The 5 Assumptions We Make About Teachers (And Why They're Not Right)

#Culture Read time:
Teaching is one of the only professions in which clients will try to tell the professional how to do their job.

It could be because we all go through school, have experience with teachers, and remember our time in schools vividly. Whatever the reason, it’s one of the main assumptions we make about teachers—that we could do their job just fine. What are other assumptions we make about educators?

 

1. They have answered a calling

Teaching is a work of heart, but above all teaching is work. The truth is, teachers stay in their positions for many varied and nuanced reasons, and usually being called to a noble task is not top of the list. Instead, consider that teachers are simply people doing a job just like everyone else. By insisting that teachers are answering an intrinsic call, it’s easier to blur the boundaries of work. After all, work you’re passionate about is still work!

 

2. It’s a profession for life

As the teacher retention crisis continues to loom, it’s abundantly clear teachers don’t always stay until retirement. This pressure to stick with their career path means teachers put up with a lot of obstacles folks working different professional careers do not. The sunk cost fallacy (“I’ve invested this much time, money, and effort in this career, I should stick it out.”) also urges teachers to stay in education despite the emotional and physical burnout. Instead, know that teachers are experienced professionals who possess skills employers in any sector would welcome. Remember also the early days of teaching, when married women were barred from teaching school, and consider how the assumptions and expectations of teachers have shifted.

 

3. Contracted hours are fair

Think about a typical school day for a student, and then tack on at least an hour before and after school, plus grading and planning. Teachers are not only working their classroom contracted hours in most cases, but still need to get support, admin, and planning tasks done. While the average citizen might think teachers have a cushy gig (more on that summer “off” later), the reality is that especially for new teachers their workload is at times unmanageable.

 

4. Summers off!

Let’s talk about summers off. Or rather—let’s talk about nine-month pay vs. year-round pay. Teachers often get a choice: either be unpaid all summer or stretch their paychecks, receiving a smaller total per check all year round. Add this to the reality that teachers make 26.4 percent less than similarly educated professionals and the struggle jumps into sharper focus. It’s a struggle that carries over to district administrators trying to fill positions with highly qualified hires at a bottom-barrel salary point.

 

5. Teaching energizes us!

Teaching, the process of imparting knowledge onto students, absolutely can energize certain people! However, necessary additional administrative tasks (especially if they’re carried out manually with pen and paper) are time and energy vampires. Teaching also demands high levels of empathy. In the case of managing secondary trauma, it’s anything but energizing to support children facing crises and abuses—and then going home to attempt to recharge.

As the teaching profession undergoes growing pains, we have an opportunity to challenge the assumptions we make about teachers. Let’s elevate teachers and watch as student outcomes rise as well.


 
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