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I'm a new graduate who's been subbing, and have noticed a disturbingly large amount of burnt out teachers. They seem like they once had a passion, but now they're either jaded or simply "don't mind" they're job. Many older ones seem to be just counting the days till retirement. As someone who wants to be a teacher, I find this VERY unsettling.
So I was wondering, all you teachers out there, if you could do it all over again, would you still have gone into teaching? Why or why not?
This will be my 26th year and I love working with the children. I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment every time a child looks up at me as if the "light has clicked on", says, "I love you teacher" or a parent writes a letter to thank you for what you have done. I love watching their little faces light up when I introduce something new and exciting. I love working with parents, most of whom are very supportive and helpful and I have to admit, I also love my summer break. However the following things make teaching very difficult and stressful:
A ton of paperwork (and I am not referring to grading papers and planning lessons as you would expect to do, but everything now, and I mean everything, has to be documented in writing now. There seems to be a form for everything and of course when you are teaching during the day, you do not have time to do this paperwork. It has to be done during your brief planning time if you are not busy with a conference or meeting, or during your own time.
The state legislators seem to think they know more about our jobs than we do and can tell us what to do, how to do it and when to do it.
The No Child Left Behind Act which is seriously flawed and controls much of what we do and do not do now creates tremendous stress for us, the parents, the administrators and the students.
There is too much emphasis on testing. Testing can serve a very valuable purpose, but when a district or state relies on test scores to determine who should be promoted (there are so many other things involved) and how much money schools should receive, they are carrying it way too far.
I am tired of spending so much of my own money on school supplies and other things I need for my classroom. Our budgets are usually very limited and parents cannot be required to provide anything, at least not in our district. We can ask and hope, but we cannot require and many do not comply.
Yes, I would still teach. I loved it, until the kids (high-school) began taking knives to school every day...
Teaching was fun, extremely challenging, fun, so creative, fun, unpredictable within routines, and most of the individual students were fascinating to know and to watch develop ideas, an enhanced sense of themselves through creativity and accomplishment, and a greater sense of what life is about and that they could handle life.
One of the best things I've done with my life was helping one boy who was poor, disadvantaged, minority, previously ignored because he was quiet, a boy with nothing going for him but me, his mother and his growing sense of "I am someone interesting!" -- helping him get a college scholarship!! Knocked the socks off all of us, and changed his life, his family's life, and the lives of his future children and their children. Holy cow!! I guess I will always remember his name and face; warms my heart! Maybe he remembers me, but that's not my point.
By teaching I learned so much about myself, my values, my dislikes, my creativity -- in other words, what makes my heart sing and what doesn't. Teaching was a wonderful way to spend the first six years of my adult life. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
I would still be a teacher, but I would have stayed in Catholic schools. Public schools of today - we just do not share the same values. I spend all of our time prepping kids to take a state test, and listening to admins who care little for actual teaching, just "they'd better do well on that test!" I used to spend my days in actual instruction time, but not any more. And placating parents who believe that their little princes and princesses can do no wrong.
Cannot wait to get back to teaching (academics and values) and not simply testing!!
This will be my 26th year and I love working with the children. I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment every time a child looks up at me as if the "light has clicked on", says, "I love you teacher" or a parent writes a letter to thank you for what you have done. I love watching their little faces light up when I introduce something new and exciting. I love working with parents, most of whom are very supportive and helpful and I have to admit, I also love my summer break. However the following things make teaching very difficult and stressful:
A ton of paperwork (and I am not referring to grading papers and planning lessons as you would expect to do, but everything now, and I mean everything, has to be documented in writing now. There seems to be a form for everything and of course when you are teaching during the day, you do not have time to do this paperwork. It has to be done during your brief planning time if you are not busy with a conference or meeting, or during your own time.
The state legislators seem to think they know more about our jobs than we do and can tell us what to do, how to do it and when to do it.
The No Child Left Behind Act which is seriously flawed and controls much of what we do and do not do now creates tremendous stress for us, the parents, the administrators and the students.
There is too much emphasis on testing. Testing can serve a very valuable purpose, but when a district or state relies on test scores to determine who should be promoted (there are so many other things involved) and how much money schools should receive, they are carrying it way too far.
I am tired of spending so much of my own money on school supplies and other things I need for my classroom. Our budgets are usually very limited and parents cannot be required to provide anything, at least not in our district. We can ask and hope, but we cannot require and many do not comply.
Nancy
I agree! This will be my 30th year of teaching and I still love the students I work with and the teaching itself. If I could just teach and not deal with all of the new requirements I'd probably want to teach forever. The aspects of teaching I don't love are what you relayed and it seems to be increasing. Teaching is not what it used to be and that's a shame. I feel sorry for the new teachers because the paperwork, testing, and demands just keep increasing and I don't see that any of it actually benefits the students. In fact, much of it takes instructional time, a personal relationship, and one on one time away from the students.
If I had to do it over again I would make the same choice because to me teaching is my calling not a job. I really believe it is what I was made to do.
However, I'm not sure I'd tell anyone to go into teaching now. I really don't like what the bureaucrats are doing to the public schools I love and have devoted my life to.
Do I look forward to retirement? Yes, I'm getting older and don't have the energy I used to have, I don't have patience for the idiocy I see invading the profession, I've developed some significant health problems, and I'm tired of fighting to do what is right for my students. I've had a great run, but it'll soon be time to move on. I just hope that public education won't be further diminished by the well meaning bureaucrats.
I'm a new graduate who's been subbing, and have noticed a disturbingly large amount of burnt out teachers. They seem like they once had a passion, but now they're either jaded or simply "don't mind" they're job. Many older ones seem to be just counting the days till retirement. As someone who wants to be a teacher, I find this VERY unsettling.
So I was wondering, all you teachers out there, if you could do it all over again, would you still have gone into teaching? Why or why not?
Mackinac.
I worked in a district with many problems... from the politics of the administration down to the problems with the students... I taught in a middle school and we had many situations occur in the three years I taught prior to staying home with my kids... keep in mind this is all middle school activity (6-8 grade/11-14 yrs old)
1. A full week of bomb threats from our students (we were actually joked about on Howard Stern)
2. Weapons- different kinds
3. Prostitution of several 8th graders who serviced boys from grade six on up.
4. Pregnant teens- one of which gave birth to twins and named them after Disney princesses
5. Gang fights
6. Drugs
7. Sexual acts game w/ bracelets--- girls wore several bracelets of various colors- the boy who wanted that act would take that bracelet off and the girl would have perform it
I am burnt out even thinking about it... so, do I WANT to go back... not really... will I HAVE to... most likely...
I left after six years in the classroom, teaching elementary school (mostly 3rd grade)in private / independent schools in three different states on two coasts. The kids may have been better behaved than in public school, but the parents were nightmares and the administrations weren't much better.
I still work in school administration, raising money for a Catholic high school. I'm an educator. I can't help it. But I do not miss the classroom. I do not miss six day work weeks. I do not miss the pervasive sense of guilt that I wasn't doing enough. I do not miss having to be "on" constantly. I do not miss arbitrating bitchy third grade girl fights. I do not miss having to carefully handle parents' dearest hopes and dreams and hearts on a daily basis. I do not miss the way I felt marginalized every time I met new adults and they asked me what I did. I do not miss the spillover between my teaching self and my single 20 something self. I do not miss making under $40K for doing far more work than I'm doing now, for a much higher salary. I do not miss the lack of career mobility.
I do miss the kids. I miss the hugs and the ah-ha moments. I am grateful for my time in the classroom-- there is no doubt that I'm a better, stronger, more fun, more relaxed, more well-rounded, more centered person for it. But I do not plan on going back. My teacher friends say the helicopter tendencies of parents are only getting worse.
I agree! This will be my 30th year of teaching and I still love the students I work with and the teaching itself. If I could just teach and not deal with all of the new requirements I'd probably want to teach forever. The aspects of teaching I don't love are what you relayed and it seems to be increasing. Teaching is not what it used to be and that's a shame. I feel sorry for the new teachers because the paperwork, testing, and demands just keep increasing and I don't see that any of it actually benefits the students. In fact, much of it takes instructional time, a personal relationship, and one on one time away from the students.
If I had to do it over again I would make the same choice because to me teaching is my calling not a job. I really believe it is what I was made to do.
However, I'm not sure I'd tell anyone to go into teaching now. I really don't like what the bureaucrats are doing to the public schools I love and have devoted my life to.
Do I look forward to retirement? Yes, I'm getting older and don't have the energy I used to have, I don't have patience for the idiocy I see invading the profession, I've developed some significant health problems, and I'm tired of fighting to do what is right for my students. I've had a great run, but it'll soon be time to move on. I just hope that public education won't be further diminished by the well meaning bureaucrats.
I feel exactly the same way, with the same exact years of experience. I don't have the health issues, but my energy level diminishes earlier every year. I'm spending more time now, with technology (not making it easier) and preparation than I was when I started teaching. In order for me to do my job well, it takes most of my evenings and weekends. I feel as though the job consumes me from August through June. It's been a great ride, I'll be proud of the students and the information I've provided, but it's time for someone who can stay up until midnight and rise and shine every morning, live on coffee and oreos to take over the job.
A thousand times yes!! Teaching is what I was put on this planet to do. I'm going into my 17th year of teaching special education (my 9th year teaching high school English to special ed kids). Is it fun every day? No. Do I complain about how NO Child Left Behind Act has wrecked our schools? You betcha. But I constantly remind myself that I'm in it for the kids. That gleam in a student's eye when he has finally mastered a skill or the ecstatic smile of a student who didn't think she ever could graduate sustains me through the difficult times. I could make more money doing something else and have a lot less migraines, but I would not feel fulfilled. I am needed and I make a difference. How many people can say that about their careers?
There is nothing more fulfilling in knowing the difference I made in some child's life -- even if it was only one.
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