Elementary Education

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Elementary Education

Top 8 Reasons Why Non-Teachers Can Never Really Understand Our Job

Or, Why Teaching Is An All-Encompassing Profession

By Beth Lewis, About.com

3. We’re not just teachers. – The word “teacher” just doesn’t cover it. We’re also nurses, psychologists, recess monitors, social workers, parental counselors, secretaries, copy machine mechanics, and almost literally parents, in some instances, to our students. If you’re in a corporate setting, you can say, “That’s not in my job description.” When you’re a teacher, you have to be ready for everything and anything to be thrown at you on a given day. And there’s no turning it down.

4. Everything’s always our fault. – Parents, principals, and society in general blame teachers for every problem under the sun. We pour our hearts and souls into teaching and 99.99% of teachers are the most generous, ethical, and competent workers you can find. We have the best of intentions in a messed-up education system. But somehow we still get the blame. But we keep teaching and trying to make a difference.

Explore Elementary Education

More from About.com

Elementary Education

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Elementary Education
  4. Teaching Strategies
  5. Challenges of Teaching - Top 8 Reasons Why Non-Teachers Can Never Really Understand Our Job

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.