It is difficult to fathom the struggles of a teacher because being one does come with a lot of commitments. Beyond that they have to deal with constant scrutiny from their friends and families. There is also the societal stigma that is attached to being a teacher. Here are 11 struggles teachers can relate to
1. We have to deal with parents who think they have the perfect kids
Yes we have to be babysitters to kids whose parents think they are wonderful, perfect and can never do any wrong. We have to deal with these kids who are willing to break us down emotionally with their different ploys and tricks.
2. We are always made fun at by the students we teach
We should be in an esteemed position and revered. But well there is always the struggle of being nicknamed or mocked by our own students.
3. We have to deal with people who think our job is easy
People who are not teachers may feel that our job description may not mean much after all. They feel safe to assume that our job is menial and does not really require much expertise and skills. Sometimes they even go further to telling us how to do our jobs.
4. We are underpaid
It is difficult to be motivated by our paycheck. We could be motivated by passion and desire. But definitely it is hard to contend with the fact that we are not only undervalued we are also underpaid for doing what makes so much difference in our society.
5. We are never done with grading papers
There is always so much work to be done, that we have to take some of it home. Literally there is never an end to grading papers. As a teacher, you should know that there will always be a pile of papers to be graded.
6. We have to teach different students the same way
Students have different needs and learning styles. One method cannot serve all of them the same way. You cannot expect a doctor to give every patient they encounter the same medicine to fix their problems. Yet we have to deal with the core of our profession – teach different students the exact same way and hope they make something relevant out of it.
7. We have to be methodical in the way we discipline our students
If our job description was only focused on teaching students alone, it would not have been so much work. Still we also have to discipline kids who are not responding to what we teach them or who are just miscreants. It is tough doing this since we have to be methodical in how we discipline these kids.
8. We miss social activities because we are hung up with work
Sometimes we simply have to skip hanging out with our friends and family because we are so tied up with work that is related to teaching.
9. We are met with exhaustion every now and then
While there may be other jobs that are more tedious than being a teacher, we are faced with the indescribable exhaustion that hits our body, mind and heart every day, every week and every month.
10. We are constantly critiqued for our job
If a child is not doing well in class then it is our fault. If he is not responsible enough with his/her assignments then it is our fault. We take a lot of the blame on not only the academic development of our students, but also their social development also.
11. We have to repeat the same routine over and over again
There is that mental exhaustion of helping students understand what they are being taught by you. You sometimes have to repeat the process over and over again until you are sure that they have understood what you are teaching them.
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