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23 Things People Always Get Completely Wrong About Teachers

Misconceptions abound.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the most annoying misconceptions about teachers. Here’s what they had to say.

1. For some unknown reason, people tend to think you have it easy. 😎

2. Maybe it's because they assume you work ONLY from 8 a.m.-3 p.m... 🕒

3. ...and that you have the ENTIRE summer off, during which you do absolutely NOTHING. ☀️

4. Contrary to popular belief, you actually don't get paid much, considering how much time you put in. 💲

5. If you teach younger kids, people think all you do is sit around and color all day... 🎨

6. ...and they suggest you're actually just a glorified babysitter. 👶

7. If you teach older kids, the assumption goes that you merely feed information to students... ☝️

8. ...and that you teach ONLY your subject matter and nothing more. 📓

9. As a result, people think that ANYONE can do your job — and do it better. 📚

10. Seriously, some believe they know how to teach just because they themselves went to school. 🏫

11. No matter what level you teach, you're often regarded as a one-dimensional character with almost no skill. 😞

12. Then there's the assumption that you don't know what you're doing, despite the fact that you STUDIED education. 🎓

13. And your major, by the way, was NOT an easy one, as many of your non-education friends suggested. ✏️

14. Sadly, some people actually believe the saying, "Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach." 📒

15. And you've actually heard people say, “But you’re so smart. You could have been so much more,” as if teaching weren't a worthy profession. 📎

16. While many parents are incredibly supportive, some blame you for the fact that their children are misbehaving or doing poorly in school... 😈

17. ...and, not believing you to be a professional, they feel qualified to tell you how to do your job. 👈

18. Despite spending hours each day together, students also make a fair number of assumptions about teachers: for example, that you're out to get them. 👮

19. Or that you give students their grades. 💯

20. Or, hilariously, that you don't have a life outside of school. 🏫

21. Even more hilariously, some students expect you to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. 👼

22. At the end of the day, though, you know that teaching is actually an incredible gift... 🎁

23. ...and you ARE indeed making a difference, one student at a time. 🍎

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