Teaching requires a lot of courage and patience, it is absolutely necessary that the person who exercises this profession is able to love unconditionally little beings who keep collections of their boogers under their desks.

Despite the stark reality that teaching requires exceptional educators, this is a paid field in which people working with these poop collectors would like a living wage.

Whenever I hear someone who is not in the field of education downplay legitimate concerns about equitable compensation for educators by saying that we know what we are getting into, so we shouldn't be worrying about the money via shopping pencils.

Here are just a few examples of some of the things teachers do every day that are certainly not in the job description and other reasons why we should be paid more fairly.

1. Tie wet laces
… In dry and sunny weather.

If there is one thing in the world more worthy of gagging than tying a little child's wet shoelaces, I dare anyone to discuss it with me. Unless they jumped in a puddle during recess or got caught in a sudden downpour, we all know their shoelaces are drenched in the pee of the bathroom floor. Did I choose teaching as a profession to have the opportunity to tie pee-soaked laces because it's a calling and a privilege? No Madam.


2. Day and night planning
… And weekends and summers, winter vacations, spring vacations, eternity!

I see teaching as a career for employees, in which the work never stops at the doors of the classroom. As teachers are salaried, it is widely accepted that their work spills over into non-contractual periods. And since I use my precious Netflix time to jot down papers, you better believe that I would like a living wage that pays for my Netflix subscription that I never get to watch.


3. Attend meetings
… Which NEVER end.

There should be an addendum to all teacher contracts that says that because we are subject to cruel and unusual penalties in the form of teacher meetings which are always scheduled during the planning period and which could absolutely have been a e-mail, we have the right to just pay. Notice I said pay and it's not nice because it's my career and not volunteering.


4. Pick up the shit on the floor
… Mostly inexplicably wet shit.

Now I firmly believe that it is the students who should be responsible for picking up the lids of the glue sticks, the wood chips and the tiny pieces of paper that appear as simple annoying stains, but sometimes we teachers have to. pick up things from the ground. When I do that, and it's wet, my salary is 100% justified for the whole year. In fact, I'd better get a raise.

5. Juggle a million tasks at once
… All day, every day.

Listen, I know there are a lot of other technical areas that require lengthy training and skills to master. Teaching is not the only tough job that requires many decisions made constantly. However, what other professional can expertly have four different conversations, answering the phone, counting the students who are all supposed to be online (but four of them are the ones talking to each other), and recording the presence on the computer? Exactly.


6. The many painful homework
… Whatever the conditions.

I don't teach kindergarten.

I teach high school students

teachers depends....av done that work before and neva did any of what you said apart from weekend meetings and regular planning

The one i hate most is marking

I taught for almost two years after Nysc. I love the job so much,I love the students too. I still meet few of them till today. God bless the Teachers.

merieam16:
The one i hate most is marking

I detest that thing like...

Sometimes I make the senior pupils mark their work. I just give a making guide.