Author Sharon Creech wrote, “Don’t judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasin.” Until one experiences the life of another, it remains impossible to obtain a realistic foundation that justifies judging another.
Every person lives with experiences unknown to the people around them, so it remains unjust to compare or think ill of a person’s situation without reasonable merit. Several unsung heroes deserving of credit and understanding, such as teachers, face judgment from students, parents and guardians and the Board of Education. Teachers, responsible for guiding kids from approximately ages five to eighteen, remain a vital foundation for society, equipping future leaders with the tools necessary to thrive. Acting as educators, therapists, detectives and role models, teachers juggle numerous roles within their careers. Summarizing the routine of 3.8 million teachers in the U.S. remains impossible without underrepresenting a significant quantity of people, however, educators may face similar experiences that would benefit the general public in achieving sympathy.
“I get up at five-thirty or so and I do power yoga, then I shower and dress. I usually grab breakfast out the door [though] most teachers don’t eat breakfast. I usually get [to NC] by seven-thirty,” Precalculus and Statistics teacher Dr. Natalie Hise said.
The beginning of a teacher’s day relies on the individual’s morning routine and route to school. Enjoying activities such as exercising or reading to start their day, or living a far distance from work results in an earlier wake-up. Breakfast additionally remains at the hands of the individual, due to unique tastes and preference to eat at home versus on the way to work.
“As soon as you get in the car, you’re on. You could’ve planned eight zillion steps and great ideas but the moment you step in [at school] everything can change just like that and you have to adapt and adjust very quickly. Many teachers are introverts thrown into an extroverted role; it’s like a performance every day [but] the show must go on,” Forensics science and Zoology teacher Susan Aughey said.
A teacher’s workday commonly begins before students enter the scene. Activities include grading, lesson planning, printing worksheets and tutoring. One-on-one lessons depend on the teachers’ office hours. The morning exists as the calm before the work day begins, providing teachers with a handful of moments to recuperate.
“[When I get to school] I get out handouts and remember what I’m teaching. I usually have some students that start showing up at seven-forty-five. So sometimes I have time to grade some papers but a lot of times I end up tutoring,” Dr. Hise said.
Critics may claim that because teachers engage in little physical labor and enjoy summer breaks, the job remains low–effort. Due to the non-extraneous nature of educating, individuals may additionally believe anyone with specialized knowledge can easily teach. However, a teacher’s job remains difficult not due to physical exertion and labor demands such as with a construction worker or farmer’s career, but from the mental toll teachers face daily.
Emotional exhaustion develops from several factors, including student’s behavioral issues and time spent overworking. Nearly half of teachers participating in a Pew Research Center survey in 2023 reported their students to behave either tolerably or poorly. Additionally, numerous students remain distracted by their phones during class, hindering a teacher’s feeling of respect while lecturing a class stuck in an electronic world.
Teachers also face fatigue from working approximately 50 hours a week, rather than Cobb County’s required 40 hours per week. Teachers devote less than half of their work time toward directly teaching their students. Behind the scenes, educators spend countless hours ensuring their classes run smoothly, staying busy with responding to emails, grading, studying lesson standards and attending meetings, among other tasks. Therefore, students especially may not realize the hours teachers put in to provide each individual with the finest education possible.
“[Being a teacher] can be really rough, to be honest. You have to love what you do and be here for a reason. I have kids at home, they take a lot of time. I’ve got a job here and I’ve got to do stuff outside of work: grade, plan, sort stuff out for experiments that haven’t been done in a while. I have the training I’ve got to do. It’s difficult. [Finding the balance in life] is a work in progress for everybody, it’s no different for teachers and adults than it is for teenagers,” Physics teacher John Schreiber said.
Despite struggles with students’ behavior, teachers persist. An educator’s day may become brightened at times when they build relationships with kids, teach subjects they love, witness students experiencing “Aha!” moments and watch former pupils put their learned skills to use. Similar to any job, difficult times arise — remembering the purpose of a teacher’s work and seeing the impact on students frames teaching in a positive light.
Once the dismissal bell rings, students flee classrooms to head home or participate in extracurriculars. The workday may not end for teachers, however, as numerous educators opt to prepare for the following day, sponsor clubs or work an additional job. The likelihood of a teacher balancing a second job totals three times the odds of the rest of America’s workforce, even during the school year. Upon returning home, 43% of teachers sleep six or fewer hours per night, despite the recommendation for seven or more hours for adults. Regardless of the amount of sleep, educators start the day again in the morning, five days a week to inspire and educate students.
“Doing [clubs like Greenhouse Gang] gives me an opportunity to connect with the kids in a more social setting. They get to see me as people, I get to see them as people and not just some vessel I have to fill with knowledge. It’s a reminder why I do what I do and a reminder why I [teach] because I love it so much,” Immediate Reinforcement and Remediation (IRR) teacher Nancy Wesselmann said.
Endurance and strength cannot properly label a teacher’s brilliant ability to work with kindness despite personal or work struggles. Teachers rise to the occasion to provide for kids every day, lending constant support to their students. Shaping the minds of future generations, teachers exist as nothing less than America’s heroes.
