Being a teacher is a very noble career. Teachers are guardians of traditions and looked up to as people who pass down knowledge from one generation to another. One Arab poet went as far as saying that teachers are “Almost prophet like” when it comes to status and reverence.
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| No one will bring you an apple! |
1. It’s a thankless job
At the end of the day it would be nice to hear the word thank you. Working without recognition or appreciation can be draining. Being a teacher is one of those jobs sadly. Everyone
expects you to
work endless hours to get the job done. With complete disregard to your physical status or personal time.
2. Delivering classes is the least of your worries!
No matter how large of a class load you have in school. It doesn’t compare to the amount of work that needs to be done outside of school! Research, preparation, marking, lesson planning and assessments. All that is not counted as a part of the job. Which means that you aren’t getting paid for all that
hard work. 3. An insane amount of follow up
As a teacher you have to follow up with every quiz you give, home work you assign and tests you make. Even disciplinary actions and rewards. You have to make weekly plans and write assessments on all of your students on monthly basis. I found this to be tedious very quickly!
4. You deal with a lot of “characters”
I bet that every teacher once thought to himself that he has the worst bunch of students, and for all I know he could be right. Some students are in serious need of discipline. Which requires follow up and a
mountain of paperwork to be processed. Not exactly my cup of tea.
This is an issue when the administration doesn’t want to anger a parent even if their kid is down right spoiled.
5. Parents
This new variable was introduced to me when I started working private schools. I didn’t have to deal with this working my previous teaching “
gigs”. I’ve learned very quickly that parents in private schools are executive shareholders. And winning them over is a vital part of having a prosperous career as a teacher.
Some parents expect to have long detailed discussions about their kids on daily basis. Others only drop by when their offspring fail an exam. Both are unhealthy and won’t benefit the child as much.
The silver lining
With that being said. I wouldn’t say that teaching is a job without joy. Some students are quite amusing once you get to know them. Seeing them mature and make progress is satisfying. Almost like watching a plant grow.
Tipsy teaching!
To me however, teaching is like alcohol (for those who consume it): It can be fun in moderation, but too much of it is bound to get you a hangover!
Have you worked as a teacher before? Do you find this post relevant? Share your experience in the comments section below.
