Teachers serve an invaluable role in society. But despite the necessity of teachers, it seems like, all too often, they're overworked and underpaid. This can lead to burnout and, eventually, teachers finding different careers.
Abby Norman, who tweets under the handle @abbynormansays, recently tweeted about quitting her teaching job, and it sparked a lively discussion with other teachers who've done the same thing.
She echoes a common complaint many teachers share: there's just too much work and too many hours to work, with too little in the way of rewards and gratitude to make it all worth while.
While the school day itself isn't that long, the fact that teachers are expected to do grading and lesson plans after hours makes for a draining job with little in the way of down time to recharge.
This user pointed out that their sister apparently makes a six-figure salary at a private school, and urges OP to hang in there and the salary will increase.
A reply to the tweet above points out that someone needs to work the public school teaching jobs, then says it isn't fair to use this argument against teachers.
This guy seems to think that the only reason a teacher should start their career is pure altruism, and that any cash earned on top of that is just a bonus.
We all know that teaching is a crucial job, so it's kind of rich when someone tries to argue that they should make less.
After two decades of teaching, this teacher is exhausted. I think they've had it with parents, too.
This is an unfortunate story, but it feels kind of weird, almost like the poster is using their personal experience to smear all teachers.
This student contributed to the thread, acknowledging the fact that kids, high school-age kids in particular, often push the envelope.
This tweet criticizes the high pay that actors get, which...yeah? I thought we all knew that celebrities have too much money.
She isn't a teacher, but she works at a school as a nurse. It sounds like she's more than ready to go.
If you're willing to move, and do a little research into cost of living, there are areas where a teaching salary can be comfortable.
I'm sure this mostly comes down to personal taste, but there's obviously a big difference between teaching small kids and teaching teenagers.
This teacher says they love what they do, but that they need to find a job that pays a living wage.
While the first sentence of this sounds like a scam pitch, the rest of it explains why so many teachers are seeking different careers.
There was a strong theme of, "Teachers should do it for the love of their job, not for the pay," but this clapback nicely puts them in their place.
It must be a weird feeling to be a teenager working an entry-level job, and realize you're making more than your professionally-qualified mom. That's either an indictment of the pay or of the number of hours she's working.
This story echoes the burnout that many teachers in the Twitter thread are feeling. This one isn't really pay-related, but instead shows other reasons teaching can be a nightmare.
We'll always need schools and teachers for our kids — if for no other reason than we can't care for them 24/7. It'll be interesting, and maybe horrifying, to see how this develops in the years to come.
You've seen some of the responses in the thread, so now we want to know your thoughts.
Are teachers adequately compensated for what they do? What's the answer? And if there are any teachers out there, we want to hear about your experiences. Make sure to comment!
