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[quote=Anonymous]I worked in finance for ten years, then went back to school and became a teacher.  Taught high school for 15 years.  Teaching was much more stressful than moving millions of dollars around every day, for all of the reasons PPs have stated above.  But those things were nothing compared to the following true stories that happened in my teaching career:

1.  Immigrant father who worked three jobs to give his kids a better life, crying one night in my classroom because his son, who had done well through middle school, was getting involved in a gang and drugs, and not coming to school anymore.  I'll never forget his face - looking to me for answers - how can he save his son?

2.  Kids coming to class high; one day when I was being observed by my Principal, a boy who was clearly under the influence, fell out of his desk onto the floor.

3.  Fight in the lunchroom; boy smashed another boy over the head with a skateboard, sending him to the hospital with a serious head injury.  Boy gets expelled for the rest of the school year, but comes back the next year because public school can't kick anyone out.  The District actually tried to send him to some alternative program, but his parents lawyered up and the District didn't want to spend the money to fight them in court.  This kid was pretty violent and everyone, including teachers, were scared of him.

4.  Middle school kids having sex behind the school, after school.  True story.

5.  Teaching girls who are very smart, but who acted dumb in front of the boys.  This happened regularly and drove me crazy.  Also, boys sexually harassing the girls.  For example, I had a student named Ina, and when she walked into the classroom, boys chanting "Ina, Ina, give me some vagina."  Disciplining them doesn't really work unless you have parent support.  Many parents support their kids over the teachers and administration.

6.  One of my favorite students (yeah I know we're not supposed to have favorites - but we do), an absolutely delightful boy whom I had in two classes his Junior year, committed suicide two months before graduation.  The whole school was devastated.  Watching his father sobbing on his casket at his funeral was unbearable.

That was the final straw for me - I left the classroom after that year.

Oh - and all of the above took place in affluent, suburban school systems.  I could tell many more stories, but you get the picture.  So, while the paperwork, planning, disrespect, etc. can take a toll on teachers, it was the emotional stuff that really got to me after many years.  I spent numerous hours counseling kids after school - which I was happy to do, but I was not trained as a psychologist so I could only help based on my life experiences and common sense.  Schools really need to have an experienced, well-trained counseling staff.  Not the kind that helps kids pick their classes and apply for college. But trained therapists who kids can turn to in confidence to help them navigate their very stressful lives.

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