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an Elementary School Literature Teacher
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I don't care too much what people believe about teachers, though in a very general sense I'd like to see an end to the attacks on the profession. We're not working overtime to politically indoctrinate anyone. And hearing people blame the ills of society and modern parenting on teachers can be aggravating.
"Bad teachers are who get remembered the most, and the schools aren’t allowed to get rid of bad teachers easily."
I strongly agree that this is a major problem. I think many of us appreciate the fact that our jobs come with some protection. In my experience you have to try pretty damn hard at getting fired though.
I don’t need non-teachers to understand about how hard I work, or the challenges of my job. And neither do you.
But I would like for the public’s perception and expectations of education to go back to the way people used to look at it. We are merely one piece of the education for the student. And we aren’t remotely the most important part. The student is the most important piece and the family is next most important. Any other ranking system is out of balance, detrimental, and factually incorrect.
We are partners in a child’s education, not superheroes capable of a holistic and complete service to grow a child from birth through college, either in spite of the lack of effort, or against the efforts of the student’s support system.
I blame the problem entirely on a combination of teacher unions publicly posturing for ever greater wages and benefits in spite of diminishing performance, and self important teachers who think that educators are worth more than other workers in the American economy.
I know my worth and yours. And I appreciate the respect and appreciation that I am given. And it’s more than enough.
Maybe you are abused, or mistreated, or ignored. And I’m sorry for that, but I doubt that to be the case in very many places. We deserve a far worse reputation for the field than what we currently enjoy based the terrible performance numbers, the publicly partisan activists abusing their positions to influence students and communities, and the ever increasing reports of predators within our midst.
I think it's important to understand that lots and lots of people in other fields feel exactly the same way. They may not have exactly the same challenges and stresses, but they do have their own unique set of concerns. Stresses, pressures, physical tolls, financial problems and often dangers that you have never experienced.
I have a friend who works in the upper/middle corporate world. Makes good money, gets to be creative, sometimes works with celebrities and is in a trendy/cool job with many benefits. Unfortunately they are constantly having to prove their worth to the company. There's an ever lingering threat that if the company has a bad quarter you could lose your job. The CE-whatevers constantly lord this over the employees and there are no protections other than being the hardest worker in the company. When I asked if they resent this the response was, "it just comes with the territory".
I left other fields of to work in education. I'll take the benefits of working in a public school over most other professions. When the grass is greener on the other side, it's probably because it gets crapped on a lot.
What I wish others knew is that, we do not work alone, though the onus is often put solely on us. We work as a team with the family. I am professionally trained, but I need their help. What has worked/not worked with their child? Do they support the teacher/curriculum at home?
I wish our legislators knew that their are not that many bad teachers that we have to get rid of. We should not have to prove that we are good teachers every year, and things like parental involvement and involvement in government and the community are often beyond our control and not what I should be spending my time doing. I am trained to teach. I want to teach. I love teaching. Let me do my job and give me positive support and respect.
Teaching is difficult because working with people is complex. Working with children even more so. Teachers are not just delivering lessons; they are guiding, influencing, and helping shape the next generation. Every student comes with a different personality, learning style, background, and set of challenges, and teachers are expected to meet all of those needs at once.
Beyond academics, teachers help students develop social skills, emotional awareness, and resilience. They manage behaviors, navigate family dynamics, and make daily decisions that can impact a child’s confidence and future opportunities. A single classroom requires constant attention, patience, and adaptability, because what works for one student may not work for another.
While people may focus on schedules or vacations, they often overlook the responsibility that comes with preparing children for the future. Teaching requires emotional labor, critical thinking, and consistent effort, both inside and outside the classroom. The weight of shaping young minds and helping them grow into capable, responsible adults is what makes teaching such a complex and demanding profession.
That we are often on the front end or first pointed to when something’s wrong:
my child is upset? Teacher’s fault somehow when children can misunderstand/omit the truth
unruly class? Teacher treated as if incompetent rather than lack of support from teachers aids, admin, families, additional people
things not getting done? Teacher doesn’t care rather than unrealistic expectations with virtually no prep time
Parents upset about something? Teacher hears brunt of frustration that they probably have not much influence on rather than admin that don’t know and don’t want to oppose families/clients wished
Teachers aren’t paid well? Their fault for choosing the profession/not supposed to do it for money when it literally doesn’t pay enough for others to live off of
That yoy will always have work to do, even in the evenings if you don't get it done at school.