True Talk: I don’t hate teaching. There isn’t any other job out there that I could imagine doing, aside from maybe writing.
Teaching is my passion.
But it’s not all sunshine and roses. Some days there are things that just make me crazy.
Also, hate is kind of a strong word but “things teachers like me find to be a bit irritating at times” isn’t as catchy of a blog title.
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Assignment can’t be abbreviate appropriately
I love me some abbreviations. Not a huge fan of most texting lingo, but here’s a snippet from a daily lesson plan:
W-U: TT shells
R: vocab from yesterday
T time: new grammar concept- adj. v adv.
Prac: t/p/s- sent. writing
Pres: Ss share out
Assign HW: Grammar WS + Rdg
Slap that down on a post it note and I’m good to go. But no matter how you slice it, there is NO good way to abbreviate assignment or assessment for that matter which are both words I use a lot. And it annoys me.
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Writing Lesson Plans
Maybe some teach’s love it but I hate writing lesson plans. I draaaaaag my feet when it comes to LP time. It’d probably be a lot easier if I had more of a curriculum to work with but as it is now, I am making everything from scratch. It’s a headache at times. I would happily hire someone to do the grunt work for me and then I could just step into the classroom and go…
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Grading
Man do I hate grading. So you put in the work to create your awesome lessons. You’ve had a killer class that left students tingling with knowledge and now… you have a fat stack of papers to be graded. Thank my lucky stars I’m not a writing teacher right now. But no matter what I’m teaching I still hate sitting down and marking things.
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Failing students
Okay this one I really hate doing. I never, ever, ever want a student to fail. It goes against who I am as a teacher. Everything I am is about educating and helping a student. So when a student fails my class, I’m downtrodden. I feel as though I have failed them rather than the other way around. In truth, some students “earn” this grade by not. doing. anything. When students skip class, don’t do homework, don’t participate, and don’t study, I can’t pass them. And even if they have put this on themselves I am forever wondering what I could have done different to inspire them to change.
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Paperwork
I think this goes back to the lesson writing thing. Anytime I have to sit down and do administrative bits, my soul cringes. Teachers are creative birds. We want to be flitting around the classroom; not adding up grade reports or marking attendance.
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First Day of School
One of my favorite parts of being a teacher is the rapport I build with my kids. I know what makes them tick. I can sense their mood in the first 5 minutes of class. I know who my troublemakers are and who my helpers are. But on day 1, I know none of this. Also, I am freaking nervous on the first day. I spend twice as long on my hair because first impressions mean nothing but I have to try and why is my hair suddenly frizzy for no apparent reason??? I just want to get to the point in the year when I’ve stopped caring and I will messy bun my way through it all.
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Dress Code
So for the past two years I’ve been working in uniform land and all my kids have to abide by strict rules, no questions asked. For me this is a dream. I hate having to tell a student that what they are wearing is inappropriate. Trust me kids, it is as uncomfortable for us as it is for you, maybe even more so. And ladies, it’s not about body shaming but teaching you to respect yourself. And furthermore, any job you want in the future is probably going to have some sort of uniform or dress expectations. Learning how to dress appropriately is not going to hurt you. Besides, this is a school not a fashion show.
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New Class List
I remember when I was a student on substitute teacher day. I’m lucky because I grew up with one of the easiest names in the U.S. to pronounce and my parents gave me one of the most common spelling (thanks mom & dad!) but I had plenty of friends & classmates for whom that was not the case. You all know that person. As the sub was taking roll he/she would suddenly pause and you knew what was coming. Most likely you would burst out in giggles and start shouting your classmates name. And the poor, now red-faced sub would repeat the correction, make a note on the roll sheet and move on.
It’s funny when you’re a kid, but as a teacher I dread making that same mistake. I feel so awful for the student who is at the butt of this joke today and every time there is a substitute teacher. It was difficult enough in the U.S. but then I decided to move to countries where the sounds are completely different and the names are completely unfamiliar so I go through this feeling for about 90% of my students instead of the 10% back home.
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Being Observed
I know it’s part of the job sometimes but I really hate when another adult pops into my classroom. And it’s not cause they are watching me; I’m confident in my job but I hate what it does to the class dynamics. My students change when they are aware of a second set of eyes on them that they don’t necessarily trust. It hurts their growth sometimes
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When a good class finishes
Some days you are just on a roll. The instruction is flowing. Kids are on fire; they are loving the class. None of the typical student problems are happening and you sit back and think: This is why I do it. This is why I love my job. I want those classes to go on forever and suddenly the times up and I’ll have to hope I can rally the same energy tomorrow.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a more typical 8-5 job where I could control my own bathroom breaks and my days would be more predictable. I think, in some ways, that it would be easier. But then, I’d have to give up acting like a complete fool in hopes that one student figures out the grammar point I’m teaching. And well, I’d rather have no idea how my days going to turn out, but know there’s a good chance I’ve impacted a kid someway, somehow. I’ll take on these 10 irritations for that one student that gets it.
Teach on
Teach like nobody’s watching; cause if they were they’d probably think you were crazy.
Dream. Discover. Explore. 