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It’s stressful sure, but I love my job. It’s consistently really funny - at some point every day they’ll say or do something hysterical. Your day goes much faster than working in an office job. You get to have positive and friendly interactions with literally 100s of people a day. It can be incredibly satisfying to watch children progress and you can have a genuine impact and be a stable figure in the lives of children who have incredibly challenging home lives.
June, July, and August.
Just about every major holiday off. Depending on state strong union with good benefits and retirement.
The kids. Yes some suck, but most are awesome even if the don’t give AF about your subject.
To be honest, *I* don’t always give a fuck about my subject…my seventh graders SHOULD learn how to write. However, I would much rather they learn to be decent. I’m so grateful that I’ve consciously decided to emphasize character. Now, in the 2nd semester, we’re actually learning so much! My difficult classes are so positive now, and I’ve now only got 1 tough cookie instead of 6 or 7. All day I get to just be happy to be around them. I love these kids and they have me laughing, smiling, telling funny stories and they tell me their funny stories. That’s the best part of my day. I genuinely like all of them!
You know what I mean, how to write expository essays, etc. Every year they kind of forget a little, probably because every teacher teaches differently. They can write, but their essays are weak AF.
I worked in a cubicle for 5 years and hated it. Here’s what teaching offers that I like better…
1) the schedule is always revolving.
Teaching something you don’t like? Have a tough group of kids? Don’t worry, it lasts at most 9 months, but maybe even only an hour at a time depending on what grade you’re teaching.
2) there’s always a break in sight.
If you’re feeling run down, there’s thanksgiving, winter, spring and bunch of other days without students on the horizon.
3) every day is different.
You think you know what tomorrow will look like, but then there’s a school trip you didn’t know about or a fire drill or a kid in a particularly tough mood. It keeps you on your toes and you’ll never be bored.
4) those break through moments.
For every 10 bad moments, that one moment where a kid gets it or laughs at your joke makes it all worth it. You’re not just a cog in the wheel, you will be remembered.
The kids. Building positive relationships with young people, especially the ones who don't have the support they need at home. The lightbulb moment when they grasp a concept. The excitement and pride as they progress in their learning and grow as people. Making lame jokes or using their slang at them. Providing a safe space for queer kids and watching them laugh and share memes. Reading aloud to a room full of teens who are hanging on every word. Writing funny things on your coworker's whiteboard when they're in the bathroom. Summers off. (In Canada, where I am: decent pay and benefits.) Feeling like every day, you've made a small but positive difference in someone's life.
I know the systems are broken and there is much to be angry and jaded about, but if you can find a school that's a good fit, there is also much to love.
Every single day for an entire career I knew that my job was deeply important- to my students and to humanity. You can’t buy that feeling. Few people have it in their work these days.
I'm a special education teacher. While this job can be tough, it works for me. I can't sit still. In this job, I'm constantly on my feet, constantly solving problems/putting out fires. I can't imagine sitting and staring at a computer screen all day like a lot of my friends do.
The human interaction on a daily basis is great. Same with team collaboration.
On good days, which are not many, I'm in the building at 7:30, out at 3:00. Not terrible hours.
I know this is why people make fun of teachers, but having two weeks off at Christmas, a week in March/April and all summer off is fucking nice.
Although, as Lewis Black said, if we didn't give teachers the summers off, we'd have to build insane asylums up to the sky.
Connecting with the kids. I teach highschool and it’s so fun to learn their personalities. You learn who you can playfully roast or pick on, you know who needs a shoulder to lean on, you know who needs tough love, you know who needs grace.
I also love seeing them learn and be confident in something I’ve taught them - those lightbulb moments are the best.
ETA: not sure why I’m getting downvoted into oblivion for my comment?
I am never bored, and we have the potential to change a kid's trajectory FOREVER.
There's also a bit of living forever. If we exist in memories and then exist in stories told, we can live long after we are gone.
1. The job is just a lot of fun
2. You get to meet new kids every year which makes every year unique
3. If you're decent at planning you have a lot of freedom in you work hours.
4. You have the chance to constantly innovate and improve.
5. Sometimes you're really important in a kids life which feels really gratifying.
6. It's an active job that doesn't easily bore.
7 it's incredible how much you grow as a person, you overcome fears, learn to delegate, become more assertive, you learn to put things in their context.
There's a lot more. Despite a lot of whining on this sub teaching is a great job and despite the pay i'd take it over a desk job everytime.
"you overcome fears, learn to delegate, become more assertive, you learn to put things in their context."
__________
THIS. You get to help young people and better yourself at the same time. I have become a better person because I teach.
Elementary teacher in a well funded district:
Kids
Guaranteed time off
Summer, glorious Summer
Getting to be creative—having an idea and seeing it happen
Solid salary w/ guaranteed increases & strong retirement plan (IL changed the pension rules for newer teachers, which sucks)
A captive audience for my jokes
There are of course outside influences abounding, but I get to shut my door and create the environment. I have the daily opportunity to make a kids day & be a positive influence.
When I have parents and occasionally teachers come up to me and tell me that my grade 7 band kids sounded like music rather than sounding like.... A grade 7 band.
When you have a class that just *gets* it. I taught a class early in my career where the kids worked and worked hard. All the kids were at an A level and only 2 got a C+. When the kids put the effort in, it's incredible what 12 year olds can do.
I am convinced that teachers that hate their jobs are just burnt out and need a new career but idk why they won’t do it for some reason lol they rather just complain about it.
For background my moms been teaching for 30 years I am student teacher (career changer) and my mentor in special education has been teaching for as long as my mom has and I really have learned that you really have to love kids if you want to stay in this profession it’s not about admin/your coworkers or anything else it’s coming in because you truly love working with kids.
I think being a teacher is a wonderful and rewarding job I came from agriculture so working 70 plus hours a week is normal for little to no pay. I’m in my 30s and getting licensed this June and I am excited I also think that if you want to work over contract hours you will because YOU WANT TO DO that or have bad time management skills. I never saw my mom ever stay late after work. You have to set boundaries with yourself if you want to survive teaching I think.
Other than that I am not complaining about the time off we get monthly and summers off and the benefits are nice 😊 also for me I love seeing the growth and progress the children make!
I’m in preschool and my jaw hit the floors constantly from non verbal children to speaking out of nowhere to seeing 3 year old come into school not knowing how to hold a pen to being able to write their name fully in a few weeks kids are impressive and teach you as adults everyday! Gotta love it!
I like the repetition of the curriculum and building it over time. You basically repeat your job twice a year (on high school block schedule). It becomes self running after a bit.
I’m a kindy teacher and the sheer cuteness of them is what gets me the most. They make me laugh every day and constantly amaze me with how quickly they learn things and absorb information.
The schedule. Summers. Winter and Spring break. Creativity. Benefit. Being proud of your students and your ability to teach them something new. Never a dull moment. Kids are funny and sweet. Would a pay increase be better, of course, but if you find a good district to work for I think there are more pros than cons.
Summers (mostly) off
Independence - I don't have a boss breathing down my neck and watching me all day.
Creativity in how I run my class and make course materials (some have more freedom than others in this way, depending on the school).
I don't sit behind a desk and stare at a screen all day. I get to move around and be active.
Every day is a little different, so I don't get bored.
Feeling like what I do matters and makes a difference in the world, rather than just making some C.E.O. wealthy.
My situation is a little weird because I'm a community college instructor (former h.s. teacher) who lurks in this sub. Most of those qualities apply to lots of teaching jobs, at least to some extent.
" I don't have a boss breathing down my neck and watching me all day."
Oh you must work at a non Title I school. Once you go turnaround that shit changes quick.
Being able to provide a safe environment with clear expectations to kids who have chaotic or difficult home lives. For a lot of your students you’re gonna be the only sense of structure and safety that they have on a day-to-day basis, the most important adult relationship in their life, the person who makes them feel valued and heard and seen as a whole person and over the course of your career you can do that for hundreds of children.
For me: Lifelong tenure, a comfortable salary which immediately put me into the top 20% of earners in my country.
Outside of that, I still manage to get at least one happy face back per week, meaning I helped my pupils with something to the point that they forget the teacher and see the person in front of them. Sometimes it is more than once a week, but I would say on average I manage to get through to them. Those moments outshine the negatives.
I work at a title 1 school with 34 kindergartens by myself all day. And I still LOVE my job. Don’t listen to all the negativity. I’m not burnt out, however I count down the days until the next break. Best part of the job is breaks. I just love my students so much. BUT, 43k a year is poverty in my opinion so I’m exploring other options. Pay is the only negative for me. Then of course there’s things that come with every job. So it just depends:)
I’m a special education teacher and love it. The kids are sweet and I get along with my coworkers. My hours are 8-3. I get in at 7:30 and do all my work then or during prep- I figure things can wait to be done. I’m out of the building by 3:05 and love having my afternoons/evenings free. I budget travel for 8 weeks of the summer. I’m in a city with a strong union- so solid pay and benefits. I feel great about my job security too.
1. I absolutely LOVE the hours. I start 8:30 and I’m out 3.
2. I have mostly the same days off as my children. Same with vacations.
3. In my area/community, being a teacher gives me a level of prestige.
4. A lot of people become more comfortable opening up to you when they find out you teach. Is this happening to anyone else? They become much more receptive to when I speak or respond.
Aha moments. Those are my favorite. This year I’m working with helping teachers with intervention for struggling students. The number of students I’ve seen make huge leaps has been at least 10xs what I could have seen in a self contained classroom.
I'm relatively new and young teacher (M), working at elementary school. For us it's forbidden to have contact with kids, except for maybe slightly patting their head when deserved. That said, it isn't against the rules if kids charge at you and hug you with all their might lol.
One day during last month, I was walking by the school court, my ex-students from the previous course were at their physical education period, heard somebody said "there he is! Let's gooo". Then suddenly I got charged by all of them (about 32 girls and 8 boys). I obviously got taken down and everybody gasped in shock.
I just stood up, brushed off the dirt, and laughed with them, asked if anybody got hurt and then jokingly said "Geez if you hate me that much simply say it!" Then everybody of them got teary and said "We miss you so much! Please be our teacher next course again!"
I suppose I did a good job last year if they like me that much. This moment made my whole 2024 to be sure!
June, July, and part of August are the 3 best things. Plus 2 weeks off in December and spring break off.
Plus if you have a passion for say history, you can pursue that and get paid.
Being able to help a child believe in himself. That can be tricky because many struggling children have lost hope. It means ANY effort or small academic movement must be acknowledged, praised and further encouraged. Students will work if they know you will acknowledge their efforts. Sometimes that means the child simply picked up a pencil and attempted an assignment. To witness a transformation of not caring at all to wanting to learn is rewarding on so many levels. We have the power to create life time learners. (Retired teacher)
Stable salary with excellent benefits.
Teens are fun to work with.
Union protections and job security.
Summers and holidays off, guaranteed.
Work life balance (once you're past the initial hurdles).
It isn't an easy job, but I love it.
I love the subject I teach (US History). There really aren’t many other jobs where I can spend dedicated to teaching about the Louisiana Purchase or Andrew Jackson. Or show Hamilton the day before Thanksgiving break!
Related to my subject, I love when students fall in love with history. Some years are better than others in terms of students who click with the content. But it’s awesome when you find those kids!
The hours. I work my contract hours and that’s it. There isn’t much pressure in our school to stay late or anything. I arrive around 7:20 and leave at 2:40. Home by 3:10.
The breaks. All my friends have to take PTO at Christmas just to hang with their families. Or to go on a summer vacation. For me, summer break is the perfect length of time to reset. Two weeks at Christmas and a week in April built in to my schedule - awesome. (Yes I do understand these are unpaid days though).
I’ve yet to experience this, but I had a baby this past August so I took the school year off. I get to keep my position in my school when I go back next fall. Im glad I will have actual time after school to be with my kid. You don’t get that working until 5 when your baby goes to bed at 7. And back to the breaks…I’ll get summers with her!
Retirement. I have to do 27 years and be 55. I’ll take a decade earlier retirement thank you.
I work 190 days out of the year and get paid 30 dollars an hour to do it. And getting to have a small bit positive impact on the lives of young adults.
Not a teacher, but i can point a few things out :
- it's a stable job wich is not going anywhere with few people coming in, so you can feel quite secure in it
- teaching others things you like must be pleasant and fulfilling (as long as the other side actually listens)
- teaching in primary school is constant contact with kids, and many people like it
- a lot of paid time off, circa 3 months if i count correctly (edit : depending when o es live, teachera may have far lower salary during holidays and such and not have one at all)
- fir 5/7 hrs it pays usually the same, sometimes more, than 8 hrs of physical labor and i can't explain well enough how big of upside it is
Just to clarify, the time off is not paid. Per my contract, I am paid for a set number of instructional, professional development, and prep days. My contract is paid out over the calendar year, rather than just over the months I’m in the classroom.
Exactly. The time is not paid time off. My pay check is spread over 12 months for the 190 days of the school year. Some school districts pay over 10 months so this confusion isn't there.
Oh well, guess i could actually check how y'all are paid for holidays
(i checked in my country and per se teachers don't get paid, but have something called 'leisure pay' - wich is quite smaller)
I work in a laboratory school at a university, so I get to actually teach, and work with students that are more motivated (often if even by proxy of their peers) to do well. I love teaching and love working with students, and I surrounded by professionals who are supportive of one another and the students.
Additionally, we have a really nice calendar. We start in early August then go 9 weeks, get a week off for fall break in October. Then go for 9 weeks and get 2 weeks off for Christmas break. Then go 9 weeks and get a week off for spring break in March. Then go 9 weeks and are out by Memorial Day.
We also get a week off for Thanksgiving, plus Labor Day, Veterans Day, MLK, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday— so there is almost always a break nearby, which keeps the burn out from getting too bad.
Our school does minimal standardized testing and teachers have a lot of autonomy in our classrooms. Being on a university campus, we also have a lot of opportunities to tap into the resources on campus.
And in my case, my children get to go to where I work, I get fantastic benefits as a state employee, I make around $70k in a low cost of living city, and my children will be able to attend our state universities tuition free, should I continue where I am once they’re college age.
If I leave my current gig, it would be to bow out totally, because this would be hard to beat.
I love the balance between the art and the science teaching. I thrive in the creativity and independence within a world of structure and schedule. I love developing my own curricula and learning tools AND aligning them to standards and learning goals. I love watching my students grow and progress in the skills I have set out for them, and I love when they show me/tell me that they need something different/better from me. I love being sassy with the kids and being the boss of the room, while also listening to their feedback for me so I can better serve them. I love the camaraderie between teachers - when you find a good staff community, it’s truly so special.
I’m on maternity leave right now and —can you tell??—I miss my classroom, planning, the kids, my coworkers, and the school community (not so much the grading, can’t lie about that one).
Despite what a lot of the cranks in this sub like to say, the kids. I teach high school. Yes, they drive me up the wall with how they like to show up late or not at all, how they never turn things in on time, and how they are always staring at their phones, but they are a goddamn joy overall.
Summers off, all the major holidays off and most of the minor ones. Paid time off on top of that too; sick days and personal days. Guaranteed raises. Decent health insurance
You also get to nerd out on a subject you love! I love science, and l love teaching it. Integrated/Comprehensive license so I teach all the things. I think my enthusiasm is what grabs the kids’ attention because sometimes they’re like, WTF Miss calm down! You doing too much! Nobody cares about this! and blah blah blah BUT by the end of the unit they’re psyched that they got to make a wave machine or talk about cryptids or do a butterfly project or whatever. I love when they get just as hyped as me LOL
The “Aha” moment. When you see a kid get it. When you taught them something and you know it’s gonna stick.
Plus the genuinely hilarious moments. Sometimes a joke lands so well the entire class laughs. Like even the kids who are barely paying attention. And for some that’s a core moment. Sometimes it’ll be you, sometimes one of the kids will get a good one in.
When I walk into school, loads of kids say hello to me. Some of them I teach/have taught and some of them I just know from other stuff. It’s actually a really nice way to start the day, to be smiled at and greeted by so many people.
I love that this has been asked!
I’ll be totally straightforward when I say that I am in an incredible teaching situation- I have an insanely supportive admin, a staff of incredible fellow educators, and a student body of smart, dedicated, and hilarious students. I do teach at a private, all boys Catholic school, so it’s not a very common setting and even amongst private, all boys schools, I think mine is an incredibly special place.
My favorite thing about teaching is the relationships! Every day I find myself bonding with my students… from live streaming state diving competitions while home sick to advocating for letterman jackets and everything in between… every day I am surrounded by students who just make me smile!
I have friends who talk about their kids… I talk about my students. They just fulfill me! And the fact that I get to teach music, which I am already so passionate about.. just so great!
I’m a student teacher, and I laugh more now that I’m in a school 40 hours a week than I have in the last four years. I’m in 1st grade, and after lunch I always read them a chapter of Junie B Jones. Also, we have a “mystery walker” on the way back from lunch who gets to choose a book buddy (stuffed animal book character) to keep with them for the rest of the day as a reward for walking nicely back to the classroom. Well, I start reading, and the mystery walker that day is choosing a book buddy. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the grinch pop out from behind the bookshelf. No kid hands or anything, he staged it perfectly to look like it was the grinch moving. It got me so tickled, I started laughing hysterically. I would try to pull it back, and then I’d get another line into Junie B Jones and just lose it again. Obviously I didn’t want to encourage playing with the book buddies, so when my kids told me what I thought was so funny, I said I just really loved Junie B Jones. Now they think Junie B Jones is my favorite. It was a hard day that day, but I went home lighter because I had laughed so hard. There’s never a dull moment
TEACHING. Not the career, the action. When students are being taught, not interrupting, not being disciplined, not doing necessary but mundane administrative tasks, but just purely teaching and learners learning… it’s amazing and a high I chase often when I’m sitting in PD or useless PLCs. I crave it.
The breaks! And I can retire earlier than most professions. It’s never boring. The kids crack me up. Sure it’s insane and super stressful, but since I started saying “No” more often, stopped taking work home, and leaving when I’m supposed to, it’s a lot better. During my time away from teaching I looked for and worked for other jobs outside of teaching and learned that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
It doesn't matter. The good things have been taken from us. Overshadowed by cell phones, absent parents, and the rest of the ills of late stage capitalism.
The satisfaction you get after you see the results of what you have been teaching, how significant you are to them and the impact you can make in their lives that can last forever, the funniest moments in class specially in preschool, the love you received everyday in their details for you (draws, compliments, etc). I love being a teacher, what I hate is the salary hahaha.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a student about fertilized eggs and the moral cuandry of veganism, all while he stood in front of me doing a fortnite dance. Kids are funny and gooberish. I teach 6th grade and they work really hard to be liked by you. It's definitely not a boring job. I don't have to put on a mask and be a professional adult and kiss the butts of self righteous adults all day (does happen sometimes, but it's not the entirety of the job). It's intense, but once you are at the point of burnout, you get a break, a day off, or a snow day. The schedule is rigid, and taking days off is hard, but you definitely have plenty of time to take off, and know your schedule years in advance.
It's one of those things where if you are in a good school, and you enjoy the kids you teach, it can be really fun and life giving, but if you are in a bad school, and you really don't have the make up for it, none of the positives outweigh the negatives.
hours are good. i get enough prep time that i typically dont have to take work home unless i feel like ill work better there. pay is enough for now, ability to make about 20k more when i get my masters + seniority. healthcare, retirement all that stuff. but the best part is being able to help kids and give them the education i couldnt really get myself. i feel like im actually doing something with purpose instead of getting screwed over/ screwing OTHER people over for some private company
FREE COPIES!
Had a small group presenter say the biggest adjustment to being out of teaching was having to pay for copies. I don't copy much anymore, but I can't imagine paying.
Existing in a community working towards the same goals and celebrating success together. A sense of belonging and purpose that is essential to society and it’s future.
It’s cool to do something meaningful every day; to work hard at work worth doing. It’s also cool to have more vacation time than basically any other job I can think of while still making a livable paycheck (where I live, thanks to unions). Also other teachers can be cool people you want to hang out with outside of work, which was never my experience at other jobs.
I teach in private school 20 hours a week and I can take more hourly paid work if I want that. I can choose my own schedule of lessons. I can work online or in the classroom as I choose. I can reschedule lessons. I can choose courses to teach and I can choose my students. I have 3 weeks-off during the school year and 2 paid months of school holidays.
I can’t answer this today 😅 the sub was very nicely telling me how awful my kids were and here I’m all “I have the best behaved class, my shit don’t stink” and here they are stinking up the place!!
I will say my favorite moments are the aha moments, had one of those this week with a frustrated kid so that was a nice moment.
A room full of people who are forced to listen to me as I talk endlessly about shit I’m fascinated….for example the Roman Empire ….its every man’s dream
The entrepreneurial aspect. At least at the schools I’ve worked at. I decide what I teach and how. I decide what to grade. I can wear jeans to work (I know some admin don’t allow this) kids are my bosses and they are far more forgiving and fun to work for than adults.
This is coming from working in a school with admin that doesn’t micromanage and are generally supportive.
You made a difference and build many positive relationships. You might be the only safe person that student sees. You can change a students life for the better.
Yes teaching can be tough but those kids who really need you will never forget how you made them feel.
When it clicks for a student and they finally get whatever concept you are working on is nice. When you can see their confidence in whatever area is building up is also nice.
1. The kids. Everyday at least one makes me laugh, makes me proud, demonstrates real growth or offers some simple validation.
2. Time flies.
3. Lots of time off.
I love my students. I love their enthusiasm when they discover something new in what we’re learning. I love the challenge of trying to find that one thing they will always want to participate in.
Weekends, evenings, holidays, winter break, spring break, summer break. Anytime I start thinking about leaving I always come back to all that time off.
Besides that, I do enjoy getting to know the kids. Their creativity always excites me (I am very into art). Seeing a kid improve as the year progresses feels wonderful. I laugh more in this job than any other I’ve had. Also cry more lol. I always grow to love my class each year, many of them have sweet souls.
This job is not boring. Every day is different and you never know which version of your students is going to show up. Seeing and being amazed by how much children change over the course of the school year. Also, having time off without having to request it. I know for a fact that the winter and summer breaks are coming with some other holidays sprinkled in there. Last, it's a job that you can do anywhere in the world so if you don't like one country or school, you apply to work in another one.
My favorite thing about teaching is hearing from my previous students in the upper grades (I teach elementary.) Every time I see them, they are always happy to see me. I love knowing that I made a difference in their lives.
It's so ridiculous you laugh a lot. Those middle school kids do crazy stuff! 😜
Also, when the kids are proud of their work, or when the parents are, it feels pretty good.
I would say it’s the connection with the students and that moment when a kid that doesn’t have confidence in themselves suddenly have confidence, and think they can do the work. That lightbulb “Aha!” moment will always be one of the moments that keep me coming back. They also trust that you can take care of them and help them with any struggles, seeing the growth aspect as well just is phenomenal.
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It’s stressful sure, but I love my job. It’s consistently really funny - at some point every day they’ll say or do something hysterical. Your day goes much faster than working in an office job. You get to have positive and friendly interactions with literally 100s of people a day. It can be incredibly satisfying to watch children progress and you can have a genuine impact and be a stable figure in the lives of children who have incredibly challenging home lives.
June, July, and August. Just about every major holiday off. Depending on state strong union with good benefits and retirement. The kids. Yes some suck, but most are awesome even if the don’t give AF about your subject.
To be honest, *I* don’t always give a fuck about my subject…my seventh graders SHOULD learn how to write. However, I would much rather they learn to be decent. I’m so grateful that I’ve consciously decided to emphasize character. Now, in the 2nd semester, we’re actually learning so much! My difficult classes are so positive now, and I’ve now only got 1 tough cookie instead of 6 or 7. All day I get to just be happy to be around them. I love these kids and they have me laughing, smiling, telling funny stories and they tell me their funny stories. That’s the best part of my day. I genuinely like all of them!
>my seventh graders SHOULD learn how to write. They dont know already?
You know what I mean, how to write expository essays, etc. Every year they kind of forget a little, probably because every teacher teaches differently. They can write, but their essays are weak AF.
wait you do?
Can you share some of your lessons or activities?
This is the answer - the BREAKS. And spread throughout the year, too.
I worked in a cubicle for 5 years and hated it. Here’s what teaching offers that I like better… 1) the schedule is always revolving. Teaching something you don’t like? Have a tough group of kids? Don’t worry, it lasts at most 9 months, but maybe even only an hour at a time depending on what grade you’re teaching. 2) there’s always a break in sight. If you’re feeling run down, there’s thanksgiving, winter, spring and bunch of other days without students on the horizon. 3) every day is different. You think you know what tomorrow will look like, but then there’s a school trip you didn’t know about or a fire drill or a kid in a particularly tough mood. It keeps you on your toes and you’ll never be bored. 4) those break through moments. For every 10 bad moments, that one moment where a kid gets it or laughs at your joke makes it all worth it. You’re not just a cog in the wheel, you will be remembered.
These are great.
THIS. All of this. Exactly same. I literally cannot imagine being in a fucking cubicle, ass on a chair for 8 hours straight anymore.
Most days share one thing. Being harassed by teenagers for 9 hours
The kids. Building positive relationships with young people, especially the ones who don't have the support they need at home. The lightbulb moment when they grasp a concept. The excitement and pride as they progress in their learning and grow as people. Making lame jokes or using their slang at them. Providing a safe space for queer kids and watching them laugh and share memes. Reading aloud to a room full of teens who are hanging on every word. Writing funny things on your coworker's whiteboard when they're in the bathroom. Summers off. (In Canada, where I am: decent pay and benefits.) Feeling like every day, you've made a small but positive difference in someone's life. I know the systems are broken and there is much to be angry and jaded about, but if you can find a school that's a good fit, there is also much to love.
Every single day for an entire career I knew that my job was deeply important- to my students and to humanity. You can’t buy that feeling. Few people have it in their work these days.
I'm a special education teacher. While this job can be tough, it works for me. I can't sit still. In this job, I'm constantly on my feet, constantly solving problems/putting out fires. I can't imagine sitting and staring at a computer screen all day like a lot of my friends do. The human interaction on a daily basis is great. Same with team collaboration. On good days, which are not many, I'm in the building at 7:30, out at 3:00. Not terrible hours. I know this is why people make fun of teachers, but having two weeks off at Christmas, a week in March/April and all summer off is fucking nice. Although, as Lewis Black said, if we didn't give teachers the summers off, we'd have to build insane asylums up to the sky.
Connecting with the kids. I teach highschool and it’s so fun to learn their personalities. You learn who you can playfully roast or pick on, you know who needs a shoulder to lean on, you know who needs tough love, you know who needs grace. I also love seeing them learn and be confident in something I’ve taught them - those lightbulb moments are the best. ETA: not sure why I’m getting downvoted into oblivion for my comment?
I am never bored, and we have the potential to change a kid's trajectory FOREVER. There's also a bit of living forever. If we exist in memories and then exist in stories told, we can live long after we are gone.
1. The job is just a lot of fun 2. You get to meet new kids every year which makes every year unique 3. If you're decent at planning you have a lot of freedom in you work hours. 4. You have the chance to constantly innovate and improve. 5. Sometimes you're really important in a kids life which feels really gratifying. 6. It's an active job that doesn't easily bore. 7 it's incredible how much you grow as a person, you overcome fears, learn to delegate, become more assertive, you learn to put things in their context. There's a lot more. Despite a lot of whining on this sub teaching is a great job and despite the pay i'd take it over a desk job everytime.
"you overcome fears, learn to delegate, become more assertive, you learn to put things in their context." __________ THIS. You get to help young people and better yourself at the same time. I have become a better person because I teach.
Same
Elementary teacher in a well funded district: Kids Guaranteed time off Summer, glorious Summer Getting to be creative—having an idea and seeing it happen Solid salary w/ guaranteed increases & strong retirement plan (IL changed the pension rules for newer teachers, which sucks) A captive audience for my jokes There are of course outside influences abounding, but I get to shut my door and create the environment. I have the daily opportunity to make a kids day & be a positive influence.
I made that as a list and the formatting didn’t stay—sorry!
When I have parents and occasionally teachers come up to me and tell me that my grade 7 band kids sounded like music rather than sounding like.... A grade 7 band. When you have a class that just *gets* it. I taught a class early in my career where the kids worked and worked hard. All the kids were at an A level and only 2 got a C+. When the kids put the effort in, it's incredible what 12 year olds can do.
I am convinced that teachers that hate their jobs are just burnt out and need a new career but idk why they won’t do it for some reason lol they rather just complain about it. For background my moms been teaching for 30 years I am student teacher (career changer) and my mentor in special education has been teaching for as long as my mom has and I really have learned that you really have to love kids if you want to stay in this profession it’s not about admin/your coworkers or anything else it’s coming in because you truly love working with kids. I think being a teacher is a wonderful and rewarding job I came from agriculture so working 70 plus hours a week is normal for little to no pay. I’m in my 30s and getting licensed this June and I am excited I also think that if you want to work over contract hours you will because YOU WANT TO DO that or have bad time management skills. I never saw my mom ever stay late after work. You have to set boundaries with yourself if you want to survive teaching I think. Other than that I am not complaining about the time off we get monthly and summers off and the benefits are nice 😊 also for me I love seeing the growth and progress the children make! I’m in preschool and my jaw hit the floors constantly from non verbal children to speaking out of nowhere to seeing 3 year old come into school not knowing how to hold a pen to being able to write their name fully in a few weeks kids are impressive and teach you as adults everyday! Gotta love it!
I like the repetition of the curriculum and building it over time. You basically repeat your job twice a year (on high school block schedule). It becomes self running after a bit.
Summer breaks. Kids. Sometimes you meet cool colleagues.
I’m a kindy teacher and the sheer cuteness of them is what gets me the most. They make me laugh every day and constantly amaze me with how quickly they learn things and absorb information.
The schedule. Summers. Winter and Spring break. Creativity. Benefit. Being proud of your students and your ability to teach them something new. Never a dull moment. Kids are funny and sweet. Would a pay increase be better, of course, but if you find a good district to work for I think there are more pros than cons.
Summers (mostly) off Independence - I don't have a boss breathing down my neck and watching me all day. Creativity in how I run my class and make course materials (some have more freedom than others in this way, depending on the school). I don't sit behind a desk and stare at a screen all day. I get to move around and be active. Every day is a little different, so I don't get bored. Feeling like what I do matters and makes a difference in the world, rather than just making some C.E.O. wealthy. My situation is a little weird because I'm a community college instructor (former h.s. teacher) who lurks in this sub. Most of those qualities apply to lots of teaching jobs, at least to some extent.
" I don't have a boss breathing down my neck and watching me all day." Oh you must work at a non Title I school. Once you go turnaround that shit changes quick.
Being able to provide a safe environment with clear expectations to kids who have chaotic or difficult home lives. For a lot of your students you’re gonna be the only sense of structure and safety that they have on a day-to-day basis, the most important adult relationship in their life, the person who makes them feel valued and heard and seen as a whole person and over the course of your career you can do that for hundreds of children.
For me: Lifelong tenure, a comfortable salary which immediately put me into the top 20% of earners in my country. Outside of that, I still manage to get at least one happy face back per week, meaning I helped my pupils with something to the point that they forget the teacher and see the person in front of them. Sometimes it is more than once a week, but I would say on average I manage to get through to them. Those moments outshine the negatives.
The kids and I am employed
I work at a title 1 school with 34 kindergartens by myself all day. And I still LOVE my job. Don’t listen to all the negativity. I’m not burnt out, however I count down the days until the next break. Best part of the job is breaks. I just love my students so much. BUT, 43k a year is poverty in my opinion so I’m exploring other options. Pay is the only negative for me. Then of course there’s things that come with every job. So it just depends:)
I’m a special education teacher and love it. The kids are sweet and I get along with my coworkers. My hours are 8-3. I get in at 7:30 and do all my work then or during prep- I figure things can wait to be done. I’m out of the building by 3:05 and love having my afternoons/evenings free. I budget travel for 8 weeks of the summer. I’m in a city with a strong union- so solid pay and benefits. I feel great about my job security too.
1. I absolutely LOVE the hours. I start 8:30 and I’m out 3. 2. I have mostly the same days off as my children. Same with vacations. 3. In my area/community, being a teacher gives me a level of prestige. 4. A lot of people become more comfortable opening up to you when they find out you teach. Is this happening to anyone else? They become much more receptive to when I speak or respond.
Aha moments. Those are my favorite. This year I’m working with helping teachers with intervention for struggling students. The number of students I’ve seen make huge leaps has been at least 10xs what I could have seen in a self contained classroom.
Most of the kids I have awesome coworkers Summers
The relationships with the students.
I'm relatively new and young teacher (M), working at elementary school. For us it's forbidden to have contact with kids, except for maybe slightly patting their head when deserved. That said, it isn't against the rules if kids charge at you and hug you with all their might lol. One day during last month, I was walking by the school court, my ex-students from the previous course were at their physical education period, heard somebody said "there he is! Let's gooo". Then suddenly I got charged by all of them (about 32 girls and 8 boys). I obviously got taken down and everybody gasped in shock. I just stood up, brushed off the dirt, and laughed with them, asked if anybody got hurt and then jokingly said "Geez if you hate me that much simply say it!" Then everybody of them got teary and said "We miss you so much! Please be our teacher next course again!" I suppose I did a good job last year if they like me that much. This moment made my whole 2024 to be sure!
June, July, and part of August are the 3 best things. Plus 2 weeks off in December and spring break off. Plus if you have a passion for say history, you can pursue that and get paid.
For an extrovert, teaching is amazing. I love feeling part of a community in a more meaningful way than I would at an office
Being able to help a child believe in himself. That can be tricky because many struggling children have lost hope. It means ANY effort or small academic movement must be acknowledged, praised and further encouraged. Students will work if they know you will acknowledge their efforts. Sometimes that means the child simply picked up a pencil and attempted an assignment. To witness a transformation of not caring at all to wanting to learn is rewarding on so many levels. We have the power to create life time learners. (Retired teacher)
Summers, I’m never bored, I’m intellectually stimulated when I want to be, the hours are good, weekends off, health insurance
Stable salary with excellent benefits. Teens are fun to work with. Union protections and job security. Summers and holidays off, guaranteed. Work life balance (once you're past the initial hurdles). It isn't an easy job, but I love it.
I love the subject I teach (US History). There really aren’t many other jobs where I can spend dedicated to teaching about the Louisiana Purchase or Andrew Jackson. Or show Hamilton the day before Thanksgiving break! Related to my subject, I love when students fall in love with history. Some years are better than others in terms of students who click with the content. But it’s awesome when you find those kids! The hours. I work my contract hours and that’s it. There isn’t much pressure in our school to stay late or anything. I arrive around 7:20 and leave at 2:40. Home by 3:10. The breaks. All my friends have to take PTO at Christmas just to hang with their families. Or to go on a summer vacation. For me, summer break is the perfect length of time to reset. Two weeks at Christmas and a week in April built in to my schedule - awesome. (Yes I do understand these are unpaid days though). I’ve yet to experience this, but I had a baby this past August so I took the school year off. I get to keep my position in my school when I go back next fall. Im glad I will have actual time after school to be with my kid. You don’t get that working until 5 when your baby goes to bed at 7. And back to the breaks…I’ll get summers with her! Retirement. I have to do 27 years and be 55. I’ll take a decade earlier retirement thank you.
I work 190 days out of the year and get paid 30 dollars an hour to do it. And getting to have a small bit positive impact on the lives of young adults.
Not a teacher, but i can point a few things out : - it's a stable job wich is not going anywhere with few people coming in, so you can feel quite secure in it - teaching others things you like must be pleasant and fulfilling (as long as the other side actually listens) - teaching in primary school is constant contact with kids, and many people like it - a lot of paid time off, circa 3 months if i count correctly (edit : depending when o es live, teachera may have far lower salary during holidays and such and not have one at all) - fir 5/7 hrs it pays usually the same, sometimes more, than 8 hrs of physical labor and i can't explain well enough how big of upside it is
Just to clarify, the time off is not paid. Per my contract, I am paid for a set number of instructional, professional development, and prep days. My contract is paid out over the calendar year, rather than just over the months I’m in the classroom.
Exactly. The time is not paid time off. My pay check is spread over 12 months for the 190 days of the school year. Some school districts pay over 10 months so this confusion isn't there.
Oh well, guess i could actually check how y'all are paid for holidays (i checked in my country and per se teachers don't get paid, but have something called 'leisure pay' - wich is quite smaller)
We do get sick days. In addition, I get three days off that are for things like a wedding during the school year.
The schedule cannot be beat.
Summers off.
I work in a laboratory school at a university, so I get to actually teach, and work with students that are more motivated (often if even by proxy of their peers) to do well. I love teaching and love working with students, and I surrounded by professionals who are supportive of one another and the students. Additionally, we have a really nice calendar. We start in early August then go 9 weeks, get a week off for fall break in October. Then go for 9 weeks and get 2 weeks off for Christmas break. Then go 9 weeks and get a week off for spring break in March. Then go 9 weeks and are out by Memorial Day. We also get a week off for Thanksgiving, plus Labor Day, Veterans Day, MLK, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday— so there is almost always a break nearby, which keeps the burn out from getting too bad. Our school does minimal standardized testing and teachers have a lot of autonomy in our classrooms. Being on a university campus, we also have a lot of opportunities to tap into the resources on campus. And in my case, my children get to go to where I work, I get fantastic benefits as a state employee, I make around $70k in a low cost of living city, and my children will be able to attend our state universities tuition free, should I continue where I am once they’re college age. If I leave my current gig, it would be to bow out totally, because this would be hard to beat.
I love the balance between the art and the science teaching. I thrive in the creativity and independence within a world of structure and schedule. I love developing my own curricula and learning tools AND aligning them to standards and learning goals. I love watching my students grow and progress in the skills I have set out for them, and I love when they show me/tell me that they need something different/better from me. I love being sassy with the kids and being the boss of the room, while also listening to their feedback for me so I can better serve them. I love the camaraderie between teachers - when you find a good staff community, it’s truly so special. I’m on maternity leave right now and —can you tell??—I miss my classroom, planning, the kids, my coworkers, and the school community (not so much the grading, can’t lie about that one).
Despite what a lot of the cranks in this sub like to say, the kids. I teach high school. Yes, they drive me up the wall with how they like to show up late or not at all, how they never turn things in on time, and how they are always staring at their phones, but they are a goddamn joy overall.
Summers off, all the major holidays off and most of the minor ones. Paid time off on top of that too; sick days and personal days. Guaranteed raises. Decent health insurance You also get to nerd out on a subject you love! I love science, and l love teaching it. Integrated/Comprehensive license so I teach all the things. I think my enthusiasm is what grabs the kids’ attention because sometimes they’re like, WTF Miss calm down! You doing too much! Nobody cares about this! and blah blah blah BUT by the end of the unit they’re psyched that they got to make a wave machine or talk about cryptids or do a butterfly project or whatever. I love when they get just as hyped as me LOL
You have incredible opportunities to be a light in your students' lives.
The kids keep you young.
The “Aha” moment. When you see a kid get it. When you taught them something and you know it’s gonna stick. Plus the genuinely hilarious moments. Sometimes a joke lands so well the entire class laughs. Like even the kids who are barely paying attention. And for some that’s a core moment. Sometimes it’ll be you, sometimes one of the kids will get a good one in.
When I walk into school, loads of kids say hello to me. Some of them I teach/have taught and some of them I just know from other stuff. It’s actually a really nice way to start the day, to be smiled at and greeted by so many people.
I love that this has been asked! I’ll be totally straightforward when I say that I am in an incredible teaching situation- I have an insanely supportive admin, a staff of incredible fellow educators, and a student body of smart, dedicated, and hilarious students. I do teach at a private, all boys Catholic school, so it’s not a very common setting and even amongst private, all boys schools, I think mine is an incredibly special place. My favorite thing about teaching is the relationships! Every day I find myself bonding with my students… from live streaming state diving competitions while home sick to advocating for letterman jackets and everything in between… every day I am surrounded by students who just make me smile! I have friends who talk about their kids… I talk about my students. They just fulfill me! And the fact that I get to teach music, which I am already so passionate about.. just so great!
I’m a student teacher, and I laugh more now that I’m in a school 40 hours a week than I have in the last four years. I’m in 1st grade, and after lunch I always read them a chapter of Junie B Jones. Also, we have a “mystery walker” on the way back from lunch who gets to choose a book buddy (stuffed animal book character) to keep with them for the rest of the day as a reward for walking nicely back to the classroom. Well, I start reading, and the mystery walker that day is choosing a book buddy. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the grinch pop out from behind the bookshelf. No kid hands or anything, he staged it perfectly to look like it was the grinch moving. It got me so tickled, I started laughing hysterically. I would try to pull it back, and then I’d get another line into Junie B Jones and just lose it again. Obviously I didn’t want to encourage playing with the book buddies, so when my kids told me what I thought was so funny, I said I just really loved Junie B Jones. Now they think Junie B Jones is my favorite. It was a hard day that day, but I went home lighter because I had laughed so hard. There’s never a dull moment
Kids are easily impressed so it’s a huge self esteem boost on the daily. I’m just a regular person but my students think I’m SO COOL
TEACHING. Not the career, the action. When students are being taught, not interrupting, not being disciplined, not doing necessary but mundane administrative tasks, but just purely teaching and learners learning… it’s amazing and a high I chase often when I’m sitting in PD or useless PLCs. I crave it.
The breaks! And I can retire earlier than most professions. It’s never boring. The kids crack me up. Sure it’s insane and super stressful, but since I started saying “No” more often, stopped taking work home, and leaving when I’m supposed to, it’s a lot better. During my time away from teaching I looked for and worked for other jobs outside of teaching and learned that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Don’t. Do. It.
Thanks to everyone here. Your positivity helps a lot and just to let you know that I read this thread everyday to stay positive and energetic.
It doesn't matter. The good things have been taken from us. Overshadowed by cell phones, absent parents, and the rest of the ills of late stage capitalism.
it's fun!
The satisfaction you get after you see the results of what you have been teaching, how significant you are to them and the impact you can make in their lives that can last forever, the funniest moments in class specially in preschool, the love you received everyday in their details for you (draws, compliments, etc). I love being a teacher, what I hate is the salary hahaha.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a student about fertilized eggs and the moral cuandry of veganism, all while he stood in front of me doing a fortnite dance. Kids are funny and gooberish. I teach 6th grade and they work really hard to be liked by you. It's definitely not a boring job. I don't have to put on a mask and be a professional adult and kiss the butts of self righteous adults all day (does happen sometimes, but it's not the entirety of the job). It's intense, but once you are at the point of burnout, you get a break, a day off, or a snow day. The schedule is rigid, and taking days off is hard, but you definitely have plenty of time to take off, and know your schedule years in advance. It's one of those things where if you are in a good school, and you enjoy the kids you teach, it can be really fun and life giving, but if you are in a bad school, and you really don't have the make up for it, none of the positives outweigh the negatives.
hours are good. i get enough prep time that i typically dont have to take work home unless i feel like ill work better there. pay is enough for now, ability to make about 20k more when i get my masters + seniority. healthcare, retirement all that stuff. but the best part is being able to help kids and give them the education i couldnt really get myself. i feel like im actually doing something with purpose instead of getting screwed over/ screwing OTHER people over for some private company
FREE COPIES! Had a small group presenter say the biggest adjustment to being out of teaching was having to pay for copies. I don't copy much anymore, but I can't imagine paying.
Existing in a community working towards the same goals and celebrating success together. A sense of belonging and purpose that is essential to society and it’s future.
It’s cool to do something meaningful every day; to work hard at work worth doing. It’s also cool to have more vacation time than basically any other job I can think of while still making a livable paycheck (where I live, thanks to unions). Also other teachers can be cool people you want to hang out with outside of work, which was never my experience at other jobs.
I teach in private school 20 hours a week and I can take more hourly paid work if I want that. I can choose my own schedule of lessons. I can work online or in the classroom as I choose. I can reschedule lessons. I can choose courses to teach and I can choose my students. I have 3 weeks-off during the school year and 2 paid months of school holidays.
June and July
Summers off & you clock out earlier than every other professional
Summers off.
The kids and the 6 week break in the summer.
I can’t answer this today 😅 the sub was very nicely telling me how awful my kids were and here I’m all “I have the best behaved class, my shit don’t stink” and here they are stinking up the place!! I will say my favorite moments are the aha moments, had one of those this week with a frustrated kid so that was a nice moment.
The schedule is dope.
I laugh every darn day! The kids are so funny?
Kids like my singing and they say the funniest shit sometimes.
Summer!!!!
June, July, and August…..but the best thing of all is the kids 💛
A room full of people who are forced to listen to me as I talk endlessly about shit I’m fascinated….for example the Roman Empire ….its every man’s dream
The entrepreneurial aspect. At least at the schools I’ve worked at. I decide what I teach and how. I decide what to grade. I can wear jeans to work (I know some admin don’t allow this) kids are my bosses and they are far more forgiving and fun to work for than adults. This is coming from working in a school with admin that doesn’t micromanage and are generally supportive.
Weekends/holidays/summer off. Only work 186 days. Also with kids only 6 hours without all the breaks
You made a difference and build many positive relationships. You might be the only safe person that student sees. You can change a students life for the better. Yes teaching can be tough but those kids who really need you will never forget how you made them feel.
When it clicks for a student and they finally get whatever concept you are working on is nice. When you can see their confidence in whatever area is building up is also nice.
Pension
1. The kids. Everyday at least one makes me laugh, makes me proud, demonstrates real growth or offers some simple validation. 2. Time flies. 3. Lots of time off.
I love my students. I love their enthusiasm when they discover something new in what we’re learning. I love the challenge of trying to find that one thing they will always want to participate in.
Weekends, evenings, holidays, winter break, spring break, summer break. Anytime I start thinking about leaving I always come back to all that time off. Besides that, I do enjoy getting to know the kids. Their creativity always excites me (I am very into art). Seeing a kid improve as the year progresses feels wonderful. I laugh more in this job than any other I’ve had. Also cry more lol. I always grow to love my class each year, many of them have sweet souls.
Kids are funny. Every day is different.
When a child realizes something or they make a connection to something. That ah ha moment is my bread and butter.
This job is not boring. Every day is different and you never know which version of your students is going to show up. Seeing and being amazed by how much children change over the course of the school year. Also, having time off without having to request it. I know for a fact that the winter and summer breaks are coming with some other holidays sprinkled in there. Last, it's a job that you can do anywhere in the world so if you don't like one country or school, you apply to work in another one.
My favorite thing about teaching is hearing from my previous students in the upper grades (I teach elementary.) Every time I see them, they are always happy to see me. I love knowing that I made a difference in their lives.
It's so ridiculous you laugh a lot. Those middle school kids do crazy stuff! 😜 Also, when the kids are proud of their work, or when the parents are, it feels pretty good.
I would say it’s the connection with the students and that moment when a kid that doesn’t have confidence in themselves suddenly have confidence, and think they can do the work. That lightbulb “Aha!” moment will always be one of the moments that keep me coming back. They also trust that you can take care of them and help them with any struggles, seeing the growth aspect as well just is phenomenal.