Fun fact about me: There was a brief period in college where I was so sure I should be a teacher that I seriously considered switching majors to get a teaching degree.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before I realized how unappealing I actually found the thought of spending hours with children on a daily basis.
Since I quickly dashed my own short-lived pseudo-dreams of being a teacher, there's a lot about the job I don't know.
And I'd imagine that, even though a large percentage of the population interacts with teachers for years on end, the same goes for a lot of other people.
For instance, a lot of people probably still think teachers get the same vacations their students get (even though most teachers spend said vacations working on lesson plans and gearing up for the return to school).
I also had no idea until recently that there's a certain amount of upkeep involved when it comes to teacher certification — in New York, you have to "maintain the professional development (PD) standards of the New York State Department of Education during each five-year block. This includes completing 175 hours of PD every five years."
