SOL: D21, Not Understanding the Life of a Teacher

/ TWL - Working Mom

teacher-what-i-think-i-do

This is SO TRUE!!!

I really don’t think I am alone in this post at all, which is good and bad at the same time. It is a good thing that I have many teacher friends because usually it is very hard to relate to what you deal with as a teacher especially if they are working in the summer months and hating on us having off.

Then.

There is society. What society thinks teachers do. Babysit and play all day. I honestly wish people could come visit our classrooms for a week and then either be able to participate in voting for our levys and our school budgets. I also wish people in other careers could come in and watch what we deal with every day.

The reason for this post? Well, my husband doesn’t quite understand the life of a teacher. And quite frankly it is infuriating.

I participate in way too many things. I agree to do clubs and extra activities and I sign up to be the union rep (once a month meetings) , in a Reading Council where I work for free (some Saturdays or Wednesday nights), I am doing all 4 National Boards components this year (at least 2-3 times a month meetings after school), I am doing a book study before school (once a week), and I run homework club every week after school. Those are just things I choose to do. These are not things that I need to do. I go to professional development whenever I can. I like to learn. I like to do extra and more and I enjoy working hard and accomplishing things.

Now this causes a problem for my husband because my National Boards meetings go late, my book study is early, I have early collaboration district wide once a month and then I have some friends who invite me to do things. I am part of committees that have to do things after shool (Read Across America or Science Committee, etc) and therefore, he would either need to drop off our daughter at daycare or pick her up. Which I usually do.

But there are tons more this year than last because of the National Boards I am doing, which happens to be a lot of work. So I can manage time just fine, but then I get shit for having all of these meetings, because he has to drop her off or pick her up.

So my counter is, do I ever have to go away for work? No.  And during that time when you go away, do I have to pick her up, and drop her off every single day?  The answer is yes.

I just feel like he doesnt get it. He doesn’t get my career, and why I want to work so hard and what it’s like to bring work home and not just be able to come home and not have to do things for work because he doesnt have to do things for work when he leaves work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I get really mad! And here I am, really mad, accomplished nothing, but my Day 21 writing post, and I am still mad, and he still doesn’t get it.

Frustrating.

I feel like I am not alone in this misconception of a teacher’s life.

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Thank you Two Writing Teachers for such an amazing writing challenge. I think I will even be sad when it is over! It has helped me be accountable for my writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

34 thoughts on “SOL: D21, Not Understanding the Life of a Teacher”

  1. I feel your pain!!!
    I don’t think people understand how difficult, demanding, and all consuming our job is…it was extremely validating to read your post and know that it isn’t just my perception that empathy is hard to come by…thanks for sharing!

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  3. This post is so accurate!! So many people really have no understanding of our job. It’s not a normal job and most great teachers I know don’t just work until the buses leave. I can tell your committed to being a great teacher and even though I’m sure you feel under appreciated and misunderstood at times, your students will forever be changed because of all your hard work for them! It’s so frustrating when people don’t understand our job, but they also don’t understand how much more rewarding being a teacher is than your typical 9-5.

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  4. You definitely have a right to be angry. My friends all talk to me about how teachers have so much free time (the whole summer off and winter break) – but we are prepping for next year, and grading papers or reorganizing! There is never a break, especially if you like to be involved in your school and with your students. And I hate when guys get upset over having to do something that you have been doing for much longer..there was a shift like that at home when my mom went to work and my dad is in between jobs – he has to take out the trash and feed the pets now, and often complains. Come on now..! Glad you got to vent it out on here 🙂

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  5. You’re so right! And you’re not alone! I’m pretty sure my husband has no idea what I do either and I’m too tired at the end of the day to explain it! I totally feel you! Put it this way: my husband was upset because he couldn’t understand why I was “typing” every night (for the Slice of Life challenge)! I am always careful about “criticizing” what other people do because, just as other people do to teachers, you just have no clue about what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes! Take a breath, let your feelings out with your words and know that you are definitely not alone. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
    P.S. Good luck with your National Boards! The payoff is definitely worth way more than the work you put in! You got this!

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  6. The only thing ( don’t hate me for this) but the only thing I do not like about SOME teachers in my experience is that a majority of them leave their schools go to college to train to be a teacher, then straight into school and have no real experience of life 😳 My ex sister in law was a teacher! Every time she spoke to me I felt she thought I was a child. I could not stand her. That is my personal opinion 😃

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  7. Standing ovation for everything you just said. My husband actually works in a school, but he is non-certified staff. He only marginally gets it. (I think because he sees what the good teachers do and realizes I am not the only one.)

    National Boards should really come with a time warning. Been there– twice. It was totally worth it, though. I am glad you have a study group. They are hard to find in my region, and they make a huge difference! Good luck.

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  8. I don;t have kids or a spouse, so everything at home falls on me. I know other people don’t get it. They don;t get the energy it takes to teach all day, then do all the extra things related to teaching before coming home. The best compliment a parent ever gave me was after a field trip. A dad said, “How do you do this all day?” I think he got it.

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  9. They haven’t walked in our moccasins. They don’t have the heart of a teacher (a teacher heart is like none other). They don’t understand the calling that we answered when we became teachers. They have spent many years in classrooms but as students. I’ve spent much time in dental chairs, I can talk a lot about that, but I have no clue about being a dentist. I pass on a story from a 2nd grade teacher friend. Her school had arranged an offsite luncheon for her team as part of teacher appreciation. Parents and volunteer subs covered their classes. My friend’s class was covered by a parent couple. When she returned, the father (a Southwest Airline pilot) shared his new appreciation for his son’s teacher, saying, “I don’t know how much they pay you but I know it is not enough!”

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  10. Yes and Yes! For it all! Love the graphic and can relate to your frustration! Nothing worse than constantly feeling like you have to EXPLAIN and defend what we do all day. Ugh. Oh and the whole we get so many vacations and only work until 3:00… makes me CRAZY!!!! I am emailing parents way past the bell, working on plans, correcting, and taking home emotional baggage of things that happened during the day with my students or what they are dealing with at home, etc. We are a teacher, parent, therapist, disciplinary, role model, and about a billion other things all rolled into one. Not to mention we are constantly being judged and now “graded” on how well our students take a state mandated exam?!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

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  11. I think I became exhausted just reading your post:)

    It’s so hard to be passionate about something and balance it with everything else in life. It does seem like you have far more than any one plate could hold. Are there some activities/responsibilities you could delay or stop so that you might have some more time? Perhaps this is something you and your husband might discuss–perhaps after the school year ends and you ca breathe a bit.

    I worked as a teacher, district admin of a city school system, and professor so your angst isn’t lost on me. I was married to a teacher and so we had a lot in common and we were each very passionate about our work. A lot of that changed when we became parents. We picked up for one another so that our son had our attention. It was challenging. Now I own a consulting business and use time differently as the responsibilities in my life have shifted a lot.

    I wish you some calmness among all the tasks.

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    • Thank you for sharing! Next year will be less because i will be done with national boards, but the other stuff is stuff i want to do! and he should try to respect that. Its not every single day but thats just how life is going to be. just like i cant complain when he has to go away for work. agh! lol

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  12. What you say is so true. No one understands what a teacher does except another teacher. I was lucky in that I married a teacher so we understood. Where other jobs may leave you physically drained teaching leavers you both physically and mentally drained. This is something many non teachers do not understand.

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  13. You can tell by all of the comments that you are right; you’re not alone! People don’t understand! Even I didn’t understand when my mom was still teaching – I still don’t – though now that I’m a teacher I understand why I do those extra things. However, you seem over-extended! Don’t forget to take time for yourself! I have had to consciously step back this year to save downtime for myself. Of course I already work another part-time job… and in the summer… and want to start a doctorate…

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  15. I am glad that we were all here for you to vent to. You wrote such a great post about your passion for teaching and all the things that go along with it. The National Boards are so worth it, but such very, very, very hard work. I was lucky enough to do mine before our son was born, so the family impact was less noticeable. No one quite seems to grasp what we do and why we do it though, even those we love best.

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  16. You need to vent – especially when you aren’t being validated for all you do. I have said over and over that politicians need to spend time in our classes teaching – and doing all we do for even a day. They wouldn’t be able to cope an hour.

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