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.

Columbia Pictures

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

Warner Bros.

"Teaching is one of the hardest jobs out there, and you have to have the heart, skill, knowledge, and desire to do it." —Lauren Tesh, Facebook

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

BBC

"In reality, I get up at 5:30, review lesson plans, print out extra materials I may need for the day, work through my lunch period, typically stay two hours after school doing work, then bring the rest home. I usually finish grading, lesson planning, and writing IEPs around 11:30." —Lauren Leigh, Facebook

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

TNT

"Summers are not just 'free time.' We attend professional development and spend hours planning lessons, and many of us take on summer jobs because the pay isn't exactly fantastic." —Christy

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

Universal Pictures

"At $32,000 a year, the starting salary for my district, a 40-week pay period at 65 hours per week works out to roughly $12 an hour." —dancemagicdance

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

Warner Bros.

"'Oh, that must be so fun,' people say. 'Do you play all day?'" —Leah Cotter, Facebook

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

Columbia Pictures

"We actually help children get emotionally and intellectually prepared for life. Brain development between birth and 7 years is the most crucial time in a child's life." —sdelapena

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

NBC

"I have to be an effective communicator in order for my students to understand. I have to reach ALL my students in a fun, engaging way. I also have to be an excellent time manager and behavior manager. I'm a mediator and a therapist, a referee and a coach." —Meghan Cannon, Facebook

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

Comedy Central

"I think people would be surprised at how many nonacademic social, emotional, and life skills we actually teach." —Erin Berkeley, Facebook

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

BBC / Via dilettashakespeare.tumblr.com

"Parents come in thinking they know as much, if not more, than you do. Like, I just wasted my time all through college and didn't actually learn anything to give me strategies and interventions to teach your kids more effectively." —Sarah Butler, Facebook

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

E!

"And people think that because they're good at something they can teach it." —Luke

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

Disney

"Name another profession where in one day you must be an entertainer, a philosopher, a data analyst, a writer, a marathon walker, a counselor, a detective, and a police officer." —Julie

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

Paramount

"We had to go to college and take those classes no one would ever want to take." —Libby

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

NBC

"People tell me my grades are so good because I'm 'an education major, so obviously those classes aren't that hard.'" —Alexis

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

Commission on Presidential Debates / Via youtube.com

"Educators should be revered and celebrated, not made victims of derision or snide remarks." —Samson

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. 📎

ThinkFilm

"It frustrates me when people think that teachers have failed at everything and that is why they are in that profession." —Leah

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

CBS Television Distribution

"It's a two-way street, parents!" —LaliLada

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

The CW

"Everyone thinks they should be able to tell us how to do our job. Especially parents and legislators."—Lindsey

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. 👮

Warner Bros.

"Students and parents think that before they even walk in my door and tell me their name. That couldn't be farther from the truth! What in the world could I possibly gain from you failing my class?" —Kelly

19. Or that you give students their grades. 💯

Paramount Pictures

"Students earn grades." —Ellen Z Norris, Facebook

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

Columbia Pictures

"Students think that being a teacher is the one thing that totally encompasses your whole world. Like, have you ever run into a student at the grocery store? Wearing jeans? Their minds are BLOWN that you are out in the world, buying cat food and PBR like everyone else. Your role in their life is so big that they literally can't imagine you having your own life outside of the school walls." —Alli Ockinga, Facebook

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

Logo

"Totally false! We're not omniscient." —Tatum Megan Weaver, Facebook

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

Buena Vista Pictures

"Their growth and progress during my time with them is all the validation I need. Haters are gonna hate." —Caroline

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

ABC

"I chose this profession because I want to make a difference in the present so that my students will create a better future for us." —Gwen

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