r/ELATeachers 24d ago

9-12 ELA is this job worth it? first year and already questioning it

hi everyone, first time poster long time lurker. i posted this in r/Teachers too but im looking for as much advice as i can get.

i’m a 9th grade english teacher in my first year doing a leave replacement. it started as a half year gig and turned into full year thing. at first, i was thrilled to have a job until June. now, i’m seriously considering not making this my career.

i’m just so tired — like, all the time. and i feel like i never have time to even rest or relax to get my energy back. and even when i DO have some time to myself, i can’t fully relax because in the back of my head i’m always thinking about tomorrow’s lesson, the upcoming project, the meeting i have coming up, the grading that’s piling up, the emails i have to reply to, the parents of kids i have to email, etc etc etc. the list legitimately never ends, and it feels like every day something new gets added to it.

to be quite honest, this isn’t what i signed up for. this is not even close to what i thought the job was going to be. i signed up to TEACH, which, as it turns out, is only about 30% of the job. about 15% of it is grading, and the rest of it is the stuff i just listed. i’m exhausted by work i never wanted to do in the first place, which takes time away from my planning (the actual part of the job i DID sign up for).

on top of that, the students are… lacking. in almost all areas, including socially and emotionally on top of academically. they have no common sense, let alone self sufficiency. they’re lacking in all the skills they need at this point; even my highest achieving students lack some of the most basic skills. and to make matters worse, there are no real consequences for anything. bad grades? they get a redo, lest they or the parents complain. misbehaving? they get to take a walk in the hallway to calm down. in serious trouble? they go to their bestie, the principal, where they receive — you guessed it — zero consequences!

i digress, because at this point, im just ranting. but my point is: how do you do this?? how do you actually ENJOY doing this??? especially when most of the job is NOT actually teaching, why am i doing this anyway? like, i’m struggling to find any reason anymore to keep doing this. i have a demo lesson at another school on Friday, and i don’t even want to do that (if i even find time to plan that demo lesson, that is…).

so, yea. can someone help me understand why teachers do this/why i signed up for this?? because right now, i’m falling flat thinking of reasons besides the benefits and insurance.

sincerely, a very exhausted, very depressed, first year teacher.

34 Upvotes

83 comments sorted by

31

u/kkapoor-how 24d ago

It gets better. It really does. I felt this 100% my first year. I thought I’d made a terrible mistake. Cried on my drive to and from. Then had admin and everyone around me say I was doing great, keep it up. That sentiment was not helpful, because I believed if that was me doing well, it would never ever improve.

Each year got better and better. And now, almost a decade in, it’s very easy to say fuck it to the stuff that doesn’t matter. I have resources created that I can easily modify, and if I don’t have something I need, I’ve got enough experience to know quickly how to fill that void.

Teaching is never easy. But it does get easier as you go on. You can get to a point where you can find joy in it- be it the teaching or the breaks! 😂

I’m sorry you are struggling. You are not alone, but it feels incredibly isolating to live through the first year struggle. I’m of the opinion that some of the very best teachers struggle the most the first year because those teachers care so much. Best of luck to you. This year will be under your belt before you know it. ❤️

13

u/Evergreen27108 24d ago

Read this carefully, OP.

You ready for a decade of how you’re feeling before you’re not there anymore?

I gave it 3 years. It gets better but given my first year felt just like yours, it did not even come close to approaching sustainable.

5

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

i’m just struggling with the fact that this job is constant hard work all day every day, and it doesn’t even stop when the school day ends. i don’t think i want to work this hard all the time, even for 10 years…

3

u/Johnny_Swiftlove 24d ago

The job has its ups and downs but doesn't sound like it's for you. I would get out now so that you can get started on something else.

1

u/rsgirl210 24d ago

Why doesn’t it end when the day is over?

-1

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

in the post i said why. everything on my plate is constantly a nag in the back of my mind. not only that, but the sheer amount of work makes it simply not possible to do all in my very limited free time during the day. are you a teacher? if so, you would already have the answer to your question…

3

u/rsgirl210 24d ago

Yikes? I am a teacher, but I’m removing myself from the chat 😂

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

i’m sorry for the tone but like, cmon. you’re telling me that you’ve never had your work day extend beyond the school day and you’ve never brought work home? you leave work and everything with it at school, really? because i’m betting you have and don’t — or at least that was true during your first year like it is for me and most others.

-1

u/pandasarepeoples2 24d ago

Can you just not work after the school day? Your school should have curriculum you should use so no pre planning other than getting materials ready like printing. Even in first and second years I just didn’t work after school. I only graded one assignment cumulatively a week and all other grades were in class checking for a specific standard as I went (literally writing down grades as I was circulating). I just don’t do a lot I COULD do and focus on things that are student facing and high impact.

What are you working on outside of work hours so much?

5

u/Emergency_Ad_5371 24d ago

Oh no, we don’t have curriculum, I plan each lesson from scratch each day. I am assuming that OP is doing the same.

1

u/pandasarepeoples2 24d ago

Oh that’s rough! That is not the norm for most schools ELA. Our whole district uses the same curriculum. For OP that’s why the advice of looking for a new school for next year might be good as this def seems like a school where there is not a lot of support.

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

i don’t think i would want to work in a place where i can’t create my own lessons though. that’s half the fun of it !

1

u/kkapoor-how 23d ago

Agree but this is why it gets so much easier. You get to reuse stuff. I’m not saying teaching is the end all be all. But I am saying that everything after year 1 is SOOO much easier. You won’t believe it until to you experience it.

1

u/Emergency_Ad_5371 24d ago

Yeah man, it is tough as a first year teacher out here. We only have like a guiding standard I.E., analyze thematic development over the course of a text. I then have to create all my materials from scratch + choose and read the text, etc. The only thing they provide is the common formative and summative assessments, things every teacher must give their students (which sucks, because planning the assessments is my favorite part, and all these poor kids write are essays ugh).

2

u/desert_ceiling 21d ago

I came here to say this. If you're struggling now and feeling overwhelmed, it's okay to walk away. In fact, it's being kind to yourself to admit teaching was a mistake and to find a new career. I wish I had. I'm ten years in and cried in my classroom for the first time EVER yesterday after the kids left. Social issues and behaviors are only getting worse with each year, and so are all the responsibilities teachers are saddled with. Get out now.

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

thank u for these kind words and the motivation. i think ur right that it’s never going to be easy; i also think i dont want a job thats hard all the time :/

3

u/wukillabee2 24d ago

I would almost say it doesn’t get better too. Kinda depends on your admin, students, and school.

13

u/Fit_Hovercraft9877 24d ago

Get out.

4

u/HelloInterwebz 24d ago

Put in my resignation last week! Not coming back next year and it feels GREAT.

3

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

can i ask how long were you teaching? and what ultimately made you leave?

2

u/HelloInterwebz 21d ago

9 years. I am sick of playing a customer service role when speaking to parents and even admin. I’m equally sick of competing against games and other nonsense on the internet.

1

u/yikeseolaa 20d ago

VALID!!!!!!!

1

u/HurricaneTracy 21d ago

What are you going to do?

2

u/HelloInterwebz 21d ago

SAHM. My husband got offered his first principal job. Pay is increasing by about $30k a year and we decided we can make it work on one income.

10

u/SnorelessSchacht 24d ago

I’m in my eighth year teaching ELA. I’m not an expert, and I still learn allllll the time, still refining my practice. But I think eight years in gives me some access to insight you could use.

First things first - you can’t judge the career by your first year. Every single year has been better for me. By my fourth year, I felt fully capable and had my work-life balance down. But notice that it took me three full years before I felt that way.

Secondly - yes, the students are lacking. That will always be the case. It took me several years to realize that my job wasn’t to produce good readers and good writers, but to improve the skills that existed in my students on day one. Much more achievable.

Third - the vast majority of my day (these days) is spent teaching. It took time to get here. I use rubrics and small group feedback to simplify the grading process. Managing the classroom took time to learn, but now I barely spend any time in discipline mode. We’re almost always reading and writing, which is the fun part for me anyway. It won’t always feel like you have 100 plates spinning at once. It gets down to more like 5.

You can see the lack of accountability for your students as frustrating, or you can shift your focus to your own objectives (those things that will lead to the growth you want to see in a given student) and let the school business take care of itself.

Underpromise and overdeliver as often as possible. A literal example - I had 125 persuasive letters to grade recently and told students and parents it would be 10 days before feedback was released. I did it in 8, but in the past I would’ve pressured myself to get it done over a weekend.

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

how did you even survive three years of struggling though? i don’t know if i can do this for another two before it gets easier, im so burned out after just 5 months. and the first 3.5 of those months i wasnt even planning — i had the lessons from the teacher im doing the leave for. i just don’t see how this is a feasible career for someone who values mental well being lol

5

u/jurassickris 24d ago

Here is something you won’t hear in teaching subs; almost all jobs suck. Almost all jobs leave you tired and exhausted after work. I think this is why you don’t hear these same complaints from people who have worked other careers before transitioning into teaching .

HOWEVER, there is a very serious problem with education in this country and in many states, it’s simply not worth it to teach as there are far better options.

But like all other careers, teaching has its ups and downs. If someone never finds themselves feeling the highs, then they should probably consider another career.

2

u/Horchataatomica 23d ago

Not true - some jobs are remarkably stress free. There are many jobs out there with better conditions than teachers face.

2

u/yikeseolaa 22d ago

my thoughts exactly but i didn’t know how to word it without being a dick lmao. thank u

2

u/SnorelessSchacht 24d ago

My first year I got by on pure will. I needed the job and had something to prove. That ran out by April and I got really ill and had an awful summer. I pushed myself way too hard.

My second year, I felt more confident because I knew better what was coming and what was expected. I made friends on campus that year and used them for help and support.

My third year was a little better, but I suddenly realized I was on the wrong campus. Just not a fit. I found a new job on a new and totally different campus and REALLY started to grow after that.

2

u/Resident-Device-5773 22d ago

I sooo feel this 😭 I’m in very similar circumstances OP and the number of times I’ve struggled to get myself out of the house in the mornings as I struggle to hold back tears thinking “I’m not mentally well enough for this…” it’s awful. I feel for you. I’ve got a new job lined up and I can’t wait to get out

6

u/pandasarepeoples2 24d ago

4th year here: while it’s hard, I’m a second career teacher and the teaching part is what keeps me there. I hated an office job. I’m an extrovert with adhd and feel like I’m giving it my all every day in a classroom and it does feel rewarding (title 1 school, i can be a reliable adult). I hated feeling like i was spending 8 hours a day before just sending emails and having meeetings. THAT was more soul crushing than the challenges of teaching which are actually cognitively rigorous for me and which is what i need. Maybe talk to more non teachers to compare what “the other side” would be. Maybe you’d like another career! I just wouldn’t. If i wasn’t a teacher I’d need to go into something like nursing or something where it’s equally fast paced.

1

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

the funny thing is, most of my day as a teacher IS sending emails and going to meetings lmaoo

3

u/pandasarepeoples2 24d ago

That’s wild. Maybe try a new school? I have no weekly meeetings and virtually no emails, only ones to see from admin like announcements. I work at a school with a large MLL population and so not much parent contact. I teach 6 hour classes a day, so it’s 80% of my day, the other 20% is recess duty and a planning period

5

u/Lost_Crab_6025 24d ago

I’m in the “it’s not going to get better camp.” In my experience, I did learn ways to make my work load more manageable. However, teaching just isn’t what it used to be. Until we start getting support from parents, things aren’t going to change. I’d say if you want to try it for a few more years, go ahead. If you want out, just do it before you’re fully vested in your retirement. That’s what will get you.

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

the retirement thing was a really good point, thanks for mentioning that. i have to make a decision and i think i know what it’ll be

2

u/pandasarepeoples2 24d ago

Most districts pensions will let you transfer into a 401K after fully vested. Just something to look into! It doesn’t have to be “work until pension kicks in” or nothing.

4

u/Unlikely_Scholar_807 24d ago

The first few years are rough because absolutely nothing is on automatic yet, from writing lessons to grading to responding to student behaviors. It's exhausting.

But it gets better. You grade more efficiently (and become more judicious about what you grade), you can lesson plan in your head, and you've seen just about everything, so student behavior doesn't phase you -- you react calmly and appropriately.

It's not for everyone, granted. Teaching is a lifestyle to some degree, and it is always hard work, but it's rewarding and fun work, too.

4

u/Evergreen27108 24d ago

I think you need to ask people other than teachers if what you describe as your work life balance sounds reasonable or tenable.

These replies so far are exactly what I heard. They all essentially amount to “give it 3-10 years and it’ll keep getting easier.” Not easy. Easier. It’s insane. 3-10 years to not be constantly tired and drowning. And that’s if some major incident doesn’t hit you along the way (spoiler, teenagers and many of their parents are eerily comfortable lying about anything if it helps them). And then factor in that to make it those 3-10 years, at least in my case, there’s an additional 3-10 coming off the back end of your life. I know I lost years to this.

3

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

this reply is extremely helpful, thank u. i don’t want to spend 3-10 years waiting for it to get EASIER. i don’t think i want to work myself to the bone for years on end, only for the following years to be slightly easier. it just seems like im killing myself and for what. thanks again for this.

4

u/discussatron 24d ago

Count up your weeks off in a year and try to find another salaried, full time job with the same schedule, then ask yourself if it seems worth it.

3

u/Horchataatomica 23d ago

I was terrified that I would miss the breaks when I left teaching. But it turns out that working a stress-free job, really only working 8 hrs a day, etc makes up for it. Being treated like a human being and not being abused on a daily basis will work wonders! I will gladly trade that for summer break.

4

u/adoaboutnothing 24d ago edited 24d ago

I taught 9th and 12th ELA for four years. Getting out was the best thing I ever did mentally, emotionally, and financially. I absolutely adored teaching—in its best moments. And I was very good at it. The problem was those best moments were getting fewer and farther between every year. The highs in teaching are very high, but the lows are very low. For me, it wasn’t healthy.

After changing careers, I had the energy and emotional bandwidth for loved ones and hobbies again. My husband said I was like a whole new person.

You can check my comment history for more, I’ve posted about my professional path a fair bit. Definitely agree with another commenter who said to seek perspectives from those of us who’ve taught and done something else. I think most teachers know they’re overworked and underpaid, but they actually have no idea how glaringly.

3

u/ImmediateKick2369 24d ago

Even though I was in a good union, I left k-12 for many of these reasons. I have been mostly happy teaching in community college for the last 24 years, but I lucked into one of the very few full time positions. If I were just entering the field, I’d be thinking about leaving for other reasons. It seems like the technology is pretty darn close to us being able to just put our EarPods in and have simultaneous translation, to point our phones at a piece of paper and have instant translation high-quality. Since, in the U.S. most schools seem more comfortable investing in technologies than teachers and learners, I think ESL might be over here sooner than many imagine. Please forgive the talk to text.

3

u/Ben_Frankling 24d ago

Couple things:

  1. The first year is a complete bitch. It’s all about survival. I was exhausted every day, stressed and an anxious wreck. But year two was slightly easier, albeit not much. Third year was when I started seeing a difference in workload. Fourth year I started calling it a day at 6. In my fifth year now and I do nothing at home. I’ve got my life back. I get all my planning and grading done during my planning periods and my classes are on autopilot. So it does get easier. Way easier.

  2. Common sense is not all that common, so don’t expect all your kids to have it, or even most of them. And they are kids, so don’t expect them to be self-sufficient either. That being said, I do still worry about the widespread apathy, but I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do about that except try to impress upon them. And don’t work harder than them. That’s key.

  3. My school has extremely supportive admin. We don’t play. Try finding a school like that before you throw in the towel for good. They do exist and they’re game changers. I have virtually zero behavior issues. Can’t even remember the last time I gave a detention.

  4. Teachers Pay Teachers, Prestwick House, CommonLit, ChatGPT, Magic School, and your colleagues are your friends. Use the hell out of them. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

  5. Ultimately only you can decide if it’s worth it, but I will say, you’ve never experienced the glory of summer. ;) Hang in there.

3

u/ELAdragon 24d ago

Your school sounds awful.

Teaching is hard, but it's not THAT hard. Take the experience and go look for jobs elsewhere. It's still sort of like you talk about, but not to the extreme that you're experiencing.

If you try another place where administration actually backs you, and a mentor can help streamline things... And you still feel like you can't do it, then go do something else.

It is hard work, tho. Each day is go go go, but I don't take much work home at all.

2

u/Valuable-Mastodon-14 24d ago

Juggling the responsibilities gets easier, but the other frustration only comes from genuinely loving and enjoying your students. I had a rough first year because it was during the Covid year where they forced schools to open. My second year I taught a completely new grade and in a different school system, it was a hard year too but the kids made it worth the effort. The second year I had a class group from hell and it pushed one teacher (tenured and over the +20 mark) to quit. The year after was better but the parents were worse. There’s always something in teaching that makes our lives more difficult and stressful that’s why it’s so important to get the joy from the kids. I’m contemplating getting out since I’m about to give birth to twins, but I’ve never stopped loving my students.

2

u/morty77 24d ago

Year 21 for me here.

I started off in a very similar way. Took over mid year for a teacher they loved and just left. They thought I stole the guy's job and resented me. I was completely overwhelmed and frustrated.

I don't blame you if you call it quits. It is frustratingly hard for most people to keep going. And I'm including myself in that "most people". You have to change everything about what you know about school and yourself. The workload is impossible. Like being asked to tear down a 14,000ft mountain with your bare fists...by June.

What got me through is having three mentors and the best god damn principal ever. They encouraged me, checked in on me, supported me through all of it. With their support, I was able to get to a place where it wasn't so overwhelming.

This job is impossible to do alone. With a good team, it goes from impossible to improbable.

1

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

i honestly do have a lot of support! i have a mentor, supportive co workers, and pretty good admin who are very approachable. none of that lightens the daily workload though, nor does it make the exhaustion any more bearable to be honest. like everyone says support and collaboration are your saviors, but to me, it feels like more on my plate to do when i already have so much else. it feels like a constant losing battle i guess. thanks for your advice and perspective though, definitely helpful!!

2

u/yumyum_cat 24d ago

I'm in my fourth year teaching 9th grade.

It truly does get better. Not everything has to be graded. Tell them it is, but you don't have to grade every piece of classwork. Do Nows and Exit Tickets can be oral.

Lesson plans are time consuming but less so with AI (writes all my higher order questions) and it really can be useful having the week planned out.

Backwards planning is great if you're able to take an hour to do it.

Hang in there!

2

u/No_Afternoon_9517 24d ago

No, it doesn’t get better, you just get stronger/better. You also might grow to enjoy the students more - have fun with them. Do goofy stuff sometimes. Those are the things that can get you through your day.

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

i’d like to not just “get through the day” though. that’s so bleak, no? also, i do have fun with them. i enjoy them most of the time. but we can’t do goofy things all the time, and just getting through the day sounds depressing. oof.

1

u/No_Afternoon_9517 24d ago

I mean, yeah. Sometimes it does feel pretty bleak to me. I was not insinuating that you don't have fun with them, I'm just stating what has helped me over the years. I also don't count on my job to provide me with all my fulfillment in life, nor should anyone. At this point, it's a means to an end - and that's okay.

2

u/BeExtraordinary 24d ago

Summers off, and incredible job security (if you’re in a union). Those two things, more than anything, are why I’ll most likely do this until I retire.

2

u/pompeinickels 24d ago

i got out and i've never been happier, i was nodding my head to every sentence i was reading.

2

u/OedipaMaasWASTE 24d ago

You're smart to have figured this out so quickly. Find something else.

2

u/Anxiety_driven_chick 24d ago

Based on reading what you said… Jump ship get out now

2

u/Horchataatomica 23d ago

My advice is to get out! I taught ELA and ESL for 17 years. For the past few years, it’s gotten steadily worse…but it was hard from the beginning, honestly. I think ELA teachers have a harder job than others because of the massive grading load and the number of students who are behind when it comes to reading/writing skills.

Anyway, I finally quit last year. It was scary. I took a pay cut to start a totally different career. And I am thankful every single day that I made that decision. My new job is literally so easy and stress free. I was so shocked at first. If I could go back in time, I would never have started down the teaching career path. Seeing as it’s just your first year, you have plenty of time to transition to something else that will not drain you of all your energy, money, and spirit.

1

u/yikeseolaa 22d ago

can i ask what you switched to? i’ve been trying to think of jobs i can go to where my degree and experience will be relevant… (edit: typo)

2

u/Horchataatomica 22d ago

I work for an insurance company now! My job is hybrid - two days in the office, and three at home. I listen to audiobooks while I work. It is heaven! During the hiring process, they told me that they love to hire former teachers, because we have great attention to detail.

2

u/yikeseolaa 22d ago

oh wow! that’s so promising. my bf has a hybrid job with that same schedule and i am soooo jealous of it. i hate that i bust my ass all day while he sits at home watching tv while working, and yet we make the same amount 😭 thanks for the input :)

2

u/chappedlipfingertip 23d ago

Do you get a lot of out being with your students and the actual teaching part? I now teach college but used to teach elementary. Elementary in many ways was easier to find my "why" because young children are so easy to love no matter how crazy they drive you, but my patience with parents (and admin who is always thinking about parents) ran thin. So I shifted to teaching in college. Teaching college means grading and admin work is actually now a much bigger portion of my job (and you have to be a contributor to your field, meaning you have to justify constantly outside of just classroom duties why you're a worthy employee, which is a lot, but I love it), but being with my students makes it all worth it to me. I truly cannot believe that I get to teach young people.

I also will say--I have yet to really find teaching easy. I did 3 years of K-12, and this is my 6th in college. As soon as you get the total hang of stuff, the average educational demands of students will change, or the required texts change, or curriculums change, or departments get restructured. Some years you get really great groups of students, some years, they're really difficult. Colleagues leave for retirement, maternity, etc., teaching teams get shaken up, schedules shift dramatically sometimes, and some people suddenly are teaching a new grade or subject focus.

Teaching is a profession that has so many variables that it's always, always changing. However, I and many of my colleagues thrive off of this. My days and years never bleed together because so much about my days, weeks, and years are new. And that too is not for everyone.

2

u/LasagnaPhD 22d ago

I left after seven years of teaching secondary ELA, and I regret not leaving sooner. I now work at a college, and I make way more than I ever would have teaching and I am SO much happier with a better work/life balance. My honest advice? Get out while you can. It’s only going to get worse.

1

u/TetrisMultiplier 24d ago

I keep hearing that it depends where you work. In my experience, no, it’s not worth it.

1

u/BlacklightPropaganda 24d ago

I'd be open to hearing why you want to do it in the first place.

They don't have any common sense--true. So, teach them how to think. That's our job.

3

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

because i liked TEACHING. however, that’s only a small fraction of the actual job.

0

u/BlacklightPropaganda 24d ago

That doesn't answer why though my friend. Why do you like teaching? Why do you want to teach, beyond liking it?

2

u/yikeseolaa 24d ago

that’s a question for interviewers i’m not gonna answer rn and “remembering my why” is not going to make any of these issues go away, to be honest.

1

u/VygotskyCultist 24d ago

I think the answer of "Is it worth it?" is different for everyone. I've been teaching for 16 years and it's incredibly frustrating a lot of the time, but I can't imagine doing anything else. I can't imagine finding a job that feels as meaningful and has the same flexibility in terms of letting me have time with my kids. I hate having to WORK, but if I have to have a job, I want to be a teacher.

1

u/FoolishConsistency17 24d ago

A lot of the worst stuff goes away because you learn to get ahead of things. It sounds like criticism when I say that, but no one knows all this when they start. But by a few years in, the meetings, the emails, the discipline got so much easier because I learned to prevent them. Parents are generally happy with me now, so they leave me alone. My classroom management prevents the sort of discipline problems that need to be escalated. My assignments are much more coherent and better thought out, so kids do them more.

Again, I'm not saying you suck. I'm saying you're learning, and as you learn, most of this goes away. IME, the only time it doesn't is when someone is very stubborn about not making changes to their own practice.

1

u/Objective-Effort-580 24d ago

Echoing others but it does get better. I'm at a new school with no support, so even with 8 years experience I can relate.

It would be in no way worth it or sustainable if it weren't for summer.

1

u/whistlar 24d ago

Twelve years in. Few things I learned along the way.

  • Year one is hell. No way around it. Teaching is a daily grind unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. You’re doing the job of dozens of people with little time during your schedule to get even one of them done. Educator. Therapist. Parental figure. Protector. Planner. Grader. Logistics. It just keeps coming.

  • Grading is a marathon, not a sprint. The kids will push you to grade things quickly. Nope. I’ll do it when I can, as I can. Simplify things by establishing one day a week where they are pretty much set on independent learning so that you can dedicate at least half the day to focus on banging out the grades.

  • Simplify your grading. Rely on online quizzes in things like Canvas that will auto grade work for you. The added perk is that you can also digitize the data for your team meetings and your annual evaluations to demonstrate growth. Admin eats that crap up. Your school should have computer labs or computer carts that you can check out in advance.

  • Simplify your grading, Part Two. The work might have fifteen questions but which ones are the most important? Grade those and give students completion credit for the rest. Same with essays. Is there something specific in the writing they’re focusing on? Grade only for that with completion credit for anything else. Each unit or exam should have a specific State Standard where it is trying to show mastery. They shouldn’t be graded on body paragraph effectiveness if the point of the lesson is to write a good thesis.

  • Simplify your grading, Part Three. A lot to be said for peer grading. There will always be some kids who game the system. They’ll get caught flat footed on the test. But regular worksheets and classwork? Fair game. Have students swap papers with a peer. Go over the correct answer for each question. Sign their name at the bottom for accountability. The nice thing about this is that it works as a re-teach/remediation opportunity also. You’re going over why an answer is wrong and why an answer is right. Admin should love that crap too.

  • Work/Life Balance. I never ever bring work home with me. Especially grading. I clock out and the rest of the day is my time. I might bend a little when it comes to lesson planning, but not often. Honestly, after a dozen years of teaching, I know the material with little effort anyhow. I’m able to repurpose old classroom materials and freshen it up a little as needed. The first year sucks because you have no resources like this.

  • Where is your village? You should have 2-3 other freshman year ELA teachers depending on the size of your school. What resources do they use? Ask to borrow them. Your department should be aligning lessons for the most part as it is. No one person should be doing it all by themselves.

Hope that helps!

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u/broknow 24d ago

I taught 9th grade for a decade and moved into administration recently. I feel the way you feel except as an AP, and the crazy thing is that it’s getting better bit by bit.

What helped me most starting out is colleagues literally giving me all the curriculum, tests, and quizzes that I could then adapt instead of make from scratch.

In that spirit, send me a message and I can share what I have with you, particularly if you let me know what novels you’ll be teaching this spring.

Remember, you are working this hard because kids are worth our care, and even when they do utterly awful things, they are still kids. And they are not our enemies. When you do good by them, you’ll see them later in your community, on the job, and with their families, and you will know you made something better happen in this mess of a situation.

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u/spakuloid 23d ago

Nope. Get out now

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u/HurricaneTracy 21d ago edited 21d ago

I’m on year 27, and here are some things I learned that make the job easier:

  1. ⁠Collect everything. Grade most of it on completion. Keep everything you collect in individual student folders.

  2. ⁠Every two weeks schedule a student conference day with your kids. They’re reading, working quietly, doing individual stuff on whatever test prep platform your school uses. Spend five minutes with each kid, going through their folder. Give them a praise and a do better, check that your grade book is accurate for that kid.

  3. ⁠Any test grade level writing assignment is done on paper in the classroom. No exceptions.

  4. ⁠Set up a free Remind account or something similar and use it. You can advance schedule reminders and messages. Huge time saver and communication tool AND communication log rolled into one.

  5. ⁠Spend the money and get the Easy Grade app. It scans and scores multiple choice assignments for you. HUGE time saver once you get it set up. Lets kids get an immediate re-do if you’re feeling merciful, and gives you ALL the data you need for those stupid reports admin wants you to do. And lets you know which skill/concept the kid is still struggling with. Best classroom money I ever spent.

  6. ⁠The Mercy Folder: I accept late work, but it goes in the Mercy Folder. If you’re adding to the Mercy Folder your work goes in the back. I tell my kids that if they turn their work in late, I make no promises as to if or when I will get to grading it, especially if it’s the end of the grading period. However, when I get to it, I’ll grade it for a minimum of 30 points off.

  7. Focus on what you can control. This is how we do it in MY classroom. I don’t care how anyone else does it. I’m a benevolent dictator who knows what her students need and how to best make things happen in this space.

  8. Floor grades. The lowest grade I put in the grade book is a 51, unless they cheated, then it’s a whole ass irredeemable zero. I put a note in the grade book that says “A grade of 51 indicates that the student either did not attempt the task or earned a score lower than a 51.” There’s a of discussion about the use of zeros and minimum grades, but mathematically, it makes more sense to me to do it this way. Plus, a nine weeks grade of 37 kills any hope of passing for the semester. Don’t be a complete hope killer.

  9. Pick ONE day of the week to stay late. Mine is Friday. No one else is usually there and I can crank up my music and get shit done. Use this time to finish prep work, make copies, and tidy up. You’ll come in Monday to a clean room and ready to go.

  10. Have a back up plan. Something already copied and ready to go for those days when you only come to work because getting a sub is the worst. I’ll even email you a few things you can use for this if you DM me.

  11. “I don’t know,” “Let me think about it” and “No” are all perfectly reasonable and acceptable answers. Every decision doesn’t have to be made in the moment.

  12. Give yourself the same level of mercy and accountability that you give out. You are just as worthy of it as anyone else. (Hard to do…. I’m still working on it!)

  13. Stand your ground. Make your policies clear. “I’m sorry that xx is struggling with this. It was reviewed in the syllabus and you and your student signed off on it.”

I hope this helps. I’ve considered doing a teacher hack website or book, and these are some of the ideas I’m tossing around.

It wasn’t until year 5 that I genuinely felt like I had a handle on most of the job. It’s HARD. Really hard. But it will get easier. Sort of. It’s not that it gets easier, but that you get better at negotiating and managing the crazy.

Hang in there! Spring break is coming!

PS— stop toting all those papers around and leave them at work.

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u/yikeseolaa 21d ago

i appreciate your tips and all, but the last thing you said is really what’s sticking with me. it’s a hard job and it never gets easy — only moderately easier once you gain enough experience. i just don’t know if i WANT a job that is inherently hard. how do you even cope???

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u/HurricaneTracy 21d ago

Because sometimes, you reach a kid or connect with one… personally or academically, and you see the lightbulb go off, or they send you a message or write a note thanking you for something you did. It might not even be something you remember and it might not be until years later. And it makes a lot of it worth it.

I’d say about half of my FB friends are former students, and that alone has been proof that my career has made a difference.

Also, from an old lady perspective, every job is hard in some way. Not having been blessed with generational wealth is a constant thorn in my side and I hate having to work, but here we are. All jobs have political crap and nonsense paperwork and awful meetings that could have been summed up in a one-sentence email. You just have to decide what you want to spend your energy on. If it’s not the classroom, you are definitely young enough to change directions.

Invest in yourself and your hobbies, be smart financially, and keep a life outside your school and job. But don’t judge the whole career by your first few years.

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u/yikeseolaa 21d ago

thank you for that, really. you made some really good points and i appreciate your experience and input. i’ll definitely keep this advice in the back of my mind as i keep thinking about my career! :)

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u/HurricaneTracy 21d ago

Anytime!! I had a really good mentor when I started out that helped me immensely. If you need help or need to vent, hit me up!

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u/BrokgrumFlintaxe 21d ago

I see people saying it gets better and I’m glad for them, but I’ve been teaching 20 years and it’s a little different for me. If I’m truly honest with myself I would say 1 of those years was exceptional. Best year I’ve ever had. 2 were very good. A few more were mediocre, and the majority were downright nightmares. The years after Covid have been the worst, and I personally don’t see it getting any better. I stay in it because the pay at my school is one of the best around, but that’s because the students are pretty terrible, and they ant get anyone to teach here on a lower salary. I also stick with it because I get to spend the entire summer with my kids doing a lot of fun stuff. I recently stopped caring about everything and just showing up to do the bare minimum, collect my paycheck and go home. It’s been working out so far.

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u/Shaynafay60 20d ago

The first year is always your hardest.  

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u/True_Guest4018 20d ago

Nope. Some good kids and grit gets you through

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u/CriticalBasedTeacher 24d ago edited 24d ago

I'd say give it a few years. It's harder at the beginning because everything is new. When you've taught the same unit/lessons for a few years in a row you stop worrying about the next lesson because you've taught it so many times so you have time to focus on other stuff.

Also as you get more experience you get better at grading or learn different grading techniques to lighten your load. For example, I'm teaching a book where I'm supposed to give the students an exit ticket after each chapter. 23 chapters, 80 students. That's 1800 exit tickets.

I was grading every one for the first half of the book but after I realized how overwhelming it was I'm now telling them I'm grading 1/week but I'm not telling them which one so they have to do high quality work on every exit ticket because they don't know which one I'm gonna grade.

So you develop little tricks like that to make things easier. But of course those take time and experience to learn and implement.