one being the amount of money and time invested into the front end of the career. It doesn't translate to other jobs readily.


It is a high stress job with expectations that are not realistic and cannot be maintained. Parents no longer support teachers, behavior in classrooms is out of control- with nothing in place to deal with it. Students are under prepared from home, are expected to perform beyond their capacity, while distracted by the dopamine draw of their phone. Teachers are literally judged based upon many variables entirely out of their control, and without any recourse. Student needs rise exponentially throughout the system and over time, while resources for them decrease. It is a psychologically, emotionally, and physically draining job which takes about 60 hours a week just to stay afloat, and much more to be completely prepared, but one has to eat and sleep sometimes. This is whether one teaches Kindergarten or 12th grade AP History.

There is a major exodus of teachers leaving the field without new ones coming in. Within the next 20 years, there will be a major sea change of how kids are educated and by whom. It won't look like this- buildings with hundreds of kids categorized by grade or groups.

It sounds like you attract teachers who hate teaching because you yourself hate teaching.

[Anonymous]

Because parents suck and as a result their kids suck

[Anonymous]

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.

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?

I went to work. Duh.

[Anonymous]

That is the challenge of school districts here. That is why they can't find great teachers. It's why we are leaving.

Personally, I feel for you as someone who changed careers three times in 25 years. It's probably time for you to go.

However, can we now simply move to cognitive science based, direct instruction method with a high quality curriculum? Let's stop paying ridiculous pensions and healthcare (90% of a 2.7 billion dollar budget in MCPS goes to you and your colleagues while my kids elementary school was literally a health hazard.)

Frankly my kid improved his reading by a year at Lindamood-Bell with their curriculum, direct instruction and a kid just out of college getting paid 15 bucks an hour (who had two weeks of training - I asked)

MCPS couldn't do it for 2.7 billion (Half of fourth graders in the County read below grade level) LMB did it in 6 weeks. Please: let us give up this notion that somehow this 'artisan' method of teaching is helping the majority of our students. It's just day care at this point.

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2018/02/direct-instruction-half-century-research-shows-superior-results.html

[Anonymous]

LMB teaches decoding. That’s the first (and easiest part) in teaching kids to read. The harder part is teaching students the content that will help them pass these reading tests. They test content knowledge which is something poor kids don’t have much of and most public school curriculum doesn’t teach.