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. Having 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. Bullied by students
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. Dealing 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. 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. 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. 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. Having to be methodical in the way we discipline 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. Lack of social life
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. 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. Constantly criticized
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. Repetition of 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.
Honestly, it is one of the most important and realistic topics that I have read. Unfortunately, teachers are really oppressed in terms of wages, in terms of students' parents, and in terms of society. But with all this, we should be proud that we are teachers and prove ourselves to everyone who underestimates our profession by carrying out our tasks with a high conscience ,strong desire, and high determination.
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