Do you ever miss teaching?
It has been over a year since I left teaching and the question teachers always ask me is what I miss about teaching. The truth is, it only took about a month for me to completely block out the ✨trauma✨ that was teaching in Australia. So here is a look at all of the things I’m missing out on.
What you will find here
This is just a bit of fun, but on reflection I realised there is a lot I am missing out on now that I’m not teaching. And spoiler – I’m OK with that. If you’re thinking about leaving teaching I have some free resources that might be helpful.
What I miss about teaching
The feeling of impending doom
There is nothing like trying to make your Sunday evening drag out because the idea of going into school on Monday makes you want to be physically sick. I would plead, argue, and try to negotiate with myself. Maybe I could get out of it somehow? Could I call in sick? Could I just send an email and quit and run away to Tuscany?
the lesson observations
You know what I miss about teaching? It was the lack of trust. The administrators and Head of department needed to come and watch us teach every term or so, just to keep us on our toes. It is not like we have years of experience and post graduate studies to prove our efficiency at our job. It is not like we had multiple job interviews for the role where we had to prepare a lesson and do a demonstration lesson. No, we need to be constantly monitored.
Never going to the toilet
I miss running to the teacher’s toilet during the bell between classes only to find that it is occupied and having to wait 2 more hours until lunch. It is like a little game I would play called “am I going to get a UTI today?”.
The marking
No one likes marking. I refuse to believe that there is anyone who enjoys marking.
The lesson planning
I secretly enjoy lesson planning. I love coming up with ways to engage learners and create fun learning experiences for all students. It was my favourite thing about teaching. But wow, I’m so grateful that now when I am sick, I can just sleep in instead of spending an anxiety-induced morning sending off lesson plans, pdfs to print out, and slideshows through to whichever teacher got the short end of the stick that day. All an hour before school starts.
The report writing
Back before ChatGPT wrote our reports for us, teachers had to write 30 unique paragraphs for each student about the same assignment. Much like a university student cramming in long study nights right before the end of the semester, teachers would spend late nights crafting creative short stories that most parents won’t even bother reading.
The staff meetings
UGH. You know what teachers love after finishing a gruelling day of teaching? Staying another hour for a staff meeting that could have been an email. My favourite thing about staff meetings is that the worst teachers always love to use staff meetings as an opportunity to hear themselves talk. Just a PSA: If you’re talking during a staff meeting, we all hate you. We all just want to go home.
Subbing classes
Do you know how many times I had to cover a class while teaching my normal teaching load in Australia? Every. Single. Day. For office workers, this is like going into a meeting to do a presentation where you haven’t seen the slides and you don’t know who is attending. All you know is how long the meeting will run. Do you know how many times that has happened to me in my office job? Never.
Never finishing my coffee
R.I.P to all my unfinished coffees during the several years I taught. If it is not espresso, there is not enough time to drink it.
Field trips
Field trips are great when they make sense and are great learning opportunities, but we have all been on that field trip that was stuffed into the calendar and now you’ve got to put on your excited face because the kids think it sounds as horrendous as you know it will be. And don’t forget your phone and the first aid kit because it doesn’t matter how old your class is, someone is always going to throw up.
Martyr mentality
They say misery enjoys company, and that is the pledge that every teacher signs up to. Seriously, the next time you go to school try to pay attention to how many comments are negative and how many are positive in the staff room. The worst part is that the suffering is seen as a badge of honour to many. If you’re not doing overtime, if you’re not bending over backwards to reinvent the wheel, and signing up to help with extracurriculars, other teachers will question if you really care about the children.
There is always that teacher that boasts about how much they have sacrificed. Just remember, there is no gold star for the teacher who sacrifices the most. The reward they get is a life of compromise, low pay, high stress, less quality time with the people they love, and nothing to show for it. No thanks.
VERDICT
There is not much I miss about teaching
The only thing you’ll miss is the summer break. But even that wouldn’t make me go back to teaching because I don’t feel like I need a two month break to recover from my year anymore. So there is that.
Did this article speak to you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you’re on Instagram, you can find me over here: @apicturesquelife so feel free to reach out or use #apicturesquelife and I’d be happy to connect!