Being a teacher is tougher than any other job in the world, and way more rewarding

Engineering majors and Wall Street wannabes look down on those studying education with the phrase: “Those who can’t do, teach.” But they’re wrong. Teaching, as anyone who does it will tell you, is a grueling, demanding, and unforgiving profession. Teachers work long hours for low pay, grading papers at night and planning lessons on weekends. They’re faced with instructing large classrooms of kids who can smell fear, and the arguably more daunting task of dealing with their parents if things go wrong. So what’s in it for them?

We spoke to four young teachers, all of whom started work in the last two years, about their work on the frontline of education. They told us about what it’s like starting out in the job, their first lessons, how they talk about kids in the staffroom – and know when you’ve been cheating.

The workload is huge

“I wake up every day at 5am and stay at work until 6.30pm, and then I have homework on top of that. I get around five or six hours of sleep a night.” – Jessica Garman, an elementary school teacher in Washington state

You have to ignore the engineering and econ majors who say your degree is pointless

“Most people in college were like: ‘Oh, that’s very honorable, I could never work with kids, I’d rather make more money.’ But I just like seeing a change in people’s lives for the better.” – Will Schultz, teaching 10th and 12th grade math in Las Vegas

The job is more rewarding than anything else

“You’re building up the confidence of these kids. It feels great. When they get something right, it’s a genuine celebration between me and the student. We high five and celebrate how well they just did. I had it yesterday, a girl figured out a multiplication problem, and she was shouting ‘I did it! I did it!’ – Laura Ticho, in Teach for America in Richmond, California

You have the toughest job on earth

“Teaching is the hardest job in the world, there’s no doubt about it.” – Laura

You have to really want to be a teacher

“It is a difficult job. You’re warned you’re going to spend extra time grading and doing lessons plans. You teach full-time, grading part-time. I arrive at 7.30, I heave at 4.30. And I work three to four hours on the weekend.” – Jessica

Your edTPA will be a bit of a nightmare

“I had a few friends fail. At the end of the day, if you want to be a teacher, you have to do it. TPA was the most stressful moment of my life. I thought if I can do that, I can be the best teacher I can in this world. It’s a heavy project.” – Will

You always know you’re going to be a teacher

“I knew when I was about eight or nine. I majored in English, and then went straight to teacher’s college. I’ve always loved reading, and writing. Once I started summer internships in schools.” – Natasha

“You have to get to know the kids before you can teach them. Otherwise they’re a) going to hate you and b) fall asleep” – Will

The hours are long and you will never get enough sleep

“It’s way harder than people give it credit. I never knew how hard it was. It’s harder than even I gave myself credit for. My hours are 8am till 4pm, there’s grading at night, planning on the weekend. I work way too much, but I’m never complaining!” – Natasha

You work as part of a team

“There’s a lot of camaraderie – a lot of the learning is in groups. It’s modeled on what it’s like as a teacher.” – Jessica

“We trade notes, even though we don’t all teach the same grades, there are management techniques we share across the board. We still meet up for coffee.” – Natasha

You teach because you like helping people

“I love every moment of this. I haven’t had a bad day yet. Since 8th or 9th grade, I always liked helping out people. I was a tennis coach, and I always wanted to help people be better. I’ve always had knack to help people.” – Will

The toughest part of the job is the parents

“The hardest part of my job is knowing how much effort goes in. It’s tough when a parent questions you. We get criticized more than we get praise.” – Natasha

You can tell when a parent has done your student’s homework

“Sometimes, I do see on the different handwriting on the homework. The right answers are in the parents’ handwriting, and the wrong answers are in the students.'” – Jessica

And it can be funny when you catch them cheating

“My school is pretty good with that. We’re an iPad school, so the issue is: what are they doing on the iPad? I saw a kid on the floor doing work – he was playing a game on his iPad. Then it’s about holding him accountable, and figuring out the balance of being fair with discipline.” – Natasha

“I caught two kids cheating. It was kinda funny cause they failed anyway. I want to know how much you know, not how much your friend knows.” – Will

Kids are smarter than you give them credit for

“It’s fun when they want to teach each other, they want to play teacher. And they do surprise me with their empathy. The day after a guest teacher filled in for me, a student asked me: ‘Do you have her email? I was disrespectful yesterday and I want to apologize.'” – Jessica

You have to get their attention early, or you’re done

“There’s a window of opportunity to teach them in the first seven to eight minutes of the lesson. If you don’t engage them in that time, they’ll check out of the lesson – you can physically see it on their faces.” – Laura

Your first lesson will be a bit nerve-wracking

“I had to tell myself to act confident. You want the kids to like you. You have to admit ‘I need to be OK at making mistakes’ You’re going to make mistakes. But if you’re open and honest, the kids will respect you more.” – Natasha

Your students keep trying to add you on social media

“They’re too young for Facebook, but they constantly find me on Snapchat and Instagram and send requests. They know I can’t add them back.” – Natasha

It is awkward when you see your students outside of class

“It’s so awkward. It’s a good thing though – it reminds them you’re human.” – Natasha

You will talk about the students when they’re not around

“It happens all the time. Both good ways and bad ways. If a student really bombs something, we’ll talk about them – not to make fun, but so we can help that student. The same goes if they succeed.” – Natasha

There are moments that make it all worth it

“When kids come in after school and ask for more help, that’s incredible. When they’re trying to become harder workers and better people.”– Will

You feel like the staff room is a special club just for teachers

“It’s true. We have a chef in ours and we get served family-style. It’s a really special place. You can tell the kids envy it. There’s always something a bit more special and sophisticated about the teacher’s lounge.” – Natasha

If you’re in this game, you have to be dedicated

“So many teachers quit within their first five years. We’re overworked, underpaid, under-appreciated. You need the passion to be a teacher. You need to work on the weekend. I’m doing it because I care so much. You get kids who don’t pay attention, don’t let that bother you. The majority support you. The good ones will outweigh them.” – Natasha