I remember my mother teaching. Coming home at night frazzled and in tears many times, wondering why she was the scapegoat for all of society's problems and why she could never do anything right.
We, as a society, never had much care for education. Years ago, teachers weren't even allowed to get pregnant or even have a drink in public because what would children thinking. We were paid miserably and held to standards we could never attain, only to be attacked when we didn't attain them.
The US has always treated teachers like garbage and will always continue to do so.
Let's look at it objectively:
1: Hollywood makes teachers into miracle workers. Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds, etc. . .all movies and TV shows portray teachers either as these hard working miracle workers, or as the ones who stand in the way of all the dreams and aspirations of students. If we can't perform the miracle, we're crap. If we do, well, it's what we're supposed to do anyway.
2: Students always come into a new teacher's classroom with guarded hostility. We have to win the student over. We have to do everything to get the students, who normally has no interest in being in school, to buy into us all the while keeping a wall of separation. If a teacher has a problem with a student, it's the teacher's fault. If the student doesn't pass or succeed, it's the teacher's fault. If the student feels upset because they didn't turn in work/broke rules/got caught, it's the teacher's fault. In today's education, students have no responsibility. It's all on the miracle worker teacher.
3: Everyone loves telling teachers how to do their job and the teacher needs to listen politely and reflect on the criticism. No parent can say "what the hell are you doing at home to reinforce what I do here" because that is questioning a parent's ability and everyone know parents are infallible and perfect. No one can tell a parent that they are screwing up their kids. No one can question a parent. Teachers are parent's private, state sponsored babysitter. I remember how many parents, when I grew up in the Northeast, would scream at the school for a snow day. "I can go to work in the snow. Why can't you stay open? What am I going to do now? I need a babysitter and my entire day is ruined." Doesn't matter how dangerous the roads were. . .the parents was inconvenienced. I remember listening into a school board meeting parents yapping that during snow days, the school should be open for parents to drop off their children so the students can study, do activities, and what not until the parent gets off work. I had to jump up, even at 16 years old, and snap "it's a school not a fucking day care center, you idiot."
4: School administration only cares about their career, not the students (unless it's test scores) and definitely not teachers (unless they can lap up the success of teachers). Principals and superintendents don't care about teachers unless they are squeaky wheel that needs to be gotten rid of or they teacher succeeds "because of my steadfast leadership." School administrators are a waste of precious resources that throw teachers under the bus when THEY fail and ignore teachers when things SUCCEED. Let's not get into school boards which are people that have no education background setting education policy. One district I worked at had a high school dropout as president of the school board.
5: Ed biz like Pearson and like are always trying to sell us their "scientifically researcher" bullcrap. Ask to see the research, they won't show their corporate secrets. Be skeptical of their BS and they will run to administration and complain the teacher isn't buying into the service or product the school bought. Then the teacher is scolded for not adjusting to what they want.
6: I won't get into the politicians since all you have to do is look at Florida, Texas, and other states like it to see how valued we aren't.
Kid succeeds, it's the admin's leadership, parent's guidance, etc. It's never the teacher. kid fails, it's ALWAYS the teacher. And t's worldwide. I've taught in six countries. It's worldwide.
Those looking to teach as a career, take my advice and don't. it isn't worth it. I've been one for 18 years and am trying desperately to get out of the classroom. Sadly, I have no skills businesses need. HR these days have checklists. If you don't match the checks, you go into the circular file even if you can do the job.
I've spent 18 years in a classroom. I have nothing to show except being demoralized, abused, ignored, and marginalized. I'm literally at the point that I just don't care anymore. I'll never be the school leader I'm trained and licensed to be because I'm too dangerous as a thinker. And I just don't care anymore. I have no enthusiasm in teaching. I have no desire to do it. And after 18 years, I have no spirit.
I've heard all the rah-rah speeches and the bullcrap teachers hear every year. I just don't care. For all those looking to become teachers, don't bother. You will get to where I am soon enough and all you'll do is go through the motions. No one cares about you except to criticize and tear you down. No one notices you unless you don't do what you're commanded to do.
Eighteen years of teaching and I have nothing to show. That's the biggest sock in the face. I wasted 18 years of my life being treated like crap in a classroom and, now, I have more of my life behind me than in front of me.
Don't teach, young people. It isn't worth it and unlike what people want to be believe, it never was worth it.