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Everyone seems to think teaching is such an easy job. I am sick of hearing non-teachers whine about how you get 2 months off in the summer, tons of holidays and vacations etc....
Do you hear this alot?
Honestly, I mostly hear it on this forum. Most of the people I know seem to appreciate teachers. Some people may comment about having the summers off but it sounds more wistful than bitter.
When I was teaching most of my friends were teachers, so I didn't hear it. And why were most of my friends teachers? Because I had no time or energy to meet anyone outside of work.
Honestly, I mostly hear it on this forum. Most of the people I know seem to appreciate teachers. Some people may comment about having the summers off but it sounds more wistful than bitter.
Unfortunately, I hear it from parents. During my first parent teacher conference, upon learning I was a former engineer, one father raised an eyebrow and said; "Oh, couldn't cut it in the real world?". Apparently, a 17 year career in engineering is not cutting it.
I've also been told that the only reason teachers teach is to get the summers off. Human nature being what it is, for every person who will voice a negative opinoin, there are several others too polite to say what they think. This forum, being more anonymous, is probably a more accurate depiction of what people really think. Normal restraints aren't used here. People will say what they really think because, worst case scenario is they log off and go back to their real lives. In real life they have to deal with the people they come in contact with again and you really don't want to tick off your child's teacher.
Yes and no. When people hear I am in special education,they suddenly think I am some sort of angel and have endless patience--neither of which are true. I do think, however, that there is a huge misconception of what teaching is and isn't. This is really going to be my first year of full time teaching(I did part time special ed this past year while working full time elsewhere, so this coming year will technically be my internship year--I am paid full pay, but I am still on a probationary cert until the end of the year)-so I may not be able to give full insight. Here's my take so far(keep in mind, I am still very green):
1. Parents/others outside of the profession who have never set foot in a classroom seem to think that they know your job and can tell you how to do your job
2. People have no concept of how physically and mentally tiring it is to create interesting abd engaging lesson plans, align them with state standards AND keep a classroom of 22 children interested and under control while carrying out said lesson plan. All it takes is one misbehaving, disruptive child to ruin the learning for all the other children.
3. People seem to forget that the workday for teachers does not end at 3 or 4 o'clock. We take our work home--what with grading papers and creating more lesson plans
4. People have no concept, once again, of what being in the classroom is like. I was incredulous when the school district I was in this past year required training for those in special ed to learn how to restrain a child without getting themselves or the child injured. Sort of like--combat training. I've seen kids throw chairs and other objects at teachers--then the parents march up to the school after theyv'e been called on it claiming that 'Little Johnny can do no wrong'.
When I was teaching most of my friends were teachers, so I didn't hear it. And why were most of my friends teachers? Because I had no time or energy to meet anyone outside of work.
Same here. I've, pretty much, dropped my engineer and non teacher friends. They don't understand why I don't call for several months straight and then show up in the summer. My teacher friends get it because they live it.
I miss my best friend but she gets ticked off that I only want to hang out with her during the summer. She does not get that I'm barely treading water during the school year. It will get better as I get better at teaching and start adding lesson plans to the good lesson plan pile but, for now, it's a lot of work and I don't have time for my own family, let alone hanging out with friends, during the school year.
Yes and no. When people hear I am in special education,they suddenly think I am some sort of angel and have endless patience--neither of which are true. I do think, however, that there is a huge misconception of what teaching is and isn't. This is really going to be my first year of full time teaching(I did part time special ed this past year while working full time elsewhere, so this coming year will technically be my internship year--I am paid full pay, but I am still on a probationary cert until the end of the year)-so I may not be able to give full insight. Here's my take so far(keep in mind, I am still very green):
1. Parents/others outside of the profession who have never set foot in a classroom seem to think that they know your job and can tell you how to do your job
2. People have no concept of how physically and mentally tiring it is to create interesting abd engaging lesson plans, align them with state standards AND keep a classroom of 22 children interested and under control while carrying out said lesson plan. All it takes is one misbehaving, disruptive child to ruin the learning for all the other children.
3. People seem to forget that the workday for teachers does not end at 3 or 4 o'clock. We take our work home--what with grading papers and creating more lesson plans
4. People have no concept, once again, of what being in the classroom is like. I was incredulous when the school district I was in this past year required training for those in special ed to learn how to restrain a child without getting themselves or the child injured. Sort of like--combat training. I've seen kids throw chairs and other objects at teachers--then the parents march up to the school after theyv'e been called on it claiming that 'Little Johnny can do no wrong'.
There's more...but I'll let others chime in...
Just change that to classrooms of 30+ and you have my life. 22 students per classroom would be a dream job... The higher the number of students in the class, the higher the number of disruptive students in the class and the harder it is to stay on task.
All it takes is one misbehaving, disruptive child to ruin the learning for all the other children.
Its amazing that people cannot see that.
Right here on this forum we have numerous misbehaving disruptive troll like posters who don't want to know anything about how public and private education is structured, and who are intent on simply disrupting discussion with know-it-all attitudes wehich don't even remotely describe the teaching environment of 2010.
We have these children in the classrooms just as we have them here. But here we can use our Ignore button. In the classroom, we are expected o bring them into line and get them to listen to what is being taught. Support services spend a huge amount of time trying to deal with their "issues".
It doesn't work here with the complainers, why would it work better in a classroom environment?
Just change that to classrooms of 30+ and you have my life. 22 students per classroom would be a dream job... The higher the number of students in the class, the higher the number of disruptive students in the class and the harder it is to stay on task.
Unfortunately, when you have only 22 kids, a couple of distruptors damatically increases the percentages of kids who are distrupting and it doesn't turn out to be the dream you might think it will be. If you only had two kids, and one of them was distrupting, it turns out that it is more difficult to deal with emotionally than it was when you had 33 and one of them was distrupting.
Its a strange paradox, but I've seen class sizes drop over my long career from 36 to as few as 17, and the perception of the disrupting student doesn't decrease and the teacher's ability to deal with it doesn't increase.
Z
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Apparently, a 17 year career in engineering is not cutting it.
Just change that to classrooms of 30+ and you have my life. 22 students per classroom would be a dream job... The higher the number of students in the class, the higher the number of disruptive students in the class and the harder it is to stay on task.
