23 Things People Always Get Completely Wrong About Teachers
#1 For some unknown reason, people tend to think you have it easy.
#2 Maybe it’s because they assume you work ONLY from 8 a.m.-3 p.m…
#3 …and that you have the ENTIRE summer off, during which you do absolutely NOTHING.
"Summers are not just ‘free time.' We attend professional development and spend hours planning lessons, and many of us take on summer jobs because the pay isn't exactly fantastic." Christy
#4 Contrary to popular belief, you actually don’t get paid much, considering how much time you put in.
"At $32,000 a year, the starting salary for my district, a 40-week pay period at 65 hours per week works out to roughly $12 an hour." dancemagicdance
#5If you teach younger kids, people think all you do is sit around and color all day…
#6 …and they suggest you’re actually just a glorified babysitter.
"We actually help children get emotionally and intellectually prepared for life. Brain development between birth and 7 years is the most crucial time in a child's life." sdelapena
#7 If you teach older kids, the assumption goes that you merely feed information to students…
#8 …and that you teach ONLY your subject matter and nothing more.
#9 As a result, people think that ANYONE can do your job — and do it better.
#10 Seriously, some believe they know how to teach just because they themselves went to school.
"And people think that because they're good at something they can teach it." Luke
#11 No matter what level you teach, you’re often regarded as a one-dimensional character with almost no skill.
"Name another profession where in one day you must be an entertainer, a philosopher, a data analyst, a writer, a marathon walker, a counselor, a detective, and a police officer." Julie
#12 Then there’s the assumption that you don’t know what you’re doing, despite the fact that you STUDIED education.
"We had to go to college and take those classes no one would ever want to take." Libby
#13 And your major, by the way, was NOT an easy one, as many of your non-education friends suggested.
"People tell me my grades are so good because I'm ‘an education major, so obviously those classes aren't that hard.'" Alexis
#14 Sadly, some people actually believe the saying, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”
"Educators should be revered and celebrated, not made victims of derision or snide remarks." Samson
#15And you’ve actually heard people say, “But you’re so smart. You could have been so much more,” as if teaching weren’t a worthy profession.
"It frustrates me when people think that teachers have failed at everything and that is why they are in that profession." Leah
#16 While many parents are incredibly supportive, some blame you for the fact that their children are misbehaving or doing poorly in school…
"It's a two-way street, parents!" LaliLada
#17 …and, not believing you to be a professional, they feel qualified to tell you how to do your job.
"Everyone thinks they should be able to tell us how to do our job. Especially parents and legislators."Lindsey
#18 Despite spending hours each day together, students also make a fair number of assumptions about teachers: for example, that you’re out to get them.
"Students and parents think that before they even walk in my door and tell me their name. That couldn't be farther from the truth! What in the world could I possibly gain from you failing my class?" Kelly
#19 Or that you give students their grades.
"Students earn grades." Ellen Z Norris, Facebook
#20 Or, hilariously, that you don’t have a life outside of school.
#21 Even more hilariously, some students expect you to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING.
#22 At the end of the day, though, you know that teaching is actually an incredible gift…
"Their growth and progress during my time with them is all the validation I need. Haters are gonna hate." Caroline
#23 …and you ARE indeed making a difference, one student at a time.
"I chose this profession because I want to make a difference in the present so that my students will create a better future for us." Gwen
