Author's note: extreme amounts of sarcasm ahead.
Teachers graduate from college and then get paid to grade papers and babysit all day, so why are they all over the nation complaining about pay raises nonstop? Who wouldn't love to get $50,000 a year to lecture at kids and then get summers off, right? Besides, there's loan forgiveness! And don't forget that the school district always pays for all the supplies, so, seriously, teachers ought to stop complaining. Here's why:
1. It's not like they're the ones paying for classroom supplies.
This is untrue. Someone once told me how their school ran out of colored paper and how a teacher bought it herself for her and other educators to use.
Other teachers have bought markers, pencils, notebooks, folders and even clothes or hygiene supplies for students who need it.
A recent TIME article stated that, on average, teachers spend nearly $500 yearly on schools supplies, out of pocket. One in 10 teachers spends over $1,000! Good thing they're already rolling in the dough, right?
2. Parents always cooperate.
One teacher in Pittsburgh was beaten up by a parent for simply enforcing school cell phone policy.
3. Their work days are over at 3:00 pm.
4. All they do is sit in their chairs, glare and grade papers.
5. They! Have! Summers! Off!
6. They get paid to work with kids! Heavenly, right?
Oh, and don't forget about school shootings. Science Daily reported on a study that found, in the past 18 years, more people have died or been injured in mass school shootings in the U.S. than in the entire 20th century.
7. Teaching is easy.
The state has curriculum requirements that teachers have to meet whether they like it or not, and they MUST teach kids with different abilities, different cultures and varying socioeconomic status. Surprisingly, this isn't an easy task.
8. They don't even try to make the useless material interesting.
9. They don't care about the teacher-student relationship.
10. All they do is give a grade.
Teachers have changed lives. Some have inspired students to go on and live fulfilling lives with careers that have helped change the world! They don't just give a grade, they give their lives and livelihoods to ensure that each student can successfully achieve their goals. Heck, Oprah dedicates her success to one of her teachers. She said,
"I know I wouldn't be where I am today without my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Duncan. She so believed in me, and for the first time, made me embrace the idea of learning. I learned to love learning because of Mrs. Duncan."
I, too, have a personal story about teaching impacting my life - it's just in a different way than expected.
In the last year, I volunteered as a teacher and learned about how unappreciative and draining the career can be.
Kids can be so disrespectful and parents don't always take responsibility for the discipline of their children; in the meantime, some teachers are trying to pay off their Master's degree with a $30,000 salary just to be dismissed by students, the state, parents and the administration.
This may all be news to you, as it once was for me, but teaching is a terribly difficult job! If you don't have your heart in the right place, you'll hate it and burn out within the first three years.
The teachers who stick it through are there because they actually want to make an impact on the lives of kids, so give them the benefit of the doubt next time you think they're just a bunch of crabby slackers.
This is why, in the spirit of the recent Teacher's Appreciation Day, I dare you to tell a teacher who has made a positive impact on you that you are thankful for what they've done. It might be the one thing that brightens their day this week.
