All of us were once "newly hired" but what does that really entail? Does being a newly hired teacher make you less of a teacher? Maybe – if we're talking about experience. That's what I'm trying to say here, newly hired teachers lack experience and they need guidance and support from the experienced ones. So, when did the let's-give-all-the-work-to-the-newly-hired-teachers became a trend or even a norm in schools?

If you're a newly hired teacher, they think you can do everything – from being an emcee, facilitator, go-to person in every problem they encounter and to anything under the sun. The thing that makes me disgusted is when they use your being a "millennial" to make you do their work for them. Every single thing now is done using a computer, like, lesson plans, instructional materials, class record, tarpaulin, programs and etc. Some teachers use this "you're a millennial, you're so good with computers so it'll be easy for you to do the work compared to me since I am old and doesn't know how to use, edit or layout in a computer" line – which is understandable but come on! If you don't know how to use a computer how do you do everything nowadays? I mean, you can use that excuse once or twice, but every single activity, program and other events you'll have me do it? Don't get me wrong I'd love to help but I have other things to do as well – I'm a teacher here too, like you. Which brings me back to the gist of this open letter, we're all teachers regardless if you've been in the service for 10-15 years or if you're newly hired. I thought teachers are supposed to be flexible? Then why use the same excuse all the damn time? Me-old-you-young-you-do-the-job mentality is SO MEDIEVAL. If you want the job done, learn how to do it yourself. As far as I know, we all applied for a teaching job and we were all hired as "teachers" and not as other people's personal assistant.

First few years in the service you'll have to be nice to everyone, you have to learn to say yes to everything if you want a good relationship with your co-teachers. And I have to tell you guys, if you say "YES" to everything that people tell you to do you'll be loved by everybody. But, the question is, "until when do you have to do it?" because it is so mentally, emotionally and physically draining! Let me tell you the cold hard truth, if you continue to do this there will come a time that for all the things that you've done for them in those "say yes to everything" phase of yours, will all be disregarded and forgotten by the time you learn how to say "NO". There's a point in our lives when we realize "enough is enough" and some are not brave enough to admit that to their selves since they're afraid of facing the reality that not everyone is going to like and accept you when you start to realize your own self-worth. They will not like you saying no to them because then, they'll have to do it themselves – and cue drama.

If they're used to you saying yes to them all the time, they won't take you saying no to them nicely. This is the drama I'm telling you about – by the time the first "no" leaves your mouth, expect a knife on your back before the day ends. Expect everyone to give you long hard stares and if you're lucky, some will ignore you and won't even look at you straight in the eyes. And one of my favorite things to hear is, "look how air-headed the newly-hired had become." See how it works now? You help them and you do all their work – you're even lucky if some of them remembers to say thank you to you, but if you decline one of their requests – you'll get knives and sharp tongues in return.

Funny thing is, they would even try to justify their actions by telling you "why complain so much about all the work you've been given when we were newly hired teachers, it was even worse than what you're experiencing now", and I'm like, what is this then? a cycle? a tradition? – that when your superiors treated you badly before, you'll have to do the same and give the same experience to the newbies? Where was it written when I applied for this job? Because I'm sure as hell it wasn't mentioned to me. "Don't invalidate people's struggles because you've been through worse. If someone is tired after working for 5 hours and you worked for 7, it doesn't mean that they're not allowed to be tired. It doesn't mean they can't feel what they're feeling just because you've had it worse."

It's just sad that you have to be a slave first to be loved, accepted and treated as an equal by other people. Some people can easily paint you as a bad guy to other people if you don't do them favors. It's so toxic working in this kind of environment. People always tell you to grow a thick skin and tell you that you'll learn to not care about these things when you ignore those people trying to drag you down. But I'm not built like that and I don't want to end up like them in the long run.

"You often feel tired. Not because you've done too much but because you've done too little of what lights a fire inside you."

"Understand that even an 'understanding heart' grows tired of being always understanding and never understood." – A. Jay

Sincerely Yours,

Tired, Stressed and Exhausted Newly Hired Teacher