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Being a teacher is difficult

By Ryan Crawley,

24 Jan 2020

Being a teacher is difficult.

You can take the coolest and calmest person on the planet and make them a teacher, and they eventually will lose their patience.

In fact, to prove this point, remember when the Fonz turned into a high school teacher on Happy Days? It took him only a couple days before he lost his cool and walked out on his class.

But, of course, he is the Fonz and came back and dominated not too long after. As a teacher myself, I have noticed when there have been times I felt that I literally transformed into a wild creature in the classroom.

I witnessed this as a student as well back when I was in school.

Plus, I can definitely recognize it in my teaching colleagues.

Usually I am trying to stifle a laugh when I notice the similarities.

Below are a few instances which proves that being a teacher is difficult. Writing at the Board We’ve all been there.

We all know what can happen when we turn our backs fully to our students.

Not looking at them for a split second can result in chaos.

Plus, spitballs, pencils, and chairs may soon be hurled at the back of your head if you are not paying attention.

This is why teachers writing at the board are a lot like owls.

We keep our head on a swivel, and if we need to, we turn our head all the way around to keep eye contact with the class. Seeing Something We Can’t Believe At least once a day, a teacher comes across something they thought they would never witness or wished they hadn’t seen.

Whether it is a student vomiting in the middle of class or a kid not making it to the bathroom in time, this tarsier has the expression and the eyes that all teachers get every so often. Stopping Students from Misbehaving without Saying a Word Inside our classroom, when it is just us and the students, we don’t have a second thought when it comes to raising our voice and telling the kids to behave.

However, when we have a visitor in the classroom, be it a parent, administrator, or guest presenter, we don’t feel like we can yell across the room without being labeled a psychotic.

This is when we often look like tigers getting ready to attack.

We do that angry glare that we hope will stop the kids from acting like little hooligans.

The stare can last for five seconds or five minutes, depending upon the severity of the crime and the past rap sheet of the student. Teachers Gossiping in the Hallway If you aren’t a teacher yourself, then you may not know this.

But teachers can often be the biggest gossips that you can come across.

Anytime you see a few teachers huddled together and whispering, just know that they are cutting someone up pretty good.

It’s best not to stop or make eye contact with them otherwise you will be next on their agenda. Clingy Students It is amazing how many young kids know absolutely nothing about giving their teacher a bit of personal space.

The teacher can be at their desk, standing in the classroom, or having to supervise out on the playground, it does not matter.

Students will huddle so close to you it is like they are trying to stay warm around a campfire.

The real awkwardness comes when they try holding your hand and refer to you as mom or dad. Spelling a Word Wrong on the Board Teachers are only human, so once in awhile there will be something misspelled on the board.

Students that have never paid attention to anything all school year long and still mispronounce your name will somehow notice the tiniest mistake a teacher makes, and then they will shout it out to the rest of the class.

The only thing you can do is nod your head and smile goofily.

And then carefully plan the demise of that student. Taking Joy from Another Teacher’s Misery It may not seem right, but watching another teacher struggling with discipline problems in their class will often bring a smile to my face.

These educators that quote from research studies to anyone that will listen on how to handle behavior issues more effectively rub me the wrong way.

So when I see one of them panicking and having the same difficulties as the rest of us, it can cheer me up on my worst days. Eating in the Teachers’ Lounge I have always avoided the teachers’ lounge at all costs.

Nothing personal, but I tend to like to eat alone and get my grading done at the same time.

However, those few times I have graced the other teachers with my presence, they are partly comatose but somehow still chewing their food.

Teaching can be a tough profession to enjoy some days, but if you keep your sense of humor, you just might make it.