Teachers Feel Undervalued & Overworked
Multiple posts highlight the challenges and frustrations faced by teachers, including low pay, high expectations, a desire for better support, and questions about career paths. There's a strong sense of burnout and a longing for more reasonable working conditions.
SOURCES (60)
“Neither are true. This is about how you want to use your Teaching skills. Create courses on Udemy, do workshops on your favorite topic, find ways to engage others in a learning experience..what skills do you love to use. Now research how you can get…”
“My goal is to become an author, but I’m looking for a job to sustain me during the day. I love English and can see myself becoming a secondary teacher or maybe even a professor, it’s the salary for teaching (secondary) that kinda deters me. I’m also worried being a teacher would put me in a box. What are jobs that aren’t math based that pay decently/well that wouldn’t totally drain me so that I still have energy for my art? I’m a very creative person and like working with my hands. I have good c”
“That’s kind of a good point I never thought about how teaching isn’t really done in movies. Is there a movie about the actual work of being a teacher (rather than the “stand and deliver” sub genre where we’re tough but fair and eventually the stakes prove why that was important so we get to enjoy respect and admiration after an achingly meaningful climax)?”
“I've been wanting to be a teacher since I was about 8 years old. I tried quitting one time and cried like a baby when I thought it was the end of my career. I ended up tutoring, then subbing and now back teaching. It is a tiring exhausting career, but I honestly don't know what else I would do if I wasn't a teacher. I think I would like it better if I didn't have to be to work so early.”
“When people ask me what I do I say I am an educator or in education. I am an elementary educator. When you speak of your field with professionalism people take you seriously.”
“Telling others what I do is one thing about the job that I have always loved. It's a noble, important and thankless profession and I'm one of the people doing it.”
“Props to those school teachers that gave you life advice that you carry in your adulthood and for the rest of your life 🩷 submitted by /u/demivirgo [link] [comments]”
“Suggest a job for a 20 year old who works in education but wants to go back to school to get a higher paying job. Any suggestions? submitted by /u/dstarlea [link] [comments]”
“It truly depends on the background of that teacher EA or Sub? Absolutely does not even remotely get NEAR what a Doc deserves at a minimum. Specialist SPED teacher with a few specialty licenses and continuing ed degrees plus experience? Still not on par with a Doctor, but significantly closer. You are talking about a whole profession versus a dedicated medical DOCTOR. A whole PhD in applied Medicine. You are not exactly smart if you can compare a Bachelor's in Ed to an MD Speaking out loud, n”
“In a lot of cases, teachers should make a similar salary. submitted by /u/Hoosiersihawk [link] [comments]”
“The best option for a teacher in the US for long term peace of mind, support and stability submitted by /u/Gleaminggattaca [link] [comments]”
“How much does a new teacher gets paid in california with 0 experience? submitted by /u/Commercial_Monk7535 [link] [comments]”
“I would disagree with your assertion that they provide nothing of value. What statistics do you have that allow you to make such a denigrating claim around people's lives work?”
“The gap between the reality that teachers live in and the “reality” of admins and parents has widened considerably. Admins are a lot more corporatized now than when I began about 12 years ago: academics and what goes on in the classroom are of little to no concern to them. I used to have excited admins who pulled teachers to do example lessons for new teachers to model pedagogy, who came and stayed for entire observed lessons, who supported and cheerled teacher initiatives like school events, et”
“If you have an interest in teaching, maybe teaching at a community college or vocational school part time might help.”
“How do I preach the value of education to kids who are seeing educated people being laid off by the masses because of the profitability of this tech? Sounds like your bias is getting in the way. Successful students will need to learn how to harness the power of AI for their futures, no matter what field they choose to pursue for a career.”
“Age:23-30 Female $60~$80 1hr We are in CN, so the teaching time should be in the evening in the US. submitted by /u/CornerFew6872 [link] [comments]”
“The public education system expecting teachers to be able to provide individualized education that meets the needs of every learner when they have 25-32 students in each class….”
“Me. Here I thought I was teaching the students but… wait for it… they were really teaching me. This cuts so bad.”
The lack of curiosity is what most scares me about the future.
“I agree and even though they have degrees, they have no child psych or experience with behaviors, so they lean on other teachers too much. The only positive is we now can find subs since they can come from different realms, too. Many are retired with loads of life experience, which is a plus. I was pleased my daughter, just laid off from the medical field (research) got to sub during her job lull and made a difference just on her short time there. Her knowledge of medicine made her a great bio t”
“Hey everyone, How are you? Teacher of 20 years here - all in middle school Science. I still like my job, but am getting a bit tired. I am wondering for those teachers who have taught over a decade, what can you say has "changed". (I use 10 years as it encompasses pre and post covid). Part of me says that middle schoolers have always been middle schoolers. Wacky, forgetful, funny, random, etc. However, I would say that: Behavior management has become almost 60% of my job. And not becaus”
“Share your thoughts on teachers extra earning sources! submitted by /u/Rude_Complex2263 [link] [comments]”
“I literally just posted the exact same thing. I'm a former teacher who kicked ass/took names, yet kids loved me. Kids respect an adult who gives/enforces boundaries, has a sense of humor, has HUGE compassion and cares about them personally. I'm now a sub and giggled at your comment because yep, same thing here. Problem is I've not gotten repeat jobs because the teacher must have realized it wasn't the class that was the problem. Their "worst class" was putty in my hands”
“Pay sucks even if you live frugally. The cost of living exceeds our pay… I live in a blue Union state.”
“That would be out of the frying pan into the fire for me. I am trying to get out of the south!”
“I definitely said “often” - I don’t know the number, but I think it is more than half…”
“I’m a band director, and I work roughly 10-12 hours a day, 5 days a week. That includes Saturdays. Also, that includes virtually no extra pay”
“I’m aware. I’m just pointing that out since OP mentioned teacher salaries. I’ve definitely taken pay cuts school to school, even country to country, to achieve a better peace of mind.”
“Hi, everyone! Thinking about a drastic career change. I'm 33 y.o., have had only teaching experience so far. I've grown to completly dislike the nature of teaching, so I'm sure changing the workplace won't help. I've tried an office job and it gave me terible migraines. I was minding my posture and exercising, but my eyes got super tired and the pain started in them and spread to the head. I could always manage to work 7 hours max. at a computer a day without any health issue”
“Gen X teacher. 26 years (would be longer, but I tried a few private sector jobs out of college). I don’t believe in generational hazing. It’s a pointless activity suggesting that your generation works harder or has more to deal with than another generation. All I can say is that we are facing a lot of new challenges in education today than I did when I first started. AI, resentment by conservatives, cellphones, mental health, guns, technology, social media, etc. These are tough times for ALL gen”
“No, that's not true. It depends on the individual length of time, at the individual salary, in the individual school district, in the individual county, in the individual state or province, in the individual country.”
“Wrong about that buddy. You can be the best teacher in the world and if the kid doesn’t want to learn, there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”
“(1) Far better efficiency/use of technology Teachers have adopted far more computer-based software for practice and assessments. Assessments are auto graded and go directly into the gradebook upon submission. Teachers are not taking stacks of papers home and spending hours grading student work. Far less supplies are being used. Students can learn faster because of technology. Teachers can quickly take videos of themselves doing sample problems and post them for students to see online. There are”
“I am starting my 49th year of teaching some I started out in elementary, taught junior high math, not middle school taught high school math for 20+ years the last 10 years of high school teaching I was in adjunct and still I am teaching elementary majors about elementary you can usually tell who’s taught by reading their comments”
“I'm a real teacher. 13 years of torturing high schoolers with math (somewhat joking). I come here to say my intrusive work thoughts.”
“For some of you don’t need daycare in the summer it’s so hard to get spots and you might not be able to take them out of a place as you would risk losing a spot. Also you don’t get a time of sick time and if you have babies / toddler in day care it’s a nonstop sick time.”
“I think this is pretty common across the states, regardless of how the state votes as a whole”
“Perks are great, schedule can't be beat year on year. IF you can get your head right and leave school at school and put your family before your teaching, I have seen many wonderful examples of that. But I have also seen teachers that pour everything into the classroom and go home short and tired and their family suffers and they become bitter (sometimes their kids also) about the whole tradeoff. But that probably goes for any parent that works outside the home. It is also EXTREMELY portable.”
“I have a sailor mouth. I am 38 year old male. Did not go into teaching after college. I have gotten very good at replacing swear words... sons of biscuits. Dangnabbit... oopsiepoopsie...”
“It's highly dependent on where you live. In my area, teachers are making around $50-$55k. The US is a big country with a lot of diversity.”
“Make a lot of money so I don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck, and maybe buy something once in a while not from the thrift store.”
“Make decisions for you both ….. I am usually so exhausted from the thousands of micro decisions I’m making all day it really helps when my husband says… we’re having this for dinner or we’re going to this place at the weekend 🤣”
“Like we aren't already raising everyone's kids already because parents dont do it? This is insulting.”
“The optics of it suck, because when they don't do it, a bunch of people will now be like, "oh those selfish teachers won't step up." Fix the system instead of asking teachers to do more than the impossible weight they are "supposed" to carry.”
“even I do the same I teach subjects like maths, science and CS let me if I can contribute somehow and what are the ways I can improve”
“Is it true that you make more lifetime as a teacher (salary + defined pension plan + perks + benefits) than most engineers in Ontario? submitted by /u/TheNextOne8797 [link] [comments]”
“Every time I see a thread about the job market, it is flooded with comments about how people should look into another industry instead. However, as an English teacher in Asia, I can't save up or travel much. I can't even afford a plane ticket (~$18,000/yr salary after taxes, etc.). It's pretty dead-end with no practical use if I decide to go back to the United States or anywhere else. The "other industries" suggested by people also have the same "look somewhere else&qu”
“My why is because I really do love teaching kids and seeing that light bulb go on in a student's eyes. Also, I think I'm good at it. I've always been able to explain things in a way that others go, "Oh yeah, that makes sense. " However, I don't feel particularly virtuous having that a my why. A schedule that allows for more time with my family is a perfectly acceptable why or simply "because I like it. " Your why isn't necessarily going to make the frustra”
“Model what you want teachers to do instead of just telling them. Help with lesson planning, modifications, and accommodations because those things can be really time-consuming. Most importantly, be supportive and ask teachers what they feel like they need help with or what they want to work on. Sometimes the best support is just listening to what teachers actually need instead of assuming.”
How?? can u tell what u teach and how? even I teach but not make that much
“I teach private, individual lessons on ZOOM and have come to rely on the side hustle income. I have many mature/older students, which is gratifying because they really *want* to learn. submitted by /u/Environmental_Bug662 [link] [comments]”
“I'm early 50s, am a teacher (male), but have always felt like I was meant for more. Don't get me wrong, I do like teaching the kids, it's just that I feel like I could be doing so much better $$$ if I expanded and managed to speak to larger audiences. I am an excellent communicator, very articulate, love speaking in front of large audiences and am skilled at managing a room, a spontaneous sense of humor and think fast on my feet with humor that comes out of nowhere at the right time,”
“Yup! So many times I hear veteran teachers tell newer teachers to just do the minimum. Work only your clock hours. 1) More times than not, newer teachers won't actually learn how to plan effectively and efficiently. They just hear, "I should do less." 2) I agree that newer teachers probably would need to spend time outside of clock hours to hone their practice. Athletes practice and hone their skills and then play an actual game. Fire fighters hone their skill when they're not”