Here’s what they had to say:
Content Warning: This post contains mentions of child neglect.
“Ive been working in special education for almost 30 years.
We have started a food pantry and a clothing ‘shop’ at our school for our students.
We pack up food for the kids on weekends and vacations.
We go to their houses at least three times a year to drop off food and help.
I love this job and am so excited to see my students every day.
I only get down when I see evidence of the gross neglect they suffer.
Its a very fine line to walk every day.”
helen215
3.
“There’s often headlines in the newspapers in Australia about the staffing crisis.
All the stories are the same.
I quit teaching and became a front-line worker.
It was less traumatic, even during the pandemic.”
“I am a substitute teacher.
The other day, I had to sit with a first-grader and teach him subtraction.
Thankfully, he understood that the amount he was left with was the answer to the equation.
samanthap37
5.
“Ive wanted to teach since I was five.
I taught for five years and left two months into my sixth year because the parents dont parent.
And the worst part is that its only a handful of students that ruin it for everyone.
A group of 56 kids who are the biggest jerks because their parents cater to their every demand.
“I teach in the UK.
There was one boy in my class who had a terrible home life.
I had already taught his older siblings, but things were worse by the time I taught him.
He was always dirty and unkempt.
He struggled a lot with his behavior, but I was always there with a cuddle after every consequence.
geekymum
7.
“I have taught many grades in an elementary setting.
I had a boy in my kindergarten class who would bully a little girl who wore a leg brace.
Mom and dad were divorced and difficult to get a hold of.
“I work as a teacher assistant and work with students in first through fourth grade.
Our kids deserve better.
paigeglenn3
9.
“I teach middle school.
Every day, we deal with kids kicking, punching, and tackling each other.
It is constant parenting of kids.
They sometimes don’t care, and parents at home do not care either.”
lobsterlemonlime
11.
“How much time you got?
We do SO MUCH that traditional teachers did not.
Teaching is a whole new ballgame.
We handle their mental health challenges, which are more numerous than ever.
We check that they’re fed.
We provide the supplies they need to learn, as well as clothes and hygiene products.”
“At the school I work at, we teach them gender and sex education.
The greatest part of my job!”
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
