It isn't the kids that make being a teacher so hard.

Earlier this week, I brought up the fact that I just wanted to quit teaching because I was tired of it all. A few people reached out asking for advice on how to make it easier, and truthfully, I just wanted to quit. I didn't have a lot of advice. Today, however, I realized that I don't want to quit teaching. I want to quit dealing with insane parents, administration, and the district. <br><br>My school district is transitioning to a composition notebook for all of the classes, and I am no exception. My classroom is set up with stations, and one of those stations is the composition notebook, and students are expected to write/draw something about the lesson every day. <br><br>In addition to that, one of my coworkers came up with a great idea to start the year out: have the kids write an advice letter to themselves to be opened on the last day of class. My kids absolutely loved the idea, and they got to write with fancy pens and colored pencils, which they thought was the greatest thing in the world. They also got to decorate their notebooks, and one of my students brought in a couple of sets of pens/pencil crayons (I don't know what they are called, just know they look like colored pencils, but when you get them wet, the color changes) that her dad had gotten her and she wanted to share with her friends. She distributed them to students who didn't have any (her dad bought three sets, so that's 30+ pens, when she only needed 6) and they all wrote their letters, and they all sound so sweet. <br><br>One of my girls wrote, "You are strong. Don't let anyone pick on you." Another one said, "Stay brave. Stay in your new class. You'll make new friends." They're so cute, and I had 3/4 of the kids just sit and talk to me about their summer, and what their favorite things about school are. <br><br>One of my boys, however, brought tears to my eyes. His dad lost his job because of COVID, so their family is going through a bit of a rough patch. This sweet little man brought me his dad's favorite pen, and he drew a picture of a pen and the date, along with the note, "I gave Mrs. G my dad's favorite pen. I hope it made her smile." <br><br>With all of that said, it isn't the kids that make being a school teacher so hard. It is the fact that we have to navigate parental expectations, the districts demands, and our own sanity, while trying to make sure that the students have a fun and engaging learning experience.