What do you hate most about teachers?

[SueSue 0]

Marposia, Very well said. You can tell you have been around the school. You understand it well.

[footballmom104 0]

OK, the thing about teachers that irritates the beejeebers out of me, especially teachers here in West Virginia, is the fact that they do nothing but whine, whine, WHINE about how poorly they're paid! The lead headline in The Charleston Gazette today was Teacher Pay Ranked 48th In Country. So what's their point? This is West Virginia, people ... everybody's pay is 48th in the country! What makes teachers so damn deserving of more? I have a master's degree and a social work license and am assistant state director of a faith-based non-profit, with supervisory duties. I've been there two years and make just shy of $40,000. Good money by West Virginia standards but a bad joke everyplace else ... and I don't get my summers off!

A new teaching graduate here starts out about $28,000. A new social worker makes about $24,000, if he or she (usually she) is lucky. I understand teachers wanting more money - who doesn't? - but those are the facts of life here and they can deal with it or they can leave. Go to Pennsylvania or Maryland where they'll make half again as much money and put up with three times as much crap, both in and out of the classroom.

[Cota129 0]

I'm not a teacher, but I am a school-based occupational therapist in 2 public school systems. I've been in the schools for 13 years. Most people do not have a clue how hard teachers work. It is definitely not a 9-5 job. Most teachers I know work long hours, both in and out of school, to do the best they can for their students. The behaviors that are in most classrooms today is appalling. I don't think that people know what happens in school. Many classes I work in are special education. The majority of classrooms are now cross-categorical, meaning that many types of disabilities and behaviors are now in one class rather than having more specialized classrooms that serve a particular population. Classrooms that used to be just for mentally retarded kids now have kids that have behavior and emotional disorders. Kids with autism are thrown into the mix. Teachers are overwhelmed trying to serve each student according to their individual needs. There is often not enough staff in the classroom. But I don't know one special ed. teacher that hasn't gone above and beyond to make sure that her students get the best from her. Regular education teachers now have special ed. kids mainstreamed into their classes on a regular basis, whether that child is appropriate to be mainstreamed or not. They have to deal with behaviors and needs that they were never trained to deal with and are expected to adjust the curriculum for that one student so they can "fit in" to the class whether they can do the work or not. Kids today now have family members that are drug addicts, alcoholics, or in jail. Many see violence as part of their daily life. Some parents don't give a damn about their kids, never participate in school activities, or offer support to their children at home to enhance the learning process. These are often the parents who scream the loudest because their kids are struggling and it must be the teacher's fault. The "No Child Left Behind" requires that all children are tested at their grade level for standardized testing. That means that a 3rd grader with mental retardation who functions at the level of a 2 year old, must be tested as a regular 3rd grader. The schools looks bad because then the tests make the school look like their students, as a whole, are testing poorly. So funding is lost and programs are cut, the kids lose out, and parents are bitching about what a rotten job the teachers are doing with their kids.

What do I hate the most about teachers? Nothing. Over the years, I have met a couple of people who really should have gone into another line of work. 99% of the teachers I have met are dedicated, caring, do their best for each of their students, want their kids to succeed, and will do as much as they can to make sure that the time in school is safe, nurturing, and a haven, for some, from the crappy reality that is life outside of school.

I have nothing but admiration for teachers. Thank you to all that teach our children.

[kity 2]

I think we should start a thread called: "What I hate most about parents." They are the real "pain in the ass" of our educational system.

[kyethra 0]

burn out.

I've seen it happen, as a student.

I know that it can happen easily, especially in certain categories, like special ed. I think thats a bad thing. And bad for the kids. While they are rare, some just aren't able or willing to work with those kids who are annoying/frustrating-- for whatever reasons. Also bad. I've even had a mean teacher who pulled hair and twisted arms. One told us we were all going to live in trailor parks. He was going through personal issues.

Overall though, I'd have to say that administrators are the ones who really make me want to be critical. I could go on and on and on about the roles administrators play or don't play when it comes to supporting teachers, providing training, helping with school discipline, retaining good teachers, etc.

[exactly150 0]

What I despise most about teachers is how they whine. Yeah, whine. I live on Long Island, where their salaries are ridiculous, well over $100,000 per year, coming out of OUR property taxes. And , they have the nerve to whine that they still don't get paid enough, what ashame to have to work 180 days a year, (a tenured position). Give me a break. I am sick and tired of it.

I am an RN, and get three weeks off a year, mandatory overtime. By the time I get home, I am dead, after working 14 hours. I barely make $62,000. My teacher friend told me I don't know what true stress is. After all, " do you know how stressful it is to have to go proctor a friday night dance after working all day" ???????? GIVE ME A BREAK!!

[Jazzywoman 0]

I think we should start a thread called: "What I hate most about parents." They are the real "pain in the ass" of our educational system.

*giggle* I was thinking the same thing!! *giggle*

[trystelle 3]

Just to get a little defensive-you cannot compare a nursing job with a teaching job. They are apples and oranges. I spend many hours in addition to my time in school every day. I go in at 6:30 and oftern stay until 4:30 and take work home. This is the hard part, sometimes I long for a job that stops when I leave work. As A teacher I am never done. There is always more to do. I want to be the very best teacher I can be for my students and that means working many extra hours. I also review my curriculum and do some sort of professional development every summer.

You are right-having summers off is great. Not having to go into work on weekends is great (But I do still do my school work). Having holidays off rocks!

I teach anatomy and physiology to 160+ students a year. Most are 16-18. It's a very hard job. But after 15 years I still love it. That is what matters most!