How would you answer this question?

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No, for the past year, this hasn't felt like teaching. All the best parts have been eliminated, and it feels like we've been scrutinized more than ever.

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Teaching is a calling! Those who endure and are excited about the profession have been called to the profession. This pandemic has put to display all the negatives about the profession - the things that parents, students, politicians, asmin, and society think about teachers. On that note, children are witnesses to this and are not inclined to put themselves into positions to be mistreated as people (noone is and should be treated that way) Therefore teachers do not recommend the profession to their students as they used to -they do not want to lie to their students, and also want to protect their students. The recommendation only go to those students who are already decided they want the profession.
Society has placed value in making lots of money and undermining those who do not make lots of money - teachers are in the low end therefore no respect...
Teaching profession is in trouble as we know it and it is a cause of concern, but the politicians who really control the happenings do not care that much until there is a real shortage and by then it will be too late!

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I really appreciate your perspective! I love teaching--I feel like experience has helped me be a little resilient to the reasons people don't like the profession but is it appealing? I feel your comment is what my soul feels! When we focus on what is miserable about any job, that's the focus--mine is no matter how much we help a child--the way the parents/community view and treat us often determines how we find quality in our job. You hit on SO many amazing points--Each one sparks a new soapbox for me! thank you for posting.

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I think being a part of re-imagining teaching & schooling in America would be worthwhile. Lord knows we need that to happen asap

likesmart

Not so much anymore. Itā€™s become more about popular politics than teaching.

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Yes and no. It's been a hayride through hell for me for my first four years as a teacher but I left the world of retail work behind and I would definitely not go back. I love teaching because it fulfills me like no job I've had in the past, but it also wrecks me mentally. To answer the question I guess I'd say I probably wouldn't recommend it to others right now.

likehelpful

All this hybrid model, virtual students, live streaming, video recorded lectures, google classroom, zoom meetings ā€” itā€™s as bad as teaching can get. And thereā€™s still not a job I can imagine being more rewarding and easier to wake up to on a daily basis. September was like jogging in quicksand. It was stressful and maddening at times, but I adjusted and gained momentum. All the new, unfamiliar stuff eventually became muscle memory. In February, my administrators mandated live streaming and I had to readjust and learn new things. Here, in mid-March Iā€™ve gained momentum. Iā€™m operating at full speed. This isnā€™t fun, but itā€™s also not that bad and Iā€™m certainly not ready to go looking for another career. Stay the course.

likehelpful

I spent over 20 years working in manufacturing and management before starting my career as a teacher five years ago.

I have zero regrets. Iā€™m never going back. Iā€™m a teacher and I love my job and my life! Maybe others wouldnā€™t find it appealing, but itā€™s the perfect job for me.

likeuplifting

I think if you look at teaching through the lens of this year, it is disorganized, chaotic, and haphazard, all of which make it even more stressful than usual for everybody involved. This isn't a good time to ask that question because it definitely is NOT appealing this year. Let's revisit the question in another year or two when things have hopefully settled down.

likeuplifting

No

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Well I love working with kids & I find it a joy to teach them. Itā€™s very fulfilling. But the part that ruins it is all the expectations beyond teaching our students.

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Nobody wants to teach

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Me too!

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NO! This past year I have seen several top quality teachers call it quits...not because they were ready to retire but because they just couldn't justify putting themselves and their family through the ringer for another year. I find it absolutely ridiculous how low we have allowed our collective standards to sink...both academically (though falsely bolstered by illegitimate state tests) and behaviorally and how the support for teachers from School Boards, Administrations, Parents, and Society in general eroding to the point that teachers are expected...EXPECTED...to accept verbal abuse from students, parents, admin, or anybody who disagrees with us...and forget verbal...a student hit me twice a couple weeks ago and nothing was done. My principal had my back but upper admin told her to drop it and let the boy return to class without punishment...his family is a known and very vocal family so nothing was done and here's the thing...none of the teachers were even a little bit surprised, that's how low it has gone.

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The lead: I am leaving teaching this June, and so is my wife. We are older and can make that choice. It just became clear that the equation swung in that direction. Nobody I know is 100% onboard with teaching (Not any longer?). For many years we looked at the decision as a (>50%) proposition to return for the next year. This time around, many factors aligned - as you are aware - to make the leaving just that much easier (<50%). Teachers often care first about health and safety of the community. It can feel like we are the only ones with that priority, right now. Our second priority is the quality of the lessons. Again, that message seems lost on some. Most of all, when you wake up on Monday morning are you happy to engage with your students or are you dreading all the juggling. One answer is the ">50%" result, the other is the "<50%". Math lesson over.

Aside: I feel worse for the mid-career people who will find it hard to pivot to new careers.

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I like teaching. But as a profession, I wouldn't recommend it. Once you finally get to top step, every year your raise (if you get one) doesn't even keep pace with inflation.

If you have kids and you try to be a good parent and show up for a school activity, ALL the other parents that are always taking days off from work will act like you escaped from jail and comment about it. "Oh, don't you have to work today?" Makes you hate your job, and want to smack them.

And once you are old enough to see how your friends with comparable education barely work in other careers, and how much more they make compared to you, you also see how they have lots of vacation time, and company perks like summer Fridays off, "work" from home in the summer, etc. But by then you've got too much invested in the profession to start in something else.

I would have to recommend another profession. Be a nurse! There is no public campaign against them about only working 3 days a week like the one against teachers for our two summer months off. Be a cop! In my state you don't even need a college education to be a state cop. And starting pay is 60K and that doesn't even include overtime. Sadly, I would have to tell someone if they love teaching, they should volunteer at a school and get a job doing something people and society values.

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I think of teaching as "a calling."

There are jobs I could do that have less stress, or places I could make more money, or occupations where I would have more free time, but...

I wouldn't be a teacher, and a teacher is what I am.

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Hi Jonte šŸ˜‰! After teaching every age from 14 years as an AP English class (senior high school) to a huge jump the next year to an age I swore Iā€™d never teach: PRE-SCHOOL (and ended up loving it for that one yearā€”partially because every student was shorter than me, LOL) I have to say I love on-line teaching. After the pandemic is resolved, Iā€™m hoping we return to in-class teaching part time and terra firma instruction for the hands-on and some group work for enrichment, social skills, and ā€œloving on the kidsā€ for middle and high school. Some research indicates these older students are thriving in the virtual classroom. I know mine are. I allow some breakout group time for socializing two days a week (which would disappear once a regular class model returns). This would allow some physical small group or individualized 1:1 instruction. For me, it is exciting, challenging meā€”in a good wayā€”to return to creative ways of teaching. I believe this makes teaching an opportunity to teach our students how to function in a dynamic, ever changing world. The days of an 8 hour (plus) desk job are evolving. We need to keep pace and teach in two worlds. Right now, this is challenging for everyone from admin to newbies. It is refreshing that newbies have the opportunity to be mentors for those of us who help God make dirt, while we remain mentors in other aspects of teaching. The stress and difficulty for newbies having been prepared for the 100% desk world then being hit with this new model certainly makes already stressful first years of teaching stressful in unexpected ways especially without the comfort of on-site mentors confident in the ways of teaching. We are all learning together and the newbies are currently subjected to experienced teachers foundering. We will find our way, whatever it looks like, just as we always have. This is a victim of accelerated, forced change on everyone admin to support staff and substitutes.

Now this English teacher must start Zoom class fun, so I have no time to remove the wordiness. Ah, the plight of so many English teachers!

But yes, teaching remains a most fulfilling, dynamic calling and I urge anyone who feels the call to dive in and ā€œbe the changeā€ that necessarily is evolving!

uplifting

No, but I have to believe there will be light at the end of the tunnel! Hang in there! Iā€™m imagining having my Polar Express ticket being punched to spell ā€œBelieve.ā€

Depends on what your expectations are. If you have a big heart and just want to give give give, than yes.

NO

I would tell new teachers to run!!!!

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Additional Posts in Teacher's Lounge

We have a 3rd grader and a kindergartener. Both are in spanish bilingual programs. Not going well with me in a "classroom" and her covering the kids during remote learning.

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And itā€™s about that time...

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This may not be true for everybody but a break from the kids with adult conversation plus a chance to get caught up on some work makes me smile.

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My personal favorite

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Our back to school meetings going over the data that we also went over at the end of last year, lol. Donā€™t get me wrong though, I love data.

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likefunny

It's still Tuesday tho...

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funnylike

It's always tough, but this year it has felt impossible to stay on top of grading. Sure, there are online quizzes the computer can grade for you, but that data is so limited. What about the steps they took to get that answer on the math problem? I need to see it to know what they missed... Between submission of blurry photos and going through the process of uploading, downloading, and squinting to see their work, it takes me 20x longer to grade work for my digital kids. #thestruggle

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likefunnysmart

Iā€™ve never identified with anything more

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likefunnyuplifting

Accurate. So accurate. Welcome to virtual teaching everyone.

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funnylike

I clapped A LOT of erasers way back when!! šŸ˜šŸ˜†

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So this just happened šŸ˜‚

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What are some things your schools do for staff self care?

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Literally my face...every....day

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TEACHERS, this SHOULD NOT define you!!

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likeuplifting

A teacher friend sent me this today asking if this is how I teach. I told her I sure would if someone got me that belt! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

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likefunny

Haha! We had this conversation already.

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likefunny

So, when we reach the point of community quarantine , I will be opening a school at my home.
Lessons will start in the garage and include sorting, writing labels, insect identification, and gym class!

likefunnyuplifting

Five days but whose counting? šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«

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likefunnyhelpful

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