Any teachers in this group? Really questioning my career....

Question

Hello!! I am a first year teacher and think I hate my job. The effort needed to be a teacher is just not something I want to reach, all the outside work, etc. I see people post on Facebook that they’re up at night worrying about their students...this sounds bad but I forget they exist the second I leave. 
I have no desire to put in crazy effort to make my lessons “cool” or “fun” (I do sometimes though force myself) I can’t wait for the day to be over, and I don’t think about any of it at home until I have to (lesson plans). 
What is this? First year blues? First real job hitting me in the face blues? Or do I truly sound like I’m not meant to teach? 
Really considering looking for a new job after this school year but my husband just thinks it’s because it’s my first year. How was your first year?

Answer

I’m not a teacher but not to be rude you sound like someone I wouldn’t want my son to have as a teacher. I had a few teachers like this and we can tell y’all don’t want to be there and that y’all hate your job, it makes learning more difficult especially for the students that would benefit from the extra effort put in to make learning creative/fun/interesting

Answer

Your first year of teaching is so insanely difficult. I often compare the first year of teaching as treading water—you’re literally just trying to stay afloat.
The comments about not being able to wait until school is over or not thinking of your kids after school is concerning, though. This may make an indication that you’re not putting enough effort into getting to know your students on a personal level.
I also found that I felt a lot less passionate about my job and overall joy when I worked in a school that wasn’t a right fit for me. Finding the right school for you makes a huge difference! 
I hope you find your passion and excitement for teaching. If not, consider what you’d like to do instead. If you teach without passion and excitement then you’re doing a disservice to your students.

Answer

My first year was hard. But if you don’t care about your students then you need a new job. My first year was hard because I cared. Because I wanted to do better, to be better, for them. And there’s still not enough time in the day.

Answer

Everyone handles stress differently. I’ve been teaching now for 9 years. My first two were terrible and long and miserable and I could go on. By my third year I finally felt like I had a clue of what I was doing. By year 5 and 6 I was super confident was recognized by the education director as an outstanding teacher. I was you. I still kind of am. Here’s the deal. I refuse to take papers home to grade. I will often stay leave or come in early to get crap done but when I’m home I’m present to my family. The first couple of years I truly didn’t think much of the kids because I was dreading going in the next day and felt like I had constant knots in my stomach. I literally remember thinking that eventually people would figure out I was a terrible teacher and it would be a witch hunt by parents and other teachers to get my fired. As the first year ended and I saw how much my kids actually learned and got praised by parents I was actually shocked haha There is NO true training to prepare you for what a lot of us deal with those first years. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve brought papers home to grade. I can honestly say those first years I wasn’t thinking about my students after school because I was barely remembering to eat and sleep because I was lesson planning as the only second grade teacher without a set curriculum. All I can say is, for NON teachers to judge you... just ignore that crap. They have no clue. For other teachers to judge you... they more than likely had a different experience. It’s when we aren’t supported that this kind of thing happens and I was right where you were. Your lessons will get better, you will get into a routine, you will figure out what the kids actually need to know vs what the books say, you’ll shift from survival mode into being able to process what your individual kids need a lot more easily. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Pinterest always helped boost my morale. If you want to message me you can.

Answer

Try to be more involved during the day. Find a reason to like work. I’m not a teacher but I was a teachers aide for awhile and hated it at first. But then I started to bond with the kids and loved it. It definitely took a couple of months since it was overwhelming having to deal with tons of kids and tons of responsibilities but they grew on me after awhile and it started to be fun! Start by planning one fun activity a week, try to do something you will have fun doing and that’s easy to manage. Maybe on fridays you incorporate a game into their lesson plan. It helps if you really get into it. Even if you aren’t having fun, fake it until you make it! I imagine you had to go through a good amount of schooling to get here, so don’t give up too quickly. Teaching children can be so rewarding and fun! Good luck and I hope it gets easier ❤️

Answer

As a former preschool teacher. My job was always overlooked as if I was not a real teacher although I had to do all the same work except the grading. You sound like it’s not a fit for you which is fine but don’t keep doing a job you hate especially while working with children they know and feed off your energy.

Answer

Im a prek teacher and i love my job. I go in early amd stay late just to figure out new ways to teach and fun ways to do activitys. Thats so important. Kids can feel your vibe no matter the agr

Answer

My first year of teaching was horrible. I had to force myself to get out of bed every day. Part of it was the school, part of it was the stress of it being my first year, and part of it was this one extremely challenging student (and his even more challenging mother). My contract was also not renewed at my first school, and I ended up getting a job at a different school the next year. This is my 6th year at that school now and I have my dream teaching position. I love my job. 
Maybe don’t give up right away. Give it another year and see if experience will be the right medicine.

Answer

If it’s your first real job. That’s why!! I bet any money. When I got out of school it took me so long to find a job that I wouldn’t call out of or didn’t hate. & it wasent the job itself I had some of the easiest jobs. It was the working part being stuck somewhere for so many hours. I would explore different jobs maybe you will find one you click with better but I think it’s more the working aspect

Any teachers in this group? Really questioning my career....

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